I am a very experienced shooter, BUT NOT with ARs. My new Noveske arrives this week and wanted to know if there are any AR specific cleaning gizmos, tools, etc. that I need and may overlook? Any personal lists or methods you use would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I use a standard Army issue kit with multi-piece rod, brushes etc. I was issued the OTIS system but I am not a big fan of it. If it is a precision AR, maybe a bore guide. I have been using the Chambermaid swabs for the last couple of years and they are awesome. I treated my M4’s with Mil-Tec and it is all I use currently. I have recently ordered some SLIP 2000 EWL to try though. YMMV
I am making a Midway/Brownels order of:
patches (sz & shape?) ,
jag,
brushes (copper or nylon?) ,
some type of chamber brush?
special cleaner or brush for gas sstm?
tools?
mag brushes?
tools?
AP Brush, chamber brush, bore brush, bore snake, chamber maid, chamber stars, pipe cleaners, G-tips (cotton swabs for gun cleaning application), patches, dewey coated one piece rod, lucas bore guide, jag, patch eyelet, slip/hoppes/mpro7 solvent/clp, OTIS cleaning kit for emergency purposes, rags, gun cleaning mat, and lots of time 
I agree with all of the above except for the Lucas bore guide.
FIRST, call Sinclair (800-717-8211) and get a copy of their catalog (latest is 2009-A).
Second, go to their website (www.sinclairintl.com) and order 4 items, all made by them:
> Sinclair bore guide (P/N RGAR15; they call it a “rod guide”, $19.85);
> Sinclair solvent port (P/N RG322, $6.95);
> Sinclair AR-15 cleaning link (P/N 14-900, $13.95) (makes cleaning an AR-15/M4/M16/CAR/etc. much easier); and
> Sinclair AR-15 dry firing device (P/N 14-400 or 14-455, depending on whether you want it in black or orange; $16.95).
You can purchase just about all of the cleaning and maintenence items you need from them, but the 4 items above are must-haves.
If you have any questions about cleaning/maintaining/reloading for/general questions about ARs, call Sinclair’s tech support.
I have no connection whatever with Sinclair or its parent company, Brownells, except as a satisfied customer, and can recommend both without reservation.
Is there a reason why you suggest the sinclaire over lucas or is it just personal pref?
Has anyone ever simplified the cleaning task and just ran wet patches down the pipe and follow it up with a bore snake?
I have an N4 coming in as well…
I want to say that there is, but it’s really just personal preference … and probably uninformed personal preference to boot.
Disclaimer: You should be aware that I have used the Sinclair guides with complete satisfaction ever since they came out with the AR-15 guide, but I have never owned, used, or even seen (except on the Internet) a Lucas guide. So I may not know what I’m talking about.
An AR-15 – even one configured as an NRA Match Rifle and built by one of the top builders (Frank White, John Holliger, Mike Bykowski, etc.) is not a benchrest rifle. The one that you will use (no offense) is even less so. Cleaning an AR is not that big a deal as long as you don’t do dumb things (like use a sectional military cleaning rod). It is easy to get overly caught up in the idea that you must use only cleaning patches made of the finest yak hair blessed by monks and imported from Tibet, but 'tain’t so. The reason the core of the brush and the tip of the cleaning rod are made of brass is so that they won’t harm the barrel if they come in contact with it. That is also the reason you will use a coated cleaning rod. Having the rod perfectly centered using the Lucas bushing system (as opposed to almost-as-perfectly centered using the Sinclair guide) won’t hurt (other than get in your way), but I don’t think you will find that it makes any difference. But you may feel otherwise.
