Some are compact and come in a zipped soft-side case, while others may come in a hard-side tackle box style case. Either way, you do need a gun cleaning kit to clean and maintain your gun(s) well.
But, with the vast amounts of kit, it can be hard to find the right one. But, not to worry, we’ve done that part for you and bring you the Best Gun Cleaning Kits currently available. So, let’s go through them and find the perfect one for you…
Top 10 Best Gun Cleaning Kits Review
1. Otis Technology The Otis Elite
From the Front Lines to the Hunt of a Lifetime…
We spoke in the introduction of the elite types of gun cleaning kits, and we start with the Otis Technology The Otis Elite, which just happens to be one of them. It comes with an assortment of brushes, slotted tips, for sizes ranging from .17 caliber to 270/7mm as well as your 300 to 357 40/45 caliber, and even for 50 calibers.
It contains cables as well as rods for cleaning the bores. This is ideal, as some may prefer one over the other. It comes with cleaning solvents, lubes, and also lens spray for scopes. The kit contains what you need to clean rifles, pistols, shotguns, and even muzzleloaders.
Aircraft-grade components…
The cables are aircraft grade memory flex that ensures the proper breach to bore cleaning method, which is widely recommended and used by many.
However, as we said earlier, it does have the rods for you to use instead of the cables. The only issue is the rods aren’t long enough to clean longer barrels. And, because of the soft-side case, it was a bit cumbersome to use.
Soft case option…
Some have abandoned the soft-side case for a hard tackle box case, and this seems to work well. We believe for the price, that the Otis Elite would have been better to come with a hard case.
It also comes with a smaller kit that may be ideal for some shooters, as you can leave the main kit in your vehicle for use later and carry the smaller kit with you. It will fit most hunting or tactical pants and jacket or vest pockets.
Pros
- A superb assortment of attachments.
- Aircraft-grade cables.
- No nonsense warranty.
Cons
- Soft-side case.
- Cumbersome to use.
- Price.
2. Hoppe’s No. 9 Deluxe Gun Cleaning Kit
The Gun Care People Since 1903…
The company Hoppe’s has been in business since 1903. And since then, they have also supplied the military, as well as the hunters, with great gun cleaning kit. Some of here are well versed with the company and have used Hoppe’s in the past.
So, we decided to go with the No. 9 Deluxe Gun Cleaning kit, and here’s what we found…
What’s in the box?
It comes with a three piece brass rod, four slotted ends, five phosphor bronze brushes to fit .22 and.30 caliber rifles, .38 caliber pistols, and 20 and 12 gauge shotguns. Hoppe’s (Guide to Gun Care) booklet is also included.
This may be a good kit for the novice or first-time buyer of gun cleaning kits. However, you may or will need to buy additional parts and attachments, that most would normally find in one of the best gun cleaning kits, that is listed as “Deluxe.”
But, there’s a catch…
It does contain enough items to clean some guns. But, the hinges were weak, and the lube leaked out during transit, we’re assuming? The plastic tips are cheap and broke off in the threaded end of the rod. One of the brushes broke as well, in the same manner.
The box hinges are weak, and the box overall is flimsy and loose, as the top didn’t line up with the bottom. As stated earlier, we are versed with Hoppe’s and have used many of their products in the past. However, it is apparent that the quality and workmanship has declined over the years.
We were looking forward to a higher quality kit, that we are accustomed to buying from Hoppe’s, but unfortunately ended up disappointed.
Pros
- Good for the novice.
Cons
- Poor workmanship.
- Poor packaging.
- Cheaply made attachments.
3. GLORYFIRE Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
Great kit that needs some labeling…
This is a great best gun cleaning kit. But, what would have made it even more awesome, would be if they had labeled the inside of the box, to make it easier to load and identify the contents. Having said that…
What’s in the box?
It came with high quality, non-plastic attachments. It has 12 spear point jags, one black powder jag, 14 bore brushes, three muzzle guards, nine mops, four slotted tips, 3 rods for .17 to .270 caliber rifles.
And, 3 rods for .30 caliber rifles, shotguns, and muzzleloaders, two empty bottles – one 50 ml and one 30 ml, to put your choice of cleaning solvent and lube in. In addition, it has 100 cotton swaps and three utility brushes. And finally, four double-ended plastic picks and one steel pick and finally three accessory adapters.
Packed to the brim…
Whew, that’s 160 pieces all wrapped up in one compact hard-side case. Once the box is completely loaded, you will find it to be well organized, as we did. With these items that are in the box, it makes gun cleaning efficient, quick, and easy.
