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December 17th, 2022

Protect Your Valuable Firearms with Long Gun Cleaning Mats

rifle shotgun cleaning mat pad rush creek DryMate Boyt Harness
This deluxe, roll-out Rush Creek Creations 42-0000 69″ x 16″ gun cleaning mat (with pockets), is available from Tractor Supply for $76.49.

We normally use a gun cradle when cleaning or adjusting our rifles. But there are situations, such as when working on a barreled action, when it’s nice to use a pad that lies flat. Many work pads are too small — they’re nothing more than oversize mouse pads. Here are three gun pads that are big enough to work well with rifles and/or barreled actions.

DryMate Gun Cleaning Pad

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymateThe Drymate Gun Cleaning Pad is a full 59″ x 16″. That’s nearly five FEET from end to end — longer than most rifles, so you have plenty of surface area for working. Conveniently, this product can be washed with soap and water. It is offered in Green and Charcoal Gray colors. We prefer the Green version because the color makes it a bit easier to see small black and gray parts such as screws and springs.

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymate

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymate

Boyt Harness Counter Pad

The 48″ x 12″ Boyt Harness Counter Pad was originally designed more for display purposes than for serious work sessions, but we like this product. It is useful if you want to lay your gun on a bench to make small adjustments. The Boyt Counter Pad, $25.99 at MidwayUSA, is nice and big, a full four feet from end to end. The back side is canvas while the top-size is a quilted cotton fabric. This product has received high praise from buyers. Here are actual owner reviews:

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymate

Worth every penny. I bought three of them because I want to have at least one always around. I use one for a shooting bench or tailgate mat and another for my primary gun cleaning workbench mat. Awesome for both purposes. This one was perfect for my array of needs. — Joe D.

This mat is great for cleaning guns and keeping your surfaces clear of oil or solvent. The mat has plenty of space for a rifle or handgun and the padding is thick enough[.] I would definitely buy again and have recommended this to my friends and family. — Safety Guy

I bring this to the rifle range with me every time, to rest my rifle on the table without worrying about scratches. It fits nicely in my soft rifle case. One side is a tough canvas material that doesn’t show scratches, and the other side is a soft fleece material that protects the finish of your gun. — MACPSU


Hoppes Gun Cleaning Pad

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymateThe Hoppes Gun Cleaning Pad is 36″ wide x 12″. That’s big enough for many barreled actions (unless you have a really long barrel). This pad has a non-slip nylon backing, and Hoppes claims that the “Soft acrylic material absorbs 8 times its weight in fluids.” This Hoppes Cleaning Pad is very affordable. It costs just $10.95 at Amazon.

rifle shotgun cleaning mat pad rush creek DryMate Boyt Harness
Permalink Gear Review, Tech Tip No Comments »
May 16th, 2021

Long Gun Cleaning Mats — Protect Your Valuable Firearms

rifle shotgun cleaning mat pad rush creek DryMate Boyt Harness
This deluxe, roll-out Rush Creek Creations 42-0000 69″ x 16″ gun cleaning mat (with pockets), is available from Tractor Supply for $79.99.

We normally use a gun cradle when cleaning or adjusting our rifles. But there are situations, such as when working on a barreled action, when it’s nice to use a pad that lies flat. Many work pads are too small — they’re nothing more than oversize mouse pads. Here are three gun pads that are big enough to work well with rifles and/or barreled actions.

DryMate Gun Cleaning Pad

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymateThe Drymate Gun Cleaning Pad is a full 59″ x 16″. That’s nearly five FEET from end to end — longer than most rifles, so you have plenty of surface area for working. Conveniently, this product can be washed with soap and water. It is offered in three versions: Green, Blaze Orange, and Charcoal Gray. We like the Blaze orange version because the bright color makes it easier to see small parts such as screws and springs.

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymate

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymate

Boyt Harness Counter Pad

The 48″ x 12″ Boyt Harness Counter Pad was originally designed more for display purposes than for serious work sessions, but we like this product. It is useful if you want to lay your gun on a bench to make small adjustments. The Boyt Counter Pad, $21.99 at MidwayUSA, is nice and big, a full four feet from end to end. The back side is canvas while the top-size is a quilted cotton fabric. This product has received high praise from buyers. Here are actual owner reviews:

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymate

Worth every penny. I bought three of them because I want to have at least one always around. I use one for a shooting bench or tailgate mat and another for my primary gun cleaning workbench mat. Awesome for both purposes. This one was perfect for my array of needs. — Joe D.