One other point: A couple of years ago I bought a pair of 22 cal carbon-fiber cleaning rods from Midway thinking that they were the Next Great Thing. While talking to a Sinclair rep I asked why Sinclair didn’t carry CF cleaning rods and was told that they can release small CF splinters into the barrel and harm it. Dunno whether that is true or not, but I until I get a more info on that from a knowledgable source I won’t be using any more CF rods. (And I note that Sinclair still does not carry CF cleaning rods. That tells me something.) The fact that the Lucas writeup on 6mmBR.com states that “The Lucas Guide, when used with coated or carbon rods from Dewey, Bore-tech or Tipton (MidwayUSA), provides the best insurance against barrel damage during cleaning” (emphasis added) causes me to question that whole writeup. But that’s just me.
Regardless of which bore guide you decide to purchase, get one of them and use it. If you decide to get the Lucas guide, PM me after a year and let me know how it worked out.
Also, whichever guide you get, I still recommend items #3 and #4 from my list above. (Note that #4 won’t work with a Jewell trigger.)
Enjoy your AR.
One or two passes with a bore snake when I’m done at the range while it’s still warm. When I get home I remove the BCG and give the bolt a wipe down with an old t-shirt and re-oil it. Give the chamber brush a few turns, run the bore snake a few more times; then it gets bagged and goes back in the trunk.
Once every few months I’ll strip it down and go after the nooks & crannies:
I have two bore snakes. One to run after I’m done shooting at the range while the barrel is still warm. Then a second one that I run through after I am completely done cleaning the barrel (after running a brush, solvent, patches, and jags). It’s unnecessary but I just like to.
I run a bore snake down the barrel, clean the chamber with the “stars” and brush\ and finish off by wiping down and re-lubing the bolt carrier group.
I use a bore snake in my shotgun and it’s the bee’s knees. I figured why not with the AR? Obviously you still have to clean the chamber and hard to reach areas (bolt and whatnot). I’m not going to make it harder than it is with all the gadgets. It’s a fighting gun. 
Thanks All
Yes, this is my bore cleaning routine, but I don’t use wet patches, I use a cotton bore mop.
I let Hoppes 9 sit in the barrel for 10-15 minutes, while I clean the BCG and the lower, and then pull the BoreSnake through. Done.
Bimmer
This is a mistake, IMHO.
Multi-piece steel rods can do a lot of damage to a barrel. It’s fine to have a GI kit around for emergencies, but that’s it. If you must use a cleaning rod, then get a one-piece nylon-coated rod.
Bimmer
I’ve been using the Lucas rod guides for many years with my Model 70 bolt guns, so it comes quite naturally to use one also for the AR15s. I see no reason to alter my cleaning routine for in house cleaning. Simply stated, the Lucas guides work well and were designed for the specific purpose of centering the rod to help prevent repetitive cleaning damage.
The idea for the Lucas originally came from “Speedy” Gonzales a benchrest gunsmith and shooter. He gave me the low down on the Lucas rod guide when I needed information for an article several years ago. At the time, his shop was selling them.
That said, Sinclair makes top choice gear. I use some of their reloading tools, but for the rod guides, I’ll stick with Lucas and Dewey rods.
+1
I keep a three-piece rod in the pack for stuck cases (hasnt happened yet) but clean with a good coated 1 piece.
+1 on the GI kit. Not everything “mil-spec” is a good thing. Remember ALICE gear?
I’ve also abandoned nylon coated rods. Maybe I’ve been using them incorrectly, but the coating tends to rub off the tips after a few uses. The threads are not always concentric with the rod. Then, you have is bare steel rubbing against the chamber, throat, and rifling. And because coated rods are usually steel, they have a tendency to bend.
Tipton carbon fiber rod w/ a bore guide is what I use now.
when brushing i pull through rather than push, but obviously switch when jagging. how come nobody’s made a rod with a tip narrower than the lip of rod attachments?
GI 3 piece rods were good because you could obviously break them down and stow them away. Could you imagine packing a 1 piece coated rod? lol And yes alice gear blew hard. It sucks to lose a gator clip and then have your gear hanging off. I try not to get wrapped around the whole idea with bore guides and rods scratching the barrel. I use them yes but if I didn’t have the option I wouldn’t be too worried about using GI rods without a bore guide for my AR.