Gun tools?

Mr. James · December 2, 2010, 11:42 PM

I was going to title this "gunsmithing tools," but that's absurd, as I'm far from a gunsmith. But I've long worried about handling my firearms with common tools. Saturday, I field stripped a Marlin 1894 lever action, no big deal, using a common household screwdriver. But taking that nasty screwdriver to my rifle makes me wince, given the potential for damage to the finish of the gun. Same for my handguns, which is why I posted here. What do y'all use to field strip/service/repair your firearms?

Many thanks for your help.

jrothWA · December 2, 2010, 11:53 PM

Chapman screwdriver bits and usually stone some to fit specific screwheads.

Also have a Cabelas screwdriver set, use brass punches for moving / starting pins then use steel pin punches for drifting out completely.

For removing semi-auto firing pin, took a 3/8 brass rod by 3/8 long, and drilled a 1/8" thru hole then drilled & tapped a 6-32 hole cross-wise to hold the firing pin out from the breach-face, to remove the firing pi stop.

**JohnKSa** · December 2, 2010, 11:59 PM

You can get a good set of hollowground screwdriver tips from various sources.

I don't remember where I got mine but I have one something like the one in the link.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=510765

If you have to deal with roll-pins, get a good set of punches made specifically for roll-pins. They will save you a lot of trouble.

I have a small hammer with a brass head. You don't need a monster hammer for most things and the brass head means that if you miss or hit something you didn't mean to you're less likely to tear up your gun.

madmag · December 3, 2010, 12:40 PM

I just purchased a Winchester gunscrew driver set from Wal-Mart for all of $9.99. Comes in a plastic case and actually works very well. The bits are parallel ground (thin) and sized for different screws. I have used it on my guns and it works on screw heads that normal bits would never properly fit.

egor20 · December 3, 2010, 12:45 PM

Mr. James I have the same tool kit as JohnKSa link, its worth every cent I paid for it

**Mike Irwin** · December 3, 2010, 12:59 PM

I bought a Winchester branded box of screwdriver/torx/square driver, etc., bits and handle at Wal Mart. Relatively cheap.

Only problem with it is that the magnet in the handle has pulled loose and keeps coming out with the bits. I'll epoxy it back in place one of these days.

Edit in: I see Mad Mag purchased the same set I did.

**Unclenick** · December 3, 2010, 01:06 PM

Forster makes a nice set of slotted gunsmith's screwdrivers with handles molded on each driver. B-Square makes a set of bits with a single handle. I have both, but like the Forster screwdrivers better for slotted screws.

Venom1956 · December 3, 2010, 01:19 PM

Nice... totally getting that set. Now to find some brass punches.

Any ideas if this stuff @ cabelas is worth a damn? Cant really see the bit heads well in the pictures...
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot..._SEQ_104370480

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot..._SEQ_104370480

They got some brass punches too?

Scorch · December 3, 2010, 02:20 PM

Brownells sells a basic gunsmithing kit, read the list of tools it includes. It has all the tools you will likely ever need unless you start being a serious gun mechanic. You can assemble your own for less than you can buy the kit from Brownells, it just has everything already picked out for you.

Joat · December 3, 2010, 02:21 PM

Wheeler Engineering makes a decent gun screw driver set. I like them when they go on sale.

I have the Brownell's magna-tip set and a bunch of the add on bits sitting on my bench at the shop. I use the wheeler's as loaners.

Joat

guncrank · December 3, 2010, 02:35 PM

I have a set of Brownells, wheeler,foster, bonaza, chapman
Cheap screwdrivers ground parrell and hollow.
Koblot four way( two slotted two phyilps)
A CVS interchangeable hollow ground bit my wife bought me
General precision brand
Northern Hydrolics set that are hollow ground
And more
Never have enough as you always break the thin ones or need to grind one down

CEW

Rifleman1776 · December 3, 2010, 05:09 PM

Guncrank beat me to it.
I also buy old screwdrivers and grind them to fit whatever I'm working on.

madmag · December 3, 2010, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Irwin

Only problem with it is that the magnet in the handle has pulled loose and keeps coming out with the bits. I'll epoxy it back in place one of these days.

Epoxy should work. Heck, $9.99 pluse epoxy...still a good deal.

