Otis Patches or Substitutes

[Sven]

I am totally sold on the Otis cleaning system for cleaning M1, M1 Carbine and M1A. I am not sold on $4 for 50 patches (price listed on otisgun.com)!!! I know they can be used 6 times, but... man, that's steep!

No I'm looking for the best deal on Otis patches... are there alternate sources?

I tried making my own tonight: started with Brownell .30 cal square patches and used a sharp screwdriver. Results were not great: I almost lost a patch in the barrel when one came loose... seems Otis has the dimensions and materials down right.

-s

 

[sm]

Sven,
Regular square patches are fine, as mentioned in the Otis pamplet. Old T shirts work fine too.
There is a way to "cheat". [ oh no -here it comes]

So a buddy has a Marlin lever action...dunno what ammo he's using...eww.

Insert cable through chamber as your supposed to--attach the T handle dealie.
Worn Otis brush is already attached, (old 9mm I think )on the chamber end...not real critical, other than using a short pistol size...

I just tore a pc of "T"shirt material about so and so size and put it around back end of brush...like a barber does the customer to keep hair off ...pull through. Change patch , repeat as need. NO slots to cut, material is cheap enough, short pistol brush is covered but still gets into rifling real tight.

For the final pass I use as intended with a slot cut into T shirt material.
In this instance being a 30-30 the "patch" was probably a tad bigger than a standard .22 lr patch.

We did his .44 mag handgun with same set up...just used more material is all...told ya I like simple and I cheat.

It ain't cheatin' if it works--it's ingenuity

 

[Master Blaster]

I have been using the otis system on all of my guns for about 3 years now.
I still have some of the original patches that came with the kit, since its so easy to use the elcheapos from walmart.

Here is what I do
size the patch as you would for a normal rod and jag, square round does not matter.

cut two small slots on the patch on opposite sides of the patch (this gives you two uses of the patch), very small, so small that you have to force the slotted tip through the hole then feed the corner or side throught the slot and pull.

Yours came off because the hole you punched was way too large.

The closer you pinch the side the larger the knot will be.

Sounds more complicated than it is.

If you get one stuck halfway down the barrel like I have on my AR a couple of times, dont panic, rotate the cable counterclockwise so that you unscrew the slotted tip from the cable. Then take your coated rod (the one you will now use 2 times a year when this happens), and push the tip and patch back out through the chamber.

Use a smaller patch or tie the knot farther away to reduce the size.

 

[Sven]

cut two small slots on the patch on opposite sides of the patch (this gives you two uses of the patch), very small

So, do you do this near the corners on a square patch, or right in the middle near the edge?

 

[Master Blaster]

Yes both, I'm not too particular as to where I put the holes, just not too close to the edge. You will have to experiment a bit with the size and patch material, till you get one thats just right.

 

[Sunray]

Go into a fabric shop. Buy a flannelette remnant. Cost you less than a buck depending on how big it is. Cut it into patches. At $4 for 50 patches they should come with a coolie to do the work too.

 

[Jaywalker]

I use cheap flannel remnants, too, except for the last patch. The last patch is always linen, since it doesn't leave fuzzies that are hydrophllic (water attracting) that will rust the steel where they lie.

Linen's really cheap, too. "Honey, that linen dishcloth is really disreputable. Are you sure you want people to see it? No? Well, I'll take care of it for you..."

Jaywalker

 

[Sactown]

Do not! DO NOT! DO NOT! buy any patches called Souther Bloomers. They are absolute crap. I bought some to test. The cleaning jag rips right through them so they're useless. I cut them into .22 patch size and use them to clean with my nylon picks. They're worthless as bore patches.

 

[Sven]

Do you always pinch it Otis style? Seems a very flexible way to size the patches for different applications.

 

[sm]

Sven,,
When using patch/patch material other than Otis by all mean PINCH otis style. If you recall the booklet shows the position on a clock to determine best size. Also recall the brass tip is "enclosed " in the cone formed,it is also "centered" in the bore. Meaning the bore won't/ can't get hit by the brass tip.

