rookhawk
AH ambassador
The safari yard sale resulted in a lot of requests for more of these items or backup position on purchases. So here you go.
Item 1: This is the very, very best vise ever made in the USA. The Wilton vise was made in Chicago and Schiller Park, IL. The type is called a "bullet vise" due to their shape, a favorite for gunsmiths because the low profile allows you to work unobstructed from many angles. This one has the swiveling base, rarer and a few hundred dollars more valuable because of it. This vise is internally clean, I had intended to prime and paint it for the shop but each of my work stations already has a WIlton Bullet vise.
How big is it? It's let us say, generous. It's a 5" jaw model, quite rare in that size, and its adjacent for reference to my 3" or 3.5" Wilton "Toddler" (that's what they call the little guy).
Wilton, like everyone else, moved 99% of their production to China and now makes crap. They DO still make the Wilton Bullet Vise, but only in the 4" size, and they cost about $2000. They do not make a 5" anymore in the USA made bullet vise line.
Internal lead screw is great, the vise is smooth, and the jaws stay aligned thanks to Wilton's ingenious keyway system that prevents jaws from yawing incorrectly. Countless custom jaw products have come out and you can swap from textured to smooth jaws, or buy them in copper, brass, or other materials to this day from the community that formed around keeping these vises going. I believe this vise was made in the late 50's but can't remember for sure. (the date stamp is on the dynamic jaw shaft but I didn't feel like taking it out to look)
An AH member can have it for $425 payment due upon purchase, followed up by actual freight charges to your Zip via FedEx Ground. (my company has an account, so we do get discounts) Sorry I can't price it with free shipping, its just that the shipping varies so greatly based on where the buyer lives.
I have three gunsmith's workstations and every one of them has a Wilton bullet vise on it with a swivel base. If you want to do quality work, you need one too. It's simply the best that ever was and they don't make them anymore. The Wilton "Toddler" is not for sale but is photographed with it for perspective on how much more substantial this primary-size vise is.
Item 2: A really lovely gunsmith's chest made in the USA by Gerstner in Ohio. They still make these in America to this day for around two grand. This one is vintage from a gunsmith's estate. It still has the locking key! Its in wonderful condition and just needs some furniture polish. The only thing of note is the leather top handle needs a repair.
It's stuffed with a myriad of gunsmithing tools. A quick glance showed silvers pads, gunsmith's hammers, calipers, sights and springs for a variety of guns, snap caps, other gauges, layout tools, internal bore caliper sets, a folio from a best London gun maker, scope bikinis for a german optic, mauser safety, gun case brass lock hardware, and a lot more stuff. What you see is what you get with it.
$850 and free shipping anywhere in the lower 48 States.
Item 1: This is the very, very best vise ever made in the USA. The Wilton vise was made in Chicago and Schiller Park, IL. The type is called a "bullet vise" due to their shape, a favorite for gunsmiths because the low profile allows you to work unobstructed from many angles. This one has the swiveling base, rarer and a few hundred dollars more valuable because of it. This vise is internally clean, I had intended to prime and paint it for the shop but each of my work stations already has a WIlton Bullet vise.
How big is it? It's let us say, generous. It's a 5" jaw model, quite rare in that size, and its adjacent for reference to my 3" or 3.5" Wilton "Toddler" (that's what they call the little guy).
Wilton, like everyone else, moved 99% of their production to China and now makes crap. They DO still make the Wilton Bullet Vise, but only in the 4" size, and they cost about $2000. They do not make a 5" anymore in the USA made bullet vise line.
Internal lead screw is great, the vise is smooth, and the jaws stay aligned thanks to Wilton's ingenious keyway system that prevents jaws from yawing incorrectly. Countless custom jaw products have come out and you can swap from textured to smooth jaws, or buy them in copper, brass, or other materials to this day from the community that formed around keeping these vises going. I believe this vise was made in the late 50's but can't remember for sure. (the date stamp is on the dynamic jaw shaft but I didn't feel like taking it out to look)
An AH member can have it for $425 payment due upon purchase, followed up by actual freight charges to your Zip via FedEx Ground. (my company has an account, so we do get discounts) Sorry I can't price it with free shipping, its just that the shipping varies so greatly based on where the buyer lives.
I have three gunsmith's workstations and every one of them has a Wilton bullet vise on it with a swivel base. If you want to do quality work, you need one too. It's simply the best that ever was and they don't make them anymore. The Wilton "Toddler" is not for sale but is photographed with it for perspective on how much more substantial this primary-size vise is.
Item 2: A really lovely gunsmith's chest made in the USA by Gerstner in Ohio. They still make these in America to this day for around two grand. This one is vintage from a gunsmith's estate. It still has the locking key! Its in wonderful condition and just needs some furniture polish. The only thing of note is the leather top handle needs a repair.
It's stuffed with a myriad of gunsmithing tools. A quick glance showed silvers pads, gunsmith's hammers, calipers, sights and springs for a variety of guns, snap caps, other gauges, layout tools, internal bore caliper sets, a folio from a best London gun maker, scope bikinis for a german optic, mauser safety, gun case brass lock hardware, and a lot more stuff. What you see is what you get with it.
$850 and free shipping anywhere in the lower 48 States.
Last edited:
. Good snag 
