Best Gun Cleaning Kits For Any Budget

Maintenance is a key part of responsible firearm ownership. Cleaning your rifle, pistol, or shotgun after every range session will reduce wear and help you spot issues before they become serious.

You’re going to need more than a rag and some household cleaning spray to do the job right.

These are the best gun cleaning kits I’ve personally used. Read on to see what makes each one great and to figure out which is right for you.

Best Gun Cleaning Kits: The Quick List

Best Overall: Hoppe’s Deluxe Gun Cleaning Kit
Best Budget: GuardTech Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
Most Convenient: Real Avid Master Cleaning Station
Best Premium: Dewey Rods

How I Tested the Best Gun Cleaning Kits

I have a solid understanding of what makes a good gun cleaning kit, but I also purchased and used each of the kits you see here to see them in action and decide which one is right for you.

Hands-On Testing

These kits got a chance to demonstrate their value during regular firearm maintenance. Over a span of several weeks, I used each one to get firearms, including concealed carry pistols, AR-15s, precision rifles, hunting rifles, and extra-dirty .22 LR guns squeaky clean.

As I cleaned, I used the following criteria to evaluate each kit:

• Are all the tools I need included?
  
• Does the kit support common cartridges and barrel lengths?
  
• Is everything well-organized and easy to find?
  
• What additional items, like oils and solvents, do I need to buy separately?
  

Meet the Experts

This article comes to you from Scott Murdock. Scott is a Marine Corps veteran who competed and qualified as a rifle and pistol expert while in service. His understanding of firearm cleaning and maintenance is informed by conversations with military armorers and civilian professional shooters. Scott personally used each of the gun cleaning kits in this article.

Best Gun Cleaning Kits

1. Hoppe’s Deluxe Gun Cleaning Kit - Best Overall

Pros

• Includes bore cleaner and lubricating oil
  
• Nice assortment of bore brushes, mops, and patches
  
• High-quality components

Cons

• Costs more than buying a kit, solvent, and oil separately
  
• I prefer a needle-type applicator bottle for gun oil

Specs

• Case Included: Yes
  
• Cleaning Rod: 3-piece, brass (2)
  
• Bore Brushes: .17, .20, .22 (2), .24, .270, .30, .38, .410, .45, .50, .54, 20ga, 12ga  
  
• Bore Patches: 1 size
  
• Bore Mops: .17, .22, .30, .38, .410, .45, .50, 20ga, 12ga
  
• Jags: .17, .22, .25, .270, .30, .338, .35, .375, .40, .44, .45, 6mm (plastic)
  
• Slotted Tips: 4 sizes (plastic)
  
• All-Purpose Brushes: Nylon, bronze, steel
  
• Country of Origin: China

For a lot of gun owners, there’s one name that’s synonymous with gun cleaning: Hoppe’s. The Hoppe’s Deluxe Gun Cleaning Kit has everything you need, including two critical components you won’t get from other gun cleaning kits.

This is the only gun cleaning kit here that includes bore cleaner and lubricating oil – the famous Hoppe’s No. 9, at that. This is the perfect option if you want to make one purchase and get everything you need.

Of course, it also has a full suite of cleaning rods, bore brushes, jags, slotted tips, patches, and mops. You should be in good hands for most common cartridges. Measurements are in caliber or inches, but if you convert them to millimeters, you’ll find that a lot of other cartridges are supported, too (for example, a .357/.38 brush works for 9mm).

It comes with a stack of patches, but they’ll be the first thing you need to replace. I go through patches like crazy; fortunately, Hoppe’s sells them in bulk for a variety of bore sizes.

2. GuardTech Universal Gun Cleaning Kit - Best Budget

Pros

• Most affordable option
  
• Includes nylon, brass, and steel all-purpose brushes
  
• Needle applicator bottle for gun oil of your choice

Cons

• Gun oil and bore cleaner not included
  
• Occasionally goes out of stock online

Specs

• Case Included: Yes
  
• Cleaning Rod: 3-piece, brass (large and small)
  
• Bore Brushes: .17, .20, .22, .243, .270, .30, .357/9mm, .40, .410, .45, .50, .54, 20ga, 12ga 
  
• Bore Patches: 1 size
  
• Bore Mops: .17, .22, .30, .40, .357/9mm, .410, .50, 20ga, 12ga
  
• Jags: .17, .22, .243/6mm, .25, .270, .30, .338, .357/9mm, .40, .44, .45 (brass)
  
• Slotted Tips: 4 sizes (brass)
  
• All-Purpose Brushes: Nylon, bronze
  
• Country of Origin: China

I get it – shooting is expensive, and there are more fun ways to spend your money than buying a cleaning kit. That’s why I put the budget-friendly GuardTech Universal Gun Cleaning Kit on this list.

