In this review, we take a look at the Top 5 gun vises on the market. A professional gun vise and maintenance center is a big improvement over the bench vise. A bench vise is not the ideal method of securing your firearm while cleaning it, due to the sharp edges which can scratch sensitive areas of your gun.
Most gun vises come with padding and soft corners to prevent scratching your firearms. The gun vise is designed for basic gunsmithing and cleaning your long guns. In this review, we looked at all of the most popular gun vises on the market and even the not-so-popular ones. You want a gun vise that will easily lock your rifle into place for cleaning and isn’t made of flimsy plastic.
Keep in mind that a gun vise is not shooting rest and should not be used to hold your gun for firing. The ideal use of the gun vise is securing your rifle for cleaning and installing scopes. The built-in maintenance centers on many gun vises allow you to easily keep track of all your tools, gun parts, and cleaning supplies.
Our Comparison List
CTK P3 Ultimate Gun Vise and Shooting Rest
Sometimes there’s a product that comes out that’s so much better than what you’ve used in the past and you get excited. This is one of them!
We bought the CTK gun vise last year and it replaced my old Tipton and I’ve never been happier.
Most people like to do things a certain way and turn it into a habit. But once in a while, something new comes along and it’s time to change those old habits. What I like most about the CTK is that it’s SOLID as a rock and won’t budge an inch.
Also included now is the P3 Ultimate Gun Vise add-on which used to be sold separately but now comes with it. The top image displays what the CTK looks like without the vise attachment and this allows you to use it as a shooting rest.
This gun vise is compatible with a wide range of firearm types including pistols, break-open shotguns, bolt action rifles, and others because it is fitted with various adjustable offset clamps to keep different weapons in an ideal position.
When you attach the vise it will clamp to the 1″ square tubing on the vise. It has a huge crank handle that allows you to tighten the vise. The padding is also great and very soft and you won’t damage your gun.
Features
- Made in the USA by CTK Precision
- No cheap plastic parts – heavy-duty steel construction
- Use for installing scopes and cleaning all firearms
- Protective rubber feet won’t harm work surface.
Optional Attachments
- Shooting Rest Attachment: Converts the Gun Vise to a Shooting Rest in seconds.
- Pistol Post Add-On: Great for laser grip pistols and short barrel revolvers.
Negatives
This gun vise is the Amazon’s choice and has by far the most positive reviews of all other gun vises. I certainly couldn’t think of anything to complain about, so I took a look online to see what others were saying.
The biggest complaint was about the assembly instructions. You can go on YouTube and CTK makes a bunch of high-quality videos to help you get this bad boy assembled in no time. Other than that, the price is fair, the entire vise is the highest quality and I absolutely love mine!
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Hyskore Cleaning & Sighting Gun Vise
Hyskore makes some of the best gun cleaning vises and shooting rests on the market. The majority of their products are shooting rests but this gun vise that they’ve come out with has it all. Made of some very high quality materials, the Hyskore Is about 90%, unlike may of the other cheaper plastic gun vises.
Many of the other big name brands sell a gun cleaning vise that is equal in quality to this one or worse and charge more money, due to the name of their brand.
Once assembled, the Hyskore Cleaning & sighting vise will lock your gun in place and it’s not going anywhere. There aren’t any cheap plastic parts on this vise that will cause your gun to come loose.
One the package it does say, “NOT A SHOOTING VICE!”. If you try to shoot your firearm while it’s clamped down, you will most likely damage either your gun or your gun cleaning vise, or both. The vice is however perfect for cleaning and maintaining weapons or for scope mounting on a wide range of weapon types including extendable magazine rifles.
The built-in cleaning parts try has seven slots, which are molded to fit gun cleaning solvents and brushes. There’s also a nice slot on the side for holding your cleaning rods. Also, there is a built-in level, which comes in very handy if you want to keep your weapon in a perfect position for mounting a scope.
Features
- Welded tubular steel construction
- No cheap plastic parts
- Use for installing scopes and cleaning all firearms
- Built in 4 point sighting level
Negatives
The pictures don’t do this gun cleaning vise justice. I have used it in person and a good friend uses this and told me it’s easily the best gun vise on the market, and he’s used them all. The only thing that could be improved is the plastic cleaning parts try in the center.