This GLORYFIRE is capable of cleaning all types of pistols, rifles, and shotguns to include black powder. At first glance, we expected it to be pricey. However, it was not, considering its 160 pieces.
A superb choice…
In using it, it all passed with flying colors. This may very well be the choice of many of our readers. There had been some chatter about breakage of other kits that may have contained plastic tips. But, not so with this kit.
There is also a three-year quality warranty, that’s backed by GLORYFIRE.
Pros
- Compact hard case.
- Well organized.
- Non-plastic.
- High quality.
Cons
- No internal labeling.
4. DAC Winchester Super Deluxe Soft Sided Gun Care Case (68-Piece)
A place for everything, everything in its place…
We just covered a 150 piece kit, and now we move on with a 68 piece best gun cleaning kit. We say that because this is a great kit for all shooters and gun owners. It came nicely packaged and well organized. The case is soft but very well made and durable.
The zippers are heavy-duty and can be locked. And they don’t hang up on the corners. The case also has dual carry handles that can be velcroed together for easy carry. It has a removable handolier and accessory pouches.
It has a separate pouch for your rods, as well. The technology is provided by DAC to Winchester in the making of the DAC Winchester Super Deluxe Soft Sided Gun Care Case (68-Piece).
How it performed…
Awesome! When opened our DAC case, we saw that everything was neatly stored and kept in place with velcro looped straps. This ensures all the items will be in place after a rough ride in a truck.
All of the brass ends of the mops and bore brushes are stamped with the sizes, as well, the individual plastic tubes were labeled with the corresponding brush sizes. The three-sectioned rod measures 29 1/2 “. Making it sufficient for more long barrels.
Fill it up…
The sizes run from .17 caliber to 12 gauge shotguns and everything in between. Although it is a custom-made case, you will be happy to know that there’s enough room to add more items if you want to. We added a gun mat, one lube, and a solvent bottle to it, and it closed nicely without any stretching.
The only very minor issue we had, and we quickly remedied, is that the brush and mop attachment tubes are airtight. So, this can cause deterioration to the brushes and mops, if they aren’t dried before storing.
Remedy…
If you have the time, let them dry. As an alternative, we drilled two tiny holes in the lids. Problem solved.
Pros
- Robust.
- Neatly organized.
- Proper labeling.
- Heavy-duty zipper.
- Price.
- Velcro secured.
Cons
- None.
5. Allen Company Ultimate Gun Cleaning Kit
Expected high, got low…
The Allen Company has been around since 1970. They provide a wide variety of hunting, and fishing needs to satisfy most. The Allen Ultimate Gun Cleaning Kit is listed as a 65 piece buy. However, after receiving it, it turned out to be 80, if you count the plastic box.
The quality of the box was not as expected. It is a tackle box. But it’s cheaply made. The storage sections on the top lid were difficult to open and close. One might say, a bit too secure. Also, the fit of the doors on the top lid storage apparently is not as good a fit as you would expect. You could fix that by using a Dremel tool to shave it down to fit. But why bother? You may not even have use for it?
However, the kit does come with many accessories for all types of pistols, rifles, and shotguns, so let’s find out…
What’s in the box?
With brass jags, and rods, bronze brushes, this kit can clean pistols and rifles from .17 caliber to 50 caliber. And has utility brushes, as well. Plus it will also clean 410, 20 and 12 gauges, and includes a plastic pick.
The attachments are marked as well as the plastic tray, so you can locate and use what you need easily. It does have additional space in the lower section, below the two top trays. But, don’t expect to get a full-sized spray can to fit.
Didn’t test well…
It has a slot inside of the top lid to store the items list and instructions booklet, and on top of that, it has a one year warranty. We did test it out, and it did have a cheap feel to it. We stopped early in the test, as it felt like the rod was going to snap in the barrel.
It’s a shame it wasn’t done better, as Allen is a better company than this. Not much more to say about the Allen Kit, as we were not very impressed with it overall.
Pros
- Marked attachments and trays.
Cons
- Cheap plastic box.
- Poor quality.
- Price.
6. Real Avid Gun Boss Handgun Cleaning Kit
Neat little kit, but too cheap…
The Real Avid Gun Boss Cleaning Kit is very compact and easy to store, in a range bag, backpack, or even a coat pocket. It is a zipped clamshell-type case that it comes in. The case is quite durable and weatherproof.
