TFB Armorer's Bench: New Tools I Saw at SHOT 2024

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I wanted to recap some of the new tools I spied at SHOT Show 2024. SHOT 2024 came, went, and left us with some interesting and exciting new products on the way and already on store shelves. I had the amazing opportunity to attend (my first SHOT) and it was overwhelming, to say the least. At the same time, it was an absolute blast and a great chance to meet folks. Lots of new stuff left and right but I kept my eyes out for anything new under the TFB Armorer’s Bench umbrella of interest. Let’s dive right in!

Here, we at TFB hope to inform, entertain, and even inspire any would-be gunsmith or armorer out there. Ideally, with the information I provide and with the help of our sponsors, you can have some useful knowledge pertaining to the conservation and improvement of firearms technology while at the same time sharing experiences and teaching each other new tips and tricks along the way in the comments. Digging deep into what it is to be an armorer or gunsmith has significance but what is important is what those people do to show they’ve earned that title. I am happy to share my experiences and knowledge and hope it is informative!

Make your personal safety a priority:

1. Practice proper gun safety. Always make sure before the firearm hits your bench that it is unloaded and safe to be handled.
2. Wear the proper safety equipment. The main one would be safety glasses (decent ones) since parts are often under spring tension and you may work with high RPM tools. Other honorable mentions would be latex gloves or a respirator when working with potentially harmful solvents and oils. Also hearing protection when working with loud machinery or test-firing firearms.
3. Modifications, alterations, and customizations will void your firearm’s warranty 9.5 times out of 10. Please take that into consideration before attempting any at-home gunsmithing.
4. If you are unsure about proper safety practices, disassembly procedures, or warranty standards, stop, put down the tools, and consult a competent gunsmith.

Long-time followers of TFB Armorer’s Bench may remember that for the first year or so we had some awesome and generous sponsors. Wheeler and Tipton were both included in that group. New for 2024 Tipton is taking a different approach to their more typical gun vises by making a vice that is much more akin to an actual bench-mounted vise. The Best Gun Vise is made to be maneuverable and spinable. It comes with vise jaws, both padded and grooved. It can be bolted or C-Clamped to a bench and it will be out on shelves in spring of 2024.

Well, there you have it. SHOT 2024 was something very much out of my comfort zone. I’m not a people person by any means but it was an absolute pleasure to be there representing TFB as well as meeting folks I have been speaking to through email for years. Seeing these new tools up close and personal was a treat and I hope with some time as the next few months gain more releases that some may find their way to the bench for some closer looks or reviews. Are there any gunsmith/armorer tools out there you folks are wondering about that may be worthy of a closer look or review article? Drop them in the comments!