It’s made of thin plastic and it should have been made of metal. Overall, nothing but good hings could be said about the gun vise, the only thing that needs improving upon is the plastic parts keeper.
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MTM Gun Vise & Gun Cleaning Station – Best Gun Vise Under $40
The MTM Gun vise and gun cleaning station shows how to make a reliable and inexpensive gun vise. Designed for all rifles and shotguns, this gun vise is made of high quality plastic and includes a cleaning parts tray with 11 compartments and 21 brush holders molded into the unit.
The plastic is polypropylene which is a very high strength reinforced plastic compound and is very rugged. There are better gun vises out there if you want to spend more money but for this price range you’re not going to find a better gun vise. It does an excellent job of holding your firearm in place, in order to easily use your cleaning rod.
Many people are surprised by how well it secures their firearms. You won’t be able to budge it an inch. Also, the gun cleaning station is really nice and has everything you need for holding from your gun cleaning kit.
Features
- Ideal for all rifles and shotguns with 28”+ length
- Plenty of room to store all your cleaning supplies
- Mounted on rubber feet to prevent from moving
- Adjustable clamps to securely hold down your firearms.
Negatives
Overall, this is a very high rated gun vise and one of the best out there for the price. It doesn’t come with instructions, so you will have to go to YouTube and watch them use this is action. There are some great videos and tutorials on how to use this gun vise. The hold is not as good as some of the other gun vises but it will tighten to any long gun you have and no complaints about breaking or anything like that were reported.
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Lyman Revolution Gun Vise – Best Gun Vise Under $60
Possibly the best plastic gun vise on the market, the Lyman is easy to use and easily adjusts much quicker than other gun vises. It rotates and adjusts for you to easily use it for any firearms, including all kinds of pistols. Many of the other gun vises out there don’t adjust small enough to clean a pistol, this one does.
Like all other gun vises, this isn’t mean to be a shooting rest. It’s made of high quality plastic with metal sliders that allow you to adjust it to any length. It’s lighter than most other gun vises, weighing in at under ten pounds.
The real reason we like this gun vise over many of the others is because it’s about half the price. You can perform all your gunsmithing and cleaning and the padded fittings hold your gun very securely.
Features
- Padded clamps for holding all your firearms
- Easily adjusts to fit all firearm lengths
- Plastic parts try clamps on to the center slider
- Easily rotates to clean the bottom of your guns.
Negatives
If you’re on a budget than this is the best gun vise you’re going to find. It has a simple yet effective design. It’s made of plastic and many people seem to prefer metal. The plastic is high quality and there haven’t been any complaints about the plastic breaking or bending. Overall, nothing very negative was said about this gun vise. It does the job and at a great price.
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Tipton – Best Gun Vise Review
When people search for the best gun vise they often see Tipton. This is because the name of this gun vise is ‘Best Vise’ does this mean it’s the best gun vise out there? In this review we’ll take a closer look at the vise and get a little feedback from some people who have actually used this vise and compared it with others.
To start out, the Tipton is not at the top of the list because we feel that it’s not really the best gun vise out there. Or should we say, the highest quality gun vise. Sure, Tipton has a great reputation for cleaning products, mainly their carbon fiber cleaning rods, but that doesn’t mean they are experts in making gun cleaning vises.
It seems to be a bit overpriced for the job that it does. It’s the most expensive gun vise on the list but doesn’t really compare to a few of the others on this list. The entire unit is made of plastic but don’t get me wrong it’s very versatile. You can fit just about any firearm in it and they’re easy to mount and it holds them steady.
It only takes about 10 minutes or so to assemble and it’s pretty easy. One of the problems a lot of people have is the vise. Since the unit is so light it doesn’t really to the best job of holding and does flex from time to time.
