can't find tool needed!

[sergeant69]

I have for years wanted the dia. measuring rods of revolver cylinders as am tired of driving lead balls thru the chambers of my .44s. but i'll be dammed if I can find em in brownells or midways catalogs. the measuring rods I want (plug gauges) are like the ones found on page 52 of LYMANS newest (4th edition) CAST BULLET HANDBOOK. any help appreciated. thanks

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

http://www.starrett.com/metrology/metrology-products/precision-measuring-tools/fixed-gage-standards/Pin-Gages#itemsPerPage=24&currentPage=1&displayMode=grid&sortBy=none/asc

[john hayslip]

Enco, A large supplier of tools usually has the .250 to .500 set on sale at least twice a year and I think I paid something like $65 when I got mine.

[sergeant69]

cool. thanks. I have tools already from both those companys, so will look at their catalogs I have.

[P.K.]

cool. thanks. I have tools already from both those companys, so will look at their catalogs I have.

I may be just out of turn here but do you have any cabinet or finish carpenters in the area? I can't remember where I saw one but it looked like a toy but made of cast iron. Looked like a 1/10 scale lathe for making dowels. Should be able to turn out just about all the sizes you want down to .001 in variance if he has steady hands. ;-)


One way you could DIY it is with a drill or press. Chuck it and start it spinning with some sand paper. Check your diameter often and you should have a fairly accurate chamber gauge in no time.

[Dutchman]

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Chinese pin gage sets. I use this set in my machineshop.

This set is .061" to .250". But I also have the .251" to .500" set.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARS-250pcs-0-251-0-500-M2-STEEL-PLUG-PIN-GAGE-SET-MINUS-NEW-/330872429744?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d09889cb0

http://images59.fotki.com/v111/photos/2/28344/6717603/DSCF2923q-vi.jpg

[MT Chambers]

Your Chinese pins don't look very round at the ends, some look almost "L" shaped, that's what happens when you try save money and buy Chinese sh&%.

[3006guns]

You want a set of "small hole gauges". I bought a nice set of Mitutoyos off Ebay for five bucks about two years ago and, after using them, will NEVER use a caliper for inside measurements again! my set consists of five gauges, increasing in size from about .018 to .50.

Each gauge is split and screwing the end piece cause a wedge to move farther and farther into the split, pushing the halves apart. When you get a light drag on both sides of the hole being measured, just remove the gauge and measure the outside with a micrometer. They're a very simple but effective tool and almost mandatory when you get intensive about your reloading.

[Wayne Smith]

Your Chinese pins don't look very round at the ends, some look almost "L" shaped, that's what happens when you try save money and buy Chinese sh&%.

Look closely at the pictures. That's the wax protective coating, a little exuberant, maybe, but that's all.

[wallenba]

I go to MSC Industrial supply or Production Tool. There, I can buy only the ones in my bracket range, without spending big money.

[Cactus Farmer]

I wonder what I did before getting a set of pin gauges. And I'm totally lost without my air compressor

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I got my sets from Grizzly, same as Dutchmans for the sizes. Less than 100 bucks for both of them when they closed them out.

[garandsrus]

Look closely at the pictures. That's the wax protective coating, a little exuberant, maybe, but that's all.

Its actually oiled paper on pins that haven't been used yet.

[gmsharps]

Vermont makes a good set of pins also but a bit pricey

http://www.vermontgage.com/

[W.R.Buchanan]

greg: you are looking for "gage pins." Meyer Gage Co makes them all. They come in sets of .011-.061. .062-.250,.251-500 etc the bigger you get the more expensive they become.

Another way to go is to go to the company and order just the ones you need. For revolvers you need only a few.

Another way to go, is go on Ebay and find a .251-.500 set of gage pins.

You can also use "telescoping gages" Mitutoyo sells a set of five. You absolutely must do multiple measurings with these gages as it is very easy to get bogus readings. Once you get 3 measurements that are the same in a row you are good to go.

Also know that pin gages are either plus or minus IE: plus gages are .0002 over the indicated size, and minus pins are .0002 under. You need the minus pins.

I have no idea why somone would want the plus size pins as the closest you can get to a given hole size is .0008.

I have never had much luck getting accurate readings with the split ball type of hole gages. They are very hard to get a repeateable reading out of.

Randy

[alamogunr]

I bought a set of pin gages on ebay. The shipping cost almost as much as my winning bid and wasn't out of line. There were 4 or 5 gages missing. I took a chance that I wouldn't need the ones that were missing. The missing ones were nowhere near a size that I can foresee needing.

I believe the minus set is the one you want. Do a search here for more info.

[Doc Highwall]

I bought both the .061" to .250" and the .251" to .500" set from Enco, I think it was something like $85.00 for both sets at the time and they both came with certs on their sizes.