AR Gunsmithing Tools - Must Have

Howard Law

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From a more experienced builders point of view, what would be Top 5 must have gunsmithing tools to have in your arsenal?

And I'm talking in regards to wanting to be cheap but maybe there is something you should just spend the money for from the beginning.
 

NWS

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Pivot Pin tool is a must as well if you plan on doing a few lowers.


Never used one. Learned how to do it the hard way years ago and just stuck with it.
 
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permaneo vox

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boss_hawg

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Pivot Pin tool is a must as well if you plan on doing a few lowers.

i found an easier way without this specialized tool.

if you have a large punch - one that will fit through the pivot pin holes on the lower - you can insert from the opposite direction that the pivot pin will ultimately point. pull it back a bit to expose the pivot pin hole. insert spring and detente and compress with a flat tool such as a thin knife or razor (be careful with these) or you can use needle nose pliers. once the detent is in sufficiently - you can "capture" the detent with the large punch. then simply take the pivot pin and insert from the right side of the receiver displacing the punch. you have to make sure that you don't let the spring push the pivot pin laterally or you make have to redo.

it's very easy once you've seen it done. and the large punch and needle nose pliers have many more applications.
 

Rwjeter

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i found an easier way without this specialized tool.

if you have a large punch - one that will fit through the pivot pin holes on the lower - you can insert from the opposite direction that the pivot pin will ultimately point. pull it back a bit to expose the pivot pin hole. insert spring and detente and compress with a flat tool such as a thin knife or razor (be careful with these) or you can use needle nose pliers. once the detent is in sufficiently - you can "capture" the detent with the large punch. then simply take the pivot pin and insert from the right side of the receiver displacing the punch. you have to make sure that you don't let the spring push the pivot pin laterally or you make have to redo.

it's very easy once you've seen it done. and the large punch and needle nose pliers have many more applications.
That or a 1/4" Clevis pin and a punch small enough to go though the hole in the pin. Drop the spring and detent through the hole, compress them with the punch, turn the clevis pin a quarter turn and viola. The spring and detent are captured. Just push the clevis pin out with your pivot pin.
 

freedom

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Avoid that wheeler kit. Some is useful, but it comes with a bunch of junk.

Don't cheap out on punches, roll pin starter punches are a help and a specialty punch set for the bolt release are nice to have.

Geissele reaction rod is awesome, botach is making a cheaper knockoff. Magpul bev block is good too.

Magpul makes the best armorers wrench.

Clevis pin as mentioned above for the pivot pin.
 

Okuma

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Bev block is sweet.
Good roll pin punch set and starter set. Think eBay,but not the cheapest shit you can find.
I have the tapco armorers wrench. Which is pretty nice.
Small brass tappy tap tap.

Lowers are easy to build. I literally built my first laid up in bed.
 
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SouthernSlammed

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Avoid that wheeler kit. Some is useful, but it comes with a bunch of junk.

Don't cheap out on punches, roll pin starter punches are a help and a specialty punch set for the bolt release are nice to have.

Geissele reaction rod is awesome, botach is making a cheaper knockoff. Magpul bev block is good too.

Magpul makes the best armorers wrench.

Clevis pin as mentioned above for the pivot pin.

Great response!