Pin Gauge help requested

[georgerkahn]

McMaster-Carr

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/ga...o-plug-gauges/

Thank you, uscra112 -- I just placed an order from them for the 1/2-thou's which seem germane to my present wee few. They can't but help being good fill-ins, and, at less than $6.00 each, are affordable for me.
Thanks again!
geo

SHOCK EDIT! I placed my order at 1:45PM NST (12:15 EST) and just received an eMail it was shipped from their New Jersey, USA facility, order in full, at 4:57PM NST (3:27 EST -- but a few minutes more than three hours! Wowser!!!!!!!

[uscra112]

If they don't have it, you don't need it. Their shipping ain't as cheap as Amazon, but everything is top quality and I often get the stuff the next day. I even buy steel stock for my little projects from them. Taking shipping into account, they're cheaper than Speedy Metals.

[405grain]

I use the same McMaster-Carr pin gauges that uscra112 recommended for zeroing in barrel blanks in the lathe. I get them in barrel bore diameter, and .0005" undersized for each caliber that I build a rifle on. No need to buy a whole set when I can purchase just the sizes that I need. These make it super easy to center a barrel blank along the bore axis, then thread, chamber, cut the muzzle crown, and contour the barrel, all with the barrel centered around the bore. When not in use I store them in ziplok bags with a squirt of way oil.

[rkrcpa]

McMaster-Carr is definitely the way to go.

I put together a small set that covers the calibers I need.

[uscra112]

SHOCK EDIT! I placed my order at 1:45PM NST (12:15 EST) and just received an eMail it was shipped from their New Jersey, USA facility, order in full, at 4:57PM NST (3:27 EST -- but a few minutes more than three hours! Wowser!!!!!!!

That's typical. How they do it is beyond me, but Amazon could take some lessons.

[Willbird]

Thank you! BUT, I'm a tad confused no doubt due to my ignorance on the subject. I have read posts citing a 0.007" variance in, say, cylinder size for the same caliber. I TRUST super-plus-machinests (like DougGuy) to tweak cylinders sent to hone and polish them to that 1/2-thou benchmark. But for me? I would think the pin gauges in .001" increments should/would do? My thought is to, say, check a .45 Colt cylinder with gauges, starting with the smallest that drops in on a hole marked with a Sharpie so I repeat same . Then, I advance the cylinder-hole check with the other five. IF they are similar, I'm fine? BUT, if I cannot drop the pin gauge in one or more -- or if it freely drops -- then, say, the cylinder needs a trip to a machinist?
Kindly let me know if I'm on or off base?
Further, I spent more than a bit of time seeking a source of gauges in 1/2-thou increments to no avail. (I had been looking for one in 0.4525) I cannot get the Meyer Excel order sheet to come up -- I just get a blank page. (I may ring them?) Do you know of a source?
Anyhoos -- you can see I need help (in addition to the psychiatrist )
geo
geo

I used to work a lot with hole sizes as a machinist that had .0005" total tolerance, say .2510"-.2515" would be the total tolerance range. For that we had hole thousance pins in both + and -, and we also had half throusance pins again in both plus and minus. So a .251- should fit, and so should a .251+, a .2515- perhaps could go but really should not, and for sure a .2515+ should not. The more seasoned co workers would often say "it takes .0002" for a pin to go into a hole".

For revolver cylinder throats the pin gage will indeed get you close, and you could carefully tap a pure lead ball through with a dowel and measure it too I suppose. Everything needs to be supported or even better disassembled so you are not beating on the crane of a double action revolver. I can see no real reason that we would need to know the size within a .0001, but a guy honing the hole on a sunnen hone would use a combination of pins like I explained above and when he was done all 6 would be within a .0001 or two.

Oh yea, and the thing about not TOUCHING pins, total BS LOL.

[DougGuy]

MEYER GAUGE Co. is a LOT cheaper than McMaster Carr last time I checked.

[uscra112]

Maybe so, but he was having trouble getting Meyer's web site to work.

[DougGuy]

Maybe so, but he was having trouble getting Meyer's web site to work.

I always just called them and gave them my order that way. you'll get a live person very easy.

McMaster Carr lists country of origin for their pins, but they bury that information so you have to click on one item, click on product details then login or create an account and login to see where they were made. PITA

[uscra112]

Most people could. I'm too deaf to use a phone easily, FWIW.

I just for fun comped a typical range of individual pins such as we'd use - McMaster was just ~$0.65 more. I haven't had cause to order any pins from anybody for a 3-4 years, but I seem to remember that Meyer had a minimum order. McMaster doesn't, and their shipping is extremely fast, albeit sometimes rather expensive.

[hylander]

I went to McMaster site and they don't say plus or minus.
Went to the myers site and can't open the price sheet

[elmacgyver0]

If you are really anal about it, keep them in a jar of motor oil.

[uscra112]

I went to McMaster site and they don't say plus or minus.

Yes they do. "Go" pins are plus tolerance, "No Go" pins are minus tolerance. Third column from the left in the Class Z tables.

[M-Tecs]

https://www.meyergage.com/abcs-of-ga...sses-of-gages/

[alamogunr]

I got my set on Ebay. It was missing a few pins and I took a chance that the missing ones would not be needed. So far that is the case. The whole set in a wood box was about $75 incl. shipping(very heavy). Also it is Meyer brand. I don't remember if it is ZZ class or not but it is minus.

I do remember it took a lot of looking on Ebay to find a set that covered the range(.250 to .500) I wanted. I was mainly looking to check revolver cylinder throats.

[Valley-Shooter]

(I had been looking for one in 0.4525) I cannot get the Meyer Excel order sheet to come up -- I just get a blank page. (I may ring them?) Do you know of a source?

geo
geo

We buy all our pins from MSC. My shop buys a couple hundred every year.
Here is a .4525 pin.

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/89045256

[Pete57]

Just rap them in an oil rag