Quick-change gun cleaning? Sign me up!
The 2016 SHOT Show was even more cluttered than usual. A new “Next” area was created for first-time exhibitors, and it was placed smack on the third floor, right in the middle of a wide hallway. What was once a nice wide hallway became thus transformed into a busy, crowded mess.
I checked out the displays, as I do every display at the Show, but with such a small area for each company, it was tough for folks to draw in lookers. I lucked out, though, and ran across something in the new product center. I tracked down the company to the Next area and spoke with a company rep. They call it Gungenics , and I like it.
Cleaning gun barrels is no fun for me–nor for most people. One of the most tedious things is changing attachments on a cleaning rod. You brush, then remove the bore brush and install a jag, patch the bore out, and then you need the brush again. Changing back and forth is a hassle.
What I usually do, because I have more than one decent rod, is use two different rods when I clean a gun. Bore brush in one rod, jag in the other, and go to work.
That doesn’t solve the problem of screwing in the brushes, though. You pretty much have to grab the brush’s bristles to screw it in or out. That puts nasty stuff on your hands, might even puncture your hide if you have tender hands (ladies?), and potentially ruins brushes (if they are screwed in tightly and you put too much torque on the bristles).
Then there’s the fact that, no matter how good the bearings are in my cleaning rods, the jag and/or brush tend to unscrew themselves. I have to check them every so often or risk having them get pulled off in the bore, possibly ruining the threads in my rod.
The Gungenics cleaning system should go a long way towards alleviating these woes. Each of their attachments connects to their cleaning rod without using threads and can be quickly and easily inserted or removed. Just align the attachment properly and shove it into the rod, and you’re done. To remove it, press a little lever on the rod and the attachment will come right out.
Another nice touch: Color matched calibers. You need a bore brush and a patch jag for each caliber, and Gungenics uses the same color polymer for that job. For instance, both the 9mm/357/38 brush and jag have blue stems.
Need more advantages? Okie dokie. The rod isn’t metal; it’s glass-filled Nylon, so there’s no chance it will hose your barrel’s crown or throat. And the handle has a bit more length to it to prevent those hand-pinching moments when you must squeal, holler out a stream of nasty words, and beat on your workbench with a hammer. Gungenics might make it a little easier for us to behave instead of cussing like sailors.
Oh, and there’s this: They’re made in USA. And they have a lifetime warranty on everything except brushes and bore mops (see below).
Gungenics products feature a limited lifetime warranty – the best warranty of any cleaning kit manufacturer. If a product breaks, wears out, gets run over by your car, or melts because someone used it to cook marshmallows, return it to us and we will send you a replacement free. Brushes and Bore Mops are not warranteed.
I forgot to mention that the point on the patch jag is barbed so your patch won’t fall off as soon as you stick it on there. Sweet!
As a new product, they’re seeing a few hiccups. For instance, their website didn’t allow you to order their product when I published this article. I suggest contacting them, telling them Russ sent you, and asking them to please hurry up and take your money. (See below.)
I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some to try for myself.
UPDATE
Regarding ordering, here’s what Gungenics just told me.
Most orders placed now will be shipped at the end of March, when the product arrives from the factory.
Ecommerce should be fully functional within a few weeks. In the interim, I am speaking with dealers and individual customers personally. Customer service is paramount.
We are happy to accept individual orders and we can take credit card payment over the phone.
I’m up-front with everyone and tell them in advance that orders placed now will ship at the end of March. There’s nothing more frustrating as an individual customer than ordering something and expecting to receive it immediately, only to find out after you pay that it is back-ordered. Again, as I said customer service is paramount.
