Since you ask, I prefer Metric.
Do Americans use metric system?
- Thread starter The Basket
- Start date
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There are 1 thread per mm, 1.25 per mm, 1.5 per mm, and more, I don't have my metric thread pitch gauge handy at the moment.
Any serious mechanic, or bodyman, and i'm both because I work on anything from a Rolls Royce to a EZGO golf cart, has to have a full set of tools in both metric and sae.
special ed
1st Lieutenant
- 6,573
- May 13, 2018
All I know about metric interchangeability within the metric system is, the metric threads on Japanese and European model airplane engines are completely different from the thousands of salvaged hardware screws from the many Japanese copy machines I have rendered to parts.
Regarding U.S. car engine parts, when the freeze plug in the head of a Pontiac flat head six rusted through, no parts place, including NAPA who supplied parts for my 1941 Caddy, had or could find a new freeze plug or part number for it. Pontiac (not the Indian) did not know either. The problem was solved by using a short piece of a USN mop handle wedged into the hole and a nail driven through the center to prevent seepage - worked fine for many years.
The M-1 rifle assigned to me in 1959 proved quite accurate. That was partly because I always tried to outscore my roomie from Plains Texas who was apparently born with a rifle. He was the high scorer in our squadron while I was always second highest.
In my younger years I met WW2 vets of smaller stature who swapped their M-1 rifles for M-1 Carbines when they could. One I remember from our model club, stood 5ft 3in (not metric) told us in June shortly after Normandy, he traded his rifle for a Carbine at an aid station and he attributed that to his surviving.
Regarding U.S. car engine parts, when the freeze plug in the head of a Pontiac flat head six rusted through, no parts place, including NAPA who supplied parts for my 1941 Caddy, had or could find a new freeze plug or part number for it. Pontiac (not the Indian) did not know either. The problem was solved by using a short piece of a USN mop handle wedged into the hole and a nail driven through the center to prevent seepage - worked fine for many years.
The M-1 rifle assigned to me in 1959 proved quite accurate. That was partly because I always tried to outscore my roomie from Plains Texas who was apparently born with a rifle. He was the high scorer in our squadron while I was always second highest.
In my younger years I met WW2 vets of smaller stature who swapped their M-1 rifles for M-1 Carbines when they could. One I remember from our model club, stood 5ft 3in (not metric) told us in June shortly after Normandy, he traded his rifle for a Carbine at an aid station and he attributed that to his surviving.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Most GM engines used "expansion discs" (rimless, convex) in their engines prior to the mid/late 50's.
If that was a Pontiac 6A engine, then it would have taken a 1-1/4" disc available from Dorman in either steel or brass (brass is better) and after all these years, still are manufactured.
I've got one of my older brothers 81mm mortar manuals from when he was in the Army in the late 50's, everything is in meters as far as the firing, and range finding goes. But I notice they give the size and weight of the mortar in inches and pounds.
US artillery was metric even before WW2 I think, it might have started with our participation in WW1.
Everywhere we fought was on the metric system, all the maps were metric, you had to learn it.
After that learning about metric nuts and bolts, tread pitch and so on just wasn't a big deal to me since I had to know it to work in the profession I'm in.
US artillery was metric even before WW2 I think, it might have started with our participation in WW1.
Everywhere we fought was on the metric system, all the maps were metric, you had to learn it.
After that learning about metric nuts and bolts, tread pitch and so on just wasn't a big deal to me since I had to know it to work in the profession I'm in.
No country has adopted the entire metric system and kept it all. Even the French came to realize that the metric time and calendar were inferior. I trust that just as Confederate money is increasing in value, the world will someday recognize the superiority of our traditional American system.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Don't let the British fool you, they still used Imperial measurements well into the 20th century.
Artillery calibers in "pounders", the venerable .303, "stone" weight measure and of course, the pint.
StackedWings
Airman
- 87
- Mar 4, 2022
I fully respect your preference as you were exposed to both systems for most of your life. As for myself, being born in the late 1940's and schooled in the 50's and early 60's I was never exposed to the Metric system early on although I vaguely recall an Elementary teacher mentioning "a different system was used in foreign countries". Not to worry was the basic premise for us young American Yahoos. In fact, we didn't even call it "Imperial", it was "Standard" measurement and to this day that's how I differentiate from Metric as needed. ***Humor Alert*** Right now my biggest concern is for the predominantly Metric Minded to never know exactly what a Quarter Pounder is
! (With a shoutout and apologies to John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction"). See the movie dialogue for the rest of his hilarious comments to his cohort Samuel Jackson. Out here, in Peace, Drive On
special ed
1st Lieutenant
- 6,573
- May 13, 2018
Automotive - SAE
Horse height measurement - hands
Rifle sight measurement - old Russian= Arshuns, most of Europe=meter, U.S.=yards All three measurements began as the stride of a man - best to use the tallest man
Furlongs per Fortnight = ?
