All posts tagged Otis gun cleaning systems

Otis gun cleaning systems and the easier way

You won’t find a more compact cleaning kit for your firearm than an Otis gun cleaning kit. They are specialized for various types of firearms and not just caliber specific like many other cleaning kits. You can get a Universal cleaning kit for multiple calibers or get one that is specific to an M16. Everyone knows how much a chore the M4 and M16 family of firearms are to clean and carrying a cleaning rod with you is impractical. There are videos on the internet and CDs that you can watch while you learn about your Otis gun cleaning kit. They will take a little time to get use to using because the gun cleaning kits are mini tool boxes that can vary depending on the configuration you order.

The military configurations are very practical for anyone that owns an AR15 or M4 variant. You can cut down on the amount of gun cleaning supplies you use and the time you spend cleaning and get more use out of your cleaning patches if you properly use your Otis cleaning kit. The Otis product line is geared towards the hunter, the target shooter, the gun collector and military applications. The Otis M16 butt stock cleaning kit fits where it says it goe. You will appreciate being able to clean a pistol or rifle out of something that can fit in your hand and can easily be stowed in a range bag or tactical vest. Cleaning brushes and cleaning patches are all in there so do some research into what you really want in a cleaning kit and pick amongst the kits that are available.The Otis sniper cleaning system is a great companion to a DMR or bolt action rifle.

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Cleaning guns, the right way

The is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things, there are also many ways to do get the same job done, but efficiency really matters to most of us.   I do admit that I like cleaning some of my firearms, some guns are really annoying to assemble and re-assemble.   The Ruger MKII is probable the most annoying handgun I ever owned, but my tolerances for complicated things has increased and I probable should have never sold it.   The real problem with guns like that is when you haven’t shot them in awhile and the learned knowledge floats out your brain.  I’ve read several issues of SWAT magazine where excessive gun cleaning can cause damage and after watching a recent DVD from Dean Caputo on the AR15 I thought I’d bring this up.

 

 

Boresnakes are definitely the fastest and easiest to use, but it won’t do a very good job on a really dirty chamber or in the bolt carrier of an AR15.  You will still gun cleaning supplies other than just CLP Break Free and a bore snake.   The Otis gun cleaning kits that are specifically designed for the M16 or AR15 is probable  the most complete gun cleaning kit for an AR15, but they gotta be used the right way.  One of the biggest screw ups I see with the cleaning tools are the chamber brushes.   The chamber brush is only meant to be pushed down so far and the fast majority of the ones I have come across look like someone tried to jam it down the barrel.  Watch what you are doing so you don’t damage the gun doing something you aren’t suppose to be doing.

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Otis 5.56 buttstock cleaning kit

This is the cleaning kit you might want to consider throwing in your butt stock if you can fit one in there.   The tools that this gun cleaning kit comes with should get the job done after long firing sessions.  One thing to consider is that gun cleaning sometimes is over done and you can damage a firearm with too much scraping and cleaning.   I have never seen it happen, but I have read several articles in SWAT magazine that referred to people over cleaning AR15 guns.

Cleaning out the chamber is not as important as keep a DI AR15 lubricated, but I have never been one to leave a gun sit un cleaned for more than a week.   The Otis gun cleaning system are well thought out gun cleaning kits that have the brushes and attachments to cleaning various parts of a firearm.  The Otis 5.56 butt stock cleaning kit is even more practical because it fits inside the gun and doesn’t need to be hauled around in a range bag.   Having an Otis kit will probable reduce your need on packing gun cleaning supplies in another bag.

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Time to get your gear in order and your gun cleaning supplies

There’s a certain point where a gun owners really can waste enormous amounts of time if they aren’t keeping there gun cleaning supplies in order.   There are lots of cleaning tools that will speed up your cleaning time and reduce the amount of money you’ll spend on cleaning pads and cleaning fluids.  I must have the same bottle of Break Free CLP gun cleaning and lubrication that I had 5yrs ago.   I hardly go through gun cleaning solvents because the tools that I am using now are so good at getting the debris and grud off the guns that solvents really only get used for cleaning the bore if I am using lead bullets.

Last year I got an Otis gun cleaning mat from my wife for a Christmas present and it’s really helped keep me from losing parts and messing up my living room rug. Otis gun cleaning kits are compact, versatile and easy to use on various firearms.   I’ve had a few issues with bore snakes and some of my semi-auto rifles and the Otis cleaning kits were great companions for people that want to clean a firearm on a firing range or on the road.   The tools that fit in some of the kits are great for the AR15 style firearms because some can be stowed in the grips or butt stocks.

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Revolver cleaning and tools

I finally got around to hitting my Dillon 550B and loaded up a ton of my favorite 38 Special hand loads.   I’m amazed at how well I shoot with some of these bullets because I’m usually doing most of my training with semi-auto guns and the ammo is rarely very accurate.   Hits are usually what I am looking for in defensive shooting, but when I am shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 19, I can actually go for a bulls eye.  A few months ago I dug up a bunch of SWC lead bullets and used  up a  full pound of Unique gun powder.

