Put down the Dremel. If there’s work to be done on your AR-15, there are far better tools to do it with than the type you find at the local hardware store. It might come as a surprise, but there are specific tools for the many intricacies of gunsmithing. One of the best brands for those tools is Real Avid, a manufacturer with a vast array of tools and products designed to make your gun life easier. These are a few of the most useful tools we’ve found for the AR-15 and why you should add them to your gun toolbox.
Real Avid Smart-Fit AR-15 Vise Block
To use the Smart-Fit AR-15 Vise Block, you need a vise. Although you could get fancy with your vise, just about any style will do. It’s possible to work on your AR-15 with the vise clamped to whatever sturdy surface is handy, but it does make things easier if you’re able to bolt it in place. The purpose of the Real Avid Smart-Fit AR-15 Vise Block is to ensure your gun remains solidly in place while you’re working on it. This is especially important when you’re applying torque or doing any delicate work.
The Real Avid Smart-Fit AR-15 Vise Block is an adjustable mag well block designed for use with MIL-SPEC AR-15s. If you want to use it on an AR-10, there’s an additional sleeve available to make it fit. It’s manufactured using durable, tough plastic and it’s made to last. Real Avid designed it with an oversized edge and texturing for a more secure fit in the vise. A magazine catch locks the block in place during use. To make it fit tightly, insert it in the mag well and turn the adjustment handle until it’s snugly fitted. I’ve used this block with a vise clamped onto a table and also with my vise bolted to the gun bench, and it works great. Yes, you get better stability when it’s used with a bolted-down vise, but if you’re able to securely clamp the vise down you’ll have a secure setup.
Lug-Lok Upper Vise Block
Yes, there’s also a vise block designed for the upper receiver. The Lug-Lok Upper Vise Block allows you to lock your upper receiver in place so it stays still while you’re working on it. That might sound like a small thing, but it’s an important one. It’s a lot easier to assemble an upper if it isn’t sliding all over the place. Especially when it comes to getting the various springs and pins in place.
So, what makes Real Avid’s version of an upper vise block better? It’s the fact that the cylindrical end fits snugly in the barrel lugs on any MIL-SPEC upper. The block comes with locking pins you utilize to make sure it won’t move, and it works impressively well. If you’re thinking you’d never need this, you’d be wrong. Using the Lug-Lok Upper Vise Block allows you to apply necessary torque without stressing or damaging the receiver, delivers a stable platform for building or maintenance, and helps you properly align the receiver. It has a four-position locking system to ensure stability. If you’re worried about having it in the barrel, don’t—this vise is softer than steel, something Real Avid did to make sure it won’t cause barrel extension damage.
The Pivot Pin Tool is one many AR builders dismiss as being silly and pointless. I’m here to tell you it’s a pretty cool little device. Sure, you can mess with the pivot pin with your bare hands, but why not use a tool that makes it ridiculously easy? The Real Avid Pivot Pin Tool is part of the company’s Master Grade Tool line. It exists solely to help you install the pivot pin without launching tiny parts across the room (never to be seen again). For the sake of not having a house that becomes a black hole of detent pins, get this tool.
This one’s easy to use, and I wish I’d found it sooner. To use it, you slide it into the pin housing of the lower, load the spring and detent into the tool, and then compress the parts into place using the handy plunger. Then you keep them where you want them by simply rotating the tool, removing the plunger, and installing the pivot pin. This tiny red piece of plastic turns what can be a painful gun job into a matter of seconds. I get it, you can install this part with your bare hands and sheer strength of will, but come on. This makes it stupid easy. Get one. You’ll be glad you did. And if you’re not willing to get one for yourself, get one for anyone you’re teaching to build and maintain AR-15s. It makes the learning curve a lot less frustrating.
Accu-Punch Hammer & AR-15 Pin Set
Face it, you’re going to need a variety of punches and hammers to work on guns. It’s technically true you can whip out the channel locks and a random screwdriver and make do, but that tends to end in tears when you damage the finish or break parts. The Real Avid Accu-Punch Hammer & AR-15 Pin Set is awesome for getting work done without damaging your gun. Also, when you use the right tools for the job, things tend to go a lot smoother with less cursing.
The Accu-Punch Hammer & AR-15 Pin Set includes a set of standard and roll pin punches made for working on the AR-15. There’s also a double-ended hammer with a total of four different head attachments. That matters because you don’t want to be banging on your gun with whatever hammer or material is in reach. Having the correct head attached, whether it’s brass, rubber, plastic, or metal, is a must. This set also comes with some basic plastic tweezers.
It’s all in a hard clamshell-type case, which is handier than you’d think. Not much is more annoying than knowing you have tools but not being able to find them, and the way Real Avid has these packaged is perfect because you never lose track and the case can’t be destroyed. Seriously, I’ve been awful to this case, and it holds up to all sorts of crushing and abuse. This set is a great option to get you going with rolls and punches. The hammer is a bonus.
READ MORE: AR Build? Real Avid Has Every Tool You Need in One Master Box
Smart-Fit AR-15 Base here.
Lug-Lok Upper Vise Block here.
Pivot Pin Tool here.
Accu-Punch Hammer & AR-15 Pin Punch Set here.
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