As it turns out, it pretty much stops there, for us. The brush ends broke during use, and the rods nearly broke as well. The threaded ends of the brushes are inferior in production. And the jags and the slotted ends at the threads were stripped.
Cheap in price, and unfortunately quality as well…
It may be good for some that like to have it on hand for a quick clean, but this would not make it in the field. It’s a shame as overall, this would be great to have for all handgun cleaning. It is cheap in price.
Our guess is, they went low to sell in quantity. But, it has no quality from our standards. Had the raised the quality higher, We’re sure they would have been able to raise the price as well to meet their costs and maintain their profit margin.
To end on a positive, the case itself is nice and durable. Let’s hope they can produce higher-quality cleaning tools for it if they make a go of it again.
Pros
- Nice durable case.
Cons
- Cheap plastic tools.
- Weak Metal rods.
- Weak threaded ends.
7. HOPPE’S No. 9 Cleaning Kit with Aluminum Rod.38/.357 Caliber, 9mm Pistol
May be good for the novice…
This is another Hoppes product up for our review. It is intended for use with the .38, .357, and 9mm caliber, but can work for the .380 caliber as well. It contains one bore brush, one plastic slotted tip, one rod with T-handle.
Also in the box is a 2.5-ounce bottle of cleaning solvent and 2.25-ounce of lube oil as well as a box of patches. This next item we will elaborate a bit on is what some may call a knob end, jag, or obstruction removing tip.
Call it as you want…
It is included and is made of plastic. It is mainly used to push a patch through the barrel. The Hoppes No. 9 cleaning kit is good for the novice or pro. As we may have said in the past, some of here have been in the military or law enforcement as well as the gun business.
We’re saying that because some of us are quite familiar with this particular kit. This kit years ago came in a sturdy plastic box, with the tips made of metal. And you could use the Hoppes 9 on a daily basis.
Not so much now…
We believe, as with most things, they made this kit of cheaper materials to sell at a lower price, selling in quantity. It would be good for the gun owners that need to use it off and on.
But, for the avid shooter, not a good idea. The plastic box it comes in would not be able to stand up to the constant opening and closing, for a longer period. We know it would do for the once a month shooter or individual that wants to clean and maintain their gun over an even longer time period.
The bottom line makes a good Christmas gift from dad to son. But, in the long run, you’ll end up with a hodge-podge of parts.
Pros
- Price.
- Comes with solvent and lube.
- Cheap Christmas gift.
Cons
- Cheap plastic box.
- Not durable.
- Cheaply made kit.
8. Wydan Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
No shotguns allowed…
To start, the seller says, 12, 20, and 410 Gauge. However, the kit does not have the tools to clean them. At least not at this time as it may have been labeled as such for future sales. Now let’s have a look at the Wydan Universal Gun Cleaning Kit.
It came in a clamshell-type case that zips. The outer-shell is quite hard, making it durable. Inside, it has all the items as expected for cleaning a pistol. The mops and bore brush ends are stamped with their sizes.
Excellent first best gun cleaning kit choice…
This is great for the novice so that when they’re using it, they can locate all of the tips easily. The slotted tips are plastic, rods, and brushes are brass. The rods joined measure 32”. The kit also has a foam cut-out for all of the kits items to fit in. We shook it and no rattling. It doesn’t come with any lubricants, but if you’re interested in them, please check out or reviews of the best gun oil and grease.
When we re-opened it, everything was still in place. This would be good for your range bag when going to the firing range on pistol days. We believe it would work well at your handgun competition events, as well.
Nice expensive look…
So, we did some searching and found that the kit is made in China and sold by Wydan out of California. It looks great, and when you look in the case, it looks to be more expensive. All these great features make it one of the best 9mm cleaning kits you can buy.
Pros
- Quality case.
- Low price.
- Stamped ends.
- Foam cut-out.
- Compact and portable.
Cons
- Mis-leading shotgun compatibility listed.
- Low-quality materials.
- The plastic tip will break.
9. Hoppe’s BoreSnake Rifle Soft-Sided Rifle Cleaning Kit (Choose Your Caliber)
Finally, a good pick for the best gun cleaning kits. The Hoppe’s BoreSnake Rifle Soft-Sided Rifle Cleaning Kit is not only priced reasonably, but it does the job well. We’ve experimented with it before we knew we’d be reviewing it. It’s a very portable kit to have regardless if you’re on the range, out hunting, or just want to clean your rifles.
