Gunsmithing that goes beyond basic maintenance can be relatively simple to learn. Here are a few gunsmithing tools that an aspiring gunsmith should keep on hand.

Gunsmithing screwdrivers are a good tool to start out with, because guns often use rather precisely made screws. A set of screwheads made with gunsmithing in mind is usually made to minimize damage to the gun, whereas common screwdrivers often used in carpentry are often made for work that isn’t nearly as delicate. Although hex bolts are less common, they’re becoming more and more popular so it may not be a bad plan to pick up a hex key set if the opportunity presents itself. Keep the part’s manufacturer in mind when examining a hex bolt; you will have difficulty loosening a metric hex bolt with an imperial hex key, and vice versa.

A vise is also an important tool to have on hand because keeping your gun still as you work on it is important in general. Additionally, tools like bench blocks can assist in keeping a firearm in a specific position as you work on removing pins. The real trick here, though, is making sure you don’t damage the gun as you’re holding it in place, because the hard material the vise is made out of might scratch or warp your gun. To this end, specific devices like barrel clamps or vises made of softer materials can be used in lieu of your traditional carpentry vise. Again, be sure not to damage your gun while you’re working on it so you don’t compromise your safety when the gun is being used.

If you will be hammering small pins out of a gun, it stands to reason that you might need a hammer that is less likely to damage the gun, and special hammers are made for this purpose. These hammers are usually made with two striking surfaces opposite each other; one is brass for a hard striking surface that is softer than steel and the other is usually nylon or another soft material for more delicate work. These hammers are used with pin punches, special implements like chisels that are made to fit into a small hole to aid in driving out pins.

Some metal parts may have burrs or other imperfections. This situation may actually be best solved with an abrasive stone rather than a metal file or sandpaper, though neither of those tools should be disregarded either. An abrasive stone is traditionally used for sharpening cutting implements like knives, but a gunsmith might use such a stone with a medium or coarse grit to flatten a surface on a part, for example, and then use a more fine grit to polish it so that it has fewer imperfections. Generally, when smoothing a surface of any kind, you should start with a coarse grained material and increase the grit count over time as you polish the surface.

Ultimately, keeping the right tool for the right job is an adage that holds true in this case. There are several different kinds of tools that you can use as a gunsmith, and even though gun parts have been standardized since the 18th century (an idea that greatly eased the jobs of gunsmiths everywhere) there is still no replacement for a good collection of tools. Safety should always be your priority when working with guns in any capacity.