When it comes to pins and other critical gun parts, a gunsmith needs to know how to hold ’em, fit ’em and hit ’em. In that context, I’m referring to vises and bench blocks, punches, and hammers, respectively.

Vises & Bench Blocks

     Every workbench should have a vise with jaws about 4" to 6" wide. The vise should be mounted on a bench that is heavy and rugged so it has a strong foundation. Mount it on a corner so it’s not in the way, but is easy to access when you need it. Reinforce the bench top from underneath when you attach the vise.
    Most vises will also have a flatsection on the rear that will serve as a light-duty anvil. Buy a set of magnetic soft jaws for the vise. They will prevent marring any parts you are working on. They are inexpensive and incredibly useful. I picked mine up at a hardware store for about $15. Leather jaws are the old standby.
    Forster Products has a small vise they call the “Swiv-O-Ling Vise.” Its head rotates a full 360 degrees and tilts up to 28 degrees from the vertical. This small vise is very handy for working on small parts. Because it swivels in just about every direction, you can put the work exactly where you want it. I find it useful for stoning trigger parts and similar detail work.
    Every gunsmith needs a gun vise to hold long guns as they are being worked on or cleaned. The Tipton’s Best Gun Vise provides an interesting new approach. It was designed to accommodate a wide range of firearms for cleaning, maintenance or gunsmithing and configurable to handle bolt-action rifles, break-open shotguns, AR-15s and handguns. A central aluminum channel lets the user move individual components to the ideal position for this firearm. Each individual component then adjusts to position for secure support. The rear base features two adjustable offset clamps for a tight grip on a wide range of buttstock configurations.
    Bench Blocks are plastic or nylon blocks with various grooves and holes in them. They are used to support parts during certain operations. For example, if you are driving out a pin, you can put the part on the bench block with a hole under the pin. Then you can drive the pin out of the part and into the hole while the part is fully supported. They are inexpensive and very handy.

Punches

    You will need an assortment of punches, both steel and brass. MidwayUSA and others have kits that include most of the popular sizes. Start off with a kit each of steel and brass. You may need to add more specialty punches as you go along.
    You will also need a center punch to mark locations for drilling. I have both a conventional one that is struck with a hammer and a spring-loaded Starrett model activated by pushing down on it. This is extremely handy because it will put the mark exactly where you want it. Sometimes a conventional center punch will wander before you hit it with the hammer. It’s usually not the fault of the punch, nevertheless it happens all too often. There are applications for both types, and I recommend that you have both a spring-loaded and a conventional punch in your toolbox.
    Other punches are used to knock out pins and parts. They can also serve as a drift to help align parts when replacing the pins in guns. Drift punches have a long tip section with parallel sides. They are used for removing pins and should closely fit the diameter of the pin, but they must not be larger, as they will not fit through the hole. Drift punches should not be used for heavy work, such as freeing a stuck pin, as they can bend easily. Once bent, it is all but impossible to straighten them.
    Tapered punches are stronger and should be used to start stubborn pins. Select one that has a tip size close to the pin diameter. You won’t be able to move the pin very far because the tapered punch will grow too large for the hole as it enters. But once the pin is broken free and started, it should move much easier. After the pin is started, switch to a drift punch to complete the removal.
    Keep your damaged punches as you will need specialty punches from time to time and you can often make them from broken or bent punches. Chuck them in a drill press, and use a file to reshape them to fit the job at hand.
    A punch with a long, tapered, sharp point is sometimes handy for removing stuck and broken screws. If the screw is large enough, you can use the punch along the outside edge to bite in and turn the screw. Place the punch near the outside edge, angled so that it will bite into the metal when it’s tapped with a hammer, and turn the screw counterclockwise. This is an old mechanic’s trick that sometimes works on gun screws. It’s always worth a try.

Center punches are used primarily for marking [1,2].Tapered punches, brass and steel drift punches [3] all have their place in a gunsmith’s workbench. Match the hammer [4] to the job by size, weight and striking surface. The Wheeler bench block [5] provides a non-marring work surface. Its holes capture pins and keep them from rolling off of the bench.

Hammers

    There are very few problems that can’t be solved with a bigger hammer. Just remember that—even though the problem no longer exists—careless use of big hammers often produces unforseen and unwanted outcomes. Your shop will need several hammers. A small hammer with replaceable tips is probably the most useful. The hammer with a nylon tip on one side and brass tip on the other will be the one that sees the most use on your bench.

Magnetic soft jaws [6] keep vises from marring your work.

    You will need small and medium ballpeen hammers and a heavier engineer’s hammer or baby sledge. Use that one, however, only as a very last resort. Let it serve more as a reminder that brains over brawn is the best way to have a good outcome to a sticky problem.
    A good quality large rubber hammer will also be useful at times, as will a larger plastic faced “dead blow” hammer that can apply some power when needed, but not mar the metal it’s striking.
    Taken together, a proper vise or bench block, punch and hammer will help you disassemble and reassemble your gun without leaving any evidence that you had it apart—and that’s one hallmark of a competent gunsmith.