HOLD. TIGHTEN. CLEAN. TEST.

If you’re going to be working on firearms, you must have the essential tools. There’s only so much you can do with your bare hands and a pile of shop rags. To work on firearms, you must be able to do four things: hold them, tighten things, clean up gunk and test them.

You can, if you have the option, turn your basement into a man cave, and make it the perfect gun-working space. However, a lot of us must have basements that are capable of double, triple or even quadruple duty, and, in such a case, tools that can be used both in your home shop or at the range/gun club are even better. You need versatility, adaptability and compactness for multiple-duty use.

So, let’s look at some essential tools in each of these four areas.

TO HOLD YOUR GUNS

Pliers and clamps and duct tape are all useful in their own