Gun cleaning mats are designed specifically for gun cleaning. Some of the things you will find in gun cleaning mats that you won’t find in other mats are:
Leak-proof material that prevents CLP and other oils from leaking through your mat.
Grease can easily be removed from the mats and won’t leak through your mat.
The biggest problem many people have with bad gun mats is that when putting them in their gun cleaning box, the oils will leak off of the mat and get everything oily.
That is why gun cleaning mats are designed using special materials to prevent this. When your gun cleaning solvent touches a gun mat it’s designed to not seep into the material and will just lay on the surface, allowing you to easily clean it up.
Most gun cleaning mats also come with some type of graphic on the mat which can be of your specific guns inner components, a ruler, or just an image.
Cleaning mats are also designed to be big enough to lay out all of your components and place your cleaning solvents on the mat, rather than on the table.
Not all cleaning mats are created equally, so we wanted to take an in-depth look into what makes the best gun cleaning mat.
Some of the mats reviewed had MANY complaints about easily collecting dust, lint, dirt, etc. and others had no complaints. We will go over each of the best gun cleaning mats currently on the market and find out what makes them the best.
1. Sage and Braker – Waxed Canvas Gun Cleaning Mat
Size: 69” X 16”
Firearm Type: Universal
Material: Waxed Canvas, Wool and Leather
If you’re looking for the best gun cleaning mat then here it is. We have to warn you though, this mat is pretty expensive and more money than most people would feel comfortable spending on a gun mat but we thought we would include it anyway.
The Sage and bBaker gun cleaning mat is designed using very high-quality materials. The interior is waxed canvas, which prevents oils and lubricants from staining the material. The outer material is heavy wool and thick leather.
The inner sections of this gun cleaning mat is designed to hold all of your gun cleaning kit, including brushes, bore snakes, lubricants, and more. Therefore it acts as a gun cleaning case and a cleaning mat. It has two leather straps that buckle in place to hold it together once it’s rolled up.
The surface of this gun cleaning mat is quilted wool, which is the ideal surface for cleaning firearms but is a little expensive.
The quality of this cleaning mat is the best we have seen and it looks like this mat could last for a hundred years.
What we like most about it is that everything you need to clean your gun fits inside it.
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2. Real Avid Smart Mat – Universal Cleaning Mat
Size: 19” x 16” or 43”x16”
Firearm Type: Pistol / Rifle / Shotgun
Material: Non-absorbent neoprene base magnetic compartment
The real avid smart mat comes in two different sizes, one for rifles and one for pistols. Many people use both of these mats and love them. It’s one of the only gun cleaning mats to have a non-absorbent material.
This means that liquids bounce off the mat, or rather just sit on the surface similar to plastic.
The side of the mat has a magnetic parts keeper section that allows you to put your tools and inner components on it without them falling out.
The back of the mat is a non-slip material that sticks to any surface.
The magnetic partskeeper section is unique and you won’t find any other gun cleaning mat that offers this option.
Overall this is definitely one of the most popular gun cleaning mats on the market for cleaning both pistols and rifles.
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3. Rangetechnic Thermal Silicone – Best Handgun Cleaning Mat
Size: 11” x 17” or 43”x16”
Firearm Type: Pistol
Material: Non-absorbent Thermal Resistance Silicone rubber
Many people complain that their gun cleaning mat leaks oils onto everything. This can happen with absorbent cleaning mats, as the oils are absorbed into the mat and may not come out.
The non-absorbent silicone rubber in this cleaning mat prevents any oils from getting into the mat. Therefore you can easily use a rag, cloth or paper towel to remove any excess oil on the mat.
The cleaning mat is designed to handle firearms that heat up to 500+ degrees F. This means you cut put a cup of coffee on it while you’re cleaning your AR that you just fired. Personally, I like the design or rather lack of art on this cleaning mat.
Many cleaning mats come with different words and art on the front but this one just has a ruler and an outline of different bullets. Overall a very nice mat for handguns and I’m going so far as to say it’s the best handgun cleaning mat.
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4. UsefulThingy – AR 15 Gun Cleaning Mat
Size: 36” X 12”
Firearm Type: Rifles
Material: Absorbent neoprene base, nonstick material with embedded graphic ink.
Designed for cleaning rifles and is large enough to accommodate all rifles. It has a detailed diagram of the AR15 with a brief history on the cover of the mat. This neoprene mat will soak up and oil and solvents and allows you to easily clean it. It has a nonstick back, similar to a mouse pad and rolls up nicely.
We could find nothing wrong with this mat and if you’re a fan of the AR15 then this one is for you. Usually, we find complaints regarding the material but over 500 reviews on this one and nobody has complained.
The material is different from other being highly absorbent rather than repelling oils and leaving them on the surface.
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5. Drymate – Best Shotgun Cleaning Mat
Size: 54” X 16”
Firearm Type: Pistol / Rifle / Shotgun
Material: Absorbent material with rubber back
Many people are upset that they can’t find a high-quality large gun cleaning mat for their shotguns. All of the best cleaning mats seem to be made for pistols and rifles. We wanted to also add a gun cleaning mat to the list that doesn’t have all the flashy images and text.
The drymate cleaning mat is a universal mat designed for all your firearms and is made of high-quality material
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Summary
We had a tough time narrowing down our list of gun cleaning mats to only five. We examined about 30 of the best gun cleaning mats currently on the market. Every year new mats come out as technology gets better and better.
Gun cleaning mats are not included in any gun cleaning kit, so you need to get them on their own.
We know that most people don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a gun cleaning mat/pack combo, so we wanted to look at the most reasonably priced and best-reviewed cleaning mats.