The above mentioned "oil and thong case" came equipped with a cleverly designed "pull through device" that would allow you to unscrew the little brass "thingie", drop the brass slotted tip into the bore and fish it out through the chamber. By inserting a patch in the slot and using some GI bore solvent, it was, in fact, possible to clean the bore from the chamber end of the tube. You could also screw a brush into the threaded end and "viola" you had a take to the field cleaning kit. Make no mistake, this did work, it was just a pain in the posterior trying to get the flimsy little string "pull through" down the bore in a handy and expedient manner. The string was reasonably light in weight and the two ends of the cleaning tip were screwed together with the string wrapped tightly around the two ends. The string always acted like a "kinked phone cord" and had to be persuaded to go all the way through consistently. It worked, but I was always reminded of the old joke about the noodle and the wild cat's posterior! 

     The oil and thong case was developed early in the days of the 1903 Springfield as a field cleaning expedient, and had the handy ability to be inserted into the butt well of the venerable ’03 so that you could carry it with you. Unfortunately, these were issued in a day and time of corrosive primers and the pesky cupro-nickel bullet jackets that invariably left lumpy metal fouling in the bore. The standard GI method of cleaning in those far off days was with a bucket of boiling soapy water and lots of elbow grease. The metal fouling was usually taken care of with a rather nasty ammonia solution after plugging the chamber, pouring the solution in the bore and allowing it to dissolve the fouling. The solution was removed just prior to the bore starting to rust from the action of the ammonia. Needless to say, this cleaning method was not overly practical for cleaning in the field, and the oil and thong case cleaning items were not usually worn out from over use. The ’03 Springfield bolt was easily removed and allowed a standard cleaning rod to be used to clean the rifle easily from the breech, (usually using a segmented brass rod to avoid scratching the lands and grooves).

     When the M1 Rifle finally came along in the late 1930s, the metal fouling problem had been solved by substituting "guilding metal" for the cupro-nickel bullet jacket, but primers remained corrosive until the early 1950s. While the M1 was a great rifle design, it threw the "you must clean your rifle from the breech end" admonition into a "cocked hat". Just how in the heck are ya’ gonna’ do that since the receiver was rather solidly closed at the breech end? Well, the old timers cursed silently, bit the bullet and began to "carefully" clean the M1 from the muzzle with a cleaning rod. Brass rods were the rule, even though the issue rods were usually steel. While there was some talk about the brass being soft and prone to having abrasive substances imbedded in it possibly causing undue wear to the barrel if you allowed it to bend and touch the inside of the bore, it was still considered to be better than carelessly using a steel rod and possibly damaging your tender muzzle. Eventually the services began issuing steel segmented rods that would fit into a pouch that would fit into the butt well of the rifle in lieu of the old reliable (but little used) oil and thong setup. I don’t ever remember using my oil and thong kit to clean an M1, although it was pretty easy to figure out. Cleaning rods ruled; you just had to be careful to avoid the muzzle. This didn't always work well of course, because the average "troop" didn’t have the reverence for their piece that had been the rule with the old time regular Marines. In the competition shooting arena, we often worked out compromises. It was not unusual to take an appropriately sized empty cartridge case, cut it off aft of the head base and drill an appropriately oversized hole through the primer pocket. By placing the cartridge case head over the muzzle and sticking the rod through the hole, it was possible to protect the lands and grooves of the muzzle by carefully using the cartridge case as a guide. If you "horsed it" of course, the makeshift "rod guide" didn’t do it’s job, the rod would bend and contact the bore. Most old time shooters were very protective of their rifles however.

     With the coming of the M14, things didn’t improve. We were still left with the same old problem...  how to protect the muzzle while cleaning from the "wrong end" of the rifle? Muzzle guides that fit over the flash suppressor were fabricated from old shotgun shells and did, in fact, help to some extent. Eventually, commercial cleaning rod guides became available, but here again we were attempting to "trick" "Mother Nature". Then one day, a commercially available cleaning kit came on the market that changed all that. Enter the Otis Cleaning System.

     When this little jewel (the Otis Cleaning System) made its debut it was initially called the "Kit and Caboodle". I (like many of you) had seen these on gun show tables for a number of years. I always thought they were cute, and certainly compact, but I never worked up any real interest until...

     Last year at the NRA Convention, having made the rounds of the display floor several times, I noticed that a demonstration was going on at the Otis Technology Table. Stopping to watch, I came away with a brand new cleaning kit that has changed the way I clean an M1 or M14/M1A forever. While the "Kit and Caboodle" name is still used by Otis, the operative name used by the company is now more often than not, just "Otis Industries Inc.", or the "Otis Cleaning Kit".

     I watched in a sort of awe while the gentleman at the Otis booth showed how easily a stuck case in the chamber (or a bullet in the bore) could be easily and painlessly removed with a few taps of a little brass "obstruction remover" attached to a simple plastic coated cable. The system appeared to be easy to use, and did away with the possibility of damaging the muzzle while providing a handy and positive bore cleaning implement. The principle was essentially the same as the old "pull through" that was issued in the oil and thong kit, but the resemblance ended there.

