Gunsmithing tools!

[1911barbershop]

Does anyone know where to buy a nice set of punches, drivers, and a hammer for a fair price? Just need to do a litte home smithing, doesn't need to be top of the line, but I don't want junk either...

[Daycrawler]

I would say Midway USA. Good tools arent cheap and cheap tools arent good! Spend a few extra dollars and get the right stuff. Scratching the finish on your favorite gun will make a lasting impression.

[ARShuter]

Brownells.com

[Lycanthrope]

Sears....

Lycanreallythrope

[kbcobra26]

Sears....

Lycanreallythrope

I second this..

I got from them;

-a small 6oz. mallet with a hard side and a soft side
-miniature screwdriver set
-all different sizes of punches
-calipers/micrometers
-feeler gauge for cylinder gap...

and the list goes on..

[mauser]

I'll go along with the Sears crowd on this one.Your intention is to do a little home smithing, you just need some basic tools as you mentioned. Get the Craftsman brand rather than the Sears and/or whatever their brand for K-Mart is. Craftsman are better quality and the hand tools have a lifetime guarantee.
They have a variety of mallets and hammers, I bought a nice set of Craftsman drift punches and they have a good selection of screwdrivers or the handle and bit screwdriver sets. Their Allen wrenches and files are good quality too and the selection is pretty good. You get to see and hold the tools before you buy and you can use them the day you pay for them instead of waiting for them to be delivered.
If you want to get into more advanced smithing and need specific tools don't try to adapt, go to Brownell's, MidwayUSA, Cabella's or one of the others that carries tools made specifically for gun smith work.

[Xringshooter]

Don't forget to get decent hollow ground screwdrivers. Standard screwdrivers are good for some things but I (myself) would never use them on guns. Standard screwdrivers can cam out of a very tight screw and then "oops" you have a nice scratch or gouge on the gun.

[mauser]

Don't forget to get decent hollow ground screwdrivers. Standard screwdrivers are good for some things but I (myself) would never use them on guns. Standard screwdrivers can cam out of a very tight screw and then "oops" you have a nice scratch or gouge on the gun.

Good point on the screwdrivers.
I was thinking along the lines of very light occasional use, such as swapping stocks, not disassembling actions. Even swapping stocks or other general light duty work would be better served by a good set of drivers made more for guns than general home repair.

Some screwdriver/bit sets have hollow ground or parallel ground bits. That is an important feature when working on guns, a regular tapered tip screwdriver is not a good choice. I have a Chapman set that has a nice selection of parallel ground bits:
http://www.chapmanmfg.com/


Similar sets can be found at Sears, Lowe's, Home Depot etc. Hollow ground is the better choice but some designated drivers are parallel ground. Here's an example of a gunsmithing screwdriver set available from Sears:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...1&blockType=G1.
Kinda pricey, even for Sears, but better than a regular tapered tip driver.

[Xringshooter]

You can get good sets for guns at midway USA and Brownells, I have a Brownells set with the interchangeable tips (I have 4-5 different lengths/styles of tip drivers I use depending on the project).

Just remember, "Buy once, cry once" (ie, don't buy cheap tools, it's just not worth it).

[1911barbershop]

Wow, I never expected so many replies on this one... I don't buy "cheap" tools, I just didn't want to spend the 135$ on a set of top end punches and drivers that snap-on wanted... but now seeing the multiple SEARS posts I believe I will purchase from there....

Thanks everyone for the input and catchy phrases!