Plug Gauges

[JT]

What sizes do I need for .44, .45 ACP, .45 Colt? Is it more cost effective to buy a kit? Thanks for any recommendations.

 

[k22fan]

Someone who's recently bought pins can answer your question directly. I don't own any and have only read of them being sold as sets and buying individuals makes no sense to me because you'd need a variety of pins around the estimated size for each caliber.

I just replied to suggest that since you haven't purchased anything yet you may as well look at all alternatives. I like small hole gauges better. You expand one inside a hole then withdraw it and measure it with a micrometer. Small hole gauges allow more precise measurement and measureing out of roundness rather than just determining that the smallest measurement falls somewhere between two pins.

You can also buy nothing and tap slightly over size soft lead slugs through your throats then measure them with your micrometer.

Small hole gauges and lead slugs both require a smidgin more skill and thought than pin gauges but either cost less and can produce a more precise measurement.

 

[john traveler]

K22fan is right on.

The main reason for having a set of plug gages is utility and speed of inspection. They are a machinist's or inspector's tools for quickly and accurately gaging hole sizes and fits.

For inspection of cylinder charge holes (bullet exit side), you can go with nominal sized bullet diameters for the caliber. For .38/357, that would mean 0.354" thru 0.359" in thousandths or half-thousanths of an inch.

For .44, that would mean 0.426" thru 0.434" sizes.

As you can see, accumulating individual sizes would mean running up expenses compared to a full set of gages.

The lead slug or expandable ball-and-micrometer method is alot cheaper. The lead slug method is probably the slowest, but the most accurate.

For a tool that you only used infrequently, I would go with the most economical method.

 

[JT]

Thanks, guys. You mean something like this?

MSC Item Detail

 

[tomcatt51]

Better: MSC Item Detail
Allows more accuracy than the small hole gauges and will let you check for out of round.

 

[k22fan]

Yes.

That's the size you want.

Edit to add: The telescoping gauge suggested by tomcatt51 will certainly work but the "ball gauge" type small hole gauge also alows you to measure out of roundness because it's a smaller dia. than the hole and only contacts the sides of the hole at its high spots. A set of ball gauges goes down to smaller sizes than telescoping gauges which in turn are made in a lot larger sizes than ball gauges. Since you need a size that overlaps the two sets you can take your pick.

2nd edit to add: The single telescoping gauge suggested will cover revolver throats from .32 through .50 caliber which would require multiple ball gauges so it would be the least expensive if you ever want to measure smaller caliber revolvers. It's the smallest telescoping gauge offered, 5/16-1/5".

 

[Racin_Randy]

I'm the one you need to direct your attention to... LOL I sell these gage's to all type's of company's(Medical, Military/Defence, automotive, and yes also the firearms MFG.) all day long... Plug Gage's can and will work for you, however K22fan is correct. And the type of gage's that he recommended would be better for a "range" to be measured... With Pin Gage's, I can have someone ask for a .4400" pin gage, and I can offer up 15 different pins that would say .4400", but with Class/direction of tolerance, it's not an easy choice if you don't know what you really need/looking to measure, that's why I can offer 15 pin's that will say .4400"... So my suggestion to you would be to get the Small hole Gage's, and a Micrometer, and go from there... Those SPI items from MSC, I can sell you directly, at a better price, cause I sell SPI directly, and MSC doesn't... Let me know if there is something I can help you with...???...

 

[tomcatt51]

This is a pick your poison thing. I have a set of telescoping gauges and a set of small hole gauges. If I want to know "about" how big a hole is, the small hole gauge is fine, but for more exact measuring it's a telescoping gauge.