They do indeed take dirt out . The trouble is once it goes through it's dirty. If you use it again then you're putting dirt back into your gun. A little while ago and friend of mine who is still in the service showed me a kit that he was issued. It was the Otis Tactical kit. This kit is a pull through system that can clean everything from 17cal to 10ga. The patch is used to form a swab that cleans 360 degree with in the bore. The flexible rod can also be used to remove stuck casing. The whole kit fits in a 4" case. Also, there is a standard size patch that cleans all calibers. This means to me , that I don't have to buy 6 different size patches to clean all of my guns. The kit is small enough to carry on your belt, or to be carried in your range bag. When on the range, I have found it easier to clean the bore while the gun is still warm. This kit makes it quick and easy to clean the bore right on the range.

I have personally found this to be the practical cleaning kit , available. There are many kits that do a good job, but I think this is one that you should take a look at.