Gun Cleaning Mats? A waste of money!

[mljdeckard]

I have spent a lot more on things far less useful.

But the cheapskate I get from my old man comes out of me when I see a mat with like, 1911 schematics on it, and I think; "I will really hate it if I soil that graphic with gun mess."

Also, I don't exactly have a space dedicated to cleaning. My garage space is used for all tinkering and reloading, and I don't have a clear space to just put a mat there and leave it anyway.

 

[Bottom Gun]

Mine does double duty. I use my Lyman mat in the field as well. On a cooler top or the hood of my Jeep, the mat is handy if I want to drift a sight, swap barrels or conversion units or do any adjustment or disassembly.

 

[Old Dog]

All of you guys are telling me what I suspected that these $20 gun mats with a picture of a broken down Glock are just an unnecessary vanity item.

I certainly didn't say that, and I still think they're useful and certainly not a "vanity item" (since no one but me sees mine or uses them, and I don't need to impress myself, even though I do sometimes).

Some of you take stuff way too seriously. It's my money, no need to judge, no need for me to justify...

What's wrong with that? Cuts through grease, removes stains, dries quickly after wiping off, doesn't damage the mats.

 

[botofogo]

I like my mat. It's very useful and convenient.

 

[EMC45]

I used to use newspaper when I got the paper. For the past 20+ years I've been using a piece of vinyl covered conveyer belt a buddy gave me years ago. It's black and slick so it doesn't stain and wipes clean with the blue paper "shop towel" at the end of the cleaning session.

 

[crstrode]

In my opinion there is no gun accessory that is a bigger waste of money than the gun cleaning mat . . . Am I missing something?

Those that do not clean guns do not need anything to clean them on.

 

[12Bravo20]

So many of you clean guns in the kitchen or at the dining room tables? Are you guys married? When I was married, I would do a little reloading case prep and occasional gun cleaning in the house while watching TV for the repetitive tasks like de-priming and the ex-wife was not happy about the smell of Alumicut, Ballistol or Hoppes in the house or finding the odd primer on the floor.

I turned a spare bedroom into my office/gunroom and don't want to mess up the nice flooring in it.


And yes I have been known to wash car parts and gun parts in the dishwasher before. The wife doesn't like it much but I do make sure the dishwasher is clean afterwards.

 

[Reeferman]

Lyman gun cleaning mat— works for me & protects my bench.
View attachment 1134597

Same one I use works good.

 

[CapnMac]

What about a kitchen table placemat are they too thin?

Not the thinness, per se. But the construction. Too many have an impermeable upper surface, so, spills are going to run off and drip over the edge. And, puddle underneath.

Now, if they have an absorbent bottom, a person could use them upside down, but they might slide about a bit.

Ideal mat would have a slightly "grippy" bottom surface, an impermeable layer above that, then an absorbent, "squishy" layer above that.
So, to a certain extent, "fleece back" pvc roll roofing would work, in a pinch. EPDM roofing also fits the bill, to an extent. Access to those materials as "scrap" is a bit more complicated, though.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Disposable bed pads/puppy pads work well. They soak up solvents. And they are dirt cheap at thrift stores. Just don't place bore brushes on them.

 

[Brubz]

Think I found the answer for myself while looking through a tub of old computer parts in my storage unit I came across a computer desk mat.it's a rubber like surface on the top foam on the bottom but the best part is the border all the way around is slightly raised so it would stop liquids and items from rolling off.at 20 inches by 15 in.should work out.have not tried it with gun solvents yet.if it passes that test I think I'm good to go

 

[Riomouse911]

I like cleaning and counter mats for cleaning guns, working on stuff, etc. Lots of solvents and oil don’t get spilled elsewhere and I have yet to ding or scratch a wood stock against the countertop should one slip while I am cleaning .

I bought a bunch of the American flag mats with the 2A on sale, along with a couple dozen bore snakes in 9mm, .45, .223, .308 etc. and I used them for years as “good answer” toss-outs when I taught my LE classes every September and March. (Goodies often keep folks involved, or at least seem get them to engage more.)



These Tek Mats fit the width of my rolling cart top perfectly, and the all-rubber one was given to me by a friend who distributes Winchester ammo. ( I also have a large Winchester rubber mat for rifle/shotgun length guns if I wanted to use it and a door mat for inside the garage door, etc. )

Whatever you use is cool with me whether it’s a dedicated mat, an old towel, bit of linoleum, whatever… especially if it keeps oil and stuff off of the tables so Mama doesn’t get peeved .

Stay safe.

 

[theotherwaldo]

My old drafting mat - on my old drafting table, which was cobbled up from a broken high school hurdle and some other scrap.

 

[230RN]

Guns are supposed to be cleaned??!! Now ya tell me.........

