It’s a bit funny to review a cleaning kit, but I thought I’d take a stab at discussing traditional all-in-one kits like this one vs Bore Snakes and newer style packaging. First off, what this kit does well:
- All the parts in one case. My bore snakes are all over the place, this has a spot for every brush, jag, and rod.
- Rods are still useful for driving out bore obstructions.
Where this system falls down compared to new systems:
- The damn parts don’t stay in one spot! As soon as you tilt the case, the rods go wherever they want and several of the brushes move around. Remington’s new Universal All Around kit uses loops to keep things in place.
- Rods are becoming old fashioned. Corded options allow you to easily pack along your cleaning supplies and are potentially less harmful for the crown. These must be under demand, because Hoppes Bore Snakes and Remington’s Universal Fast Snap kit use cords instead of rods and are very common in hunting camps.
What I’ve ended up doing is using the bore snakes for barrel break-ins (which occur at the range), as well as on my hunting rifles, whereas my milsurp rifles without chrome bores get a better cleaning using a rod and brush. I’ve added in a Remington Squeeg-E for cleaning after shooting corrosive surplus ammo, because it does a better, quicker job of getting cleaning gunk out of the bore than just running patch after patch after patch. I promise, I’m not a Remington whore, they just happen to make a lot of the cleaning stuff that’s available around here!
So would I recommend this kit? Not really, the newer flexible rod, cable, or other pull throughs like the bore snake are foolproof, and you only need 1 cleaning rod in case you get something lodged in a barrel. The newer style kits also keep things where you put them, instead of them all jostling around when you close up the kit and bring it around.
