If you have a gun that you often use for hunting and take it to rough places, then they need cleaning from time to time. After every use it is a must to do some basic cleaning too. Making a DIY gun cleaning kit will help you do so without spending much money. It is also easy to make your own gun cleaning kit. So, how do you make a gun cleaning kit?
For a small pocket kit you can use cotton patches, DIY oil carrier, q-tips and alcohol pads. For a larger cleaning kit, you might need the larger version of the similar items and some specialized items like bore cleaner. Things like q-tips are useful in both small and large cleaning kit boxes.
Go through the post to learn what kits you need, how they can help you and how you can make them. They are very easy to implement and you can find them in your garage.
How To Make A Gun Cleaning Kit (Pocket Kit)
The pocket-friendly kits don’t contain large brushes or instruments. Rather it contains small things that you can use to clean your guns on the spot. It only takes a few steps to make one. Here is how you can a small but quality gun cleaning kit.
Step 1: Find A Small Box
Try to find a small box that can at least hold cotton buds and things of similar size. Since you will be carrying it in your pocket, it must be small and thin enough to fit in the pocket.
Also if you can find a clear see through box, then that would work to your advantage. Before carrying it with you, you can check if everything you need is there or not.
Step 2: Make Bore Cleaner With Nylon Fiber
To make a bore cleaner, the key is measurement. For this you can take nylon twine which is a very rigid fiber. The ratio of the twine and the bore is 2:1. For a .22 inch bore, you need an inch diameter of a loop. To hold the knot of the loop, put glue from a glue gun on the end of the knot. This way you have a handmade bore cleaner.
Step 3: Make Cotton Patches
For small bore you will need small patches with thin fiber and for large bores you will need a couple inches larger patches. This will be viewed by Rolling them into twine and slipping them into the hole of the twine.
The patch should not be loose. Otherwise it will not feel like cleaning the bore and might sleep out of the loop and get caught into the bore.
Step 4: Make Oil Carrier
This is one of the trickiest components in your cleaning pocket kit. You cannot have a bigger oil carrier. For this you will need a straw. Use heat to close one end of the straw. Now, put oil into the straw using a dropper and close the other end with heat.
When you are willing to apply the oil into the gun, you just need to cut one end of the straw with a scissor.
Step 5: Gather Other Miscellaneous Tools
You need to accumulate some other miscellaneous tools like toothpicks, small nylon brushes, cotton buds or Q-tips. While cleaning, you will find all these small tools very helpful and will make the cleaning process more convenient.
Adding some alcohol pads into your kit is a good idea. Excess oil or dirt can be removed with this.
If you have done all of the above, your pocket gun cleaning kit is good to go. You can carry it in the back pocket of your pants or your coat.
Build Your Own Gun Cleaning Kit- A larger Kit Box
A larger cleaning kit box is also as easy to make as the smaller one. If you know how to build a gun cleaning box, you don’t have to worry about fitting it in your pocket and the tools are more easily available. Here is how you can make this DIY gun cleaning kit.
Step 1: Find A Box
You need to find a box that is large enough to fit all the gun cleaning tools. Try to have a box which is large enough to hold the tools but not too large that it becomes heavy to carry. You can choose between metal boxes which will preserve the tools from rainwaters.
Step 2: Accumulate All The Tools And Materials
There are lots of items that you are going to need to do a full cleaning. Here is a list that will help you to organize the box.
- Cleaning solvent– You can find copper removing bore solvent both online stores or hardware stores nearby. They will help you to remove the Powder deposit on your gun.
- Gun Oil- Gun oil is used to remove Rust and give a protection layer from oxidation. Do not apply thick coating that may accumulate more debris.
- Cotton patches– You will need several cotton patches. They should be large enough to clean the bore but not too large that they get attached in the bore.
- Bore brush– There are special brushes available in the market to clean bore. This comes handy especially if you have a rifle.
- Nylon brush– Nylon brush is a must in your cleaning kit. This helps to remove the dust and Debris even from the toughest place.
- Q-tips– Q-tips are a small thing but it helps to reach the tough corners that even a brush cannot reach.
- Small microfibre towel– For the glow you want on your gun or rifle, you need to finish off the cleaning process with the microfiber towel. It can remove the smallest dust on your gun.
- Flashlight– Flashlight will help you to clean the bore. Also using it helps you to spot the invisible or thin layer of dirt.
Step 3: Put A Cover On The Box
This is not a mandatory part, it’s always better to cover your box. That way no matter where you are carrying your box and whatever the material of the box is, it will be protected. The cleaning kits will not require cleaning often.
You can make a box with nylon fiber or you can buy one from the market. If you are using the toolbox of your car then it must have a nylon cover by default. We do not suggest using a leather cover. It doesn’t have a higher resistance of heat and water.
Final Words
The gun cleaning kits available in the markets can start from $500. But with the abovementioned DIY gun cleaning kit and the tools that we talked about will only cost $100 maximum. In most cases you will find them in your garage or in the house lying around.
You just need to identify the right item and put them in the box. Depending on your experience, we suggest you make both the pocket kit box and the large one. That way depending on how much weight you can carry, you will have a choice.
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