TFB Armorer's Bench: Closer Look - Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by Wheeler, Tipton, Caldwell, and Frankford Arsenal, I decided to take a closer look at the Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat since it is in the negatives outside here in MN and I am sure I would freeze solid in my little workshop so bear with me. Let’s dive right into the Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat!

Welcome to our recurring series of Armorer’s Bench which is made possible and brought to you by Wheeler, Tipton, Caldwell, and Frankford Arsenal who are our sponsors. Here, we at TFB hope to inform, entertain, and even inspire any would-be gunsmith or armorer out there. Ideally, with the information I provide and with the help of our sponsors, you can have some useful knowledge pertaining to the conservation and improvement of firearms technology while at the same time sharing experiences and teaching each other new tips and tricks along the way in the comments. Digging deep into what it is to be an armorer or gunsmith has significance but what is important is what those people do to show they’ve earned that title. I am happy to share my experiences and knowledge and hope it is informative!

Make your personal safety a priority:

1. Practice proper gun safety. Always make sure before the firearm hits your bench that it is unloaded and safe to be handled.
2. Wear the proper safety equipment. The main one would be safety glasses (decent ones) since parts are often under spring tension and you may work with high RPM tools. Other honorable mentions would be latex gloves or a respirator when working with potentially harmful solvents and oils. Also hearing protection when working with loud machinery or test-firing firearms.
3. Modifications, alterations, and customizations will void your firearm’s warranty 9.5 times out of 10. Please take that into consideration before attempting any at-home gunsmithing.
4. If you are unsure about proper safety practices, disassembly procedures, or warranty standards, stop, put down the tools, and consult a competent gunsmith.

The Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat is one of those seldom utilized “tools” on most workbenches. This is mostly because at heart it is a chunk of fabric with an eye-catching design on it. Aside from that candid piece of admission I genuinely believe most would be gunsmiths or armorers would welcome this since it does actually help with the task at hand. The Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat features a disassembled and labeled mil-spec AR15. That’s handy in itself to reference but the real purpose of these mats lies in them being a cushion and absorber.

The MSRP of the Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat is currently at $31.99. The Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat covers a decent chunk of my workbench and there have been times it has even felt too long. Perfect size for a majority of the long guns out there. It is a very soft material and has plenty of cushion for guns with wooden stocks that can easily be scratched or dented by an uncovered workbench. My measurements of the mat come out to roughly 48 inches long by 20 inches wide. The thickness of the fabric is about ⅛ inch.

The Wheeler Delta Series AR-15 Maintenance Mat is perfect for any AR-15 owner. It features a screen printed expanded view of an AR-15 Carbine to easily identify the parts of your rifle. The Mat is made of a dark gray non-marring padded neoprene material with a durable non-skid rubber backing to protect firearm finishes while helping to keep track of small parts. Excess oils and solvents are absorbed into the mat, keeping the surface clean and dry. Each mat is machine or hand washable with mild detergent and water, and can be rolled up to easily fit in your range bag.

That is all for today folks! The Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat is a modest tool for a workshop but the idea or purpose of it is a necessary one. I know a simple thing like the Wheeler AR Maintenance Mat is a rather mundane topic so I appreciate you guys tuning in and bearing with me. Hopefully, soon it will warm up to above zero outside so I can move forward with some fun projects that I have had in the works for a while one of which is the assembly of an AR15 (we still have that disassembled Smith & Wesson in a box) and also common AR15 upgrades. Once again I’m putting it to you guys to think up some common upgrades to your run-of-the-mill AR15. Let us know in the comments below! Take care and be kind. See you all next time!

As always, thank you for reading TFB! Be safe out there, have fun while shooting, and we will see you next time for the TFB Armorer’s Bench brought to you by Wheeler, Tipton, Caldwell, and Frankford Arsenal! Also, let us know what you think in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

The Wheeler Delta Series AR-15 Maintenance Mat is perfect for any AR-15 owner. It features a screen printed expanded view of an AR-15 Carbine to easily identify the parts of your rifle. The Mat is made of a dark gray non-marring padded neoprene material with a durable non-skid rubber backing to protect firearm finishes while helping to keep track of small parts. Excess oils and solvents are absorbed into the mat, keeping the surface clean and dry. Each mat is machine or hand washable with mild detergent and water, and can be rolled up to easily fit in your range bag.

Ultra Kit includes: AR-15 AR Armorer’s Vise, AR-15 Combo Tool, Torque Wrench, AR-15 Armorer’s Bench Block, AR-15 Roll Pin Installation Tool Kit, Upper Vise Block Clamp with Gas Tube Alignment Tool, Maintenance Mat with Exploded AR-15 Diagram, Pivot Pin & Roll Pin Installation Tool, AR Front Sight Tool, Delta Ring Tool, Strap Wrench, AR-15 Bore Guide, AR-15 Adjustable Receiver Link, .22 Cal Bore Brush, Bolt Carrier Brush, Chamber Brush, Magazine/Upper Receiver Brush, Nylon Brush Handle, Double-ended General Cleaning Brush, Cleaning Pick Set, and Custom Fitted Carrying Case.

Reloading ammunition requires attention to many critical cartridge dimensions, including case length, neck and base diameters, overall length, primer pocket depth, etc. Verifying these dimensions is quick and convenient with the Frankford Arsenal® Stainless Steel Calipers. These calipers are accurate to within .001″. The calipers allow you to measure inside and outside diameters, plus depths. You will find them useful for many measuring tasks on and off the reloading bench. Packaged in a convenient and protective case.