Gun Cleaning takes experience, expertise, and patience. This is a messy task and if not done properly could mess up your workspace. Using a Gun Cleaning mat makes the whole process exponentially easier and cleaner. For a hunter using a gun cleaning mat is a must.

There are a lot of gun cleaning mats in the market. So, buying a good one may seem like a daunting task. A lot of customers regret buying mats that are of bad quality. So there are some things you need to consider before buying one. This article will describe the best gun cleaning mats that are currently in the market and also describe what makes them the best.

Best Gun Cleaning Mats 2021

If you search online for gun cleaning mats, you will find tons and tons of products with various designs. But the truth is that most of them are of bad quality and they don’t last long. Some even can’t protect the surface from getting oil on it.

That is why we have compiled a list of best gun cleaning mats that have chosen by considering their quality, brand value, customer satisfaction, and longevity. These five gun cleaning mats are described and reviewed below and in great detail. We believe one of them will suit your needs and you would be able to make the decision about which one you should buy.

Ultimate Rifle Build Gun Cleaning Mat 11″x17″

This is a useful and handy bench mat for gunsmiths and hobbyists alike. It has a huge protective surface of 11”x17”. This cleaning mat can any kind of work surface like shooting desks, kitchen tables or workbenches. It is an amazing accessory to have for gun cleaning.

This mat is made with top-notch premium materials. It has a top made with black polyester which comes with a water-proof coating. The borders are stitched. It also has a backing made of non-slip natural tree rubber.

You could wipe it after use with a clean cloth and no gun oil smell will remain. It is pretty thick so even if you pound a pin out and hit your work surface, it won’t leave a mark.

What really caught our eyes was the mat’s design. Its distressed American flag design with the text of the 2^nd amendment underneath makes for an iconic design. Something a lot of the customer’s admired. It has a visual appeal that is quite unique to it.

This mat is known for its longevity. Because of its large protective surface and the materials used to make it, it lasts way longer than most of the other smart mats in the market.

One thing you should consider, this mat is perfect for pistol cleaning, but if you want to clean a bigger firearm like a rifle, you should opt for a larger mat.

Ultimate Rifle Build Features:

1. It has white heat transfer printing for preventing smearing.
2. It has a large surface of 11”x17”.
3. Water-proof protective layer.
4. Made with thick soft rubber and has a non-slipping backing.

1. Real Avid Handgun Smart Mat – 19×16″
2. Ultimate Rifle Build Gun Cleaning Mat 11″x17″
3. Gun Cleaning MAT by Sage & Braker – Made from Wool and Leather.
4. Lyman Products Essential Gun Maintenance Mat
5. Glock Bench Mat

Real Avid Handgun Smart Mat – 19×16″

This smart mat is definitely a step up from what has come before it. The best thing about it is that it helps you clean and maintain your pistols in a more organized way. It provides a durable work surface.

The parts tray which is connected with the cleaning mat comes with a magnetized section for small springs and other parts. The parts tray makes it a lot easier to organize your small parts that could easily be lost. Because this section is magnetized, you won’t have to worry about your parts falling off.

It has a non-slip backing (made of rubber) that can grip on most surfaces. This stops the mat from slipping around while you work on the gun. It also protects your table from getting scratches.

The biggest advantage this mat provides is that it protects your work surface. The mat is lightly padded. It is oil resistant. Whenever any oil or any other solvent substance gets spilled on it, it won’t soak it up. Rather, that material will stay on the surface, so it would be quite easy for you to clean it up.

The mat can be rolled up when you are not using it. You can just roll it back up whenever you need to use it.

Real Avid Smart Mat Features:

1. Magnetic compartment to store micro parts (which are easy to lose)
2. Shock absorption which protects the guns
3. Oil and other solvent resistance
4. The 19 by 16-inch mat is the perfect size for pistols.

Gun Cleaning MAT by Sage & Braker – Made from Wool and Leather.

This gun cleaning mat was designed for hunters. The manufacturers pride themselves on being committed to protecting everything about the sport they love, which is hunting. They claim to work hard to provide products with not only quality and design but also with purpose. Well, this product shows all three of that and more.

This mat has a very practical design that any hunter who uses it would appreciate. It was meant to be taken anywhere easily. It has pockets that can hold essential things like CLP, rags, brushes, bore cleaning kit, etc. You could just put your things in those pockets, roll the mat up, buckle it down and you are good to go.