James K · December 3, 2010, 10:07 PM

They don't usually tell the world, but a lot of gunsmiths buy inexpensive screwdrivers and grind them as needed, since it always seems that there is nothing in the tool box to match the slot of the screw you have to remove.

But no screwdriver will guarantee that a screw head won't be buggered up or that the driver won't slip and leave a scar. Preventing that is a matter of experience and care, not costly screwdrivers.

One of the best investments, at least for working on older handguns, is a set of cup tip punches (Brownells has them). They allow those round head pins to be removed and replaced without battering.

Jim

psyshack · December 3, 2010, 11:26 PM

Tool's,,,,,

I use a lot of Craftsman. My basic screw driver set, roll pin and solid pin punches are Craftsman. Hammers,,, I never use multi function hammers. If I want a steel ballpein. Thats what I use. A brass or synthetic head hammer. I pick up the right tool for the job. And you will make your own tools. Or adapt tools for the job at hand. You will make tools. Thus,,, yes even you can be a tool maker. <<<< A tool maker use to mean something in America before you had to have a degree to manage a McDonalds.

Have a heat source for refinishing or working with pressed parts or basic heat treating.

You can have all the tools in the world. The best tools ever made! And if you do not understand the task at hand or how to use the tools at hand. You are set up for failure. There are no true secrets or dark art involved in modern firearms. They have only beat out the basic hammer in over all development by a hair if you have a basic grasp on mech. 101.

madmag · December 4, 2010, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psyshack

I use a lot of Craftsman.

Nothing wrong with Craftsman, but most normal screwdrivers will not work well for gun screws. A lot of gun screws take a thin parallel ground screw driver for proper fit. I also agree, grinding a regular screwdriver can also work.

phydaux · December 5, 2010, 02:56 AM

My Christmas list this year included a brass & steel punch set, a gunsmith screwdrived set and a bore light.

Those, plus a small ball peen hammer, and I should be set for basic assembly/reassembly.

I already have cleaning supplies for various lengths & calibers.

Next on my shopping list are:

A large, nylon cutting board - So I don't ruin my dining room table.

Cat food dishes - Great for puting screws, pins and other small parts in. Seriously...

Parallel Jaw Pliers

Other specialty tools as I need them

HiBC · December 5, 2010, 03:19 AM

You are correct that good screwdriver fit is high priority to not goobering up a gun.I believe it is Grace that makes screwdriver sets ground for specific guns,say a Colt SAA or a Win 92 or a S+W.I gave a buddy of mine a set of Forsters as his Snap Ons were being used up.I suggested when we grind one to a good fit for an application,we buzz pen engrave the handle and get another screwdriver.That screwdriver may fit other screws,but its best not to alter it again till it wears . makes for a lot of screwdrivers,but less grinding.
BTW,a 1/4 shank mounted grinding wheel in a mill collet with the screwdiver in a vee block is one way to dress a tip.I suspect it would work to use an X-Y vise on a drill press.

Venom1956 · December 5, 2010, 02:29 PM

i can get one of those wheeler kits for 'free' using my rewards on my cabelas card. my question is are the bits the 'flat' blades so they don't muck up the screw heads? or is this just like every other screwdriver kit @ any hardware store?

dreamweaver · December 5, 2010, 02:44 PM

i bought a jenkins set of t handle pin drivers and a wheeler screwdriver/bit set for under $120. haven't had a need for anything else. brownells has gunsmith sets for $300+ that look nice, but have a lot of stuff i don't need.
jmho

phydaux · December 5, 2010, 03:36 PM

I've looked at the Brownell kit. It's nice, but it's also a lot of money all at once. I'm using that kit's contents at a guide, and buying tools one at a time.

seansean1444 · December 5, 2010, 07:03 PM

i also use the winchester screwdriver set i got at wallmart for 10 bucks. does everything i ask it to

Clark · December 13, 2010, 10:05 PM

I think I have bought screwdriver tips from Chapman and brownells and the whole screw drivers from Forster.

These days I grind to fit old screw drivers I get at garage sales.

