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I’m not ashamed to admit this: I’ve used cheap gun cleaning tools for most of my life. But, my recent introduction to the high-quality tools from J Dewey has me changing my view on gun care.
I recently received a field cleaning kit for the AR-15/M-16 from the J Dewey company. The kit is fairly straightforward, containing the tools you would expect to find in such a thing. But, what really struck me was the high level of quality contained in this little pouch.
About J Dewey
A family-owned business, J Dewey has been making gun cleaning rods and tools for more than 35 years. Founded in 1975, the company makes all of the “typical†gun cleaning tools such as nylon coated rods, brushes, mops, patches, picks and scrapers.
All of the J Dewey parts are made in the USA. The company has an impressive list of clients that includes the US Navy SEALs, US Olympic shooting team and USMC snipers plus thousands of law enforcement and sports shooters around the world.
The Kit
The AR-15 field kit is a compact set of tools designed specifically to be carried into the field or to the range. As such, the kit is a balance of size and function.
To start with the entire kit is contained in a small nylon pouch that measures about 4.5†x 5†and is less than an inch thick. The pouch has a loop for carrying on the belt or attachment to a piece of gear. While molle-style attachment straps would have been nice, they would seem to be overkill on this little kit.
The pouch unzips on two sides, allowing for easy access to all of the tools. Inside the pouch are the following:
- nylon coated cable
- nylon bore brush
- chamber brush
- phoscoated chamber rod and extension
- brass scraper
- brass pick
- stuck case remover
- cotton patches
- Shooter’s Choice FP-10 CLP
All of the items look and feel of quality. None of the parts feel flimsy or cheap. There is a distinct difference between these tools and what may come in a standard kit from the sporting goods department at the local big box store.
The cable has two working ends. At one end is a permanently attached patch loop. At the other end is a female-threaded attachment. This allows the shooter to attach a bore brush.
On the cable, between the two ends, is a sliding bead. The bead provides purchase for the fingers when pulling patches or a brush through the barrel.
The cable is coated with a thick nylon to prevent any marring or damage to the rifle. It is 30†in length, which will allow a shooter to clean barrels up to 24†long: more than enough for the vast majority of AR owners.
In Use
On a recent trip out of town to visit my father, I took one of my AR-15’s with me. My brother was going to be in town, and we were planning to head out and do a little shooting.
I didn’t want to take the full cleaning kit with me (think oversized fishing tackle box), but I am pretty particular about keeping my guns clean. So, the J Dewey field kit went with me.
After shooting a bunch of ammo, the gun was definitely dirty. Add to the mix that a Florida downpour caught us in the open while on the range, and I had a gun that I wanted to get cleaned and lubed as soon as I got back to the house.
The J Dewey kit did everything I needed it to do. Frankly, I was very pleased at how well the tools worked, and the simply felt good in the hand.
While I think I prefer a solid rod for cleaning the bore (they sell those too), the cable pull worked very well. I was afraid the bead might be too small to get a good grip on, but that proved not to be the case.
The chamber brush was very effective in breaking loose all of the crud, and the steel rod was solid.
The only thing not in the kit that I would have liked to have had was a nylon parts brush (toothbrush-type). I found that it was not needed, but it would have been a nice addition. A standard length brush would not fit in the pouch, but perhaps a shortened brush could be made for this kit?
J Dewey sells the kits for $39.95. Granted, that price is more than what you would pay at the local big box store, but the J Dewey kits are all made in the USA and are very high quality. I’m impressed with this one, and plan to use it for many years to come.
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