Just wondering what you guys like for AR tools. Especially for an armorers wrench that can be used for castle nuts, barrel nuts, etc.

I like the look and feel of the Magpul one, but wonder if it's worth the price for something I'll use a few times a year at most.

Any thoughts on punch sets? I have a lot of assorted punches, but I'm thinking of a set dedicated for the gun bench. This set looks like it has just about all I'd need.

Thanks

After moving I could not find my AR wrench and made the mistake by buying a cheap aluminum one from Amazon. It cost me a castle nut and I returned it. (Wrench pins were not cast/ground true and didn’t seat well when the wrench was straight). Because I needed a replacement locally, I bought a Wheeler Engineering Delta Series. It was much better quality and steel. It did the job.

Over the last year and a half I’ve done probably 10 or 15 AR builds/changes and I’m finished for now. If I had it to do again I would have gone with a Magpul or Hammerhead wrench. (There are some other good designs around as well).
I helped an old shipmate who has hand impairment/injuries and he had a Magpul wrench. I like the enclosure of the castle nut which allows full engagement of all four pin slots. We had to deal with a castle nut where some goober had used maximum grade lock-tite years ago.
A basic castle nut wrap wrench or cheaper model wrench just didn’t do the job. I’m not a gunsmith, but I found it much easier to manipulate in conjunction with a torque wrench and the enclosure design gave better pin seating inside the castle nut in particular. If you do AR assembly/disassembly regularly a better AR wrench is a logical investment. There is a good resell market for Magpul or Hammerhead wrenches on Ebay if you want to recoup some cash.

(I expect you’ll get a variety of opinions on this, as some folks seek their own paths regarding torque and staking guidelines for castle nuts in particular). I did all of my work by the specs-

I use a very inexpensive castle nut wrench , cannot remember the name brand but it works,

I also use a USGI barrel wrench , one of the combo's that has the notches for flash hider, receiver extension (rifle, not carbine) etc,

1/2 in torque wrench and breaker bar work fine with it


eta, I have built or rebarreled hundreds since the 80's when I learned how to

Rinehart, I hear ya on the torque wrench vs. no torque wrench debate. I'm still on the fence on whether to or not. lol

Right now I'm just changing a couple buffer end plates, but I've been slowly buying parts to do a couple builds while the market is soft so I figure I might want to get something better than basic.

Thanks for the input.

The DPMS AR multi wrench is $36. I have one and it does the job. The punches look like a good value.

http://www.primaryarms.com/dpm...ers-multi-tool-tl-mw

Geissele Reaction Rod is a must have.

JP bore guide for the rare occasions when I use a rod and brush.

+++1 on the Reaction Rod, if you think you might build an upper or swap barrels. Watch Geissele's site during holidays and they'll usually have the Reaction Rod on sale.

quote:

Originally posted by IndianaBoy:
Geissele Reaction Rod is a must have.

JP bore guide for the rare occasions when I use a rod and brush.

I got the Botach/KZ version of the Reaction Rod for half the price, works great. Magpul wrench is also killer.

These Geissele tools are extremely high quality, and low cost for what you get. I wouldnt build an AR without them.

https://geissele.com/tools/gas...k-roll-pin-tool.html
https://geissele.com/tools/gas...k-pin-punch-set.html

The Magpul wrench is REALLY nice as well. The Magpul Bev block as well, multi purpose, works well.

https://www.magpul.com/products/bev-block-ar15-m4

https://www.magpul.com/product...orers-wrench-ar15-m4

The Brownells brand reaction rod is nice and does the same thing for cheaper.
https://www.brownells.com/guns...53686.aspx?rrec=true

