[Glenn Bartley]

So what would a basic set of gun tools consist of for the person who wanted to repair or tinker with firearms? I am not talking about a machine shop and building guns from scratch or building sound suppressors, but simply doing jobs as replacing or realligning sights, fixing/replacing grips or stocks, field repairs and so forth.

My guess would be that you would need a decent screw driver set, allen wrenches, brass and steel punches, needle nose pliers, regular pliers, hammer, pick set, tweezers, files (but what types), emory pads, replacement parts such as springs, firing pins/strikers, extractors, screws, etc. (things that are easily replaced by the amateur), bore light, magnifier, magnetic pad to work over, rubber block, a vice. Anything else?

Any recommendations for a good source and good brands to look for?

 

[RIKA]

Hi Glenn,

You've already got your kit pretty well thought out. A good set of gunsmith's screwdrivers that actually fit the screw heads, a set of pin punches and a small hammer are at the top of the list. I would add a set of roll pin punches. You can use regular punches but they ruin the roll pin for re-use. The roll pin punches do not.

Best place to get gunsmithing tools is http://www.brownells.com/Default.aspx

These people are honest, knowledgable and have a help desk.

Best

RIKA

 

[41mag]

Don't forget the Dremel tool.VERY handy!I polished the feed ramp on one of my 22's w/mine just last night.

 

[RIKA]

You're right about the Dremel. Mine has a speed regulator built in but sometimes it still goes too fast so I add an external one so can really slow it down if needed (like for polishing.

RIKA

 

[Aslan]

A handy alternative to a rubber block is a hockey puck.

You can cut slots into them and drill holes for registration pins, etc. Much cheaper and as durable as any commercial rubber block you'd buy...

You can also buy a couple and configure them for working on specific firearms if you desire...

Just a handy tip that I got from the Gunplumber at Arizona Response Systems.

:devil:

 

[andy]

some guys just go at everything the hard way. If u

bought all the special "gun tools' that Patrick Sweeney says you "need" to work on pistols, you'd have many, many thousands of $ tied up in stuff, that even a very active pistolsmith shop only uses once a month. There's too much $ you HAVE to spend, without all the extra, specialized stuff. Make up a list, shop on the Net, get all you can from one place, to save on shipping. 1 tool here,one tool there, $6+ shipping on each one, and man, you can waste $1000 real quick. That will buy you a couple of nice, used, fully-smithed guns, if you look around.

Basic shop setup tends to run $2000, man. Sheesh, a torch and bottles is $300. A decent vise is $40, unless you get lucky with a used one, locally. A heavy duty enough bench, anchored solidly, is a $50 (minimum) project. So is decent lighting, just "security", in the form of locks, alarms, etc, can be several hundred $, as is protection from humidity. Being warm enough, cool enough, etc, can cost many hundreds of $, and basic tools, for working ON your 'tools", can run $100, for a good set of USED tools. There is no savings whatsoever, in being a "general gunsmith", just for your own guns. Only if you work on other's guns, (quite abit) will you even pay for your shop setup, much less get a decent wage for your labor.

The only reason to bother with such a smith set up is if you can't access a decent smith, with decent turnaround times in your area,and you are paranoid about shipping your guns.

If you already have a workshop, another $1000 worth of "specialized" tools,a lot made yourself, carefully purchased, used whenever possible, etc, can maybe set you up to do some work. $300 or so can set you up to blue pistols, and at $30 each, you only need to blue a dozen of your buddies'. Since the "pros" charge $50 each, such a price should get you some work. Your satisfied customers will then talk you up, you'll get more blueing jobs, which pay for other tools, and you can gradually make the tools pay for themselves, if you are careful and good at what you do.

 

[SatCong]

Dremel is GOOOOOOD!
SatCong