doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Gun Vise

Where were you last February, Jim?

Woodworkers has a store near me so I didn't have to pay shipping

I have had one of the Versa Vices, looks just like the Parrot vise. Had it since middle 60's. I drilled and tapped the vise so it does not swivel when I want it solid. I have used it with wood inserts and heavy padding. Made lots of stocks using that vise and I would not want any other for the various uses on holding guns or stocks. When I want more workspace, I simply take it off the base.

Lenard

Jees, years ago I had photos of my garage vise posted here, and I simply can't find the file anymore. But, it is a Wilton 500 machinists vise, (about 80 lbs, if I remember corectly) bolted to a 4 1/2 ft section of 8"X 3/8ths 4140 drawn-over-mandrel (seamless) hydraulic tubing, that would have been used for builting a big hydraulic ram. I welded flanges on both ends to bolt the vise to the ram tube, and the ram tube to the floor, and filled it with about 150 lbs of spent shot, bought at my local range. This makes the whole unit "dead blow". I have, on occasion, mounted a scope with a set of Wilton soft padded aluminum jaws, pressed a U-joint, bent a section of pipe around it, or knocked a tie rod of a center link with it.
You simply can't have too much vise, although there are still two little Red Devils mounted to my bench, simply because it is sometimes nice to have more than one.
If there are good deals on the Wiltons, I haven't found them-mine was $300 about a decade ago. I attended auctions for a year, hoping to score one used, but, they sell for damn near new prices, so I bought one new. The jaws are about 5 inches wide, and it must open to 9 or 10 inches.
Best,
Ted

Sounds like my garage vise Ted. Years ago when my fathers business was moving (we fabricated tools and supplies for pre-stressing concrete) I got the bench vise, a Yost 44, 4" jaws and an 8" throat. I just have mine bolted to the corner of the bench, over one of the 4x4 legs. But when somethings too big for the ones on the gun bench, out to the garage we go.

I understand you have a flange at the base but how is it mounted to the floor? Are there bolt bedded into the floor?

Thanks, Rob

The Bisley vice was designed with the double shotgun in mind. They easily tilt in (about) 15 degree increments. Large padded jaws, coupled with the hand wheel make it difficult to accidently damage a gun by over tightening. The Bisley repro is available from Germany. I read somewhere that the reproduction Bisley vices are made of aluminum. If you work on doubles, my suggestion is, if you can afford two, buy two, as they work even better as a pair. They remove quickly... I almost never use my Versa-Vice unless I'm working on a small metal part.

I would reccomend a Cauldwell lead sled. It works fine as a gun vise and works great for shooting rifles off a bench. I have used it for patternng heavy loads as well. It takes a .458 down to about .308 for recoil. A .308 feels like a .222.

The Bisley is nice but at $250 hardly beats the Parrot.
http://www.bisleyvise.com/Pictures/green-cork-up.jpg

Rob,
Therein lies another story. When I was building the mount, I welded a flange that mated to the vise without it's rotating base installed. At the bottom, I mounted a flange that had 10 holes in a circle that had been tapped for 3/4 inch fine thread bolts-this flange matched exactly a flange welded to another section of hydraulic tubing that had a precision fit pin located in the center, which would give the ability to swing the vise complete with it's mount, yet, eliminate the rotating base on the vise, which, wasn't really up to the duty spec I was looking for. That was going to be mounted in the concrete in the floor of the shop-I planned on tying the structure into the existing concrete, and pouring new around it.
Well, I needed the thing before I had a hole in the shop floor and a final plan for tying it into the concrete, so the shop foreman where I worked gave me some concrete anchors that they use for keeping pallet racking, and printing equipment from moving around on concrete-they have smashed fully loaded fork lifts into them, and never torn one out. Which, is how it is mounted to this day. They look like a bolt with a threaded wedge in the bottom, and are hammered in a hole in the concrete, which leaves a threaded section out of the concrete, which a nut goes onto, pulling the wedge up into the concrete, and bolting the thing down to the floor. Much simpler than what I had planned, and I've never had the need to swing the vise anyway, a good thing, since it is now rigid to the floor.
The Wilton machinists vises are about the best-the vise bar is round, with a straight pull nut, and a keyway machined into the bottom of the bar, that eliminates side to side play on the movable jaw. Lifetime lubed and sealed, to keep crud out of the works, and a meaty anvil. Still made in USA, but, I don't know how long that will last.
Best,
Ted

I just took a look at them on line and see that only three of their lines is still made here, all round bar. Nice piece of work though, I'll have to keep my eye out for one at the local sales.

The Yost is a standard vise, made in Holland, MI and the price was right.

Found this thread while googling vises, these guys are into it!

I'll show you mine if you.....