Horse height measurement - hands
Rifle sight measurement - old Russian= Arshuns, most of Europe=meter, U.S.=yards All three measurements began as the stride of a man - best to use the tallest man
Furlongs per Fortnight = ?
MIflyer
Captain
In the area of getting units wrong there was a Space Shuttle mission when everybody was startled to hear a Ground Proximity Warning. The location was over Mt Everest. Turned out that they were using the Shuttle orbital altitude in millions of feet and someone had entered the top of Mt Everest as the correct value but in millions of miles, not feet.
And hey! What about nautical miles? Aviation charts use nautical miles, because it matches up so well with degrees, minutes and seconds of longitude and latitude. Aircraft airspeed indicators can be in either knots or mph. I even made a knots to mph conversion scale I could carry along so I could go between flying Cessna 150's, with MPH ASI or Cessna 152's, with Knots ASI.
And hey! What about nautical miles? Aviation charts use nautical miles, because it matches up so well with degrees, minutes and seconds of longitude and latitude. Aircraft airspeed indicators can be in either knots or mph. I even made a knots to mph conversion scale I could carry along so I could go between flying Cessna 150's, with MPH ASI or Cessna 152's, with Knots ASI.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Ask knot of your airspeed indicator,
ask what's that in miles.
ask what's that in miles.
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StackedWings
Airman
- 87
- Mar 4, 2022
Confederate money today is worth much more than Federal. One of my Grannies left me with a brick size stack of CSA notes. Every now and then I part one or two out on eBay for Cubic dollars…..is Cubic metric or imperial? All I know is it's a lot. Her Dad (my G-G-Grandfather, was one of those teenagers at Griswoldville, Georgia in November 1864, lost a leg, lived until 1931.
I'm also a Georgia Boy.
Hi,
With respect to nautical miles, there are a couple obscure issues. First, during WWI and WWII, if I am understanding correctly the US defined the nautical mile as 6080.2 ft, while the UK defined it as 6080 ft. And secondly, these values were later changed to 6076.12 ft (1852m) notionally in 1929, though (at least according to Wikipedia) that value wasn't offcially adopted by the US until 1954 and the UK in 1970 (Wiki)
As such, although its a relatively small change technically in WWI and WWII, a 30kt US ship would actually be doing 6080.2 * 30 = 182,406 ft/hr while a 30kt RN ship would be doing 182,400 ft/hr, but a modern 30kt ship would be doing only 182,283 ft ft/hr.
Overall, the differences are so minor that it really doesn't make any difference though I do find it to be a little bit obscurely interesting at least
All the prices that I've seen quoted for Confederate money are more than face value but I don't rule out the possibility that a common issue in poor condition might sell for less than face value. About 2007, a large cache of Confederate money was discovered in the basement of the South Carolina State House. At first, they quietly sold some in small quantities so as not to flood the market; later, they had auctions.
I sort of collect currency among other things, and there is plenty of affordable confederate money even in relatively good condition. Bills that are torn can go for as lil as $20. I purchase mine from the annual coin shows I attend.
I'm not much of a currency collector of anymore. I usually only buy currency that has military significance for my militaria hobby.
Here is some confederate money from my collection. All three of these are pretty common and not very expensive. The top one? A $100 bill in good condition is only worth about $140-$160. The others because of their poor condition are like $20 tops.
Here is an original Colonial currency from 1776 from the Colony of Pennsylvania I recently picked up at the coin show earlier this year. Worth quite a bit more than even the confederate good condition bill I have above.
Like I said, I'm not much of currency collector anymore though. I focus on stamps and WW1, WW2, and Cold War military memorabilia for the most part.
ThomasP
Chief Master Sergeant
LOL (almost)I was just reading the 37mm AT Gun M1916 ordnance manual, and when I reached the maintenance section I was surprised to find that the tooling for repair & maintenance of the ordnance - of both domestic and foreign manufacture - was all metric. The manual "Instructions for Ordnance Maintenance Companies, 37-MM, Gun Materiel, Infantry and Tank Types" from 1926 has lists and images of the tool sets.
Shortround6
Lieutenant General
Well it was a licensed French gun gun so do you just built the things to original dimensions or do you convert it and delay production?
ThomasP
Chief Master Sergeant
(20mm HS404)
MiTasol
Captain
The 20mm Hispano's built in the US were built using British drawings which is why the guns were mirror images of the British and French guns. The British and Europeans use first angle projection on their drawings but the Americans (and Japanese) use third angle projection and read the British drawings as if they were third angle.
I do not know if the British HS404 drawings were in inferial or metric.
I do not know if the British HS404 drawings were in inferial or metric.
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To be accurate, if we speak of the .45 ACP round, for the conversion in mm, and this would apply to any other ammunition, because of the case nature and length, it would be a 11.43 x 25 mm cartridge.
If you are referring to the .45 LC, you have a 11.43 x 33 mm R round.
And so on with all that has a .45 caliber.
