Essential Tools For A Rifle Shooter

Birchwood Casey The Weekender

I've been using the heck out of this kit at my bench, at the range and on the set of Handguns & Defensive Weapons — drifting AR pins, moving iron sights, opening tiny battery compartments, working on buggered scope screws. It's worth it for the punch set and the brass/nylon hammer alone, the latter's handle serving as a driver for the Torx, Allen, flathead and Phillips bits (which fit in the left side of the kit). And those little jeweler's screwdrivers will see a lot more use than you might think. The plastic tray that houses the tools is a bit on the flimsy side, but so far it and the plastic outer case have lived up to the abuse of being shoved in a range bag and banged around in travel.

$30, birchwoodcasey.com

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Warne RT-1

Handy scope tool or handiest scope tool ever? I'm voting for the latter. I mount a ton of scopes at home and at the range, and the RT-1 Range Tool has become indispensable — to the point I'm thinking about getting a second one so an RT-1 is always on my bench and one is always in my range bag. I have yet to find a scope ring or base screw it won't work on, and it's handled all but one tiny turret screw so far. Plus it's red. Laugh if you will, but the color makes it easier to find in the depths of a crowded bag. Six Allen, three Torx, a flathead (which I wish was a little bigger), a Phillips and a punch.

$20, WarneScopeMounts.com

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MTM Case-Gard Cleaning Rod Case

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On any given range trip I might have three to four rifles of different calibers with me, and when accuracy testing I clean every time I switch ammo, so when I saw MTM Case-Gard's cleaning rod case, I knew it would be perfect — a far better alternative than chucking rods loose into the back of my 4Runner. Now my .22, 6.5 and .30 caliber rods are in one place, making it easier to shuttle them from range gear to bench, and it keeps them clean and protects them from damage as well. At 47.5 inches long, it fits all but one of the rods I own, and interior foam keeps them secure.

$30, mtmcase-gard.com