Gunsmithing screwdrivers and other tactical tools

[Perd Hapley]

I have frequently read that one should use proper machinist's screwdrivers for working on guns. I don't want to work on any of my guns, really, other than to swap out the stocks on some 1911s, and maybe a few other parts.

Should I just trot on down to the local gun store and buy the cheapest set I can find? Does it matter? How about other tools, like punches, that one might need to drift out pins, or something to remove an extractor? Is there a particular kit on the market that has all of the above?

Recommendations? Advice?

[Hawkmoon]

The key point for screwdrivers is that the tips need to be hollow ground so the flat at the very "tip of the tip" are parallel, not slanted relative to the sides of the screw slot. I recently found a very nice set of real gunsmithing screwdrivers on sale on-line somewhere (I think either Cheaper than Dirt or CDNN), but I have been doing very nicely for many years with just one of those 4-way, double reversible screwdrivers, like this one from Home Despot:



Here's the set I bought. Not where I got it, but the price is about the same: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-USA-Original-Care-Screwdriver/dp/B0030HL5O0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1345773597&sr=8-5&keywords=gunsmithing+screwdriver+set



For punches, Brownells is the best source, but the one I use the most is a 1/8" I got at Sears decades ago.

[Brad Johnson]

Do not, under any circumstance, by "cheap" tools, especially precision tools.  The extra couple bucks for good tools is worth every penny.

Brad

[Tuco]

I make my own gunsmithing screwdrivers with a bench grinder and one dollar pawn shop Klein, Craftsman, etc. drivers.

[Nick1911]

Do not, under any circumstance, by "cheap" tools, especially precision tools. 

Disagree.  Buy tools to suit the purpose at hand.

For instance, I have both an expensive ($160) Brown and Sharp caliper, and a $14 Harbor Freight caliper.  They both stay accurate within 5 ten thousandths against my Starrett gauge blocks...  Guess which pair stays in the unconditioned space that houses the machine tools; and therefore gets used all the time?  And further has survived 4 years in those conditions...

Inexpensive tools aren't always bad tools.  Pick your tool for your job.

[Tallpine]

I got one of those screwdriver sets from Cabelas for ten or fifteen dollars.

[RoadKingLarry]

Inexpensive tools aren't always bad tools.

There is a difference between cheap and inexpensive.

The Pachmayr set is pretty decent and I have a set of Lyman punches that do 99% of anything I would need.

http://www.pachmayr.com/home/31pc-tool-kit.php

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/tools/gunsmith-punch-set.php

[Tallpine]

Inexpensive tools aren't always bad tools.  Pick your tool for your job.

These durned fancy sets with the magnetic handle and all them little bits ain't worth a darn for pokin' a hole in an oil can 

[Perd Hapley]

Do not, under any circumstance, by "cheap" tools, especially precision tools. 

I don't know that screwdrivers and punches count as precision tools.

[Nick1911]

There is a difference between cheap and inexpensive.

And that difference is?

Up to the 90's, it seemed that there there were, in general, four tiers of tools.  Cheap crap – sockets made of soft iron that would just deform, screwdrivers that would twist off, etc.  Usually made in an underdeveloped country of the time period.  For instance, old harbor freight stuff.  Inexpensive off brand stuff (Husky, etc), which tended to be usable but more flimsily made then our third category; name brand consumer products.  These tended to be pretty good and priced accordingly.  Usually made in the US.  Craftsman, etc.  The final category being professional grade tools, which were very expensive but premium quality.  Snap-on and the like.

Today, I don't see these differences.  I find that the classic category of cheap tools are made with the same quality of metal and workmanship as the standard off brand "inexpensive" stuff.  Name brand consumer stuff seems comparable to off brand; that's to say it's actually gotten worse and the price remains the same.  (Compare a craftsman socket set from now to one made in the 50's. )  They do tend to have better finishing then inexpensive tools.  (Plating, laser etching, cushy rubber handle, etc)  Professional quality tools still stand out.

Seriously, compare a Pittsburgh ratchet and socket set with that of Husky, Craftsman and  Snap-on.  Compare a Pittsburgh screwdriver with a Kobalt, Stanley and Klein.  I've owned all of them at various times.  There's close to an order of magnitude difference in the price but not even close to that difference in quality/utility in my experience.

