AR Sponsor
Posted: 7/8/2016 1:49:45 PM EDT
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I'm looking into buying a vice for barrel changes and muzzle device changes.
Probably will do barrel clamp most of the time. Might buy an action block to hold the upper. My question is, how wide are uppers with an action block? what size vice should I get to accomidate it. The larger the vice the more $$$ they cost so I'd prefer to get a smaller one if possible. Thank you! |
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Note that the size isn't the width it opens up to, it is the size of the jaws.
Another really important factor is how deep the opening is. It won't do you any good if you can't seat the vise block properly. I got a 4" from Harbor Freight because it was on sale, but I wish I had a 6". The 4" is fine, but it moves around a little, and the vise block barely fits. |
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Quoted:
Wow nice info. I was checking harbor freight and their 3'' vice was 29.99 and that didn't seem large enough for me. Thanks! Quoted:
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Home depot has a 4 inch light duty vise for $30 that seems good for basic home use. Wow nice info. I was checking harbor freight and their 3'' vice was 29.99 and that didn't seem large enough for me. Thanks! 3" will indeed most certainly leave you wishing you had a larger vice. If you buy at Harbor Freight wait until it is either on sale or make sure you use one of their 20% off coupons. The coupon brings down the price quite a bit. In a lot of cases if you aren't using a 20% off coupon at Harbor Freight you are paying too much. |
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5-6in and it depends on the vise honestly. The newer Craftsman 6in vise I have is a beast in regards to size. I would prefer one of the older (3-5 yo) 5-6in Craftsman vises just because it is slightly smaller. Most older 10-20 year old 4in vises would likely be big enough because they made them more robust.
I don't think a 3in vise would work very well. |
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Not being a smarty pants but just so you know, it's vise, not vice.
Vice: 1 a : moral depravity or corruption : wickedness b : a moral fault or failing c : a habitual and usually trivial defect or shortcoming : foible <suffered from the vice of curiosity> 2 : blemish, defect 3 : a physical imperfection, deformity, or taint 4 a : often capitalized : a character representing one of the vices in an English morality play b : buffoon, jester 5 : an abnormal behavior pattern in a domestic animal detrimental to its health or usefulness 6 : sexual immorality; especially : prostitution |
| im fortunate enough to have a gun/reloading room in my house, so i have a bench in there. for that stuff i have a home depot vise. wanna say i spend like $40 on it. it opens up 4" and swivels 270*. for doing gun stuff, its plenty. now in my garage on my work bench i have 1 (forget the name of it) but it opens up 6 inches and weights prob 50 lbs (this sob is HUGE) but i wanna say i spent $200 on. |
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4" is plenty provided the jaws open widely enough. Iwould avoid a new vise if you can, especially a really cheap one. Look around on CL and see what you can find that is in good shape and 50+yrs old. If you can score an old Wilton Bullet it's well worth the investment.
You'll never really appreciate a well made precision vise until you use one for a bit. Pick up some brass jaws while you're at it. |
| I hate to say it but Craigslist could be your friend for a larger vise for less dough. You want one is minimum 4" wide and that has as much travel as possible and one that has the moving section is not sloppy. My Wilton is very tight, spent $100 for a little used $250+ vise. The older made in USA vise's beat any china made ones hands down. |
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Whatever vise you buy, you will need a sturdy bench to bolt it to, and it won't be cheap either. Don't cobble up something out of 2x and a hollow core door. It needs 4x4 legs with substantial cross bracing and at least a solid top no less than 2" thick. Torquing a barrel nut off or flash hider means exceeding 250 pounds and If you are lifting up on the wrench doing it you need the bench to resist the force - or all you do is pick up the barrel, vise, bench, and all.
Consider bolting it to the studs to keep it in place, if not to the floor. Once installed you will find you can do some auto repair jobs you might not have considered before, like U joint replacements, etc. A vise is also a small press and it can be used that way. It's a third hand - an object chucked into the jaws allows you to work on it where it can't get away from the forces you are putting on it. Like sharpening a mower blade with a 4" grinder, or shortening an old free float to fit a new build. For the money buying a small vise usually results in buying a bigger one later because your skill set and confidence usually push the little one beyond it's boundaries. Buy once cry once. Bolt it down to a secure bench that won't move around, and enjoy. |
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I won't make a recommendation for building an AR but....
As a guy who uses vises regularly get the biggest vise you can find. Buy used if possible. I've picked up several vises free. Once you have a big vise you can find a little hobby vice with a 2-3" jaw really cheap to do light weight work. |
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Quoted:
Not being a smarty pants but just so you know, it's vise, not vice. Vice: 1 a : moral depravity or corruption : wickedness <snip> Well put. My vices are not something I need help with, at least not here. 
OP, get AT LEAST a 4" wide vise. If you can, go bigger, up to about 6" (bigger than 6" gives you some problems with some parts). But don't ONLY think about the vise. A vise is useless if it's not VERY SOLIDLY attached to a bench. So think about what you're going to mount that vise on as well as what vise to get. |
I ended up getting the Yost 4 and 1/2 vise from home depot.
Cost me $22 bucks free shipping to store (They don't carry them in store) and went picked it up. For mounting I took some lag screws and built a micro bench out of scrap 2x8 lumber, framed it and put 50lbs of steel weights under it. also put a small shelf on there I could sit on to work (just a piece of the 2x8 across from the vice. if I need more weight I can sit on it and torque at the same time. Double weight. It does work! I removed my flash hider and barrel nut from my 8.5'' 300 BLK pistol tonight, The barrel was turning around in the wooden barrel blocks a bit , but some duct tape on the barrel solved that, Left no marks on the finish and no problems either. |
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Quoted:
I'm looking into buying a vice for barrel changes and muzzle device changes. Probably will do barrel clamp most of the time. Might buy an action block to hold the upper. My question is, how wide are uppers with an action block? what size vice should I get to accomidate it. The larger the vice the more $$$ they cost so I'd prefer to get a smaller one if possible. Thank you! A vise is a tool you will need for more than just rifle builds. Don’t make the mistake and buy one of those cheap “Made in China” vises. They are not precise, they pull in sideways, the jaws are not even, often not replaceable, easily scratch up your parts, you can’t adjust the pressure finely, you name it. If you want a quality product that will last you a lifetime (and your kid’s too), get a German made HEUER Vise. They can also be ordered with proper, replaceable jaws made of different plastics, metals, alu, felt, and so on. You do not won’t to put soft materials into Chinese, uneven metal jaws, believe me. I bet, the first time you screw up a part with that cheap ass vise, may it be a lower or anything else you will work on in the future, you will remember my words. Here is a good offer (not me, not affiliated): eBay link 
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