December 2, 2010, 11:42 PM	#1
Mr. James Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2001 Location: The Old Dominion Posts: 1,521	Gun tools? I was going to title this "gunsmithing tools," but that's absurd, as I'm far from a gunsmith. But I've long worried about handling my firearms with common tools. Saturday, I field stripped a Marlin 1894 lever action, no big deal, using a common household screwdriver. But taking that nasty screwdriver to my rifle makes me wince, given the potential for damage to the finish of the gun. Same for my handguns, which is why I posted here. What do y'all use to field strip/service/repair your firearms? Many thanks for your help. __________________ "...A humble and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Ps. li "When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law." —Frederic Bastiat

December 2, 2010, 11:53 PM	#2
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	I have the .. Chapman screwdriver bits and usually stone some to fit specific screwheads. Also have a Cabelas screwdriver set, use brass punches for moving / starting pins then use steel pin punches for drifting out completely. For removing semi-auto firing pin, took a 3/8 brass rod by 3/8 long, and drilled a 1/8" thru hole then drilled & tapped a 6-32 hole cross-wise to hold the firing pin out from the breach-face, to remove the firing pi stop.

December 2, 2010, 11:59 PM	#3
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,990	You can get a good set of hollowground screwdriver tips from various sources. I don't remember where I got mine but I have one something like the one in the link. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=510765 If you have to deal with roll-pins, get a good set of punches made specifically for roll-pins. They will save you a lot of trouble. I have a small hammer with a brass head. You don't need a monster hammer for most things and the brass head means that if you miss or hit something you didn't mean to you're less likely to tear up your gun. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

December 3, 2010, 12:40 PM	#4
madmag Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2007 Location: The South Posts: 4,239	I just purchased a Winchester gunscrew driver set from Wal-Mart for all of $9.99. Comes in a plastic case and actually works very well. The bits are parallel ground (thin) and sized for different screws. I have used it on my guns and it works on screw heads that normal bits would never properly fit. Last edited by madmag; December 4, 2010 at 10:27 AM.

December 3, 2010, 12:45 PM	#5
egor20 Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2010 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,824	Mr. James I have the same tool kit as JohnKSa link, its worth every cent I paid for it __________________ Chief stall mucker and grain chef Country don't mean dumb. Steven King. The Stand

December 3, 2010, 12:59 PM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	I bought a Winchester branded box of screwdriver/torx/square driver, etc., bits and handle at Wal Mart. Relatively cheap. Only problem with it is that the magnet in the handle has pulled loose and keeps coming out with the bits. I'll epoxy it back in place one of these days. Edit in: I see Mad Mag purchased the same set I did. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

December 3, 2010, 01:06 PM	#7
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	Forster makes a nice set of slotted gunsmith's screwdrivers with handles molded on each driver. B-Square makes a set of bits with a single handle. I have both, but like the Forster screwdrivers better for slotted screws. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

December 3, 2010, 01:19 PM	#8
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	Nice... totally getting that set. Now to find some brass punches. Any ideas if this stuff @ cabelas is worth a damn? Cant really see the bit heads well in the pictures... http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot..._SEQ_104370480 http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoot..._SEQ_104370480 They got some brass punches too? __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug Last edited by Venom1956; December 3, 2010 at 01:56 PM.

December 3, 2010, 02:20 PM	#9
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Brownells sells a basic gunsmithing kit, read the list of tools it includes. It has all the tools you will likely ever need unless you start being a serious gun mechanic. You can assemble your own for less than you can buy the kit from Brownells, it just has everything already picked out for you. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

December 3, 2010, 02:21 PM	#10
Joat Senior Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Dayton, TX Posts: 383	Wheeler Engineering makes a decent gun screw driver set. I like them when they go on sale. I have the Brownell's magna-tip set and a bunch of the add on bits sitting on my bench at the shop. I use the wheeler's as loaners. Joat __________________ All things being equal, fat people use more soap. (I know I am one.) High speed, low drag does not even come close to describing ME.

December 3, 2010, 02:35 PM	#11
guncrank Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2006 Location: Fern Creek ,KY and Metro Louisville at large Posts: 430	I have a set of Brownells, wheeler,foster, bonaza, chapman Cheap screwdrivers ground parrell and hollow. Koblot four way( two slotted two phyilps) A CVS interchangeable hollow ground bit my wife bought me General precision brand Northern Hydrolics set that are hollow ground And more Never have enough as you always break the thin ones or need to grind one down CEW __________________ Republic Arms and Armaments 07 1-502-231-1118 Machine Shop and Finishing Services to the trade and public

December 3, 2010, 05:09 PM	#12
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Guncrank beat me to it. I also buy old screwdrivers and grind them to fit whatever I'm working on.

