Plug Gauges you can afford...

[Nemo288]

The main reason is that I want to check bore obstructions from the forcing cone end and not the muzzle.
This is not always possible (like cleaning).
I have the bore slugs from LBT. You can send them back and Veral will measure them for you.

---
Nemo

 

[Moonman]

Nemi288,

If you possibly have a bore obstruction it would probably be where the barrel and frame meet, caused by thread crush during barrel installation.

You should be able to to FEEL it if there is any when you push the sizing slug through the barrel.

The slug would pick up EXTRA RESISTANCE that you should notice at the barrel/frame intersection.

You could then shoot FIRE LAPPING BULLETS FOR A FEW ROUNDS,

or have a gunsmith do a TAYLOR THROATING JOB on it, recommended by some, others NOT.

Make sure the the CYLINDER BORES are of EQUAL SIZE and LARGER than the BARREL BORE SIZE.

Shoot LEAD bullets that match your Cylinder Bore Size.

 

[125JHP]

I use pin gauges to check for loose/tight primer pockets.
I forget the min/max sizes I went with as they're out in the loading room.

 

[Nemo288]

" I use pin gauges to check for loose/tight primer pockets. "

That's a good idea. Dangit, everyone keeps giving me reasons to buy more tools!

I also want a blade micrometer to check case expansion right ahead of the rim.

Working with the 445, I feel the need to keep an even closer eye on pressure
as there is no SAMMI standard. I see that a limit of 40.6 KPSI has
appeared out of thin air in a couple of references. If anyone knows where
this came from I would be all ears. Having worked with and studied this
round since it's inception, I can tell that many of the original loads went over this limit.
Some went way over.
The few loads listed in the later editions of major manuals appear much saner.

---
Nemo

 

[125JHP]

I bought the Vermont stainless ZZ gauges on Amazon.
for Small primers I went with .173+ and .1745-
for Large I chose .208+ and .2095-
I had some 30-30 that failed the .2095 pin so I switched from Winchester primers to CCI and they are a still tight enough fit for light to medium loads.

 

[Engineer1911]

My Enco plug gage set came yesterday. The cylinder mouths on 9 S&W 357 magnum revolvers was 0.357" . I'm a happy shooter. Tomorrow I check the 44 mags.

 

[Nemo288]

Both my Redhawk and 629-2 MR will pass a .4325-
Things were really large in the 1980's.
I am shooting .432 lead and this makes the OD of the neck large
enough so a Redding pro-crimp die won't pass the cartridge. I need
to ream it out slightly or have them make me another one.
I can use the crimper in the RCBS seat dies.
I could also slightly inside neck ream the brass but don't really want to weaken it any.
This is a well known problem with 44's
I understand 45's have an even wider range of dimensions.

I am certainly glad you ended up with nominal throats.
Don't know what I would do with those

---
Nemo

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Both my Redhawk and 629-2 MR will pass a .4325- Things were really large in the 1980's.

My 29-2 (1977) measues .4320" but I've always shot .430" cast lead bullets & have never been disappointed with it's accuracy. I wonder what it would do if I had the right size?

 

[BLUEDOT37]

ENCO pin gage set #616-8131 -updated-

Been thinking about getting some gages for awhile & I finally ordered the (250) pin gage set, #616-8131, .251" -.500" from Enco. They processed & shipped it the following morning (free shipping). After thinking about all the calibers I wanted to check & the various clearances needed, it just made $$ sense to order the whole set.

There is no brand name on the box & of course they were made in China. They come in a sturdy plastic box, with a latchable hinged cover, standing vertically, all are just shy of 2" long & are individually marked with their size. The set does measure up to their advertised specifications. This is a Minus set listed at -.0002" tolerance. **Initially I thought some of the pin gages were out-of-specs, but once I bought a set of micrometers I was able to verify that, the randon ones I checked, were all within -.0001" to -.0002" range, so no problems there.**

Obviously they aren't premium gages at $75, but for my purposes though, I can live with them. Having a set that incremented .0005", instead of .001" would be nice but would be huge & costly, I'm sure. The .001" sizing worked fine for me. I could guessimate the .0005" by the feel of the gage's tightness. And it was definitely good having a full set because some of the guns were farther from standard the I would have guessed, if I was buying the gages individually.

