Advise on Gunsmithing Tools

[Shooting in the wind...]

Hey fellas,

I am curious as to what the most important tools a gunsmith should have? What tools do you guys reccomend i should invest in? Currently i have,

Metal lathe with chucks and some tooling.

Milling maching with vise, and rotary table vertical/horizontal along with various tooling.

Gun vise, a nice one

A good bench and bench vise with soft jaws

Various hand tools specifically for gunsmithing like, screw drivers and ring lapping bar, optics mounting tools and such.

What else do you fellas of the trade reccomend? Still looking to get a barrel vise, just not sure what one or if ill retro a shop press to work. I cant do bluing cause of my working area in in my basement.

 

[TAJ45]

Easy enought to make the bbl vise I'd think. Even if you only broke even on mat'l. Make some Heavy flanged nuts for it.

 

[hammerjack]

Look at a Larry Scott vise he is in the paid sponsors section below.

 

[Shooting in the wind...]

I figured a shop press might be a good idea, i seen some fellas using them, especially for remington 700, which is the platform i want to specialize in. Fot not much more i can have a press to fulfill a varitey of tasks including being a barrel vise.

 

[kendog]

The MOST important tools? Books. Lots of them.

 

[Intheshop]

Yes on a nice H frame press. Maybe not "PB&J" along with a lathe...... more like ham and cheese.

They're a lot like an edge sander(vs a vert) on the,mainly wood end of equipment. You never knew how useful they are until you own one. And BTW,with a mighty little effort,an edge sander can be made from a 6X48 vert.

Get a nice medium sized Tig welder asap. Learn to use it,practice,and with the above H frame..... gauge metal fabrication becomes easy peasy.

In the beginning,you need to be thinking "support" equipment as much or moreso than more dedicated smithing tools. The H frame and welder allows you to expand your other equipment purchases to include "broken/dirt cheap". I'll spare you the dz or so stories of beer money pieces,resurrected here.

Good luck on your quest.

 

[Bamban]

Horizontal/vertical metal band saw. Even the HF special will serve you well.

 

[DaveTooley]

Two cheap 6" grinders. One with a cutoff wheel and wire brush. The other with a Scotch Brite wheel and a medium grit grinding wheel. Oh and make a gisszy to hold scope base screws so you can shorten them. Brownell's sells one. Two pieces of spring steel with holes for each size.
I use a 20 ton automotive press for a barrel vise.

 

[338 Mollett]

I made a tool cart on wheels that I can take from machine to machine that's very convenient .

 

[Spotshooter]

Sanding / Buffer is required,

Sand blaster cabinet with a decent (huge) air compressor

Micrometers... those are not cheap
Indicator gauges for aligning gear
Machine levels For aligning machines (leveling)

Something to engrave barrels (stamps, electro edge, or laser)

 

[skeetlee]

band saw gets used every single day in my shop. Good lights are a must as well dont buy cheap ass 4500 lume lights from the farm store. buy good ones Mine are 18000 lume and 5000 color. worth every penny.
I use a bore scope every single day in my shop as well. good luck the tooling never ends!! Lee

 

[baddog]

2" bench belt sander 6" disc combo , Foredom tool with accessory's , good set of files and stones . Bore scope , collimator with adjustable arbors .

 

[KY_Windage]

The first thing I would add wd be a Manson Crown tool.

 

[Ggmac]

Surgical tubing , clamps , I prefer the forester drill jig . Espfor enlarging 6 to 8 scope base screwa . Good non carbide tooling , green stones for sharpening .

 

[DaveTooley]

After wearing out, I don't know how Dremel tools I use an air powered 1/4" die grinder with a 1/4" and 1/8" collets. The Chinese stuff is cheap and they'll last for ever.

 

[Shooting in the wind...]

Wow, there has been some very good suggestions. Looks like i have a few tools to add.

 

[tobnpr]

Ditto on the horizontal band saw...mandatory in a metal shop
Blast Cabinet(s)
TIG or MIG welder

 

[Riesel]

Good quality punches, particularly the smaller sizes. It was mentioned, but deserves to be mentioned again, good quality files, both wood and metal. I have two portable band saws, one portable, the other attached to a workmate table.

 

[shortgrass]

Not a tool, just a thought,,,,,I don't think I'd like to have my home as my "licensed premises".

 

[hoz53]

Good quality punches, particularly the smaller sizes. It was mentioned, but deserves to be mentioned again, good quality files, both wood and metal. I have two portable band saws, one portable, the other attached to a workmate table.

Reminds me how many 1/16 punches I’ve broken- I should buy them by the dozen