Beginner Gunsmithing Tools

[Skilly]

And a solid bench/table to work on.

good point since the one I would recommend is bolted into the table permanently. Something quite difficult to explain to your wife with the dining room table.

 

[ZeroFoxGiven]

Bench
Brass Punch set with hammer
Roll pin punch set (stops mushrooming)
Quality hobby screw driver set
Allen key set (Preferably T handle)
Hex key set
Gun soft mat
Gunsmith gun block
Bench vise w/ rubber inserts (stops mushrooming marring)
Files, stones
Torque wrench
Torque Screw Driver

That is the bulk for just about most jobs. Special tool, jigs, blocks on a case by case firearms basis.

I.E.
AR-15 I like to also have a breaker bar, mag well vise and receiver jig.

1911 I might want a bushing wrench and a grip bushing bit (screw drivers can mess up the bushing)

Etc

 

[Smuggsauce]

Thank you all very much. I’ll be slowly building a small, personal gunsmith toolset over time and I have some great ideas here. I’ll let you know all what I get and share my experience.

 

[mrbieler]

 

[miles888]

I’m a snap on guy, but don’t write off Amazon tools.

Wiha, Wera, Knipex, Bahco, Williams, Proxxon…

All found on amazon, high quality and lifetime warranty.

One tool that I find indispensable are the Knipex flat jaw adjustable pliers. There’s a set of non marring covers you can pick up… I use them for starting roll pins and find it’s much better than a starter punch. You can draw it all the way down and finish with a couple taps.

The snap on roll pin set is my for sure preference. Good steel made in USA, not cheap but buy once cry once.

 

[Smuggsauce]

Do you have a Snap-On part number for the punch set? I’ll call my Snap-On guy

 

[boltstop]

……….

One tool that I find indispensable are the Knipex flat jaw adjustable pliers. There’s a set of non marring covers you can pick up… I use them for starting roll pins and find it’s much better than a starter punch. You can draw it all the way down and finish with a couple taps.

………

Absolutely. Buy this tool. About $60 I believe. Very useful around the house as well.

 

[miles888]

Do you have a Snap-On part number for the punch set? I’ll call my Snap-On guy

PPR708BK

 

[Smuggsauce]

PPR708BK

Thank you very much.

 

[RustyIron]

Any help is appreciated as I would love to buy one good set of tools and not get amazon cheapy stuff if I can avoid it. Thank you.

There have been some reasonable suggestions. Don't approach this from the perspective of a hobbyist who thinks he's going to go out and buy a set of tools and he'll be a done. Becoming a craftsman is a life-long journey of tool acquisition, use, improvement, and learning.

Some guys have suggested buying "sets," as in a set of punches, or a set of small screwdrivers. That's the way to go. If you get just one size, you'll be able to work on just one gun, and next week when you get another gun you'll be dead in the water.

Maybe you'll get a plastic mallet today. After some use, you might decide you want a steel one. One day you might stumble across a big brass one. Same with wrenches. You might find that your first set has some limitations under some conditions, and you'd like something different.

So that's it. My advice isn't tool specific, but about the whole philosophy. Start looking to the future now. It's easier to buy tools when you don't need them, and they'll be there when you do. Don't overlook files and stones. Eventually you'll want to go beyond merely taking things apart and putting them back together.