Does anyone know who makes the highest quality in spec roll pin punches for use on the AR (not Brownells, they are out of stock and not always in spec)?
Good luck I’ve been looking for the same for awhile and lowes, home depot, auto parts stores, sears hardware nor ace hardware have them. I ended up making my own from regular punches. I just chucked it up in a drill press and by using a sharp little file turning the tips down to what I needed. It worked out just fine.
The Starrett punches that Brownells sells are very good and I have never had a problem with them. I use them at home and in my armory. I think that Snap-On has punches as well, but don’t know for a fact.
S-K tools has a set.
http://www.mytoolstore.com/sk/sk03201.html
Midway USA has a Lyman set.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=191653
Special Armament Warehouse
www.sawlesales.com
I just ordered a 5/64" from Snap-on. I hear they make good stuff. 
I use the brass set from brownells…very good quality and made in the usa…
Starrett. You can order them from many mail order companies. Try J & L or Kendeco.
I use the Brownells ones as well.
snap on has great tools, if you break it, just find one of the trucks and they will replace it free, gotta love american made steel tools with a life time gaurantee
snap-on has some i just spent 95bucks on 9 of them
Holy crap! $95 for 9 punches? Do they drive the pins for you while you sit back and drink a beer? Them must be some GOOOOODD punches. Enjoy!
I think I’ll stick with the Brownell’s for like $25.
-RD62
lol they are mainly for my job as a auto technician not just guns
My brother works as an auto mechanic and has a lot of snap-on stuff as he says the others just don’t hold up. I just can’t see the punches being that different, but then I rarely work on my car and only hobby tinker with guns, so I guess I probably wouldn’t. Enjoy those punches!
-RD62
Have you tried our AR tools?
The ADCO punches are nice. I especially like the gas tube roll pin punches.
I just bought a set of 8 Starrett punches in the “old school” wood container on eBay for $45… Not the best, but darn good stuff!
You can never go wrong buying QUALITY TOOLS, especially IMPACT tools like punches…
The cheaper set I bought from Brownell’s did OK until you start using the smaller punches. That is where the quality steel and hardening come into play…
Rmpl
Starrett has some great stuff.
Hello:
I like Mayhew Tools Roll Pin Punches the best.
You’ll find’em here, about half way down the page.
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNPDFF?PMPAGE=2291&PARTPG=GSDRVSM&PMT4NO=36357455&PMITEM=06522999&PMCTLG=00&PMT4TP=*LTIP
That’s the damn truth.
I own punches (but not all roll pin punches) from Snap-On, Lyman, Mayhew, Starrett, Craftsman, Brownells, and maybe some others. The best are Starrett. That’s hard for me to say because I’m a huge Snap-On fan. Coming in a close second would be Snap-on. In my opinion, nothing else is close to these two in quality. Don’t get me wrong, you can get away with cheapies but, if you want the best go with one of these two.
I don’t like Mayhew because the very noticable machine marks that go around the shaft (of everyone that I’ve seen) can easily scratch or mar the piece you’re working on as you are tapping the punch through a hole.
My Lyman roll pin punches came in a 4 pack (Lyman product #7031277) and might be the best $12 I ever spent.
I’ve used Proto too and they are very good. Craftsman punches sort of suck but, they are cheap and easy to get.
Joe Mamma