In the BoreSnake Kit, it comes with BoreSnake, Hoppe’s No. 9 Solvent, Hoppe’s Lubricating Oil, Hoppe’s Weatherguard Cloths and pulling tool. In case you’re wondering, the pulling tool is the plastic piece that is between to bottle of solvent and lube oil.
You can use to give you more leverage while pulling the bore snake through the barrel. The BoreSnake measures 71” in total. And it can be washed. Some even prefer to put it in the washer.
But the best way to clean it is…
Simply get a container and put some liquid dish detergent in it. Add water and cover it. Then shake it and let it sit for about ten minutes. Rinse it thoroughly and hang dry.
But remember to make sure you get the correct size when ordering, and do not try to use a different size. You’ll be paying a gunsmith to remove it if you do. The .17 Caliber may be tight at first, so be aware of that.
As we reviewed the bore snake, as usual, there was chatter from some that it doesn’t beat a cleaning rod and patches. However, most of us here agree that it does just as good a job.
Pros
- Price.
- Superb durability.
- Compact.
- Quick and easy cleaning.
- Reusable for years.
Cons
- None.
10. Ohuhu Gun Cleaning Kit 58 Pieces
The non-upgraded kit is better…
In comparison to the earlier version, it was better built and a bit more durable.
But regardless, let’s get on with this one…
The Ohuhu gun cleaning kit seems to be a Chinese knock-off of the GloryFire we reviewed earlier in this review. Just at a much lower price. The tools contained in it are the same, but much cheaper in quality. This too, might be ok for the first time buyer or as a father to son gift.
But, there’s a catch…
When we used it, one of the rods broke, and a second one was bending while in use as well. We weren’t happy at all with the performance of it. The slotted tips felt easy to break with minimal pressure applied. And some of the brushes were difficult to run down the bores.
After checking to ensure we had the matching brush to the bore, we noticed the brush was not sized correctly. With basic mistakes like that being made, there’s not much else we can say about the Ohuhu Gun Cleaning Kit.
Pros
- Cheap price
Cons
- Poor quality.
- Rods bend/break.
- Cheap plastic parts break on use.
Best Gun Cleaning Kits Buyers Guide
As an owner of one or more firearms, it is important to have a reliable gun cleaning kit. One that, as closely as possible, matches the calibers that you own. It should be easy to use. The tools should be of good quality, as well as the case it comes in, be it a hard or soft case.
The warranty policy is also important to consider, especially when buying online.
There are a few ways to buy the best gun cleaning kits
You can buy a good durable basic kit that matches what you need, and in the long run, add to it as needed. Many of us have gone that route in the past.
However, you need to be careful if the picks, jags, or tips are plastic, as they could break during use. If you want a kit with picks, try to pick one that has steel picks. You’ll thank yourself in the long run. As for bore brushes, the best are Phosphor bronze.
The disposable swaps that may come in the cleaning can be purchased almost anywhere at a low price, so don’t worry too much about them. Silicone rags are a great thing to have as well for the times when you want to wipe down your handgun or rifle.
Expensive or not?
We already know that some may be thinking that it will be expensive, from reading what we have written in this buyers’ guide. But that’s not necessarily so. With all the competitive prices and packages available out there, and all the information provided in this review, we are confident that you’ll find exactly what you are looking for to fit your needs for a complete and fully-functional best gun cleaning kits.
So what is our choice of the Best Gun Cleaning Kits
We pick for our winner, the…
DAC Winchester Super Deluxe Soft Sided Gun Care Case (68-Piece)
This is due to the fact that it was a neatly packaged, very well organized, soft-sided case. It contained everything we needed to clean most common pistols, shotguns and rifles. The plastic tube containers are a great bonus as well.
And our runner up is…
Hoppe’s BoreSnake Rifle Soft-Sided Rifle Cleaning Kit (Choose Your Caliber)
This should not come as a shock, because this is truly the quick, easy way to clean your rifle anywhere.
Best Gun Cleaning Kits Conclusion
We’d like to bring up briefly about bore sizes. If you own a 9mm, you can use a .38 or .357 caliber bore brush on a 9mm as well as .380 caliber. And, a .30 caliber will work on a 7.62 x 39 as well.
If you ever have any doubts, you can use a downloadable conversion app to check the correct math on this. If you’re looking for a small kit because you have just a few handguns, and the kit doesn’t have exactly what you need, you can always go to your local gunsmith and buy the exact item needed.
Most best gun cleaning kits come with enough space so that you can add any extras you may have purchased. We hope you enjoyed going through this review, as much as we enjoyed reviewing the products and writing it.
Happy shooting (and cleaning)