A Practical Review of the Otis Gun Cleaning Kit
My first lesson in the care of firearms came at an early age. My Dad had begun shooting in local muzzleloader turkey shoots and I and my older brother naturally tagged along. It became quite a chore for three people to share the same gun. Hurried shots and a barrel that never properly cooled caused more than a few less than desired shots. Money earned from hayfields and birthdays was brought together and for the princely sum (for a 12 year old) of $60 at a gun show I became the proud owner of a used flintlock muzzleloader with almost no bluing left on its metal. (For you anti-gun nuts out there my dad was along to make it legal, but I took complete care of it and kept it in my room. And over the course of 20+ years not a single crime has been committed with it)
This old flintlock provided a crash course in the care of firearms as it quickly rusted if not properly maintained. When a new .270 showed up as a birthday present I began my journey into the important but too often neglected world of cleaning rifles. Many people neglect this important step in firearm preservation. As modern smokeless powder and primers are non-corrosive many people don’t clean their guns at all, only oiling it if the gun becomes wet. However not only for preservation purposes, but for accuracy purposes as well, cleaning a firearm should a regular practice. And the Otis Gun Cleaning System helps the gun owner properly clean their firearms.
The Otis Gun Cleaning System corrects two of the primary problems with the old fashioned gun cleaning kits. If you talk to any serious bench rest shooter they will tell you that the crown of the barrel is the most important in shooting tight groups. The slightest damage in this area may make a barrel unusable. That is one problem with the old fashioned cleaning systems; generally they cleaned a gun from the front of the barrel, instead of the breech. This could be avoided by removing the bolt from a bolt action rifle and cleaning from the breech, but for other styles of guns you pretty much had to clean the gun from the muzzle and subject that area to numerous repetitions of the cleaning rod sliding and banging the crown.
The other problem is that by cleaning from the muzzle, all the accumulated powder fouling, rust, and other debris fell into the chamber and locking lug area and was difficult to remove.
The Otis Gun Cleaning System avoids both of these problems by cleaning the barrel from the breech with a flexible cable that is pushed through the barrel (it has brass fittings and a soft plastic coating over the cable so it won’t scratch). Then cleaning patches and brushes are pulled through the barrel. The Otis Cleaning System kits come with a DVD and printed directions that explain how to properly use the system, but it is very simple and easy to pick up. The Otis kit will completely replace the old fashioned cleaning rods with one possible exception. While the Otis Cleaning System directions claim that it can be used to remove a stuck cartridge from a chamber, I have my doubts. You should hold onto your old rod for this purpose.
The Otis Gun Cleaning System is a unique way to properly complete the important task of cleaning your firearms. With basic kits starting at around $10, and complete kits in the $40 range this is certainly a purchase that all firearm owners should consider.
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