CTK Precision’s P3 Ultimate Gun Vise
Occasionally, we will have a company from the firearms industry run an ad, then quit abruptly when we explain we do not write editorial in support of advertising and we don’t post thinly disguised press releases as articles. You’d be surprised by what is normal practice in this industry when it comes to the relationship between publications and advertisers. Curt Knitt of CTK Precision knew the Real Guns guidelines, ran an ad and still submitted his product for review; now there’s a guy with a lot of confidence in a product and, as it turns out, that confidence was well founded.
We indicated we would review the product on two conditions; 1) We would receive a sample of the product that could be returned after evaluated, 2) The review would be accurate and reflect our direct experience. We’re glad we had the opportunity. This is a tough industry and new products, particularly those originating with new companies, sometimes get lost in the shuffle. We are always looking for good products and services to recommend to site visitors as well as bad ones to report.
If you can get past my less than stellar photography, you’ll notice the P3 Gun Vise is quite different from other products that are designed primarily as a cleaning cradle. Rather than a honking piece of plastic that looks like a multi drawer tackle box gone awry, the P3 is compact. It still provided wide base steady support and open access to virtually every part of a firearm, just more efficiently. I have a Tipton molded plastic cleaning station I rarely use because it’s bulky and has little capability of adjusting to a variety of firearms. In preparation for this review, I used the P3 during inverted disassembly of a 48″ Mossberg shotgun and as a steady rest while I repaired a rear sight on my 40″ long Model 38 Mosin-Nagant. Finally, I readjusted the vise and used it for support while fitting a Weaver mount base to a Ruger Bisley revolver. The vertically adjustable front “V” support, and the horizontally and vertical adjustments of the rear clamping vise, provided an optimal configuration for each gun.
Things were going along too smoothly, so I dragged out a big 416 Weatherby Euromark, a gun with ’60s flamboyantly styled forearm and exaggerated Monte Carlo comb, that fits into virtually no gun vise. I was able to slide the rear vise forward and secure the gun by the grip area and, alternately, slide the vise rearward, the rifle slightly forward, and grip the flat of the buttstock behind the cheekpiece. The front support pad conformed to the square profile of the forearm and adjusted for a slightly muzzle down attitude for cleaning. I went on to remount the gun’s scope and bore sight after readjusting the front support of the vise to level the gun.
I wanted to include this picture to show the P3’s compactness, but also how wide the stance is set. There was a lot of thought put into the product and Curt, was very open and specific in response to our questions. In overview, the unit is fabricated from MIG welded 16 gauge mild steel square tubing. It has a nicer frame than my Harley. The whole unit weights 8 1/2 lbs on our scale and is 18 1/4″ wide x 25″ long when fully assembled and extended. Taken down, it fits in a box of approximately 6″x6″x24″ dimensions.
Unlike the Mossberg, I just purchased, nothing is cheap about the U.S. made P3 vise. The e-coat finish means durability and uniform inside and out protection of all parts. The foam pads are coated and all of the open tube ends are capped to prevent damage to firearms and hands. Nylon locknuts are used in securing the main frame members while permitting quick disassembly. As a practical matter, the unit is light enough and small enough to keep assembled and hanging out of the way a peg board. The three leg design is exceptionally steady and easy to adjust for level.
Summary
I can make only a couple of comments about use and suggestion for improvement, and these are really picky as the unit operated trouble free as designed. I found it works best to lock the rear vise after making a gun length adjustment, before fully tightening the buttstock in the vise. Probably just common sense, but it makes the unit lock up rock solid. If there was an improvement, based solely on my abuse and misuse of equipment – I’d like to see a Velcro secured piece of webbing that wraps over the barrel at the front support to further secure the barrel of a gun.
The product ships with complete instructions and a spare parts list, just in case you are gas welding scope mounts to your gun, overshoot with the flame and melt a plastic knob. I don’t see these parts failing in normal use. Curt has lots of plans for the product, so I can see this growing into a really handy shop system even in the short term. At $129 MSRP the P3 Ultimate Gun Vise is more than competitively priced. If you like nice guns, good tools and well made equipment, the P3 is the Ultimate Gun Vise to own.
To purchase or for further information, contact:
Web site: www.CTKPrecision.Com
Phone Number: 715-754-2891
Original Review: Real Guns