What items would you include in a field cleaning, maintenance, and repair kit for your AR-15 or similar carbine of your choice?
In a military setting part of your basic loadout is a cleaning kit for your M4. Basically something like this in a little pouch that you keep in your ruck. But the USGI kits kind of suck for various reasons. If you could redesign a USGI style field cleaning kit, what would you include? Not necessarily just for range days, but for spending a few days outside in all conditions.
Here are a few ideas:
-Cleaning rod or bore snake. Personally, I like having a solid rod that could help clear a stuck case, but a bore snake is a lot faster for just clearing mid or snow from the barrel. The Atsko Rapid Rod is kind of a nice compromise and you can’t lose a piece. The FCD sectional rod is interesting as well, but kind of pricy.
-A little bottle of CLP is a mandatory, but since I don’t really clean my AR barrels that often I just keep a bottle of Slip2000 EWL with a solid dropper lid that can’t leak. I also like the tiny bottles that fit in a pistol grip.
-Bore and chamber brushes, patch holder or jags, patches. Or just a bore snake.
-A scraper or cheap folding knife for scraping. Or just use a cleaning rod section.
-A couple extra firing pin retaining pins
-A spare bolt, already headspaced, with cam pin and firing pin
-A broken shell extractor
-12” or so of 550 cord to repair a sling attachment
-Spare batteries
-A bit driver with bits for every fastener on the gun, or equivalent allen keys
-A tool for zeroing the optic, if needed
-Extra turret cap and o-ring for optic, if needed
-Lens pen and lens cleaner
-Extra muzzle caps (if you use them)
-Button flashlight that uses CR2032
-A couple blank rounds for removing a stuck suppressor (maybe a stretch)