Cowboy Campfire - February 2007
Howdy friend and welcome back to the Brownells Cowboy Campfire – grab yourself a spot to sit and something to sip on, and we’ll have a chat about some of the essentials that make our sport of shooting from the cowboy period more exiting! Glad you could make it again and if this is your first time here, we hope you become a regular. We keep this here affair on the light side, since ol’ Badlands is not a gunsmith – I am an active shooter like many of you folks. Since I have the added benefit of being signed-up under the Brownells brand, I am able to attend cowboy events all over this great nation. It’s at these shoots that we get feedback on what your wants and needs are. We bring all them notions back here to Montezuma, where we can discuss them together. That’s how the current discussion began – folks have been asking me to go over the basics of how to get a firearms work bench ready for routine duty so they could work on their irons, too. Well sir, I am happy to oblige, so here is Part Two on that subject.
As I said at the beginning in Part One, I only present ‘some’ ideas on what I consider ‘essentials’ for your gun bench. Other pardners will have other ideas of what has worked best for them, and those are great ideas, too. The products selected for our discussion are the result of my experiences as well as extensive feedback from literally hundreds of you folks; either via your buying habits, or, in person at the events we attend.
Last month, we ended our discussion with a good bench vise and set of jaw inserts to protect the metal finish. We also covered a good bench mat option, as well as gunsmith hammer, screwdriver set, punch set, and pin alignment set. Each of these is truly a ‘basic’ (yet essential) tool for your gun bench. This month, let’s begin with
Brownells Nylon Bench Block (#928-100-000). This block measures 2.5” in diameter, 1.5” high, and has a handy v-groove as well as four holes in various diameters. Those holes are just perfect when you are driving pins out of the receiver or other parts. Not only do they provide a ‘channel’ for the pin to travel in during removal, the pin is captured when it finally falls free. No more rooting around on the bench or floor looking for that rascal – just lift the block and there she is! At 4.5 ounces, it is lightweight and I have one on my bench as well as another one in my gun cart. That way, if I have a problem at the range or a member of my posse does, I have my block ready for use. These are inexpensive and well worth your consideration as a ‘bench basic’.
For my next recommendation, some of you will think Badlands here plumb fell from his mule and cracked his head on a boulder, but I promise you, if you have an
OptiVisor (#255-002-000), you likely wonder how you ever got by without it. For gunsmith work, it is invaluable for getting a clear, close-up look in small areas, or, where ‘close’ isn’t good enough – such as hammer-sear engagement. You will find a hundred and one uses for this around the house too, whether for splinter removal or seeing if that tick’s head actually did stay in your flesh! These devices come in a variety of magnifications and one or more will fit your need perfectly. Another hobby of mine is manufacturing jewelry and this is the only optical aid I use in setting precious stones – it is that good. Many engravers rely on OptiVisor, so you know it is a trusted product. (Hey, take a real look at some of those screw heads you played with before you got the Brownells professional screwdriver set! Now you see why an angled blade is no dern good!)
The next essential to discuss is one many folks only think of only for cleaning firearms. While they are correct, I also think of a cleaning rod as a ‘safety tool’. Just as in reloading ammunition, all gun work involves safe ‘habits’ and, following these good habits to the letter of the law is critical. One of my habits is something I do when I bring a long gun to my bench to work on; I open the action to see it is empty. Next, I insert a cleaning rod through the muzzle end and run the rod into the open action to clearly ‘prove’ the firearm is unloaded. If you’ve been around the shooting sport long enough, you have heard stories of a number of different accidents – some you scratch your head over. So for me, the cleaning rod serves more than one purpose – the first being safety. That’s one reason I consider it a bench essential.
As with all the other products we discussed thus far, I am looking for a cleaning rod that will give me faithful service for many years. Shucks, we can run to Bubba’s Big Box Store and find one for less than $10 – we can maybe even find a whole cleaning kit for $4.95 – but, you get what you pay for; if you are lucky. Didn’t pay much? Don’t expect much. There are several excellent cleaning rod manufacturers out there and one of my favorites is Dewey. These folks have been around a long spell and have built a reputation with high quality product that stand the test of time. There are various stock numbers, and page 21 of
Cowboy Catalog #3 has the most popular ones for our sport (don’t have your Cowboy Catalog yet? Go to
www.brownells.com and order your free copy today). I like these rods for a number of reasons. First, there’s the ball bearing supported handle that rotates freely and smoothly. I like the nylon coated steel rods – the nylon coating protects the lands and grooves while the steel rod resists flexing as the rod moves through the barrel. And, I really like the fact that ‘one size does not have to fit all’. Yep, I could get along fine with one rod for handguns, one for rifle, and one for shotgun (with a solid, non-rotating handle) – lots of folks do and nothing wrong with that. But for me, I like a rod made for my smaller bores as well as one designed for my .45 caliber rifle. As noted earlier, there are excellent products from several suppliers for you to select from. Page 284 in the
big book has offerings from Pro-Tech International, Boretech, and Tetra. Each has its own features and benefits and our customers tell us that any of these products makes for an excellent choice.
Since you want to keep your bench organized, I recommend
Brownells Cleaning Rod Rack (#080-000-035) as a basic. You’ve invested in rods that you want to get years of use from – here is the way to keep them organized and out of harms way. This rack is 12” long and finished in green powder coat paint, and, it holds six rods securely. There is even a safety lip to keep the rods form slipping out. The aluminum rack attaches quickly via the two attachment holes and this will be a fine addition to your work area.
Much of the activity at our gun bench centers on the chore of keeping our guns cleaned and ready for the next trip to the field. To better accomplish this, we need a cleaning cradle to support long guns for easier cleaning. Here are a few for you to consider and each has its own features and price points. The
Gun Cradle (#612-001-000) is well made and heavy duty. It features oak veneer on the base and supports as well as rubber feet to keep it from sliding around. At 8 pounds, it has enough weight to give it a feel of robustness and it can readily double as a sighting cradle. The hardwood clamp mechanism is padded with leather to protect the finish of your firearm. At 27” in length and 8” in width, it has a footprint that is made for heavy use.
Next, from Stoney Point Products, we have their
Cleaning and Maintenance Cradle (#829-000-004). This is a lower price point item but still rigid. The length is 14.25” with a 6.75” width, and the thermoplastic cradles are over-molded with soft, non-marring rubber. There are two aluminum rods that connect the cradles and this allows fast size adjustment and disassembly.
Two products I would point out from the folks at MTM are their
Portable Maintenance Center (#574-101-000) and
Gunsmith’s Maintenance Center (#574-101-530). As their names imply, each is designed for a different purpose. The portable center is 21.25” long while the Gunsmith version is 29.5” in length. Both units are made from Polypropylene plastic and the portable models legs store in the base, while dust covers keep supplies secure during transportation. The Gunsmith model is open top for easy access.
Folks, these are some of the basics I see a new shooter needing. We didn’t go into cleaning items other than the rod and cradle, but that could be a whole other subject for another Campfire. As with any sport, the shooter does not need to run out and get every item at once. If I had only one item I could choose from the list we covered in this series, it would be the same item I jumped on 40 years ago – the professional screwdriver set from Brownells.
Keep your aim straight and your belly full!