This mat is great for cleaning guns and keeping your surfaces clear of oil or solvent. The mat has plenty of space for a rifle or handgun and the padding is thick enough[.] I would definitely buy again and have recommended this to my friends and family. — Safety Guy

I bring this to the rifle range with me every time, to rest my rifle on the table without worrying about scratches. It fits nicely in my soft rifle case. One side is a tough canvas material that doesn’t show scratches, and the other side is a soft fleece material that protects the finish of your gun. — MACPSU


Hoppes Gun Cleaning Pad

rifle Gun cleaning pad drymateThe Hoppes Gun Cleaning Pad is 36″ wide x 12″. That’s big enough for many barreled actions (unless you have a really long barrel). This pad has a non-slip nylon backing, and Hoppes claims that the “Soft acrylic material absorbs 8 times its weight in fluids.” This Hoppes Cleaning Pad is very affordable. It costs just $9.99 at Amazon.

rifle shotgun cleaning mat pad rush creek DryMate Boyt Harness
Permalink Gear Review, Hot Deals, Tech Tip No Comments »
May 23rd, 2019

Savage Offers Expert Advice on Updated Website

Savage Arms Expert Advice website tech tips

Savage Arms has completed a major overhaul of the Savage website. Now the SavageArms.com site is more mobile-friendly and easier to navigate. Savage has expanded information on its rifle products, and also updated the Expert Advice area. This section of the website offers informative technical articles/videos, as well as numerous helpful tips for hunters.

You’ll find 30 informative topics in the Expert Advice section of the updated Savage Arms website. Below are FIVE of our favorites. Click each item to view the full text and linked VIDEOS. Even if you don’t own a Savage, these features are useful. And all new shooters should definitely check out the Advanced Optics selection. This features a good video covering mirage and light refraction.

1. Advanced Optics — Stan Pate

Savage Arms Expert Advice website tech tips

Light refraction can wreak havoc on your ability to connect with a target at extreme long range. Stan Pate offers some good advice concerning mirage and refraction.

2. Gun Motion Management — Patrick Kelley

Savage Arms Expert Advice website tech tips

3. How to Mount a Scope

Savage Arms Expert Advice website tech tips

4. How to Sight In a Rifle

Savage Arms Expert Advice website tech tips

5. How to Adjust the Savage Accutrigger

Savage Arms Expert Advice website tech tips

Permalink - Articles, - Videos, Optics, Tech Tip No Comments »
January 15th, 2012

Thrust Bearing-Equipped Cleaning Rods from Montana X-Treme

Montana X-Treme has an impressive line of aluminum-handled, coated cleaning rods. Introduced in 2010, these rods feature twin thrust bearings in hardened stainless steel retainers to ensure the coated, steel shafts spin smoothly even under heavy load. That’s good news for us. This ham-fisted Editor has managed to “stuff up” the bearings on both Dewey and Bore-Stix Cleaning Rods. If the Montana X-Treme thrust bearings are more durable, that’s a huge plus. We also like the fact that the machined aluminum handles have a slim profile for better clearance on the rear of the stock. The handles are long enough to get a good grip while a radiused section in the front allows you to push with your thumb. All rods have female-threaded tips, allowing use of most commercial jags without adaptors. The shafts have a proprietary non-embedding coating. Montana X-Treme claims its shaft coatings should be very long-lasting. Time will tell. These new cleaning rods look very well made — but they are pretty pricey. MidwayUSA is currently selling the new rods for $49.99.

MT X-Treme cleaning rods

Color Coding and Big-Bore Sizes up to 56″ Long
Montana X-Treme cleaning rods come in 12 different, color-coded sizes, with lengths up to 56″. Currently, however, 42″ is the max length for a a 17-20 or 22-264 (6mm) rod. We would like to see at least a 46″ 22-264 rod for use with 30-32″ barrels.

  • 17-20 Caliber (Purple): 30″, 36″, 42″ (.156 rod diameter, 5×40 female thread)
  • 22-264 Caliber (Red): 30″, 36″, 42″ (.1875 rod diameter, 8×32 female thread)
  • 270-50 Caliber (Blue): 30″, 36″, 44″, 52″, 54″ (.250 rod diameter, 8×32 female thread)
  • 338-50 Caliber (Gold): 56″ (.312 rod diameter, 8×32 female thread)

MT X-Treme cleaning rods

Permalink New Product, News 2 Comments »