Mounting Tools
Best Gun Vise for Scope Mounting
Quick answer
The best gun vise for most people mounting a scope is the Tipton Best Gun Vise at under $150: padded, adjustable and quick to release. It holds the rifle level and still so both hands are free for the rings and the torque tool. A metal bench vise from Grizzly handles barrels and parts.
A scope that is mounted while the rifle rests on a towel is a scope mounted on a moving target. Rings need to be torqued evenly, the reticle needs to be levelled to the rifle, and the eye relief needs to be set, and all of that is easier when the rifle is held still at a height you choose. A gun vise, or cradle, does exactly one job: it holds the rifle by the stock and forend, padded so nothing marks, so the receiver is free for the rings, bases and tools.
This page ranks gun vises for that job and then adds a separate tier for metal bench vises, because rifle owners who start mounting optics often move on to barrels and parts. Everything here is researched from published specifications and owner reviews, not hands-on testing. Grizzly does not sell gun vises or cradles, so the three tiers below are Amazon products; the Grizzly metal bench vises sit in the last section with an Amazon counterpart on each card.
On this page
Best budget gun vises
A first vise needs to hold a rifle level and not mark the stock. Both of these do it in polymer for far less than a steel-frame vise, and both double as a cleaning stand.
MTM GV30 Gun Vise
Under $50A single cam lever clamps the rifle, and the compartments hold bits and patches. Made in the USA from solvent-resistant polypropylene.
Best for: A first gun vise for optics mounting and cleaning
Check price on Amazon
Hoppe's Gun Vise
Under $100Locking front and rear supports hold a rifle without scratching it, with compartments in the body for tools.
Best for: Occasional mounting and cleaning
Check price on AmazonBest buy-once gun vises
The mid tier adds adjustability and a firmer grip, which matters when you are torquing a screw against the rifle's weight.
Tipton Best Gun Vise
Under $150Independent quick-release cam blocks accommodate different stock shapes, with an L-shaped center support and offset rear clamps.
Best for: Anyone mounting more than one scope
Check price on Amazon
Birchwood Casey Securelock Gun Vise
Under $100A steel frame with leveling feet, non-marring pads and top mounting provisions, collapsing for storage.
Best for: A rigid frame that stores flat
Check price on AmazonBest bench-mounted gun vises
The top tier bolts to the bench, which is what makes it rigid enough for a torque tool and for serious gunsmithing.
Tipton Ultra Gun Vise
Under $250Independently adjustable non-slip feet, ball-and-socket clamp pads and a steel tube frame, with removable trays.
Best for: A permanent bench setup
Check price on Amazon
Tipton Best Gun Vise 360
Under $150A ball head that moves the rifle to any angle, with non-marring urethane jaws, and a bolt-down base. The maker lists it for gunsmithing and scope mounting.
Best for: Reaching every side of the rifle
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Skip the bench-mounted tier if you mount one scope every few years. A budget cradle holds the rifle just as still for that job, and the bolt-down vises only pay off in a shop with a permanent bench.
The metal bench-vise tier: Grizzly and Amazon
A padded gun vise holds a whole rifle. A metal bench vise holds a part, a barrel in a protective insert, or a fixture. If you only mount optics you can stop at the tiers above, but once you start pulling barrels or fitting parts, a bench vise is the next purchase. Each card below pairs a Grizzly vise with an Amazon counterpart, and says when to pick which. The wider bench setup is in home gunsmithing bench setup.
5 inch swivel-base bench vise
- Grizzly:
- 5 in Industrial 360-degree Swivel Base Drop-Forged Workbench Vise (T33818)
- Amazon counterpart:
- PONY 5-Inch Heavy-Duty Bench Vise with Swivel Base and Anvil
The Grizzly T33818 is a 5 inch industrial drop-forged vise with a 360-degree swivel base. The Amazon pick is the same size class in gray iron, with an anvil.
Do I need this? For holding parts and a barrel in an insert. Not for holding a whole rifle.
Pick Grizzly when you want a forged vise. Pick Amazon when you want a general bench vise in the same size.
5 inch multi-jaw rotating vise
- Grizzly:
- 5 in Multi-Jaw Rotating Bench Vise (T27893)
- Amazon counterpart:
- Forward DT08125A 5 Inch Bench Vise with 360 Degree Swivel Base and Head
The Grizzly T27893 is a 5 inch multi-jaw rotating bench vise, owner-rated 4.3 across 12 reviews. The Amazon pick is a ductile-iron 5 inch vise with a rotating head and three jaw sets.
Do I need this? When you need to clamp round or odd-shaped parts. A barrel still needs a protective insert or barrel vise.
