A few weeks ago I was asked by a member on Snipers Hide to check out a new product and write a review on them after using them for a while. The product was the G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs by Bear Metal Gun Cleaning Supplies of Hazleton, PA. I know this isn't as glamorous as testing a new DM system or scope but it is something that almost all of us use when cleaning our rifles, pistols and shotguns so I wanted to give them a try as they are a multipurpose and integral part of the cleaning systems. I have to admit that at first I wasn't too sure what could be offered by the new swab that couldn't be had from the old standard swabs that we have all used for years. I was very pleasantly surprised when I received the sample pack in the mail.
The sample pack contained 6 zip lock bags containing 6" Wood Handle G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs, 3" Wood Handle G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs, Rounded G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs, Pointed G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs, Mini Rounded G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs, and Mini Pointed G-Tip Gun Cleaning Swabs.
First thing I noticed about these swabs is the tight wrap of the swab material. I always had problems with the old swabs after using them for one wipe and having them start unraveling and leaving material stuck under extractors and other places on both pistols and my rifles. The Bear Metal swabs are very tightly wrapped and even after multiple pushes and scrubs under the extractor or down the bolt body they don't unravel but still clean and pick up the fouling and liquid. Also the handles on the swabs are strong and don't bend easily like the hollow plastic handles on the old standard swabs or even the cardboard versions of the old swabs. They allow you to get deep into places and get them clean. Below is a pic I took of the Bear Metal G-Tip swab on the left next to a standard health and beauty swab, which I used to use, on the right. I didn't touch either of the swabs but just pulled them from their packages. You can easily see the difference. Even when I rolled the old swab in my fingers to try to tighten it up it still didn't come close to the Bear Metal G-Tip.
My favorite of the bunch are the pointed G-Tips. I had always had problems with the standard health and beauty swabs getting into small areas but that's not a problem for the pointed Bear Metal swabs. They can get in places on the rifle where you usually can't reach easily like under the mentioned extractor, screw holes, and anywhere else you can think of on any gun you own. Also having a small size helps even more for tight spots. You can use them on firing pin holes to make sure there isn't anything that will impede your firing pin from the primer.
That's not to say the other swabs aren't useful as they are very much so. Using the 6" to get down into the bolt body or on AR bolts which you can also use the 3" version on. The standard swabs in their standard size or small size can also be used on to numerous things to mention.
So if you are in the need for a very good cleaning swab for your rifles, pistols and shotguns and want a product that will deliver the cleaning you want and not just unravel on you then check out the Bear Metal G-Tip cleaning swabs at
http://www.bearmetalclean.com