One thing we liked about this mat is that you can store a lot of things in its pockets but the mat doesn’t get deformed when you roll it up.

It is made of high-quality materials. 12 oz. waxed canvas, heavy wool, and thick lather are used to manufacture it. You could easily pass it down the generations, because of its durability. It even has a classic look to it. Just by looking at it you will see how much attention to detail has gone into making this mat.

The waxed canvas provides durability. The leather detailing provides ruggedness and the quilted wool is soft and provides an ideal surface to work on without having to worry about the surface getting scratched. Although, some of the users have complained about the leather being highly chrome-tanned that kind of makes the leather look like cardboard and it also has a plastic finish. But this is done so that the leather becomes more durable and last longer.

This mat is versatile and rugged. It helps the user get whatever tools he/she needs at an arm’s reach.

Sage & Braker Features:

1. It has a dimension of 69” long X 16 “wide and ½” thick when rolled up
2. It is big enough for larger firearms and durable enough to protect them.
3. Protects guns from getting scratched by harsh surfaces
4. Protects the work surfaces form gun oils and lubricants.

Lyman Products Essential Gun Maintenance Mat

Layman has achieved many innovations in the field of shooting and reloading accessories. They have now introduced their gun maintenance mat. Their new breakthrough design outperforms the traditional flat mats. This mat has slightly recessed sections, this design helps in keeping the little items organized.

This even secures the items from rolling off the desk. Also, this design helps in containing any spills while cleaning and lubrication. The ridges are not that high and that prevents the parts from sitting at excessive angles.

This gun maintenance mat was made with strong materials and its soft polymer protects guns and it is also chemical resistant. It is thick enough to protect the work surface from getting any scratches or dents.

This mat has a dimension of 10″ wide x 16″ long. It is well padded and the back is non-slip coated to keep your desk from moving while you work. You could clean up the residual left on the surface with a paper towel and no solvents will be left on the surface of the mat.

This mat was designed to be stored flat. So, don’t roll it up. Otherwise, it will be damaged.

Lyman Essential Gun Mat Features:

1. It is resistant to oils and solvents.
2. Cleaning it is easy
3. Made with a durable soft polymer
4. Has recessed sections that keep items and spills contained

Glock Bench Mat

This is a heavy-duty rugged mat with a dimension of 11″x17″. It was made with thick, rubberized nylon. Its surface is oil resistant. Its design is quite unique and innovative. Its surface features an exploded diagram of GLOCK pistol with its parts list.

Glock has always been famous for its ruggedness and this cleaning mat is certainly no exception to that. Its soft cloth top prevents your gun from receiving scratches. Its neoprene rubber backing protects the work surface from chemicals.

This mat can handle leaks and spills, you can clean your gun without having to worry about solvents and oils. You can roll it up nice and tight and lay it out flat easily. The graphic on its surface can be helpful sometimes when you lose a part and find it and have no clue as to where that part goes. There are illustrations of the “safe action” trigger and also lubrication diagrams, which can be helpful.

Glock Bench Mat Features:

1. Its design is small compact and it is made with rugged materials
2. Has exploded diagram of GLOCK pistol on its surface
3. Has a soft clothed top

Benefits of a Gun cleaning Mats

Cleaning a gun is no easy task, in fact, it can get quite messy. No matter how carefully you do the task some oil and other solvents are bound to get stuck on your work surface whether it be a kitchen desk, table or a workbench.

Also, the firearm could get scratches from a harsh surface and even the work surface could receive dents and scratches if you clean your firearm on a table or desk. By using a gun cleaning mat you can protect not only your firearms from getting scratches but also your work surface too.

The high-quality cleaning mats are resistant to chemicals and oils. They prevent the oil and other chemicals used during the cleaning process from seeping into your work surface.

The cleaning mat holds the oils and other substances on its surface so that you can easily wipe it off using a cloth or a paper towel and mat will be as good as new.

A lot of the cleaning mats come with pockets of different sizes that can hold a variety of tools that you might need. These pockets are extremely handy and keep your necessary tools at hand’s reach.

Who makes the best Gun cleaning mats?

