This is what I call heavy duty. :idunno: It will handle just about anything I need in the basement. Bought it for $ 25. at a auction years ago. For breeching barrels, etc, well, just about anything I want to do heavy duty, it will handle it.
If you want to heat things in it, forge things on it, hammer, hit, bend, pull, it will take it. Have a similar one outside mounted to a 10' steel top bench on a steel frame that weighs about ? 500# I guess. Between the two, you can do most anything ya want. Out in the shop I have another one similar & it is mounted to a 1000# bench ya have to move with a forklift. Having worked on industrial machinery for 40 years, heavy duty is a must.
However, for
Most.. gun work, these would not be necessary, but still are nice to have.
For breeching barrels & etc., this Wilton vice below will do it as well. This is on my gun bench (along with a Parrot or V Vice). This Wilton came from Lowes & cost ?$ 119. ? I think, this was on sale for $ 99. & i's a 6" jaw Wilton. Pretty good vice for the money. Nice clean sharp jaws & what I consider Medium duty for a shop in the basement.
Not.... something you can beat the H out of or tighten the bejesus out of..... but I feel a pretty good vice for the normal hobby guy.
I use a Parrot or VersaVice because:
1: It is the same height & even with the Wilton, so I can easily hold the rifle I am building with 2 vices & use less pressure on each vice.
2: I can remove it in seconds.... (it's best feature) Small & Light.
3: I use another one like it for knife blade work & actually the reason I wanted it. I can turn it umpteen directions when working a blade & works very well like this & adjusts to ME, rather then me to it. U have the offset piece on it as well to make it more versatile.
It would be Rare I would tilt or rotate it at all when building a rifle. It is basically a stabilizing vice. Before that I had a smaller Craftsman vice & probably built 50 rifles of it & another cheap vice. I swapped out the Parrot vice to get it even with the Wilton. Now I can draw file an entire flat with barrel held in both vices, then swap to another flat & go on. I always use 2 vices when building rifles tho, just so much easier for me & less chance of breaking a forestock or crushing a lock panel & etc.
But it really doesn't matter what ya use, as long as you are satisfied with what you are using.
Keith Lisle