At around $50, it’s an affordable way to maintain a wide range of popular rifles, pistols, and shotguns. It’s also fairly well-stocked.

You’ll find all the bore brushes, jags, mops, and all-purpose brushes you’re likely to need for common firearms. There are even two sizes of three-piece cleaning rods.

Patches are included, but they’re pretty big. You might need something smaller for small-bore rifles and pistols.

One of my favorite features about this kit is the needle-nose applicator bottle that comes with it. You’ll need to supply your own gun oil, but this makes it much easier to apply it exactly where it needs to go, with minimal mess.

The bore snake, cotton swabs, and plastic picks are nice upgrades that most entry-level cleaning kits don’t provide.

Dollar for dollar, you can’t beat it. If you need more specialized tools later, you can always purchase them individually and add them to the kit.

3. Real Avid Master Cleaning Station - Most Convenient

Pros

• Includes a stain-resistant, roll-out cleaning surface
  
• Most compact of the bunch
  
• Everything is well-organized and easy to access

Cons

• Fewer cartridges supported
  
• Plastic jags, no mops

Specs

Case Included: Yes
Cleaning Rod: 4-piece, brass
Bore Brushes: .22, .243, .270/.280, .30, .357/9mm, .40, .45, 20ga, 12ga
Bore Patches: 5 sizes
Bore Mops: 20ga, 12ga
Jags: .22, .243, .270/.280, .30, .357/9mm, .40, .45 (plastic)
Slotted Tips: 2 sizes (brass)
All-Purpose Brushes: Nylon, bronze
Country of Origin: China

Cleaning guns is a messy business. I picked the Real Avid Master Cleaning Station for this guide because it comes with a roll-out mat to keep your countertop or table clean.

The stain-resistant mat (16 by 43 inches)  is great, and this kit also includes the most commonly used tools you need. It’s not exhaustive, but I’m able to clean most firearms with what’s included. 

The double-sided brush is a nice touch, too; it lets me scrub stubborn carbon with nylon or bronze bristles without digging out a separate tool. If anything needs more convincing, there are plastic picks, as well.

The case is very compact, but it’s well organized so everything is easy to find. Brushes and jags are sorted next to each other by bore diameter.

This kit also includes several sizes of patches. They run out quickly, but you can refill them with your patches of choice and I appreciate having a place to store them alongside everything else.

Since this kit rolls up nice and small, it’s a perfect option to bring to the range. I also recommend it to anyone who’s just getting started and wants an all-in-one cleaning kit and work station.

4. Dewey Rods - Best Premium

Pros

• Totally customizable
  
• Hard-to-find cleaning tools available
  
• Professional-grade quality

Cons

• Requires more knowledge on the customer’s part
  
• Provide your own storage for this kit

Specs

• Case Included: No
  
• Cleaning Rod: One-piece, nylon-coated
  
• Bore Brushes: .17, .20, .22/.223, .24/.243/6mm, .25, .270, .30/.308, .338, .35, .38/.357/9mm, .375, .40/.410/10mm, .416, .44, .45, .458, .50, 6.5mm, 7mm, 8mm, 28ga, 20ga, 16ga, 12ga, 10ga
  
• Bore Patches: Eight sizes
  
• Bore Mops: .17, .20, .22/.223, .17-.225, .24-.30, .30, .410, .45, 20ga, 12ga
  
• Jags: .17, .20, .22, .24/.243/6mm, .270/7mm, .30, .338, .35, .375, .38/.357/9mm, .40/.410/10mm, .416/.44, .44/.45, .50, 6.5mm (brass)
  
• Slotted Tips: .17/.20, .22, .30, shotgun, universal (brass)
  
• All-Purpose Brushes: Horse hair, nylon, bronze
  
• Country of Origin: USA

Universal gun cleaning kits work great for the vast majority of shooters. If you shoot uncommon cartridges or want to achieve the maximum degree of firearm hygiene, there’s nobody I trust more than J Dewey Rods.