Negatives
Many complaints have been made of the light weight and flimsiness of this gun vise. It’s not as sturdy as you need it to be if you’re going to be doing some really hard cleaning on your firearms. It’s made from cheaper plastic than some of the other gun vises and I’m kind of surprised by all of the negative feedback about it online. One other thing is that the price is always changing. One day it will be $130 and the next day it might be $65. So if you want to give this one a try, watch the price for a few days before buying.
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The Importance of a Gun Vise
On the surface, a gun vise might not seem like such an important tool. I mean, you just want to clean your gun, right? Why can’t you do it like you clean everything else? Or better, why not just get it cleaned by a professional?
For gun enthusiasts who value their guns as their closest possessions, the latter option is out of the question. If you want to clean your own gun, just set it up on a table isn’t going to do the job. A gun vise will not only make your gun last longer but will even save you money in the long run.
Provides Gun Stability
As mentioned earlier, of course, it‘s possible to clean your gun without using a gun vise. However, the process will be extremely difficult and haphazard. Setting your gun up on a secure gun vise will give you the right amount of stability to clean it thoroughly.
Reduces Time and Effort on Gun Maintenance
If you clean your gun without a vise, chances are that you’ll have to hold it properly with one hand and use your other hand to clean. A vise takes this problem away and frees up both your hands, thereby reducing the time and effort it would usually take to clean your firearm.
Saves Money on Weapon Care
Who doesn’t want to save a few bucks? When it comes to gun cleaning, however, these few bucks will quickly add up to large sums. If you use the services of a professional gun cleaning service, you might have to spend a lot of money every time.
Another factor is that if you don’t clean your gun properly, you might significantly reduce its lifespan, which will end up costing you again in the long run.
The options mentioned in this list will work for all types of firearms. However, if you’re especially concerned about your gun and want something made specifically for it, there are gun shops that will design and make special vises according to your requirements. Considering the cost of regular cleaning, you’ll still be in the green when it comes to the amount of money you spend on your gun’s maintenance.
Important Features to Look for in Weapon Vises
While searching for a good gun vise, you will quickly see that there are hundreds of different products to choose from. Not all gun vises are worth their salt, and it can be difficult to choose the right product when there are so many.
Here is a quick look at the most important vise features to consider when you are looking for the right tool.
A Solid Clamping Mechanism
A good clamping system that is going to keep your weapon in place while you work is an absolute must.
Metal clamps are usually more durable, but you should be cautious choosing a vise with clamps that have smoothed contours. It may create indentation marks on some of the more delicate wood or ivory parts of your weapon.
Plastic clamps are cheaper and won’t offer the same durability or stable clamp but can be a better option if you are constantly working with antiques or highly engraved weapons.
A Sturdy Frame
Look for a clamp with a strong frame, especially if you are also using the clamp as a shooting platform. In this department, metal vises are always a better option. Plastic vices can, however, be a very good option if you are looking for something temporary, affordable, or something for a smaller weapon that doesn’t have as much recoil.
Adjustability
Weapons come in all shapes and sizes, and it is usually better to invest in a vise that is compatible with everything from your handgun to your rifle.
It is also important to consider the clamping design of your vise. If the vise doesn’t have enough adjustability, it will be difficult to get a good hold on the weapon without the clamps getting in your way.
A more adjustable or customizable design will make it easier to get a good clamp on your weapon so you can install your scope or give it a good clean without any obstacles.
A Built-in Vise Maintenance Center
Maintenance centers on vises sure do come in handy because you can house all of the different accessories in your cleaning kit with ease.
Look for a vise maintenance center with lots of compartments so you can easily store your cleaning cloths, cleaning rods, gun mop, brushes, and solvents, and keep track of driver bits and weapon parts.
The Bottom Line
Picking out a vise for your gun can be a challenging task, considering the overwhelming number of options available on the market. You need something that’s stable, secures your gun properly, and doesn’t cause any scuffing or damage to it. The right vise is a crucial tool in your gun’s cleaning process.
We hope that this article about the best gun vise & maintenance centers of 2021 has helped you make an informed choice about which of these attachments is the right fit for your gun and other requirements. To learn more about similar topics, check out the various buying guides, articles, and reviews on Gun Cleaning HQ.