Like any other product brand value plays a major role in the gun cleaning mat market. Some companies consistently manufacture top quality products. They are also well known by the hunter community.

One such company is Sage & Braker. They proclaim that they are hunters themselves and are willing to take this sport to a new level through the quality of their products.

They have manufactured some of the best cleanings out there and one of them have made it in our list of best gun cleaning mats. You could buy one of their products and be assured that the product will last and that you have made a good purchase.

Another well-known company is Lyman. Their products are quite famous for being durable and rugged. So, if you want a cleaning mat to be used for rough use, you should opt for a gun cleaning mat made by Lyman.

Since we are talking about the companies that make high-quality gun cleaning mats Real Avid has to get a mention. Their cleaning mats are well-reviewed by the customers because of its design. These mats come with small magnetized compartments so that you can store your small tools inside it and they won’t fall off and get lost.

How to get the best gun cleaning mat?

Not all gun cleaning mats are of the same quality. There are many things to consider before buying a cleaning mat. You have to ask yourself what are the functions you need from your gun cleaning mat. Getting the best gun cleaning mat would require some research from your part.

You must check the video If you have Hurry:

Some of the features you should consider before buying a gun cleaning mat are described in detail below:

Size

Just buying a big mat won’t be the right choice. You should choose a mat that has the correct size according to your firearm. Just ask yourself what is the size of the firearm you will be cleaning and how much space is needed to do so.

Say, for example, you only have pistols to clean. So, you will be needing a compact cleaning mat. On the other hand, if you have a big rifle to clean you should buy a cleaning mat of bigger dimensions. Remember bigger firearms require a thick mat to protect the surface. Also, don’t just consider the firearm’s size. You will be needing more space as when you disassemble the firearm, you will be needing a lot of space to put them on.

Tool Storage

You will need to store the tools needed for cleaning your firearm. Some of the best gun cleaning mats in the market come with a storage system for the whole gun cleaning kit. So make sure your cleaning mat also has it. We believe tool storage is an amazing and useful feature for a gun cleaning mat to have. When not in use, you could easily put your essential tools in the mat’s specialized compartments and roll up the mat and then buckle it up. This also makes carrying the tools more convenient and simple. Although the mats that have this feature have a higher price, we believe it is worth it because of the convenience it provides.

Materials

The biggest task of a gun cleaning mat is to be hydrophobic, in other words, it has to repel liquids such as oils and solvents. So, before buying a mat find out which materials have been used to manufacture that mat. Mats made with using silicone and plastic are the best because they repel oils and chemicals more than other materials.

Some mats have a leather coating or a waxed canvas. They help cushion the impact of the firearm being moved around. But they are not good at repelling liquids.

Also, there are absorbent mats that just soaks up any excess liquid left from the cleaning process.

A lot of expensive and high-quality cleaning mats have neoprene in them. This substance provides both solvent repulsion and cushioning. So, buying a mat that has neoprene in it is a great choice.

Print

A lot of gun cleaning mats have a surface that can be printed on. You should buy a gun cleaning mat that you can easily customize according to your tastes. Having a print on your cleaning mat not only makes it look stunning but also helps you assembling gun parts. The most popular option would be to have a print of exploded gun parts diagram. It doesn’t even have to be gun-related. You could have a print of the American national flag on it.

Parts bin

A parts bin can be quite handy for a user. As when you take a gun apart you can see that there are some very small and delicate parts. It is quite easy to lose them and if you do you won’t be able to reassemble your gun. A parts bin is a plastic compartment that is magnetized.

The reason for using magnets is simple, gun parts are made with iron and using a magnetic compartment to store them will make sure you don’t lose them. If you have gun cleaning experience than you know how annoying it is to lose a small part of your gun when it rolls around the table and falls. Having a parts bin solves that problem.

Final Verdict

If you want to keep your firearms and work desk to be protected and want to store your tools in an organized way you should buy a gun cleaning mat. Although you don’t absolutely need it, a cleaning mat certainly enhances the gun cleaning experience. We also believe that your spouse would appreciate it if you don’t get the place messy with stains and oil.

By considering the features and quality of the materials used and also how well it was received the customers, we have concluded that the Gun Cleaning MAT by Sage & Braker is the best one in our list. Its unique design and durability are unmatched. The passion the makers put into making it is what made us choose this one to be the best one in our list.