My son is an Army Reservist. He leave for Iraq in a few weeks, and is at a base in Wisconsin right now.

I talked to him yesterday, and he said the only gun cleaning supplies he has for the SAW and M-16 are: rod, brush, CLP, baby-wipes, and t-shirts.

No chamber brushes, nothing that will cut through the carbon buildup in the older weapons his unit is getting their hands on..........

I want to go to a sporting goods store and buy some supplies to send to him. What should I get? I'd especially like to here from the folks who have had to go over and use stuff in the field.

Thanks!

Make sure any brushes you buy him will work with USGI thread. I forget which is which but one is 8-32 the other 8-36. You can get adpaters.

Patches, chamber brushes, bore brushes,

Thanks for the tip!

Anyone know which thread-pitch is USGI?

8-36 I believe.  Just order some chamber brushes that are mil spec.  Kleen bore and Otis both make an adapter to let you use a standard brush or attachment on a military rod.

A shaving brush for removing dust.
A bore snake for the quick cleanings of the bore.
Maybe some Mpro-7/Hoppes Elite cleaner.

Thanks for all the replies.

I sent him a package today of things I had at home, and will go shopping with your suggestions.

Quoted: I got my son EEZOX and Militec16.  It did him well and he is an 11B, now 13F. B/1/505

OK, I'm ex-Air Force, what do all the acronyms mean?

Get one of these:



Google USGI M16 Cleaning Kit and you'll find a bunch of vendors (about $20).  They are also sold at almost every AAFES military clothing store, he can probably get one in the PX at Fort McCoy.

These are standard issue, sometimes in a plastic sack to fit in the M16A2 butt stock instead of the green ALICE pouch.

Lots of units issue the Otis Multi-Caliber kit too, but the old USGI is better in my opinion and experience.

The M249 cleaning tool is issued with the SAW.  What kind of unit is he part of?  Sounds like they have some issues, unless your boy is angling to get you to buy him some nice aftermarket kit.

Quoted: Get one of these: i20.photobucket.com/albums/b250/fightinghellfish/689_P1.jpg Google USGI M16 Cleaning Kit and you'll find a bunch of vendors (about $20).  They are also sold at almost every AAFES military clothing store, he can probably get one in the PX at Fort McCoy. These are standard issue, sometimes in a plastic sack to fit in the M16A2 butt stock instead of the green ALICE pouch. Lots of units issue the Otis Multi-Caliber kit too, but the old USGI is better in my opinion and experience. The M249 cleaning tool is issued with the SAW.  What kind of unit is he part of?  Sounds like they have some issues, unless your boy is angling to get you to buy him some nice aftermarket kit.

As long as he doesn't use those pipe cleaners on his gas tube, seriously.

Quoted: Thanks for all the replies. I sent him a package today of things I had at home, and will go shopping with your suggestions. Quoted: I got my son EEZOX and Militec16.  It did him well and he is an 11B, now 13F. B/1/505 OK, I'm ex-Air Force, what do all the acronyms mean?

Thanks for all the replies.

I sent him a package today of things I had at home, and will go shopping with your suggestions.

Quoted: I got my son EEZOX and Militec16.  It did him well and he is an 11B, now 13F. B/1/505

OK, I'm ex-Air Force, what do all the acronyms mean?

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I'm surprised Quib hasn't jumped in here.  All the credit as to what I'm going to recommend go to Quib, as he's the one that turned me on to these products, except for #3.

1.  2 cans Breakfree Foam Bore Cleaner.  They're small cans, so he won't run out too soon.  This is probably the best bore cleaner I've ever used, especially for copper removal.  Quick and effortless procedure too, which he will appreciate.

2.  2 cans Breakfree Powder Blast.  This stuff is very, very good at removing carbon with very little effort I might add, as the chemicals do all the work, with a little help from his GI toothbrush.  What I like best about this vs: other carbon removing products I've used, is that it dries very throughly after its done its job.  This saves a lot of time having to wipe down the BCG, upper interior, etc.

3.  Though I'm sure he can get bore brushes from the .mil, you might think about sending him a couple of Dewey nylon .223 bore brushes.  They're called either "No Foul", or No Harm" by Dewey, can't remember which is correct.  They're only about two dollars each, and I much prefer them over the bronze brushes.  They do a great job, and will last a lot longer than the bronze too.

I would think everything else he will need will easily be gotten from the .mil.  With these products, he'll be thru cleaning his weapon, and drinking a cold one (or three), while the rest of his buddies are still cleaning their weapons.  

ETA: quote feature didn't work properly.  My post is from the line on down.  Sorry.

Boresnake.

THey're not good for a hard scrubbing, but they're great for getting the dust/sand out of the bore. Also, they should be issuing muzzle caps. If not, let me know. I've got a few spares. It's kind of like a condom for your muzzle....keeps the sand out of the bore. They're designed so they can be shot off.

Good luck to your son over there!

I got back in February of 2006. Being at the MOB site is rough because you are still getting crap for gear and equipment. Once he gets to Iraq, the supply channel changes for the better - at least as far as weapons, ammo, and cleaning gear goes. His unit should supply him with plenty of the USGI stuff in theater. I've still got half a duffle bag full of cleaning gear because you get issued the stuff en-masse at every turn. Every other day, someone would drag in a box from the TOC filled with goodies.

A good can of solvent and some Slip 2000 would come in handy though. Also, some finger cots are nice to have around when they run low on muzzle caps. You can get these at any drug store for pretty cheap.

Not sure if it’s been mentioned yet or not but a few of the cheap 1” or 2” paintbrushes would be beneficial for clearing dust and sand from your sons weapon.

And a "thank you" to your son from the entire Quib Family.

Guys in my unit use barber brushes, the kind used to lather up old timey shaving cream, to dust off weapons in the field.  They're cheap and save a little time.  

M-pro 7 tactical kit + boresnake + brushes