     By using a clever idea of a patch with slots punched into them, it’s possible to get six separate "virgin" cleaning surfaces from each patch. The patch is "locked" onto the tip by pulling a section of patch, pinched at an appropriate place and pulled back through the tip. By using a few drops of solvent applied to the patch at the point that it entered the cleaning tip, the extremely tight fit of the patch insures that the bore is made "squeeky clean". Otis recommends the use of a dry patch pulled through the bore from the breech prior to starting the cleaning proper, to avoid the possibility of flakes of powder or carbon falling into the action. The wire brush is then pulled through the bore to "punch the tube" (this time from the correct end), and followed by a wet patch. Dry patches are then used to wipe the tube to ensure that your first shot is from a totally clean bore. This procedure "short circuits" the old adage that you must fire at least one or two "fouling shots" before the rifle will perform up to expectations. This (at least in theory) will make your first shot as accurate as your last. Hummm... this sounded better and better!

     Upon arriving home, I could hardly wait until I broke out the nearest rifle (usually there are several standing in the various corners of the living room), and tried out my new "neat-o, keen-o" toy! Not only was I pleasantly surprised, I have used virtually nothing else since that evening. Not only does the kit work as advertised, it is extremely handy and easy to use. The plastic coated cable is easy to insert in the muzzle, the patches worked as they were supposed to, and the bore came out just as squeeky clean as the ones I observed during the demonstration. Pretty soon, I had all the rifles in the living room clean and I was searching for more. I tried it on several pistols, all with the same excellent result!

     The nice part is that the whole kit is only    3 1/2" in diameter X 2" thick (roughly - it's nylon fabric), and will fit handily in your pocket or shooting stool. You could easily wipe your bore with a dry patch between strings of fire with little effort. No problem trying to fish a little "itty-bitty" cleaning rod tip tied to a piece of flimsy string through your bore (as in the old "oil and thong kit") with mixed results. This rig was positive, easy to use and effective.

     The kits come in various sizes, and varying degrees of complexity. They range from "Small Caliber Cleaning Kits" (for use with .177 air rifles to .22 cal. Rifles), to the "Deluxe Universal Cleaning Kit" that will handle everything from a .177 Air Rifle to a 10 gauge shotgun – no kidding! They have them in various other flavors from .308 rifle cleaning kits, to those made just for pistols. Special cleaning systems are available just for the M16, including a little nylon pouch that will store it in the butt well of the "Matty Mattel Special".   Military kits have black plastic covering the cleaning cable, along with blackened brass tips,  for the tactical use in the field or for the more paranoid among us. Rumor control has it that the USMC Scout Sniper Instructor School is taking a hard look at a version that has provisions for lens cleaning gear in the back of the little zip-up pouch. If I were in the sniping business, this is probably the kit that I would choose to take with me. Otis even makes them with the little military sliding hooks to attach the kit to your web gear. The ultimate kit is the "Otis Elite" equipped with many extra components, multiple brushes and extra solvent and patches. This is probably the one for your gun room, or as a gift for the marks"person" who has everything.

     I am extremely impressed to say the least. Not only do they work as advertised, but they exceeded all my expectations. I will never again clean an M1 or M14/M1A from the muzzle as long as I have access to my Otis Cleaning Kit. I took one to South Africa when I was running the security for the American Embassy along with my Glock 27. When I left and was packing my kit bag, my seguendo (a former Sgt. Maj. in the South African Army) was watching my efforts with more than a small amount of interest. Every time I was about to pack the kit, he kept admiring it. At last, I didn’t have the heart to deprive that fine gent of a superior cleaning kit (not available in South Africa as far as I know). Isak got my (it was really Gloria's ) cleaning kit, but I DID bring the Glock home. This was the top of the line leather case. I haven't heard the end of giving Gloria's kit away I might add!! Gentlemen, NEVER ever give away your wife's "Kit and Caboodle" unless you plan to replace it without her knowing what you have done. Ouch...

     Are you limited to the trick (slotted) patches that come with the kits? I wouldn’t think so, I haven’t run out of patches yet, but a few strokes with a leather "thonging chisel" (or even a sharpened screwdriver) would manufacture as many patches as you need if you have access to free patches (military or law enforcement folks), but the patches are fairly inexpensive at any rate. Each kit comes with a little squeeze bottle of Otis Cleaning Solvent and Lubricant that works very well, but I’m also sure that any quality solvent would work (just refill the little jug that come with the kit, since the bottle fits well into the kit).

     Does the little brass "Obstruction Remover" really work? Yep! It does indeed! I just couldn’t stand it until I tried it. Using an old unserviceable barrel, I drove a brass cartridge case well up past the normal position that a stuck case would occupy. By screwing the little brass "obstruction remover" onto the flexible rod, running the rod into the muzzle with the obstruction remover attached, I found that some rapid taps of the remover directed into the cartridge case (kinda’ like using a battering ram, but no force is needed, just the weight of the little brass attachment) caused it to be driven from the bore... no real sweat at all. I next tried driving a projectile into the bore with a stout punch, and performed the same drill – same result, the bullet dropped out through the chamber. Another claim verified, and it was just as easy as it looked when the gentleman at the Otis Industries booth performed the demonstration.