Pipe sizes

I searched the forums and came up with this thread, but sadly this is information I already had.
What I'd like to know is, since every hardware store I've been to uses metric, what am I supposed to be looking for? If I went to Bunnings for 1/2 inch pvc, I can't buy 12.7mm because they don't come in that size. Same goes for all the other imperial to metric conversions.
I assume everyone else has this figured out by this point, but I'm afraid I have no idea.
For my homemades I've never needed to worry about this. =P

Barachiel wrote:I searched the forums and came up with this thread, but sadly this is information I already had.
What I'd like to know is, since every hardware store I've been to uses metric, what am I supposed to be looking for? If I went to Bunnings for 1/2 inch pvc, I can't buy 12.7mm because they don't come in that size. Same goes for all the other imperial to metric conversions.
I assume everyone else has this figured out by this point, but I'm afraid I have no idea.
For my homemades I've never needed to worry about this. =P

What are you trying to do?

All manner of things. Brass breaches, PVC barrel replacements, couplers, etc.

Brass is still sold in imperial sizes here so you're fine on that front.

PVC and its kind are only sold in metric and therefore make some US based walk throughs a little more difficult. Not all that much you can do about it except find alterntives.

So pretty much just adapt as I go, get the nearest equivalent? I'll just pretend they're fancy homemades then, that'll make me feel more comfortable. =P
Thanks for the info.

Generally, 1/2 inch CPVC is the equivalent of 16mm conduit, good for nice tight barrels (available at few bunnings and all good electrical wholesalers/suppliers). Not sure about 1/2 inch PVC though, it may actually be a bit larger than 1/2 inch on the inside.
But in terms of aussie barrel materials, 16mm conduit slips inside 20mm grey conduit, perfect for tight breeches. 20mm conduit is a LOT easier to find too (available at all bunnings), but doesn't fit darts at all.
PETG (from inf0rm3r)slides nicely inside orange 20mm conduit, which is slightly thicker-walled than the grey version.