MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Old-school, hard-rod rifle cleaning kits are about to make a comeback will once again become the norm as the Marine Corps phases out its newer, soft cable kits that troops used  which first made an appearance on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The throwback change is It’s one of the decisions to come out of the last October’s combat marksmanship symposium here aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, where leadership met to streamline the service's Corps’ marksmanship program. according to Marine administrative message 112/16 released Feb. 29.

The newer kit’s thin, flexible cable simply lacks the friction needed to properly clean a rifle barrel, said Col. Tim Parker, commander of Quantico’s Weapons Training Battalion.

"Quite frankly, they don't work as well as the old rods we had that you just screw together," he said. "This is what the fleet was telling us, so we said 'All right, we tried a good idea — now let's go back to the original one.'"

The newer kits, which cost about approximately four times as much as the legacy kits, contain a plethora of specialized precision attachments for almost every possible cleaning scenario. They were designed for  and were designed to adapt to Marines' the military’s modular lightweight load-carrying equipment.

Otis M14/M16/9mm Soft-Pack Weapons Cleaning Kit With Optics

This soft-pack cleaning kit is an example of what the Marine Corps is phasing out.

Photo Credit: Otis

The older kits, which date dating back to at least the Vietnam era, consist of three rods and a handle that can be screwed together, a tip for cleaning pads, three wire brushes and a toothbrush — all of which fits It all snuggly fits into the buttstock of an M16 rifle.

The newer kits are compact, but experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has shown that their small components are either not used or are easily lost, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gunner Vince Pope, director of the combat marksmanship program’s management section.

"The big benefit of going back to the three-piece cleaning rods is it gives us the additional capability we used to have to clear when I have stuck brass in my chamber," Pope said. "I can't do that with the flexible cleaning rod."

Matthew L. Schehl covers training and education, recruiting, West Coast Marines, MARSOC, and operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for Marine Corps Times. He can be reached at mschehl@marinecorpstimes.com.

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