Opinion on a gun rest/vise

[timlt]

Hey Gundoc, I would appreciate hearing your opinion on a gun rest/vise I'm considering. I need a good gun rest and vise (preferably combined, as I don't yet have a full workbench), because for now I have to do my gun work on a tarp with my tools spread out on the floor. I figure if I get a good quality portable rest/vise combination, it'll serve me well now in my portable shop, and I'll still be able to use it even when/if I get a permanent shop with a bench, because it'll be useful at the range.

The most effective looking, most versatile for working on many types of guns, most well reviewed and high quality rest/vise combo I could find that was still fairly lightweight and affordable is called the CTK Precision "Ultimate Gun Rest." You can buy the gun rest for $125, then for $45 more you can get the add-on of the vise and have the complete setup. Here's the website:

http://www.ctkprecision.com/ (http://www.ctkprecision.com/)


And here are a couple of reviews:

http://www.snipercountry.com/InReviews/CTKP_P3_UGV.asp (http://www.snipercountry.com/InReviews/CTKP_P3_UGV.asp)

http://www.gunblast.com/CTK-GunVise.htm (http://www.gunblast.com/CTK-GunVise.htm)


What do you think of this setup, given my need for portability and a combined, good-quality unit?

Thanks,

Tim

[gundoc]

Unfortunately a rest is not a bench/vice and vise-versa. I have used many rests over the years and currently have an Outer's Varminter and a Caldwell (something or other) that is lightweight plastic. Both were more than capable of supporting and steadying the rifle at 300-400 yards (my old shooting range in Montana). A good vice is neither cheap nor really portable. My main gun vice is the Brownells Multi Vice at something like $250 and mounted to a sturdy bench. That said I have plenty of little cheap vices and Palmgren Drill Press vices that I use for small jobs that do not need a high level of precision. The first time you ruin a part because the vice moved at the wrong moment will have you flipping through the tool catalogs.

I recommend that you decide what you need a vice for, and where you have room for it. A vice just to hold a gun for cleaning can be a plastic rest from MTM, while one for holding the bolt on your 10-22 while you try to work on an extractor needs to be secure. As a gunsmith I have a special tool for everything, so I am really not a good choice to ask about kitchen table tools. I used them when I first started and have very few left after they broke or I sold them off. Buy the best you can afford for the project at hand and upgrade when you need something better. I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but it's the best one I have.

[timlt]

Hey, thanks for the opinion anyway--that's what I asked for. You're right that obviously what works for you as a pro prob. isn't the best choice for me right now. We're in cramped, smaller house in the Seattle area, and I don't have the option of even a small sized workshop with a dedicated bench right now. My entire setup has to be portable, so I can move it (for instance) into the family room, lay out a tarp, set my guns into this device or something like it, and do my work there. Then put away the whole setup in plastic rubbermaid containers when I'm done. It's not an ideal solution I'll admit, but for folks living in apartments or small houses where you don't have a lot of space, sometimes an approach like this can be a good compromise. Plus, if you look at the review links I listed for that product above in this thread, at least one guy who's a professional smith is using this product in his shop. But I'm not trying to argue that every professional smith should get one of these, just wondered if they look useful and well made. For my purposes I think, it'll do the job for now. Longer term of course I'd love to have a real shop and a dedicated bench with a nice vice.

Thanks John!