Sometimes we could just use a third hand. Or even a fourth hand. Sound familiar? It’s especially pertinent when we’re cleaning or working on long guns.
Look no further, we’ve found a third and fourth hand for you in the Tipton Gun Butler. So how does it work? We’re glad you asked because we’re about to give you the lowdown on it.
Holding Long Guns
When I’m cleaning long guns, I sometimes feel as though I’m juggling running chainsaws. The results often turn out like a bucket of spilled fornication. Cleaning rods drop on the floor, things get spilled, and bore patches flutter to the ground like butterflies in the breeze. It’s ugly.
If only I had someone to hold the rifle steady for me so I could get the cleaning rod inserted properly with the bore patch aligned.
And those times that I’m installing scope rings in preparation for mounting optics onto the rifle’s receiver, it would go more smoothly if I weren’t holding the rifle between my knees. That’s not exactly the position of steadiness and stability that is desired. When the rings are finally installed, it would be nice if I had something stable to hold the rifle while I get the scope (or whatever optic it happens to be) fixed into place with the top half of the scope rings.
There are probably a dozen more tasks where I could use a steady, extra pair of hands to hold a long gun steady that my feeble mind is overlooking.
Tipton Gun Butler To The Rescue!
The Tipton Gun Butler is not a complicated contraption; it consists of a base and two V-shaped forks that fit into slots in the base. It’s a “Cleaning And Maintenance Center”, and I believe that description is very accurate. This is another one of those low-cost, indispensable items that I can’t believe I didn’t get sooner. In fact, it’s so simple, it’s stupid.
Don’t let the simple nature of the beast fool you, though; it’s so useful, it’s amazing. The construction is durable, being made from crack-resistant polymer.
The base of the Butler is like a caddy, and there is generous space in which to carry various gun-cleaning supplies such as solvents, rags, patches, brushes, jags, various tools, etc. There’s even a carry handle so you can tote the thing around the house if need be. It’s nice being able to keep gun cleaning odds and ends in one central location and be able to carry it around easily.
I normally clean my firearms outside during nice weather, so being able to pick up the entire cleaning smorgasbord in one main package and take it to wherever I’m doing the cleaning is invaluable.
Another thoughtful aspect is that they added non-slip, rubberized feet to the Butler, so you can set it down and not have to worry about it sliding all over the place, taking your long gun for an unexpected ride while you’re working on it. I always get distressed when I see my firearm careening down a flight of stairs at unexpected times. Now I won’t have to worry about that calamity.
Compact
To make things just a little more attractive, the forks can be removed from their slots and stored down into the body of the contraption, which makes things even more compact. It can be tucked away until it’s needed.
Scope Mounting
As if on cue, shortly after I received the Gun Butler for test and evaluation, my pal, Jason, bought a scope for his Ruger AR-15 Carbine. The scope is the Leupold variety, a 1.5-4x variable power. I have a similar one on my AR-15, and it’s proven to be a major advantage for sighting. I’m a lot more accurate at distance with it. I love the fact that it adjusts down to just over 1x for short ranges, and 4x is pretty decent out to several hundred yards.
Jason knew nothing about mounting scope rings, let alone anything about rifle scopes themselves, so I figured I’d show him how to do it.
We retired to the range with the rifle, scope, mount, and the Tipton Gun Butler in hand. To make a long story short, the Gun Butler really made attaching the rings, mount, and scope to the rifle a real breeze. I never had such an easy time mounting a scope. We did it right there on the range bench with minimal tools.
If it weren’t for the Gun Butler, I’d have had to prop the rifle on a couple of shooting bags and balance it that way while I attempted to work on it. I say, “attempted” because it would have ended up with the rifle tilting over and the scope rings and screws spilling onto the shooting table and likely skittering onto the concrete. The Gun Butler saved all of that.
The inside of the forks are coated with rubber so when you place a firearm into them, they hold it in place, preventing it from rotating or tilting without the user purposely moving the gun. That helps a ton! It shows a lot of thought on the part of the equipment’s designers.
Compartments And Holders
The Gun Butler has a lot of compartments and cutouts that are very useful for holding various pieces of gear. Bottles of cleaning solvent and oil can be placed into the cutouts so they won’t spill. Just being able to have secure spots for liquids like that means a lot. How many times have we spilled a bottle of cleaning solvent on the floor? Let me tell you, doing such stunts does not put you at the top of the list of your wife’s favorite people!
The forks fit into the main body of the caddy and lock into place. To unlock them, there is a tab on the side of the caddy next to each fork, and it is pushed in with the finger. That unlocks the forks so they can be removed and placed vertically into the holders. It’s a nice touch, as they won’t spill out of the Gun Butler accidentally, but are held securely in place until they are needed.
Price
Finally, we arrive at that crucial bit of information. The price. These days, many of us are a bit stretched when it comes to finances, and purchases might be at a minimum. Hear the good news – The Tipton Gun Butler is not expensive at all. At the time of writing, it is $27.99. I believe that’s an inexpensive price to pay for an extra set of hands.
Overall
When you think about it, it’s astounding at how much easier a couple of pieces of molded polymer can make our lives. The Tipton Gun Butler does just that.
It offers stability whether we’re working on firearms or cleaning them. The assorted slots and storage compartments go a long way in helping to prevent spills and give us places to store our solvents, lubricants, and other liquids.
All of these items can be stored and carried around in the Gun Butler, making it a compact and convenient piece of gear. Having all of our cleaning gear in one spot really helps keep things organized. I give this product two thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone who struggles with needing an extra hand for those menial cleaning, maintenance, and parts installation tasks.
