Real Avid Handgun Master Cleaning Station: Perfect for Any Handgun

Real Avid has long been one of my favorite manufacturers of armorers and gun cleaning products. They don’t just make stuff that is built well, it’s downright handy too. There are a bazillion cleaning kits on the market and Real Avid makes some of the best. The Master Handgun Cleaning Station combines two important things you always need when cleaning your gun: cleaning tools and a cleaning mat. I like it when people think outside the box, and combining these two items makes it easier to transport when you need to take a cleaning kit with you. This is ideal for competition shooters or cleaning your gun at the range. The included storage bag even makes it easier to put away at home.

They kept it simple and put just the right amount of cleaning equipment in the kit to clean most handguns. If you haven’t put a lot of thought into your cleaning kit, you should. A handgun needs to be cleaned to ensure proper function and reliability.

A lot of the people I know who struggle with cleaning their guns after extensive shooting have trouble because they think cleaning is such a chore. Well, guess what? It’s not that bad and this Master Cleaning Station makes it even easier. The only additional items needed with this kit are gun cleaner, oil, and a rag. Everything else is provided.

What tools come with the Master Handgun Cleaning Station?

This station does not have a whole lot of tools and that’s one thing I like about it. Real Avid stuck with the essential items and left out all the fillers. A lot of gun kits look appealing because they have so many little tools and cleaning items in them, but half of the stuff is never needed. Simple is almost always better and this kit is simple and to the point.

Brushes

Instead of a brush and pick set, you get one double-sided brush and one plastic pick. The brush is nylon on one side and angled phosphor bronze on the other. There is a double-sided pick that is straight on one side and angled on the other. The pick is perfect for scraping out those areas inside the frame and slide that start to build up.

The kit comes with two other brushes that are not as common in most kits. The first is a short bristle brush made of nylon that lets you get in smaller parts of the gun. There is a carbon scraping tip on the other side that is perfect for cleaning the inside of the slide. The second brush is even smaller and has the bristle running perpendicular to the handle. They are small enough to get in the groves on the slide.

Barrel cleaning tools

The rubberized handle on the multi-function tool is comfortable and is threaded to work with the 10-inch brass rod. That’s plenty long enough to clean most handguns without taking up too much room. Four bronze bore brushes are included that work with .22, 9mm, .40, and .45 caliber barrels.

Another four matching bore patch jags allow you to run cleaning patches down the bore after scrubbing. The kit has two brass slotted bore patch tips for use with the patches too. Except for 50 cleaning patches, those are all the tools included because they’re really all the tools needed to clean your gun.

Cleaning Case and Mat

This is one of the first kits I have seen where the mat is attached to the cleaning kit. The mat is an oil-resistant 19×16-inch pad that gives you plenty of room to field strip your handgun and clean it. I used to use an old towel when I cleaned my guns, but once I started using a cleaning mat, I never went back. When they say oil resistant, they mean it. A padded mat is much easier to keep clean than a towel.

I typically wipe it off with a paper towel when I’m done and then roll it up. The plastic tray uses magnets to stay closed. Once opened, the lid doubles as a storage container for holding any parts you don’t want to lose. The bore brushes are stored in a holder that stands up as you open the lid.

What I like even more about this cleaning station is you can wrap the mat around the plastic storage section and then slide the whole thing into a bag that comes with it. This makes it easy to fit it into a backpack, range bag, or to just carry by itself.

Do you need a handgun cleaning kit?

The frequency of cleaning any gun changes from one expert to the next. I have always cleaned my guns after shooting them because I was raised to take care of my things. This doesn’t mean I think all guns will stop functioning if they are not cleaned. I know a guy who has owned a Glock pistol for years and never cleaned it. He shoots about twice a month, and it still fires every time.

He originally didn’t clean it because he doesn’t like cleaning guns. But as time went on, it turned into a curiosity thing and now he wants to see how long it will go before it stops firing. I’m not sure it ever will, but that’s not the point. Just because something will keep working without being cleaned doesn’t mean you shouldn’t clean it.

Your car will keep running if you never vacuum it out or throw trash away, but I’m guessing you do that every now and then. So, clean your gun every now and then or every time you shoot it. But if you own a handgun, you need a gun cleaning kit, and what better kit to buy than the Real Avid Handgun Master Cleaning Station?

You get the basic cleaning tools needed to clean most handguns. The lid doubles as a case to hold small parts, and the mat keeps your surface from getting dirty. When you are not using it, roll it up and stick it in the nifty carrying bag that comes with it. It’s cool, it works, and it’s affordable.