Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Home workshop and tool set ups

I agree that a workbench can't be too big or too solid and that about three times the number of LED light bars you think you need are almost enough and get the Brownells' driver set and the Dremel tool and pin punch sets and all of the other recommendations already made...

...and somewhere along the line obtain a patternmaker's vise and put leather-covered wooden jaws on it. This is what you want for holding things that you don't want scratched up. Regular bench vise for other stuff. I've made and used leather-covered wooden jaws for a regular bench vise before I got my patternmaker's vise. Having said that, I'm sure someone will say I'm full of it because "everyone" knows a Versa-Vise is better. I have both, but haven't become as used to the Versa-Vise.

Dial calipers are essential for metal work.

Assembly/disassembly instructions/books for the guns you want to work on.

Whatever kind of gunsmithing you want to do, you'll need a good-fitting half-face respirator, safety glasses and ear protectors no matter what. I find an LED headlamp to be very useful because I need more light to see than I did in my youth. If you stand at the bench, make sure it's the right height for you and have a rubber pad or pieces of carpet stacked up to stand on. Your feet, legs and hips will thank you. Please don't ask how I know this...;)

If you're already an organized person who has a place figured out for each tool and you don't have a whole lot of other stuff on your bench, you're light years ahead of me.

Check Ebay for good deals on used gunsmithing books. The NRA Gunsmithing Guide and Wolfe Publishing's Gunsmithing Tips and Projects cover a fairly wide number of topics on numerous guns, but are generally from the era of walnut grips/stocks and blued steel, so you may want different ones if you like more modern guns A drill press and drill press vise and a bench grinder should be useful no matter what kind of gunsmithing you want to do, if you have room.

Did I mention a patternmaker's vise? With leather-covered wood jaws? Like this: patternmaker's vise

Good luck with it!

Tip,
Skip the phase converter crap.
VFD is cheaper, and gives added control. Including speed.

I agree 100%.

Thank you for the info so far guys. Please keep it coming if you have something to add.

There's some solid advise here. You need to know what you are doing, so you need something to refer to. Some of the AGI videos are not too bad, some are definitely better than others. The exploded diagram and disassembly books are invaluable. There is no substitute for practice, so you will need something to practice on. If you make it a habit to find and haunt a couple of good old fashioned gun shops, let them know that you are interested in broken guns in non functioning condition, or bad cosmetic condition, for the right price of course! You pick these gems up, repair them and sell them. You will not make much if any money at this at first, in fact you will lose lots of money while developing your skills and buying tools and materials. (I apologize if you are already past this stage, but I will tell you candidly that I made lots of ugly mistakes and blew a lot of money trying to learn how to do things right)

When you get to the point that you think you might actually start making money, think about taking a class. The NRA offers a series of one week Summer Gunsmithing classes and I have been fortunate to attend a few of these. I can recommend these classes without reservation as they were all outstanding with top flight instructors, such as getting Hamilton Bowen for revolvers. (Not a class I took, but on my bucket list) Save a little money, take a weeks vacation and take one of the classes, you won't regret it.

I have been tinkering with guns both as a hobby and as a job (at different times) for over 40 years, and the pictures of the beautiful work that some members post on this forum blows my mind! Appreciating sculpture and having a chisel doesn't make you Michaelangelo. I have to confess that I am in the "not Michaelangelo and never will be" column. I keep butchering perfectly nice pieces of wood trying to make something nice by accident. I am getting better at this, but no one wants to see pictures of my work, let alone buy it. I wish you success, you certainly can't do worse than I have done.

I think NRA still sells Firearms Disassembly in rifle, shot gun and handgun, and Basic Gunsmithing .Then Borwnells the 3 volume Gunsmith Kinks.

Besides the dial calipers, a good 3 place micrometer, 4 place would be better. A few different sizes of forceps. Smaller brass hammer and leather hammer. I have the Wheeler Deluxe Gunsmithing Screw Driver set. There is bit for about any size screw head. I wasted my money on the wooden handled ones you see advertised. Magnifying googles.Good brass and steel punches.

Brownells sells gun screw kits. Invaluable when you drop that small screw that is definitely needed to put the gun back together

One thing on screwdrivers, being a sort of cheap bastid, to compliment my common screw size set I bought a few extra bits to grind to fit for when I have to deal with a nonstandard screw. Not being a pro the odd screw needing a special bit is quite unusual.

While I'm here the Screw Check'R that Brownell's sells is handy for figuring out just what size/tpi that screw is. Also it is hardened to chase threads and knock off burrs. Lessee if I can Google up a picture...



The little numbers are clearance and tap drill size. Comes in metric too.