My gun tools consist of:
Magpul Armorers wrench - best wrench I ever bought
Magpul BEV block - great upper and lower tool
Kley-Zion spline rod - copy of Geissele Reaction rod but at 50% cost
Wheeler Fat Wrench - have a couple of these indispensable in/lb torque wrenches
Snap-On torque wrench - a good quality ft/lb torque wrench
Wheeler roll pin punch set - I use these so much that I’m on my second set
Wheeler brass punch set - great punch set
Wheeler ring lapping kit - a must have for precision scope setting
McMaster-Carr pin gauge set - invaluable for measuring holes
McMaster-Carr numbered drill bit set - use all the time
Wheeler gunsmith screwdriver set - hollow ground screwdrivers
Harbor Freight mill - makes easy work of drilling and milling parts
Harbor Freight bench vise - have to be able to hold down the work
Lyman trigger gauge - indispensable for measuring trigger pull weight
MagnetoSpeed chronograph - best bullet chronograph I’ve ever used

List does not include cleaning and loading tools.

Which headspace gauge and manual do you guys like?

I’ve a few BCG and I’m buying other parts so I want to make sure they’ll work and be safe.

LRI makes the Mother of all Castle Nut Wrenches:

https://www.longriflesinc.com/...-ruger-rpr-and-ar15s

I also have the Magpul tool which is pretty nice until you have the LRI tool in your hand. Pictures don't do it justice, it's a serious chunk of steel! :-)

I also find a good set of Roll Pin Punches to be very nice for quality work. No slippy scratchy's!

And Starrett Pin punches are enough nicer for me to spend the extra money on them.........dj

 
Can't go wrong with Grace punches, straight, roll pin, roll pin starters, etc. High quality stuff.
 

Some blue painters tape for that blemish free finish.

Another vote for the Magpul Armor wrench.

I found mine on sale at Primary Arms for around 50.00 bucks.

Quality tool for sure and after a AR build or any extended use I use its bottle opener feature to enjoy a frosty beverage !!!

One caveat about the Magpul wrench. The castle nut wrench side only works with rifle buffer tubes. It won’t fit over some pistol buffer tubes. For that, I use an open Tapco wrench.

Besides what's been names already,
A set of dental type pics
Small and large ball peen hammer
Various 2x4 and 2x2 wooden blocks
Ball Allen wrenches
Needle nose pliers
Razor blades
Wheeler bolt catch punch set
A big was magnet duct taped to a long dowel rod
Magnifying bench light
A strong LED shop light over your bench

The Reaction Rod makes life a lot easier. I've ended up loaning it out more than I can count.

I used my Magpul wrench for the first time last night. Much better than older ones I've purchased over the years. Works on a AR10 which surprised me. I also use Reaction Rod and a Brownell rod (for .308 only). The Reaction Rod is the better of the two, more expensive. These items along with a bench vise make barrel install or removal much easier.

Aero uses the BAR style barrel nut for their handguards. Make sure you choose a barrel but wrench that works with BAR.

Magpul will not work with BAR nut, though it is an excellent wrench otherwise. Make sure what barrel nut you have so you match the proper barrel wrench to it.

TAPCO makes a good wrench that has the 3 pins you need for BAR nuts. It’s a multi use wrench as the others.

I found this out when I installed an Aero handguard for the first time.

The MagPul wrench can scratch the buffer tube if your not careful, since it slides down the tube for use.

The Reaction Rod and the Brownells version do the same thing but in different ways. Watch the Brownells video on the product page to understand differences.

Grease for barrel assy. Moly grease. You can use the $3 tube from Wally World.

Blue or Purple loc-tite for small screws/nuts.

As others pointed out.
Proper pin/punch sets
Brass and Nylon tip hammer

I keep a MagPul polymer dummy round for no marrimg on pushing pins.

Gallon size ziplock style baggy for those pesky disappearing flying springs, u can assy some of
the lower within the bag to capture loose springs.

Nice large clean work space. Preferably one that you can leave all your tools and “build” out on incase you have to stop in the middle of assy and walk away to return at a later time. Using the kitchen table doesn’t let you do that.

Light and lots of it. Eventually you will drop something very small and will need to find it to finish your build.