Tipton Cleaning Picks with Shaped Ends, 4 Pack, Polymer, Stainless Steel, for Cleaning, Maintenance, and Gunsmithing

While aimlessly browsing through Amazon I ran across these and noticed the low rating. Surprised by that, I read a few reviews and thought I would throw in my .02. I've had these picks for about two years and I think they are a great value. Two of the picks have only been used a couple of times, one is used somewhat frequently and the fourth pick is used 100% of the time that I clean a firearm (long rifles and handguns). These picks make cleaning the internal slide rails, firing pin area, small .22 chamber areas, patterns in grip textures, around scope mounts, etc. very easy. After using these picks heavily for two years, I would become frustrated quickly if I did not have them while cleaning some areas. They are polymer so I don't use excessive force. But I do use reasonable force to scrape powder residue from dirty powder that builds up after a day of heavy shooting. These picks have held up well; no cracks, breaks, chips or bending that will not return to its original shape. I am aware that they are not stainless precision tools and I use them accordingly. I even threw one loosely in the bottom my briefcase to clean, and teach how to clean and oil, a coworker's personal protection handgun. After that it rattled around in my briefcase for a week before I remembered to take it out and its condition was absolutely fine. As a matter of fact, every time thatI clean a firearm I think that I should buy a set for my range bag but then forget by the time I get everything put away. Now that I took the time to write this review I'm going to order another set now before I forget again.

There's not a whole lot to be said for such a simple product, but these are an excellent set of tools. The 4 picks are solid polymer so there are no worries about scratching the finish on whatever you're picking at, with each end molded into a different shape for almost every nook and crannie you could need to reach into. They are, however, not as stiff as a set of steel picks, or even aluminum. These are good for scraping/picking at soft things like carbon fouling, excess glue prior to it curing, etc. These picks will almost certainly break if used to pick or pry at something solid wedged into place. Think of them more like toothpicks and less like dental tools. The price has more than doubled since I bought these though and I don't understand why. At the time of this review they are listed for $12: they're not worth that. They're just sticks of injection-molded polymer. My set still had some flashing in places I needed to trim off before use. I paid around $5 a couple of years ago and that feels about right: for $5 they're a great tool to have around, but I'd not pay any more. Local sporting goods stores may have them for even less. Edit 04/06/17: one month after posting this review they're back down to $5 a set. So if you see this listing and the price is over $5, wait a while and see if they go down.

Good picks, and they don't scratch blued or coated surfaces. They are eight inches long, with pretty good size "heads"...they're a lot bigger than I'd thought they'd be. But they work well to loosen and remove hardened deposits. Polymer isn't really all that hard, so for the really stuck-on deposits, you may also want to get a set of stainless steel picks...just be careful not to scratch up your guns. [...EDITED ] I wrote the above review after using the picks to clean hard-to-reach corners of actions and trigger mechanisms on my hunting rifles (bolt-actions) and shotguns (pump and side-by-side). The picks worked OK, but like I said, they couldn't remove really hard deposits. Then I tried using these picks on my AR-15, and they had little effect on the cooked-on carbon deposits, which are so much harder than in my other weapons. They're still OK for cleaning the lower, but for the upper I needed the stainless steel picks.

These work great for cleaning!!

I use these picks for cleaning guns. These picks will get into the grooves and crevices (with a small cloth) to remove residue. Very useful for cleaning a 1911 pistol or an AR 15 bolt carrier. Very useful for applying oil to tight places (with a small cloth). Saves my fingers from wear and tear and cuts. The tips may break off after a lot of use, but the pick is still usable. I have other picks that are 10 years old, worn but still functional. Tipton makes good products.

They work mostly, but dont get the real tough carbon build ups off. I use my old metal/brass ones for that instead. If you have a clean weapon before you go to the range then they work great for a clean up after. But, for instance, if you are in the Army and get issued some s***ty, dirty weapon before you even go to the range, these wont make the cut! No real complaints, for my personal weapons are always clean anyway, so using these tools to give them a once over is perfect. Plus no worries about pressing too hard or scratching any finishes.

Out of every gun cleaning product I have, these make the easiest work out of the hard to reach areas. Just throw a cotton patch down and use one of these to get carbon out of cracks/crevices. They are not metal, which means they won’t scratch your firearm but it does make them somewhat weak. I’ve never had one break but I can see how if you put a lot of force on them they would. The price is cheap enough to just buy another set if they did break though so no big deal.

Being in the military cleaning weapons is necessary and just being a good soldier. I bought these to help me get to the hard to reach places all Quartermasters and any armory personnel seem to always find, regardless of how clean you think it is. They are a polymer plastic, they are lightweight, flexible and NOT METAL. So they will break, just like a metal pick, if you put to much pressure on them. That being said they are great in that the flexibility helps with getting the stuck on carbon deposits in the hard to reach places. They are easy to add to your rifle cleaning kits since they are i bit long for a pistol kit.