Wall Thickness Gauge

[Mark Callanan]

Could someone teach me or tell me about how this is done
I have seen many testers all being the battery type
Can those be used?
Thanks for any help.....


Mark

[Dean Romig]

Probably the best one you can get is the Hosford wall thickness gauge. very simple to use. I wish I had one..... they're a bit pricey, but worth it if you're going to measure a bunch of gun barrels.

Oh, it's not a battery operated tool.






.

[OH Osthaus]

not sure what the battery powered version is - unless its an ultrasonic thickness gauge

the wall thickness gauges i have seen and used have been manual- using parallel rods and a dial indicator

[Mtntopjack]

What Dean said. I bought a Hosford gauge some months ago, mostly to make sure the guns I own are all safe to shoot. I anticipate using it any time I decide to buy a vintage gun, even taking it to gun shows. The Hosford gauge is very easy to use after getting used to the technique, and is not battery operated. There's other gauges out there, but the Hosford can certainly be considered one of the better ones. Pricey? Yes. But sometimes you just bite the bullet and go the extra mile for any number of your own reasons. Good luck.

[Drew Hause]

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jQZn4kohH4

Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfBP7a0TbjM


Henry gauge that I will have in Vegas





The barrels are secured to a weighted box (in which I carry the gauge and a bore gauge) with bungie cords



I affixed a tape measure so the rule is not needed

[Pawel Janusz]

Originally Posted by Drew Hause

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jQZn4kohH4

Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfBP7a0TbjM


Henry gauge that I will have in Vegas





The barrels are secured to a weighted box (in which I carry the gauge and a bore gauge) with bungie cords



I affixed a tape measure so the rule is not needed

simple the best, I made one my self, but standing vertical this way force of gravity don't influence arm and then gauge

[PML]

I am curious if any of you that own a Hosford gauge and use it daily have found a way to make it produce invalid measurements? I am asking because I was selling a gun last year in Vegas and the gentlemen asked me the MWT on the barrels and my response was " I don't know, the bore measures .730 in both barrels and my assumption is the barrels are factory original”. He then asked to take the barrels into the dealer room and have them measured with a Hosford gauge by an expert. I agreed and 30 minutes later he returned and told me my barrels were thin and my gun was unsafe. I did not agree with this assessment and when I asked who and what he simply walked away without providing any details.

So, I am wondering if you did a blind test with 3-5 people and 5-10 barrels what the results would be using a Hosford gauge? The barrels on the gun in question are .730 on by skeets gauge and I believe them to be factory original on the outside. So I am curious what a blind MWT test would reveal where the idiot running the gauge has an outcome in the results. Perhaps if John Hosford is in Vegas with his tool we can find 4-6 idiots(potential customers) to volunteer as MWT testers. I volunteer to be the first idiot in the sample group and I will bring my Titanic DHE barrels previously deemed “thin” as a test subject . Perhaps after I am done with my blind test with the Hosford gauge and I find it idiot proof I might be convinced to buy his tool to prove I am not an idiot. Until then I will measure the bore diameter of every gun I own and make my shooting decisions based on MY results.
Patrick
PS I was not happy when the jackass brought my perfectly good factory barrels back and declared them thin.

[ch]

I did not mean to thank Patrick, touchscreen. I do understand his feelings though. Seems everybodys an expert and they want u to know it. Humbleness theres a quality i enjoy. Best ch

[winplumber]

Patrick,
Its a little early in the am but who are you calling idiots ?

[PML]

Originally Posted by Steve Huffman

Patrick,
Its a little early in the am but who are you calling idiots ?

Why myself of course. I think I clearly volunteered to be the first "idiot" to sign up for MWT training at the Vegas show if offered. I do this knowing that if given a precision measuring device I will either break it, “uncalibrated it” or consistently get different results measuring the same subject multiple times. If others have this same aptitude with these types of tools and object to my classification of their skill set then I sincerely apologize.

I previously had a MWT gauge from Brownell’s and I followed the directions sent with the gauge and could not make the gauge work. I then turned to the internet for some "enhanced" instructions and found a variety of solutions to using the Brownell’s gauge. I settled on the following set of instructions to get the most accurate results;

1. Make sure you are facing due north so that you are magnetically aligned with the earth to decrease the variance of measurements.
2. Suspend barrels from a floor joist in your basement to decrease anomalies in measurements. Use a joist at least 6 feet from an external wall.
3. Make sure humidity in basement is less than 28.5%
4. Enlist two additional helpers to secure barrels for test
a. One helper to hold the barrels
b. One helper to hold the first helper in place
5. Measurer will lift right leg and point due north to also be magnetically aligned with barrels(ok, I made this one up)
6. Insert measuring device into barrels and drag along barrel wall remaining PRECISELY level to get the most accurate measurements.


When my wife came downstairs and found the barrels hanging from the joist and George holding the barrels and Bill holding George and me trying to work the PRECISION measuring device she just shook her head and said “why don’t you just measure the bore dumbass! ” So, I sold the Brownells gauge and have followed the experts advice every since.

Patrick