Pick Grizzly when you want a multi-jaw rotating vise. Pick Amazon when you want the same idea in ductile iron with built-in pipe and V jaws.
What a gun vise has to do
A gun vise for scope mounting should hold the rifle level, grip without marring, and leave the receiver clear, with a rigid base mattering more as the torque you apply goes up.
Shooter convention
| Feature | Why it matters | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|
| Non-marring pads | A scratched stock or barrel is permanent | Every pick on this page |
| Adjustable height and spread | Different stocks and forends need different support points | Tipton Best, Tipton Ultra |
| Quick release | Lets you flip the rifle without loosening everything | Tipton Best, MTM GV30 |
| Bolt-down base | A rigid base resists the force of a torque tool | Tipton Ultra, Tipton 360 |
| Storage compartments | Keeps small screws and bits within reach | MTM GV30, Hoppe's, Tipton Best |
Based on the maker listings. We have not tested these vises.
How to set the rifle in the vise
Place the rifle so the stock and forend rest on the padded supports with the action roughly level and the scope's mounting area clear. Tighten the clamps only until the rifle stops moving, because a gun vise holds by friction and extra force marks a finish. Set the height so you can see the top of the rings without leaning over them, and so the muzzle points down range or at a wall, never toward a doorway. If the rifle has a magazine, remove it, and keep the bolt out if the instructions for your rifle allow. A rifle in a vise is still a firearm, and it is still checked as unloaded every time it comes back out of the case.
Cradles that bolt to the bench also let you work with one hand while the other holds a screwdriver or a torque tool, which is the practical reason the expert tier exists. If your bench is a shared kitchen table, a free-standing cradle is the sensible choice, since bolting a vise to a surface you do not own is a poor idea.
Level the rifle, then the reticle
The vise holds the rifle still, but it does not make it level. Use a level such as the Wheeler Engineering Level-Level-Level Mounting Tool with Magnetic Base on the rifle and a second reference on the scope, then torque the ring screws in stages with a tool such as the Fix It Sticks All-In-One Torque Driver Kit, 15 to 65 inch-lbs, with T-Way Wrench. The full sequence is in how to mount a riflescope, and the torque comparison is in best torque wrenches for scope mounting.
How we chose
We did not test these optics in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets, published optical and ballistic formulas, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real objective diameter, a real tube size, a real ring height or a real exit pupil rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its capability actually belongs. Where a figure is shooter convention rather than a sourced number we label it, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it out instead of estimating it.
Sources
- Tipton, MTM, Hoppe's and Birchwood Casey listings for the gun vises shown, read through the Amazon Creators API
- Grizzly Industrial listings for the T33818 and T27893, as published on grizzly.com
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a gun vise to mount a scope?
No, but it helps. A vise holds the rifle level and still so both hands are free for the rings and the torque tool. You can mount a scope on a rolled towel, but a cradle makes levelling and torquing more repeatable and protects the stock.
What is the difference between a gun vise and a bench vise?
A gun vise is padded and holds a whole rifle by the stock and forend. A bench vise is metal and holds parts or a barrel in an insert. A rifle should not go in a bench vise's bare steel jaws, because a bare jaw can mark the finish and bite into the stock, so anything metal needs protective inserts first.
Does Grizzly sell gun vises?
Not that we found. Grizzly sells metal bench vises, such as the T33818 and T27893, which are for parts and barrels. For a padded rifle cradle you will need an Amazon pick like the ones above, and the cards in the bench-vise section show where each Grizzly vise fits alongside them.
Is a bolt-down gun vise worth it?
If you have a permanent bench and work on rifles regularly, yes, because a rigid base resists a torque tool better. For occasional mounting a free-standing cradle holds the rifle just as still.
Can a gun vise damage my rifle?
Any clamp can if overtightened. Use only the padded contact points, do not clamp on the scope or on a thin barrel, and tighten only enough to hold. Follow the maker's instructions for your rifle.
Do I need a level once the rifle is in the vise?
Yes. The vise holds the rifle still but not level. Level the rifle first, then level the reticle to it, then torque the rings in stages, because the vise holds the rifle still but does nothing to tell you which way is level.
As a Grizzly Industrial affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. See the affiliate disclosure.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, published optical and ballistic formulas, and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are shooter convention rather than sourced numbers, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Ballistic figures come from a point mass model using the ballistic coefficient the maker publishes, so treat them as a starting point and confirm them on paper at a measured distance. Confirm your firearm is unloaded with the action open before you mount, level, torque or bore sight anything. Verify a zero only on a supervised range or a safe, legal backstop, know what lies beyond your target, and follow the law where you hunt and shoot, including rules on land access and permitted cartridges.
