Best gun vise for hobby smithing?

[CampingJosh]

I'm getting more and more into hobby gunsmithing, and I'm thinking that I need to get one of the various gun vises. Anybody have one that you like a lot? Anyone have one you dislike?

I've been looking specifically at these two, but I could always be talked into something different.
Tipton Best Gun Vise
Lyman Revolution Gun Vise

[Jim K]

Those are often called cradles and are fine for limited duty, like boresighting, stock inletting, or minor work, but I would not use one as my main shop vise for heavier work. Gunsmiths generally have several vises, a light bench vise for work on small parts, a Versa Vise (Multi-Vise) or similar for work on frames and actions, a stockmaker's vise for work on rifle stocks, which is or can be used as a checkereing cradle, a drill press vise with multi adjustments, a huge brute of a vise for barrel bushings, etc. Then there will be really specialty vises like pin vises.

The beginner gunsmith won't need all those, of course, and a lot depends on the type of work to be done. (If you don't do rifle or shotgun stock work, you can skip the woodworkers vises.) Probably the best general vise would be a moderatly heavy bench vise like Brownells Multi-Vise, then invest in several sets of jaws. You will need a soft set (rubber or plastic), a set of brass, then a set of lead. Copper is a good idea also for between brass and lead in softness.

Jim

[Helix_FR]

My favorite vise is a parrot vise.

[CampingJosh]

I have a Wilton shop vise that's in the range of 100 lbs, and a smaller vise that's closer to 15 lbs. I also already have a drill press vise (though on a cheap Delta drill press). Not really interested in the woodworking side at the moment... though I can see myself playing with that sometime in the future.

If the real answer is that the cradles like I posted aren't all that helpful, I'll gladly put my money toward something else. Perhaps that parrot vise or Versa Vise can be had on Ebay for about the same money.

[JLA]

My favorite vise is my 6" machine vise. I use it 90% of the time. the other 10% of the time im using themill vise on the big drill press. Use the cradle for bedding stocks and mounting scopes, and the rest i just hold in my lap.