Of course now I can't avoid mentioning my perennial wisecrack.

More guns, cameras, small boys and coffeepots have been ruined by excessive cleaning than any other single cause.

Yeah, I clean guns but unless they got wet or come in the house cold, I usually just run a BoreSnake through the holes and give good wipedown with Birchwood-Casey "Sheath" preservative. I do a 100% cleaning once in a while, but I'm by no means a fanatic about it. I also never lay a gun down without a wipedown. I've been spoiled in dry Colorado, but I remember in New Yawk City, the salt air ate ferrous stuff like candy and a fingerprint on a gun could almost be forensic quality in a short time.

Humidity right now is a whopping (really!) 37%, and that's with acres of snow sublimating moisture and acres of wet earth where there's no snow left.

I do keep an eye on dirt under extractors and in firing pin channels.

 

[kje54]

Of course now I can't avoid mentioning my perennial wisecrack.

More guns, cameras, small boys and coffeepots have been ruined by excessive cleaning than any other single cause.

Yeah, I clean guns but unless they got wet or come in the house cold, I usually just run a BoreSnake through the holes and give good wipedown with Birchwood-Casey "Sheath" preservative. I do a 100% cleaning once in a while, but I'm by no means a fanatic about it. I also never lay a gun down without a wipedown. I've been spoiled in dry Colorado, but I remember in New Yawk City, the salt air ate ferrous stuff like candy and a fingerprint on a gun could almost be forensic quality in a short time.

Humidity right now is a whopping (really!) 37%, and that's with acres of snow sublimating moisture and acres of wet earth where there's no snow left.
BTW I love your wisecrack!

I do keep an eye on dirt under extractors and in firing pin channels.

When I lived in NoVA I did as you and kept my firearms at the very least well oiled. There in August I used to (semi) joke about needing SCUBA gear to venture outside.......... Here in NM, also like you. 30+% humidity is considered high, back in NoVA that was considered dry.

BTW I love your wisecrack!

 

[Mark_Mark]

Yoga mats make great gun mats. Been using on forever. trims very easy too

 

[Roc_my_tims]

I think they have a place. Plenty of things you could spend more on that have less use. Buying one last you years

 

[dogtown tom]

Yoga mats make great gun mats. Been using on forever. trims very easy too

Being a home based gun dealer, I use my dining room table for transactions.
Ive used yoga mats to cover that table for the last thirteen years.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Being a home based gun dealer, I use my dining room table for transactions.
Ive used yoga mats to cover that table for the last thirteen years.

also, wash your used Yoga mat before using it as a gun mat! the salt in sweat, you know the rest!

 

[.308 Norma]

Plenty of things you could spend more on that have less use.

Actually, if we were paying for the newspapers we use to cover the coffee table with when we clean guns, we really would be wasting money IMO. We're not paying for newspapers though - our next-door neighbors spend a lot of time galivanting around the country, and while they're away, we pick up their mail and newspapers, and keep an eye on their place. So, we often get the local newspapers for free. Besides that, if we run low, the owner of the grocery store in town just gives us all of the day-old and older newspapers we want - and cardboard boxes too if we ask.
And as far as getting rid of oil and solvent soaked newspapers goes, we're old fashioned - we still use a burn barrel for our paper garbage, and oil and solvent soaked newspapers make real good fire starters - even this time of year when the snow's so deep that the burn barrel isn't even sticking up above it anymore.

 

[JR24]

Mine looks pretty cool and the rolly bits and bobs don’t roll around as much as they do on my bench or on a towel/newspaper/what have you.

 

[.38 Special]

I got one for free with a holster purchase, and like it well enough. I don't guess I would buy one for retail, though. In point of fact, I misplaced it at some point in the last few weeks so have gone back to laying out paper towels. So far I have not ruined the dining room table - but then, most of my gun cleaning can be accomplished with nothing more aggressive than Ballistol.

 

[Old Dog]

Ive used yoga mats to cover that table for the last thirteen years.

So that made me look at the wife's and daughters' collection of yoga mats; wife gave me one that perfectly fits the entire wooden top of one of my work benches, has the nice sticky bottom so it won't slide around. Kind of a weird teal/turquoise color, but oh well. I never would have thought to repurpose those mats.

Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?

 

[dogtown tom]

So that made me look at the wife's and daughters' collection of yoga mats; wife gave me one that perfectly fits the entire wooden top of one of my work benches, has the nice sticky bottom so it won't slide around. Kind of a weird teal/turquoise color, but oh well. I never would have thought to repurpose those mats.

Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?

Somewhere there's yoga forum and members are complaining about their mats being stolen by their husbands.

 

[Mauser fan]

Somewhere there's yoga forum and members are complaining about their mats being stolen by their husbands.