gun vise

[GJM]

https://www.realavid.com/product/master-gun-vise/

Is this worth the cost? Is there a better alternative?

[DDTSGM]

When I attended Bob Marvel's build class, I came to appreciate theses:

https://garrettwade.com/product/ulti...caAluMEALw_wcB

https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D312...209397&sr=8-10

Look under 'parrot vises.' Not all will be dual axis w/o an adaptor.

Don't know if you require clamp-on and off, I prefer the solid mount to the bench. You can also mount to a board and then clamp it whereever.

[Pnut]

I was looking at that vise too, but the cost is a little too much for me. It has some cool unique features which should make certain tasks easier. But I’ve been doing fine with my cheap Harbor Freight vise. I only tinker and do minor stuff though.

[tango-papa]

Real Avid products are marketed well.
That vice is made in China and is not worth the cost.
For the money, there are much better options.

I'll second Dan's mention/suggestion of the Garrett Wade vice. That's a very high quality tool that will suffice for the majority of gun wrenching tasks.

For serious torque jobs, a Machinist vice works very well.

[GyroF-16]

I swear, you guys are in my head.
I just bought a cheap, clamp-on vise at Home Depot, and was thinking, “what would I like that would be better?”

I’d still like to clamp it on when needed. But as @Dan Lehr said, I could always bolt it to a solid piece of wood, and clamp it to the work surface when needed.

[Sig_Fiend]

If I was spending a few hundred on a bench vise, I'd probably go with something like a forged Heuer.
I'd go with a "stationary" vise (a term frequently used for the style I'm describing), meaning a fixed base, no articulation, no rotation. It's less convenient but, you get maximum torque applied while eliminating significant failure points.
Nothing worse than having a weak vise where the jaws start separating while torquing a barrel nut and you end up snapping an upper.
There are inexpensive deals to be had though. You can usually find old American-made ones on Ebay like (careful, some of these new are foreign-produced cheap quality now): Columbian, Wilton, Reed, Craftsman, Yost, etc.
When I build my next house, I'm going with a steel pedestal base for a vise and lag bolting it to the garage floor.

[DDTSGM]

If I was spending a few hundred on a bench vise, I'd probably go with something like a forged Heuer.
I'd go with a "stationary" vise (a term frequently used for the style I'm describing), meaning a fixed base, no articulation, no rotation. It's less convenient but, you get maximum torque applied while eliminating significant failure points.
Nothing worse than having a weak vise where the jaws start separating while torquing a barrel nut and you end up snapping an upper.
There are inexpensive deals to be had though. You can usually find old American-made ones on Ebay like (careful, some of these new are foreign-produced cheap quality now): Columbian, Wilton, Reed, Craftsman, Yost, etc.
When I build my next house, I'm going with a steel pedestal base for a vise and lag bolting it to the garage floor.

I also have a fixed vise on the bench (smaller with a swivel base) and a larger vise on a floor mounted pedestal.

I don't think you can efficiently/effectively gunsmith or assemble with just one vise.

Took engine shop rather than machine shop in school, so I'm constantly being astounded by neat tools others are fully aware of, like this:



https://www.jewelerssupplies.com/han...e-581.130.html