Thread: imperial vs. metric

I'm from the Imperial world feet & inches pounds & ounces that's what I was taught until I was 12 years old I find it impossible to drop it, although I do also use metric.

Originally Posted by biglou13

What is the difference 5.56 and .223.?

Welllll quite a bit actually but you have to be more exact

5.56 mm actually = .2188976"

in the reverse .223 = 5.6642

Further

What is the difference between a 5.56 Nato round and a .223 Rem round

That gets even more interesting

https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2011/0...ould-hurt-you/


You see ammo often looks to sales much like Straight Razors did, and a .429 Magnum just doesn't sound as cool as a .44 Magnum

Much like an 8/8 sounds better than a 25.4 does or at least that was the perception



Like I said


ps: Lets also take into account that even the Fraction sizing isn't exact, it varies between companies, even today let alone over the years

SR history is fun go ahead search out the threads on here that deal with why 6/8 on one razor isn't 6/8 on another or do you measure from Spine to Edge or Honing mark to Edge you should read some of the theories posted on here

I understand all the reasoning about the metric system just fine but one thing I don't understand. The rest of the world especially Europe is always so quick to talk about how Americans do things wrong. As someone who uses minute measurements every day I can tell you that imperial is more accurate. It's a fractional division. If a 16th isn't close enough then use a 32nd. If 32nd isn't small enough then you can go to 64ths etc and it's endlessly subdividable. Once you get smaller than a millimeter then you have to go to decimals which is much more work to conceptualize on a working basis. Forget about the origin of the measurements. That's what metricophiles usually criticize the imperial system about is that one man's foot is not the same length as another. It's a lot closer than a cubit. In my business we deal with thousands of an inch. There is an equivalent metric system but trust me when I say that the imperial measurement is easier to work with.
The bigger issue is the question of why the world has to criticize Americans for everything they do. Listen, if you want to use the metric system then more power to you. Why do you have to criticize us for using a system that works well enough to not need changing? I'm not trying to pick a fight with anybody. I just don't get it.

In a global economy where parts are made and distributed all over the world to be assembled in various place, it would be easier for all if one form of measurement was used. It would make design, manufacture and maintenance so much easier. I doubt we will ever get there.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

In a global economy where parts are made and distributed all over the world to be assembled in various place, it would be easier for all if one form of measurement was used. It would make design, manufacture and maintenance so much easier. I doubt we will ever get there.

Bob

Hey I would be happy if they could just use ONE system on a product

Nothing is worse than having to bring both Metric and SAE to work on one thing

Especially those Metric Cresent Wrenches and Screwdrivers they are really hard to find

2 dog bone wrenches. One metric and one sae. Don't leave home with out em!

Standardization certainly makes life easier for technicians but on God's green earth under the sun in nature most things are less like water molecules and more like snow flakes. I saw a documentary of a tool works in Pakistan where the guy forged and hand hammered nuts and bolts. Standardization is constantly going to be fighting against chaos so don't think for one second that our little inconvenience and having to deal with two different systems is somehow unique.I work on mechanisms all the time that are over a hundred years old and every single internal part is hand machined (if there is such a thing as hand machined),filed and for replacement you would have to machine each piece by hand.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Welllll quite a bit actually but you have to be more exact

5.56 mm actually = .2188976"

in the reverse .223 = 5.6642

Further

What is the difference between a 5.56 Nato round and a .223 Rem round

That gets even more interesting

https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2011/0...ould-hurt-you/


You see ammo often looks to sales much like Straight Razors did, and a .429 Magnum just doesn't sound as cool as a .44 Magnum

Much like an 8/8 sounds better than a 25.4 does or at least that was the perception



Like I said


ps: Lets also take into account that even the Fraction sizing isn't exact, it varies between companies, even today let alone over the years

SR history is fun go ahead search out the threads on here that deal with why 6/8 on one razor isn't 6/8 on another or do you measure from Spine to Edge or Honing mark to Edge you should read some of the theories posted on here

I saw a thing about guns in the American revolution where they showed soldiers sitting by a campfire all making their own musketballs because no two muskets were alike.

Long story short a coworker and I butt heads.

We recently have a new log that states we need to write the actual temperature.

I have a F' to K' chart that I use to write the temp in Kelvin.

I don't carry my personal phone at work so the chart is much easier for a cheat sheet than looking up the conversion.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Standardization certainly makes life easier for technicians but on God's green earth under the sun in nature most things are less like water molecules and more like snow flakes. I saw a documentary of a tool works in Pakistan where the guy forged and hand hammered nuts and bolts. Standardization is constantly going to be fighting against chaos so don't think for one second that our little inconvenience and having to deal with two different systems is somehow unique.I work on mechanisms all the time that are over a hundred years old and every single internal part is hand machined (if there is such a thing as hand machined),filed and for replacement you would have to machine each piece by hand.

Yes you will always have that when trying to repair items. You have a heck of a time repairing/replacing parts on a firearm made pre mass production. Even with mass produced items you eventually run out of parts supply and have to get inventive. Just think of how the Cubans were able to keep those old classic American cars running without a parts supply. Necessity being the mother of invention I suppose.

Bob