Sure, Dewey’s once-piece, nylon-coated cleaning rods are great, but they make a lot more than that. A trip to the website will reveal more brushes, mops, and specialty equipment that you probably didn't know existed.

Dewey also covers one of the most neglected places: the chamber! That’s a critical component of any firearm, but most cleaning kits don’t include a good way to scrub it free of grit and grime. Dewey offers several specialty chamber brushes and mops to fix that problem.

You can also buy little felt blocks to clean the raceways where the bolt’s lugs lock into the action. That’s seriously thorough.

Once you get the chamber clean, you don’t want to drag gunk from the bore back into it. Dewey makes bore guides that slide into place where your bolt normally goes, and seal off with a rubber gasket. That lets you go to town on the bore without contaminating the chamber.

This level of care isn’t always necessary, but my Dewey tools are the only things that touch my precision rifle. 

The trick is that you have to know what you need, since these items are generally sold individually. Don’t be afraid to call or email Dewey directly if you need help.

How to Pick the Best Gun Cleaning Kit

Still not sure which is the best gun cleaning kit for you? Here are some ideas to help you decide, along with a few more helpful pieces of gear to supplement and restock your cleaning kit.

If you need some help with disassembly and reassembly, check out the Guncademy channel on YouTube for great instructional videos on all kinds of firearm makes and models!

Cartridge Compatibility

Many of the components you see in gun cleaning kits are caliber-specific. That means you need a different bore brush for, say, your .45 ACP pistol and your .308 Win hunting rifle. The kits on this list cover the most common calibers, but verify that yours is on the list before you buy. 

Keep in mind that we’re talking about caliber – meaning the bore’s diameter – rather than the specific cartridge. For example, guns chambered for .22 LR, 5.56 NATO, and .22-250 Rem all use the same bore brush because the bore is the same size. Likewise, 9mm pistols and .357 Mag revolvers use the same bore brush.

If you shoot long enough, you’re eventually going to acquire something less common. When that happens, just buy the specific components you need and add them to your gun cleaning kit.

Gun Cleaning Tools

Firearm maintenance is personal, and only you can decide what’s right for you. Some people run a boresnake down the barrel a few times a year and call it good; others strip the gun down for a deep clean after every trip to the range (that’s me, if you’re curious).

Certain tools are essential. The kits I picked all come with bore brushes, all-purpose brushes, mops, patches, and cleaning rods. Some include other items, like picks, solvent, oil, and a mat to keep your workspace tidy.

Others are less commonly used or so firearm-specific that it doesn’t make sense for a manufacturer to include them in a kit. If you want a bore guide or tools to clean the bolt-lug raceways of your action, you’ll need to buy those tools separately. That’s why I included a build-your-own option from Dewey.

Finally, you can tackle some jobs with things you already have around the house. One of the best ways I’ve found to clean carbon residue off pistol lights is a simple pencil eraser. If you want to keep the lens clean during a daytime training session, throw some masking tape over it, then peel it and the day’s grime off when you’re done.

Gun Cleaning Liquids & Patches

Many of the things you’ll use to clean your firearm are consumables, meaning they’re single-use items that you have to replace. This includes drops of oil and solvent, and the patches or mops you use to apply them.

Hoppe’s is probably the most trusted name in the game, and I’ve been using the company’s products for years with great results. I recommend these Hoppe’s gun cleaning supplies – cleaning solvent, lubricating oil, a needle-nose applicator bottle, and patches.

Every firearm – whether it’s a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver, an AR-15, or a hunting rifle – has little nooks and crannies that are hard to reach. These little pockets accumulate carbon and grime until they cause problems.

Cotton swabs are one of the best ways to reach them. Tipton makes them in different shapes and sizes, and I recommend having a nice variety on hand (always get more than you think you’ll need). These might seem kind of expensive, but they do a much better job of cleaning than I can achieve without them.

Final Thoughts

Firearm maintenance is a messy business, but you’ll be well-prepared with one of these gun cleaning kits.

By giving your firearm a good scrubbing and a few carefully-placed drops of lubricant after each range session, you’ll keep it clean, reliable, and safe for years to come. Besides, this is a great opportunity to get more familiar with how it works and zen out with some good music while being productive.