The one bad thing about getting in a good range day was that I had to clean all of gun gun out of my gun  before I put it away.   I don’t mind shooting lead in revolvers, but I won’t do it in semi-autos anymore.   I used my Otis gun cleaning kit because not only did it have the brushes to get the job done, it had a nice scraper to get in to the areas that needed to be cleaned.   When I used a 1911 and shot lead bullets, I found compacted lead in so many areas that I didn’t think the gun would be reliable if I didn’t get it all out.  The extractor areas can be a tipping point if  you gunk them up.

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One up for Otis gun cleaning systems

I have been a long time user of the Hoppes boresnakes and I an not going to bash them in any way.   My first bad experience with gun cleaning was when I bent a 3 piece cleaning rod trying to clean a 22 magnum rifle.  I learned that the one piece cleaning rods were worth the money, but it was always annoying trying to find a place in my tool room to put the thing.   I found out about boresnakes when one of my gun shops started stocking them and I really loved how fast it was to clean a rifle.  When i started shooting AR15s it was really, really nice to have them laying around.   One time I took 6 of my .223 guns to the range and when I got back, I just lined them all up and cleaning the barrels in about 10 minutes.   Boresnakes really do save you time, but there was one drawback.

I have a 30 caliber bore snake that I used on several of my rifles, but i have a  lot of problems with cleaning my FAL.   For some reason the DSA FAL I have does not like to swallow a boresnake and I have a lot of trouble trying to get the little brass end to drop down the barrel and pull it through.   I have ended up having to use an Otis gun cleaning kit for the .308 rifle because it feeds and fits properly.   My FAL is hands down the easiest semi-auto gun to break down and clean and I can honestly clean most of it with a rag, but getting inside the chamber or muzzle needs a traditional cleaning.   Not all of the Otis gun cleaning systems are caliber specific, but it’s nice to have a cleaning kit that gets everything done on my DSA Arms SA58.

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.308 rifle cleaning on the move

The tactical world is loaded with tons of doodads and accessories that are very well thought out, but sometimes it takes as much time to learn how to use them as it probable took to create the device.    Experience is what we learn from and we get it an many ways.   If you have ever had to pack a backpack and go on a week or longer hike, you’ll know the importance of packing “only what you need to survive” which is a line I stole from Spaceballs the movie.   It’s funny that I have actually seen people go on camping trips with things that plug in and need electricity, and those are the people you’ll probable never see on a camping trip again.   My Boy Scout Troop usually had 2 or 3 campers a year, the new guys, do something like that and the City slicker attitudes usually mean a short stint in the Boy Scouts of America.

When it comes to carrying a firearm like a DMR or Sniper rifle, adding weight to something that is already heavy is not something you are going to want to do.   If you could remove 1 or 2 lbs of weight from a rifle, you can add on the weight of the ammo that replaces it.  I don’t know a single shooter that wouldn’t rather carry more ammo than carry more gun.  There are cleaning systems like boresnakes that are fast and easy, but for serious cleaning, you are going to like the Otis gun cleaning kits for the sniper or DMR.  This gun cleaning kit is meant for a .308 rifle, bolt action or semi-auto, it doesn’t matter.    I’m sure there are people that think they need a cleaning rod for bolt guns, maybe some guns need it, but how the heck do you carry a cleaning rod into the field?

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If there is a faster way to clean a revolover…

Please show me how I can clean a revolver faster than if I were using a boresnake?   I’ve got several boresnakes that are showing a good bit of wear, but they are still getting the job done on cleaning my rifles and I don’t even think they have gotten to their half life yet.   Just wash them in the wash machine if they start to show signs they are getting too slimy.   The only difference between the pistol and rifle bore snakes is the length and although you can still use a rifle boresnake but it may flop around a little too much.

I have always liked Hoppes boresnakes, but I recently dug out a Ruger GP100 that was a rack queen and took it to the range for a day.   I didn’t put that many rounds through it, but after spending years of range time with Glocks, XD’s and Sigs, it was fun to break out a .357 magnum and do a range  report.  The Hoppes Boresnakes that I have for my handguns have not been used that much, and when it came time to clean the gun, i popped open the cylinder, rang the bore snake through each hole, then the barrel and was trying to figure out what else I needed to do.   That was it!

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Otis butt stock cleaning kit

The first time I ever got a hold of an Otis gun cleaning kit I was kinda overwhelmed with the amount of brushes and tools that were in it.   It was a universal rifle and pistol cleaning kit and I was kind of bothered by how much stuff was jiggling around inside the pouch.   I know now that this was a little more than what I really needed, but once I figured out how to use the kit and what all of the tools were for all of the other cleaning kits from Otis were easier to use.   This is from someone that started out with a bolt action 22LR rifle and a Hoppes gun cleaning kit from K-Mart.

The gun cleaning that I have grown to hate usually is from the AR15 direct impingement guns I own.   I have heard numerous firearms instructors tell me that there is such a thing as too much cleaning, and knowing exactly what parts to lube and clean on an AR15 is the key to firearm maintenance.   The Otis gun cleaning kits I use now are specific to the firearm I am cleaning. Hoppes boresnakes have served me well, but getting into the parts of an AR15 especially the locking lugs is difficult without an AR15 brush designed for that type of chamber.  There are times you will need to literally scrape the locking lugs of an AR15 and Otis has the tools and gun cleaning kit for your needs.

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