Starting with my Tetra Gun ValuPro III gun cleaning kit in the hard plastic case that is available in caliber-specific models, you always start with the cleaning rod. In this case, coated stainless steel, which should be the preference. Then, you have patches, a brush, a patch holder and possibly gun cleaning chemicals. In this case, the Tetra Gun grease and Triple Action CLP as the cleaner, lubricant and protectant.

A gun cleaning kit doesn’t have to be presented this way. For some, it looks more like a gun cleaning rope and cleaner and lube, or possible the cable-type alternative for those who like that. Either way, you need accessories that are caliber specific, whether that be a bronze brush, nylon brush, brass jag, cotton mop or other attachments that can be substitutes to accomplish the same thing – remove fouling and treat a gun bore.

For gun care for other gunmetal parts, there are more choices, and methods. Some people load up on things like swabs, specialty brushes and wipes, which can be dry, or treated with solvent or silicone, for example. So, many a kit comes in the form of a nylon bag, or another carrying case. I’ve definitely seen people just toss miscellaneous firearm maintenance products into their gun bag, or tactical backpack, etc. Whatever works.

Some people use a roll-up gun mat, or workstation, not to mention the gun vice style mechanism that holds a long gun in place so that you can attack your work with some form of control of the firearm. You definitely want to run a gun cleaning rod steadily down a barrel, paying attention to avoiding scraping along the sides, or worse, against the throat of the breech end that could scratch the rod finish. Overall, the bigger concern is cleaning effectively enough to get all fouling out until you see the last patch appear out the end very clean. Then, don’t forget to polish in lube to provide that future buildup. Any good gun oil will accomplish that. Synthetic is ideal.

That is not the same as gun solvent. Use solvent or other cleaner, and then get it off the gunmetal. Ultimately, you want lubricant, not cleaner. Solvent is designed to eat away at gun lube, so let it do its job, and then get it off. A good percentage of people don’t do this. Follow-up solvent cleaning with wipes or patches saturated with high percentage isopropyl alcohol to remove solvent residue. Simple. And, of course, that evaporates off nice and quick. Then, finish it off with the lube, but don’t leave too much residue. Gun oil can be a debris magnet, and worse yet, slow down your shooting from a ballistics perspective. So, the rule of thumb is truly “less is more”.

A gun cleaning kit, in theory, is no more than the items you need to complete your gun maintenance, so do whatever you deem necessary, or preferential. There are choices, but don’t make the wrong ones. I know people can be creatures of habit. Also, don’t use strong solvents where they aren’t needed. My recommendation is, use as mild a solution as possible. The same goes for gun scrubbing. Use a nylon brush if you don’t need to use bronze, and never use steel unless all else fails because it will damage gunmetal. That includes steel scraping tools. Be careful. I know many expert gunsmiths warn against damaging rifling. That could lead to irreparable harm.

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