The Best AR-15 Cleaning Kit – Reviews and Recommendations
You love your AR but not when it’s dirty. After putting a few hundred rounds of .223 through the barrel it’s time for a good cleaning. For most AR-15 owners, that can be a real chore. That’s where a good cleaning kit can help.
We found 5 of the best AR-15 cleaning kits on the market and we put them together in the list below. We took a look at prices vs. quality of the cleaning kit and made our decisions there.
For those of you that follow our posts, this one may look familiar to our guide to the best gun cleaners that we posted a few months ago. However, this guide is more focused on AR-specific cleaning kits vs. individual gun oils and solvents.
You might also want to check out our guide to gun cleaning mats as well since there are some really cool cleaning pads in that post.
Have a look below at what we think are the best cleaning kits for AR-15 below:
1. Yahill® M16/Ar15 Butt Stock Cleaning Kit
Looks like a pretty run-of-the-mill cleaning kit. It can be had for a decent price, and has everything you need for a proper field cleaning of your weapon. You can find kits like this all over the place, but it’s nice that this one gives you a precise rundown of what is included. It’s high quality, and it’s ready to go.
Cleaning your AR in the field should be fast and efficient, and there are a million of these KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) butt-stock kits out there. They all have the same kind of pouch, the same little plastic bottle, steel rod, brass brush, etc. There’s very little variation.
What stands out with this one? The price is right, the quality is there, and with the extra money you would invest in another kit, you can get some picks to toss in the bag, and maybe even extra patches and brushes. The Yahill is a solid field kit with a simple design at a low price.
2. READI USA Delux 16pc. AR 15 / M16 Cleaning Kit
Much like the pouch above, this is a simple military style design that stands out because it has all of the extras included already. No need to buy a whole sack of brass brushes so that you can stick one in your kit.
The price is higher, but the time and energy invested in hunting for little pieces of cleaning kit is saved. These mats alone can run twenty bucks, so take that into account when you see the price-tag.
In addition to the mat, you also get two picks, a copper brush, and a brass brush (in addition to the standard nylon). Like the previous kit, you will need your own extra patches and CLP.
3. Gun Boss AR15 Cleaning Kit
Patches, chamber cleaning pads, picks, wrapped in an all-weather case? For this price? Yes. This is an AR cleaning kit that anyone could fall in love with at a truly affordable price. Why they removed the plastic oil bottle? Your guess is as good as mine. But one small tube of CLP and you have an extremely versatile field kit for your AR-15 at a price point that will make your wallet smile.
Aside from the lack of oil bottle, the only red flag, to this writer, is the manufacturer’s choice of steel rods. This writer is not a fan of steel cleaning rods. Were they brass, this would truly be a wonderful piece of cleaning kit.
4. Real Avid AR15 Pro Pack Premium Maintenance Kit
Prayers answered. For just a little more green, you get essentially the same kit as the previous item, but this one has brass rods that won’t scratch up your rifling and a really sweet bolt carrier scraping tool. Can’t beat that, but I still wish they would toss in a tube of CLP.
5. Otis Modern Sporting Rifle & AR Cleaning System
I’m just going to say it, if you own an AR-15 and you haven’t heard of the Otis cleaning system, then go and check it out. This is by far the most cost-effective and versatile kit that I’ve found, and they even toss in a bottle of bore cleaner. Yes, you heard me right. Imagine that, bore cleaner in a cleaning kit!
It doesn’t come with bolt carrier pads, but it does have its own specialized BONE tool for working on the carrier and firing pin assemblies, which some shooters rave about and others don’t seem to care for. If you aren’t a fan of flexible rods, it might not be for you, but otherwise, this is a solid piece of kit worthy of any AR owner’s range bag.