December 3, 2010, 10:07 PM	#14
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	They don't usually tell the world, but a lot of gunsmiths buy inexpensive screwdrivers and grind them as needed, since it always seems that there is nothing in the tool box to match the slot of the screw you have to remove. But no screwdriver will guarantee that a screw head won't be buggered up or that the driver won't slip and leave a scar. Preventing that is a matter of experience and care, not costly screwdrivers. One of the best investments, at least for working on older handguns, is a set of cup tip punches (Brownells has them). They allow those round head pins to be removed and replaced without battering. Jim

December 3, 2010, 11:26 PM	#15
psyshack Junior member Join Date: May 27, 2010 Posts: 159	Tool's,,,,, I use a lot of Craftsman. My basic screw driver set, roll pin and solid pin punches are Craftsman. Hammers,,, I never use multi function hammers. If I want a steel ballpein. Thats what I use. A brass or synthetic head hammer. I pick up the right tool for the job. And you will make your own tools. Or adapt tools for the job at hand. You will make tools. Thus,,, yes even you can be a tool maker. <<<< A tool maker use to mean something in America before you had to have a degree to manage a McDonalds. Have a heat source for refinishing or working with pressed parts or basic heat treating. You can have all the tools in the world. The best tools ever made! And if you do not understand the task at hand or how to use the tools at hand. You are set up for failure. There are no true secrets or dark art involved in modern firearms. They have only beat out the basic hammer in over all development by a hair if you have a basic grasp on mech. 101.

December 5, 2010, 02:56 AM	#17
phydaux Member Join Date: October 31, 2010 Posts: 65	My Christmas list this year included a brass & steel punch set, a gunsmith screwdrived set and a bore light. Those, plus a small ball peen hammer, and I should be set for basic assembly/reassembly. I already have cleaning supplies for various lengths & calibers. Next on my shopping list are: A large, nylon cutting board - So I don't ruin my dining room table. Cat food dishes - Great for puting screws, pins and other small parts in. Seriously... Parallel Jaw Pliers Other specialty tools as I need them

December 5, 2010, 03:19 AM	#18
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,287	You are correct that good screwdriver fit is high priority to not goobering up a gun.I believe it is Grace that makes screwdriver sets ground for specific guns,say a Colt SAA or a Win 92 or a S+W.I gave a buddy of mine a set of Forsters as his Snap Ons were being used up.I suggested when we grind one to a good fit for an application,we buzz pen engrave the handle and get another screwdriver.That screwdriver may fit other screws,but its best not to alter it again till it wears . makes for a lot of screwdrivers,but less grinding. BTW,a 1/4 shank mounted grinding wheel in a mill collet with the screwdiver in a vee block is one way to dress a tip.I suspect it would work to use an X-Y vise on a drill press.

December 5, 2010, 02:29 PM	#19
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	i can get one of those wheeler kits for 'free' using my rewards on my cabelas card. my question is are the bits the 'flat' blades so they don't muck up the screw heads? or is this just like every other screwdriver kit @ any hardware store? __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

December 5, 2010, 02:44 PM	#20
dreamweaver Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2008 Posts: 713	i bought a jenkins set of t handle pin drivers and a wheeler screwdriver/bit set for under $120. haven't had a need for anything else. brownells has gunsmith sets for $300+ that look nice, but have a lot of stuff i don't need. jmho __________________ http://takdriver.com/

December 5, 2010, 03:36 PM	#21
phydaux Member Join Date: October 31, 2010 Posts: 65	I've looked at the Brownell kit. It's nice, but it's also a lot of money all at once. I'm using that kit's contents at a guide, and buying tools one at a time.

December 5, 2010, 07:03 PM	#22
seansean1444 Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2010 Location: ithaca, new york (home of the ithaca shotguns!) Posts: 395	i also use the winchester screwdriver set i got at wallmart for 10 bucks. does everything i ask it to

December 13, 2010, 10:05 PM	#23
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I think I have bought screwdriver tips from Chapman and brownells and the whole screw drivers from Forster. These days I grind to fit old screw drivers I get at garage sales.