My Dad always told me that having the right tool can make all the difference when doing a job. When I was a kid, that never registered but as I’ve grown older and worked harder the reality of having to do a job without the proper tools has hit more than once. I can’t tell you how many pocketknife blades, chisels, spoons, etc. I have damaged or broken using for something they weren’t designed for. Having the right tools keep a simple job simple which I’m a huge fan of.
Working on firearms is no different. Torque specs, weirdly shaped barrel nuts or proprietary screws, hex this, star that, metric, SAE, etc. etc. It all can get a little messy if you don’t have the gear to get the job done. While each firearm has things that are going to make life easier for that gun, here’s a list of general tools you may want to put on that Christmas list:
One of the hardest things to teach people in my armorer’s classes is how to hold pieces and parts while working on them. Enter Real Avid’s Master Gun Vise. This thing is going to make your old rusty bench vise jealous. Once mounted the Master Gun Vise is on a ball-system like that of a camera tripod. You can turn it 360 degrees with the flip of a lever. If you need it to be angled, that’s no problem with the 8-position locking ball. Real Avid offers jaw sleeves and several other great accessories for working on your firearms. Be sure to check them out.
Firearms have a million sizes and types of screws to deal with when mounting optics, changing batteries, fitting stocks, etc. Wheeler has a very reasonable set available that includes assorted bits, extensions, and a torque wrench. There are several out there that range in size and assortment, but this one will get you started on the right track.
Sometimes when you are working on your pistol or AR, you need to punch out a pin or two. To do that the firearm needs to be raised off the table, but stable enough that you don’t have to chase yourself all over the place to get the pin out. Here is where bench blocks can be your friend. These plastic blocks have holes and slots to help hold your gun in place while giving that pin you are knocking out somewhere to go. They are a game changer, especially if you don’t have a big Master Vise!
When building a firearm, sometimes pins are in the hardest places to get to with a hammer my fat little sausage fingers. If your parts are correct, pins don’t just fall in so having the proper roll pin punches can change your life. This set includes small hammer with a brass or plastic head and a full set of flat punches and pin punches to get that next new build to the range!
There are a lot of different styles of workbenches out there. My bench is made of 2”x 6s” which makes gaps between each board. While it is incredibly sturdy, tiny screws and parts will absolutely fall through to the dark abyss underneath. This was a real problem for me until I ordered the Smart Mat. I went with the XL because my bench has room for it and the parts tray is something I was intrigued by. I have the magnetic bowl parts keeper, but having a little tackle-box style container at the end of the mat was more helpful than I could have foreseen. The dividers keep my parts organized and the mat keep my parts on the table. If your bench needs a cover to work on small parts, consider upgrading to the Smart Mat. ~ Nick
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