Any preferred punches/punch set?

[Buncheong]

Thanks much for the excellent info and forward guidance, Gentlemen. I’m very grateful for your help!

[SLR15]

When teaching Armorer Courses, we provide all the tools necessary for people to use, as it is our belief that we like people to get exposed to all the different tools that are available on the market, and when the leave our courses they can make an educated decision as to what tools to get. Having the proper tools and punches makes life easier, as compared to harder. The proper punches will help reduce the risk of damage to the pins and firearm that you working on. Knowing how to perform the necessary tasks to do maintenance, repair and modifications, with also knowing how to use the proper tools is a must IMHO.

A good set of the following punches for working on the AR15/AR308 type rifles, but can be used on other firearms, and sometimes you need other punches when working on other guns:

Drive Pin Punches 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", and 1/8".
Roll Pin Punches 1/16", 5/64",3/32", 1/8", 5/32".
Roll Pin Starter Punches 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", 1/8"
Bolt Catch Flat Sided Punch for moving and/or removing the bolt catch roll pin from the front of the receiver towards the rear.
Long Bolt Catch Punch for removal & installation of the bolt catch pin punch from the rear of the receiver towards the front.
Delrin punches in AR15 & AR308
Taper Pin Starter Punches

[alx01]

A good set of the following punches for working on the AR15/AR308 type rifles, but can be used on other firearms, and sometimes you need other punches when working on other guns:

Drive Pin Punches 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", and 1/8".
Roll Pin Punches 1/16", 5/64",3/32", 1/8", 5/32".
Roll Pin Starter Punches 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", 1/8"
Bolt Catch Flat Sided Punch for moving and/or removing the bolt catch roll pin from the front of the receiver towards the rear.
Long Bolt Catch Punch for removal & installation of the bolt catch pin punch from the rear of the receiver towards the front.
Delrin punches in AR15 & AR308
Taper Pin Starter Punches

^^^ THIS IS A GOLD MINE OF INFORMATION RIGHT HERE.

THANK YOU GREG!!!

[Iraqgunz]

Punches recommended on my site are standard type punches used by many shops and manufacturer's during assembly. Specialty punches like the short roll pin punches, Geissele punch, etc.. are discussed and demonstrated during my class.

[SManzo1904]

Well, I can say I wouldn’t recommend the Wheeler set of punches. I have a had a couple that have bent over. I didn’t think I was going to hard on them but who knows.


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[26 Inf]

Punches recommended on my site are standard type punches used by many shops and manufacturer's during assembly. Specialty punches like the short roll pin punches, Geissele punch, etc.. are discussed and demonstrated during my class.

Hey, I need to thank you, a post you made a while back prompted me to send several punches, etc. back to Brownell's for replacement.

For those of you who have never done this, it was easy-peasy. Find the proper order in your online account data. Go to to the return column, click 'return items.' This will bring up a screen showing the items on that order. Click on the item you want to return, and a drop down list opens on the right side of the screen for you to chose the reason for the return. Next you get to type out a short reason for the return, then print out a return form which includes a postage paid label.

The hardest part was finding a suitable box to stick the label on and dropping it off at the post office.

One little bump I encountered was that when returning one roll pin holder (#35 pin holder) from a set, I apparently didn't make it clear enough that it was one item from the set and that I didn't want to return the entire set for exchange. When I got the item back with a note saying they couldn't exchange it because they didn't have a record, I called them expecting a hassle. Nope, the lady I talked with quickly understood the problem and immediately sent out a replacement. As a result I have the broken pin holder and a shiny new one.

This may appear to be off topic, but in reality, I'm just trying to 1) thank IG for prompting me to return the items; and 2) explain why it might be a good idea to source your tools from Brownell's.

[jpmuscle]

Brownells are really REALLY good people.





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[JediGuy]

I’m just here to say that I find this not necessary but useful:
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...prod26484.aspx

As well as:
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...prod68034.aspx

Only thing I can add is that when I have bent roll pin punches from my inexpensive Wheeler set, I have replaced the bent items with Brownells’ products. I’m taking notes myself on what senior members here have shared.

[Iraqgunz]

Thanks. It's also the reason why I tell people to order those items from them.

Hey, I need to thank you, a post you made a while back prompted me to send several punches, etc. back to Brownell's for replacement.

For those of you who have never done this, it was easy-peasy. Find the proper order in your online account data. Go to to the return column, click 'return items.' This will bring up a screen showing the items on that order. Click on the item you want to return, and a drop down list opens on the right side of the screen for you to chose the reason for the return. Next you get to type out a short reason for the return, then print out a return form which includes a postage paid label.

The hardest part was finding a suitable box to stick the label on and dropping it off at the post office.

One little bump I encountered was that when returning one roll pin holder (#35 pin holder) from a set, I apparently didn't make it clear enough that it was one item from the set and that I didn't want to return the entire set for exchange. When I got the item back with a note saying they couldn't exchange it because they didn't have a record, I called them expecting a hassle. Nope, the lady I talked with quickly understood the problem and immediately sent out a replacement. As a result I have the broken pin holder and a shiny new one.

This may appear to be off topic, but in reality, I'm just trying to 1) thank IG for prompting me to return the items; and 2) explain why it might be a good idea to source your tools from Brownell's.

[SLR15]

We provide all the tools and punches for Armorer Course Students to use in class, as it is our belief that we like to expose everyone to all the tools possible, that way they can make an educated decision what to purchase.

We also like to point out that people need to purchase tools wisely. This means you get what you pay for, so purchasing quality is usually the best way to go. IMHO, the most important thing to obtain for working on firearms and other machinery where you are dealing with pins, is to purchase a quality set of punches, and those punches need to be the correct ones to use for whatever you are trying to accomplish.

Something else to consider is what you are working on. What we use in Armorer Courses is high end very durable tools and punches that last a long time, some are available on the market like Starrett, Snap-On, Mac, SK, Mayhew, Proto, and many of the punches and tools we use in class are ones that we make in house or obtain from specialty makers.

We train over 1000 Armorers annually, so the punches we choose to use in class are usually heavy duty punches, which hold up well and generally last longer. Keep in mind that all punches can get damaged or break, smaller ones get damaged and replaced lots more often as compared to the larger sizes. I can say that many of our 3/32", 1/8", 5/32" punches that are used in Armorer Courses, have been in service for several decades of 1000+ Armorers beating on them annually.

On the other side of the coin is that you need to consider what you are working on and for what purpose. An example is that if we are working on a customers gun where we need to be very careful not to cause damage to it during modifications and repairs, then we would often times choose a softer punch, the reasoning is that we would rather break or damage a punch versus damage a customers firearm.