Good General Gunsmithing Tool Kit

[GlockFu]

Does anyone know of a good general gunsmithing tool kit? I want to learn to work on guns and was wondering if there are any good general starter kits available.

 

[rcmodel]

Only kits that I am aware of are gun model specific.
The tool roll junk assortments you may see advertised rare pretty worthless.

You do need a good set of gunsmith screwdrivers, a set of pin punches, brass & nylon punches, a small vice, a set of needle files, and a small hammer for starters. Oh, and books on firearms assembly & dissembly.

You don't need a Dremel tool, or a bench grinder right off the bat.

I would suggest the first thing you need to buy is a $5.00 Brownell's catalog.
Reading it from cover to cover several times will give you a better idea of what tools there are for certain applications.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=...mula+(Descending)/Products/Brownells-Catalogs

rc

 

[GlockFu]

Thanks for the reply. I figured there wouldn't be any kit that could handle every gun but as far as a starter kit similar to what you mention like the screw drivers, common punches, needle files, small hammer, etc...

Does one exist or am I going to have to piece it together?

 

[rcmodel]

If you insist!

Look at the Tool Kit - Advanced w/ 88 Pieces - 849719

http://www.opticsplanet.net/weaver-...mpact-multibit-deluxe-gunsmith-tool-kits.html

Doesn't include needle files or stones, needle nose pliers, forceps, dental picks, etc.
But this will get them apart and back together again without buggering all the screws and pins.

rc

 

[Fleet]

Wow, I didn't know that the Weaver kit existed! That's cool.
To the OP, one caution...I've found that the gunsmith screwdrivers from Chapman and others tend to be brittle. As I've never seen the Weaver kit before, I don't know if this applies to their bits or not.
What this means is that if you really put some torque on them, the bits will snap. I've never had that happen with the screwdriver bits from Brownell's. I've twisted a couple of their smaller bits into interesting shapes, but never broken one.
If you're really bearing down on a screw, and the bit snaps, you WILL end up with a big ugly scratch on the gun.

 

[a5werkes]

Many hollow ground screwdriver tips, like the Weaver and the Magna-Tip series are "designed to break before the screw" and this warning is included in their packaging. The idea being it may be cheaper to replace the screw driver tip than a special xyz screw, especially a screw on a nice piece of gun art. As a general precaution you should tape off the area around pins / screws with blue painters tape, or the like, to prevent scratching mishaps when the punch slips or the tip of the driver breaks.

 

[rcmodel]

Or, you should chuck the screwdriver shaft in a drill press and use it to apply the force by hand turning the drill press chuck.

Even if a bit breaks, nothing will happen, because you have the whole situation totally under control.

It also makes a broken bit less likely, because they are being held totally straight with the screw slot instead of tilted as often happens when using the normal handle.

rc

 

[GlockFu]

Thanks for the suggestion! That sounds like it might do the trick. I'm sure I'll be adding to this kit but I need to start somewhere.

 

[AlexanderA]

I've found that rather than get a set of so-called "gunsmith" screwdrivers, it's better to get a whole bunch of cheap screwdrivers of various sizes and then grind them to fit specific screws. Screws, especially on older guns, are all sorts of sizes, many with narrow slots, and you never seem to find the right size in a set anyway. This is one place where a Dremel tool is handy -- to grind screwdriver bits.

For newer guns, hex bits and roll-pin punches are almost essential. And don't forget the ubiquitous AR-15 armorer's tool for tightening/loosening barrel nuts.

 

[T1gger]

I was going to post this question, but I guess I'll just piggyback on this thread. Anybody know if the Weaver kit is any good. I'm not looking to do "smith" work per se, but I would like to be able to detail strip a variety of guns (CZ, Beretta, etc.) for detailed cleaning. For roll pins, steel or brass roll pin punches? What about for pins in the frames of guns...steel, brass...?

 

[a5werkes]

Roll pins generally will require steel roll pin punches; Grace brand makes a set of brass roll pin punches, however the dilemma is that most roll pins are placed for the firs time at the factory with a hydraulic arbor press that neatly pushes the pin into place under several thousand pounds of pressure; therefore, to remove said pin you have to apply a similar force with hammer and punch tip to the edge of the roll pin, so as desirable as it would be to use a brass roll pin punch to mitigate the deformation / marring of the exposed pin head, the brass is too soft to do the task and will quickly deform resulting in a screwed up brass punch and the pin still not removed. As a general rule, strike like-with-like; that is, use a steel punch with a steel hammer to remove a steel pin. On replacement of the pin, you can attempt to install the pin with a brass punch and a brass hammer until the task is complete or you need to switch back to steel implements. The good thing about steel is that you can always touch up the pin head with cold blueing solution to camouflage your transgressions.
You will quickly find your punch inventory will blossom with every different gun you intend to disassemble, then you will begin to modify punches for specialty pins. The same is true for screwdrivers, and as mentioned above, fabricating and hardening the tips from inexpensive $2 screwdrivers. Most modern handguns have few screws except for the grips; pins of some sort hold the whole thing together, even polymer pins like the rear grip pin in the Glock.

 

[T1gger]

Solid information my friend.

 

[GlockFu]

Okay, so it seems that everyone is out of stock on these Kits. The only place I can find it is Natchez but their shipping makes it pretty expensive.

Is there a good punch set and screw driver set that anyone can recomend?