Barrel vise for AR15 barrels

[HRnightmare]

I finally added a bolted on vise to my workbench. Previously I had a clamp on one that really only held things down for things with NO tension.

Anyway I want to learn how to build an AR upper and therefore need a barrel vise "holder"?

What kind would you recommend? I have read pros and cons about the NO MAR ones but have the mag well block of that kind and it works flawlessly. I have also heard goods and bads about the aluminum ones.

Recently I saw a guy who made one with 2 small pieces of 2X4 that he added a grippy tape on the inside to keep it from sliding and said it worked just fine.

Opinions?

 

[rcmodel]

I make barrel vice blocks out of hard oak, drilled to fit the barrel.
Then sprinkled with powder rosin before clamping the barrel in them in a four-bolt steel barrel vice.

This is for Very Tight bolt-action barrels, Not AR barrels.

rc

 

[Highcaliber]

What about the Geissele Reaction Rod.

http://geissele.com/reaction-rod.html

 

[MachIVshooter]

May I ask what you need it for? Unless you're installing barrel extensions, there is really no need to hold an AR by the barrel for anything.

To assemble uppers, you need a receiver block. You can buy one, or you can do what I do and use a couple pieces of soft pine in a vise.

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

2nd for Geissele Reaction Rod

 

[wally]

there is really no need to hold an AR by the barrel for anything.

Its best to clamp the barrel when removing or installing flash hiders. But plan old V-blocks and some scrap leather has always been plenty good enough for me. There is not that much torque on the AR flash hiders.

If you are doing more than one the upper receiver clamping block is worth while, but for only doing one, I'd use wood too like I did for my first. Again the barrel nut is only in the 30-70 ft-lb range.