Raise your hand if you’ve ever juggled a long gun while installing accessories, only to discover that you just can’t do it with the number of paws you were allocated at birth. Or perhaps you’ve held that same long gun between your knees while wrenching on a difficult part. Perhaps you’ve tried to level a new scope using only your hands, knees, and a rail-mounted bipod. Or maybe you’ve tried bore sighting your rifle on a pile of laundry. I’ve done all those and more. But I finally got tired of improvising and bought myself a Tipton Best Gun Vise.
Tipton Makes Life Easier
I quickly wondered why I didn’t buy one sooner. Guns are literally my job and my primary hobby, so most days find me monkeying with something, whether it be an optic, rail accessory, or just plain old cleaning. I’m not exaggerating when I say my Tipton vise lowers my stress levels. It also saves me time.
Not only does it firmly hold my firearms pretty much any way I want, but the vise also features convenient trays to hold tools, parts, or supplies. I have a very bad habit of dropping screws. The smaller they are, the more likely I am to drop them. Most times I find them. Sometimes I don’t. But working over this vise makes it more likely that those screws, or whatever small part I’m bound to drop, will land safely without bouncing across the room.
Dozens of Configurations
I used to have a cheap gun support, it wasn’t a vise, that I tried to use for a while. But I soon found that it couldn’t adequately accommodate long guns with pistol grips. So, it was useless to me at least half the time. And it didn’t work for handguns at all.
But my Tipton Best Gun Vise works with everything. The molded polymer base features a channel running down the center. The three support components slide back and forth through the channel, providing support wherever you need it. The channel is aluminum lined so it won’t wear with use.
One support, which usually stays in the middle but doesn’t have to, can be set for tall or short, meaning pistol grips are not a problem, and it can support a partially disassembled AR with only the rear takedown pin removed. I included a photo so you can see what I mean by that. That same function is also great for break-action shotguns.
Any of the support components can be removed if you don’t need them and all are adjustable for height, one way or another. This vise can literally handle any size of personal firearm, except perhaps a Barret sniper rifle. And, honestly, it could probably do that in a pinch.
I easily set the components, which can be flipped forward and backward, for whatever gun I need, including handguns. This vise makes it easy to bore sight any kind of gun I want. Installing scopes and accessories is now a breeze, as is cleaning.
Solid and Non-Marring
The rear clamps are offset at slightly different heights for maximum compatibility with numerous stock configurations. The non-marring contact areas are large and offer a solid grip. These are screw-tightened and then secured with locking clamps. The rest surfaces on the center and front components are also non-marring and they provide a positive grip. The front support component is V-shaped, as is part of the center component. Once again, all these components slide forward and backward and are height adjustable.
The chemical-resistant polymer base is rugged and stable. The base rests on four rubber grip feet for solid purchase on your workbench or kitchen table. The Tipton Best Gun Vise is very light and portable. I easily carry it to wherever I need it.
My Go-To Helper
I use my Tipton Best Gun Vise several times a week, at least. I love its convenience and easy adjustment and I especially appreciate the non-marring grip surfaces. If I had to, I could lay washcloths in the vise, but I don’t. I don’t worry so much over my AR and AK rifles, but I have several nice hunting rifles, and I’d rather not ding them up unnecessarily.
This thing is just downright useful for most anything I do with firearms. I expect I could use it as a shooting support if I wanted, but I have no plans to try it. I mainly keep it set up on a table in my bedroom, where I do most of my firearm maintenance. You can do that stuff when you’re an old, single guy.
This vise has been one of my best firearm-related purchases and I highly recommend it. It sure beats sitting on the edge of my bed during COVID, balancing an AR-10 on my lap, with the bipod on my nightstand, trying to level a new scope. I got it done, but it was a pain. Of course, it was COVID, so I had time. But it would have been a lot better with this Tipton vise. Now that I’ve wised up, I won’t have to do that stuff again. If that resembles you in any way, maybe consider getting one of your own. You’ll be glad you did.