[RoadKingLarry]

And that difference is?

The difference between low cost and low quality.
Sometimes it's not easy to describe but you know it when you break it.

The majority of my hand tools are 30+ years old, Craftsman, Snap-on and S&K. I like to hit up estate sales and farm sales for the good stuff.
Pawn shops are another good place to look for the older stuff that was still made out of decent steel when how it worked was more important than how it looked.

Of course there was also a time when craftsmanship and artistry was valued and it showed in the tools as well as the finished product.

[Nick1911]

The difference between low cost and low quality.
Sometimes it's not easy to describe but you know it when you break it.

The majority of my hand tools are 30+ years old, Craftsman, Snap-on and S&K. I like to hit up estate sales and farm sales for the good stuff.
Pawn shops are another good place to look for the older stuff that was still made out of decent steel when how it worked was more important than how it looked.

Of course there was also a time when craftsmanship and artistry was valued and it showed in the tools as well as the finished product.

I agree.  Some of my best mechanics tools are very, very old.

[brimic]

Just buy the $20 gunsmith screwdriver set from the local sporting goods store, its a one time expense and you'll have all of the bits you'll ever need.

[Tuco]

I don't know that screwdrivers and punches count as precision tools.

Buggering up a sideplate causes one to think differently.

[roo_ster]

Just buy the $20 gunsmith screwdriver set from the local sporting goods store, its a one time expense and you'll have all of the bits you'll ever need.

I would agree that you'll be good for 75% of gunsmithing needs.  Pretty handy.

Another option, for the one-gun-man, is the Brownells sets made for one specific gun type (handle & bits).  I think I bought the S&W revo and the 1911 flavors as backups that go in the range box.



Anyone have a line on quality tips / whatevers for really small allen & torx screws?  Like, 1.5mm & smaller (1.3, 1.1, etc.).

[mtnbkr]

Buggering up a sideplate causes one to think differently.

Not even the sideplates, but just the screws.  One of the first things I look for in an older revolver is the condition of the sideplate screws.  If they're buggered, I can't trust that the guy who went inside knew what he was doing.  If they're clean, then at least the guy had some sense or the gun had never been opened.

And yes, a person who knows what they're doing, using the correct tools, can bugger up sideplate screws (they're damn soft for some reason).  However, it's much less severe.

Chris

[brimic]

On a side note...
I tried just for curiosity sake once and found that the flat screwdriver on a SAK will fit every screw on a Swiss k-31,1911 rifle,96/11 rifle-perfectly.

[K Frame]

Walmart carries, in the sporting goods section, a nice set of screwdrivers (flat and phillips) and other driver tips (torx, square), that are Winchester branded.

IIRC the set was... $15?

[brimic]

This is the exact kit I use, I think I bought it on clearance at a local Fleet Farm:  http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/product/6-1019648?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CInYg7nCgLICFYFo4AoddnMAfg

[mtnbkr]

This is the exact kit I use, I think I bought it on clearance at a local Fleet Farm:  http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/product/6-1019648?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CInYg7nCgLICFYFo4AoddnMAfg

I have that set as well.

Chris

[Hawkmoon]

I don't know that screwdrivers and punches count as precision tools.

Gunsmith screwdrivers can. If you really get into it, there are full sets of screwdrivers sized specifically for the screw heads found in Colt 1873 Single Action Army revolvers, for example.

[Hawkmoon]

I have that set as well.

Chris

I have that set, too.

First time I used it the tip on the one bit that fit the screw I needed to remove snapped in half. Can't be replaced -- I bought three different bits with the same tip size from Brownells, and they are all twice as long as the original so they won't fit into the space in the box.

Cheap Chinese crap. Buy screwdrivers, if you need screwdrivers.

[mtnbkr]

I've had the smallest bit break, but none of the others have in the 14 years I've owned the set.  I mainly work on S&W and Ruger revolvers though.

Chris

[brimic]

Never broke a tip from my kit, I use them mainly for work on rifles- detail stripping old mausers and enfields, mounting scopes, adjusting triggers, etc.

[MechAg94]

I'll pile on a bit.  I bought a wheeler screwdriver set form Midway.  I have to say that working on guns with better screw drivers is much easier.  IMO, it is worth getting even if all you ever do is change grips or simple stuff.