All in all I'm happy & I got to record all the readings I wanted. To me tools are an investment that pay for themselves over their life. Now to think up another use for these.

 

[Nemo288]

It's when the chamber mouths are smaller than the bore that the real
accuracy and leading problems begin. If they are larger then the bullet
isn't skidding sideways down the barrel. Veral Smith's book has much
explanation about this and other cast bullet wisdom. He is also a
big fan of the gas check.

Now that I am shooting bigger bullets, I am finding that the shape of the
bullets affects accuracy too. The LBT style with more driving surface
and weight out front is showing more natural accuracy than the Keith
form SWC. It's taking way less development to find loads that will
one-hole at 50 feet. (That's all the room I have at the range I frequent).


---
Nemo

 

[125JHP]

Many of the middle range gages I used were off by -.0005", but as I checked toward the larger sizes they got off from -.0010" to as much as -.0015" by the .500" gage, the largest gage. I don't think that much of a difference should be acceptable. While I know the caliper I used to check the pin gage sizing is only accurate to .0005", the large differences can not be accounted for except in the incorrect sizing/tolerances of the pin gages.

It would be interesting to see the results of using a decent mic to check those tolerances. I recently compared several readings from cheap dial caliper vs a cheap digital vs a mitutoyo micrometer.

The digital was consistently .0015~.002 off from the mic. The dial was usually within .0005 visual interpolation between marks.

 

[stu1ritter]

I just checked a few new Vermont gauges and they were exactly to spec using a ten thou micrometer from Starrett. I checked .314 and it was exactly .3138. The .358 was exactly .3578. My Mitutoyo dial vernier reads .357 and .3125 (interpolating) and my el cheapo digital reads .357 and .3135. Oh well.

 

[Engineer1911]

Diameter measurements

My experience with precision tools and reloading (as opposed to machine shop work) is that case length ± 0.002" at minimum length is not a big deal. A dial caliper that reads Zero when closed is fine whether it is plastic, stainless steel, or digital. I use a 6" Mitutoyo dial caliper with 0.1" per revolution on the dial.

For bullet diameters and case diameters, a quality micrometer is essential for accurate measurements. I have a Mitutoyo vernier micrometer that reads to 0.0001"

I also bought the Enco plug gage set 0.251 to 0.500. I checked the .354 to .360 gages with my calipers and micrometer. Caliper readings were not consistant ( ± 0.0007" ), but the micrometer was right on the money (+ 0.000, - 0.0002") per the gage spec. My needs were met with this gage set.

 

[Moonman]

My gage set was the 250 piece set that GRIZZLY previously sold.

.251 to .500, .0002 minus set, reads RIGHT ON SPEC with a micrometer.

They were Chinese made, 2" long pins, in a nice red plastic carrying case about 12" x 18" x 3" and about $68.

Suits me fine.

 

[Forrest r]

While you're buying a pin set you might consider buying 1 or 2 flat bar gages to test/check/reset you measuring instruments.

Wrenches used to reset micrometers & other measuring tools along with some test gages. The test gages are within .0001" of the measurement stamped on them.



I like the flat bar gages, they makes it easier to measure/set/verify that my what I'm using is reading correctly than round stock when I'm measuring to the nearest .0001".



These flat gages are only a couple $$$ apiece & are worth every penny. If your using a pin set that's accurate to .0002" & your measuring tool is out/off .0003" you're not doing yourself any favors.

You don't want to use one of the pins that come in the set to verify your measuring tool. The pin could be perfect or it could be .0002" off. .0002" doesn't sound like alot but if you measure a hole with a pin that's .0002" oversized & reset all your measuring tools with a pin that was .0002" undersized, you're .004" off on what you think you have.

Always verify your measuring tools from an independent source. It will save you allot of grief later on. If you start out +/- .0001" (which is a good thing to be more accurate than the pin gage set), you will always only be out .0001" max.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Pin gage micrometer readings

It would be interesting to see the results of using a decent mic to check those tolerances. I recently compared several readings from cheap dial caliper vs a cheap digital vs a mitutoyo micrometer.

The digital was consistently .0015~.002 off from the mic. The dial was usually within .0005 visual interpolation between marks.

Well, I finally broke down & bought a micrometer set &, lo and behold, all of the random pin gages I checked were within their -.0002" tolerance. The caliper was correct on some but others it was off by .0015". (I updated my post.)

You can never have enough tools!