As with any survival tool, there are a few essential qualities that you should be on the lookout for. This goes for your gun cleaning kits as well.

Some cleaning kits are bulky. Some are heavy; others are oddly shaped and near impossible to pack into a hunting pack or survival backpack.

Luckily, this is not a new problem. Soldiers have had to use “field cleaning kits” for as long as guns have been around.

When your life depends on your survival firearm, you damn sure better keep it clean.

You need something sleek, efficient, packable, and tough. You need a high-quality gun cleaning kit.

Quality

Yes, it seems obvious, but you should try and get the highest quality gun cleaning kit that you can afford.

I have broken my fair share of cheap gun cleaning tools.

And while it’s not that big of a deal at home, in a survival situation, your forced to depend on the gear you own.

In survival, you probably only have one gun cleaning kit. And if yours breaks in the middle of nowhere – you’ll wish you’d spent an extra buck to upgrade to a higher quality kit.

Versatility

Guns come in all different shapes, sizes, and calibers. And, naturally, gun cleaning kits do as well.

There are different cleaning kits for different calibers. There are various kits for pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

Versatility is critical to a gun cleaning kit. Because it enables you to clean several guns with the same set of tools.

When you are in a survival situation, you need to have a versatile gun cleaning kit, especially if you own more than one type of gun.

Portability

You can buy a vast 100 piece gun cleaning kit. It’ll be versatile and comprehensive. But it will also be pretty cumbersome when it comes to survival.

You can’t pack something like that in a bug out bag. So it may not serve you well in a survival scenario.

All other things being equal – smaller is always better!

So long as you don’t sacrifice quality or versatility for size – it’s a delicate balance, but an important one.

The Basic Components

A good gun cleaning kit should include some essential components.

Any kit without ALL the following parts is an incomplete one. Take note:

• A cleaning rod

• Gun oil or lubricant

• Cleaning solvent

• Brushes/bore brush

• Cleaning Patches

• Nylon Cleaning Brush

• Cotton swabs

Some of the kits we cover next – don’t include all these items. So we highly recommend adding these things to your kit if it doesn’t include it by default.