Similarly when I cheat and use a SHORT pistol brush , the brush is centered and covered...not as well...but covered...if one uses a derlin/brass muzzle guard with this cheat method...the bore wont get banged. Just run cable from chamber as normal, run through muzzle guard ...and use as normal. Pull it.

These kits are handy and expedient, they also lend themselves to being very adaptable .

HTH

 

[Jaywalker]

Thanks for the thread. I've had one of these kits for years, and I've just kept it in my hunting bag for field emergencies - like my recent swim crossing a creek in the pre-dawn dark.

After reading this, I realized that the Otis is a coated rod with a very secure tip/patch arrangement that can serve as a primary cleaning kit. I don't brush normally, so I'm fine without one.

I overlapped like an accordian (or paper dolls, if you prefer) remnant flannel about fifteen times, then cut them all at once (very sharp scissors) to the pattern of an Otis original. (The circular pattern I understand isn't stricly necessary, but it fits better in the Kit &Caboodle container.) I then placed the fifteen circles over a phonebook and punched small holes in them using the Otis patch as a model. Instead of a screwdriver, I used a sharp knife. It doesn't need much of a hole, just enough to create a weak point in the fabric that the tip could punch through later. The last few needed a little further encouragement with the knife.

The new patches worked as well as the orignal patches. As always, I finished off with a linen patch to scrub out the fuzzies.

Jaywalker

 

[Sven]

This thread has already saved me hundreds of dollars in the future. Thanks.

I can't go away from the 'pull through' Otis method now that I see how it covers the whole bore while centering and protecting the patch holder. Using a single patch pulled through normally feels and appears to be about 1/2 as effective.

Only thing close to me seems the Parker Hale jag, but I've had a bad experience threading and feeding those - Otis is much easier.

-

I was surprised to see the Red curved piece of plastic in my Tactical kit... turns out serves at least two purposes: 1) empty chamber indicator, and 2) bore light. Put that sucker in the bore with the bolt open, and hold the chamber up to a light and the orange-red light makes ANY fouling instantly visible... clear as day.

As usual, clear and check (and recheck) your action before looking down any bore, ever. I need to do this on the M1A / M1 Carbine because there is only one way to look in - straight down the muzzle from the business end. Bolt action users have other options.

 

[harrydog]

I love the MPro-7 patches. They work extremely well (much better than cut up t-shirts) and while not exactly cheap at $20/1000, they're worth it to me.

http://www.mp7.com/NCpatches.htm

 

[sm]

Sven

Using a single patch pulled through normally feels and appears to be about 1/2 as effective.

Otis suggets using two patches IIRC on some calibers. That is one reason to use a short pistol bush and wrap the brush "barber shop" to fill void.

How to Cheat Part II
Sven if you have the Tactical kit you see the "patch saver" for use on 12 or 20 ga shotguns? ( one of each in kit). Read the instructions again now...

When at the hardware store the get variety pack of rubber gasket/"O" rings. ( faucets are one type) Mom and Pop hardware store is better for this...they know and stock inventory.

Using one patch, appropriate "o" ring from variety pack...duplicate the shotgun patch saver method...the seal is more effective in the bore...yes it still flexible enough to cln lands and grooves.

I just applied the tricks used and learned as a brat using a "thong"...many years before the Otis was even on the market.

Pc of rawhide longer than bbl, with a slit in one end and a patch used -interesting enough in same maner as Otis suggests. Pcs of leather used like Otis patch savers, to adapt to different bore sizes.

My "homemade kit" was kept in a empty Shinola or Kiwi shoe paste tin. An even smaller tin kept the machine oil ( like eye drops come in now) . I drove druggists,shoe repair guy, parents, relatives...etc. for empty shoe tins, tins for oil, and rawhide. Among other things including ammo. by '65 and turning 10 y/o my supply was growing and reputation preceded me.


Being poor I learned : Adapt, Overcome, Improvise.

If I had taken this ,or any number of the elders whom shown me ...who knows Otis may have never come to be.