PLT OF A BEECH DUKE; BE60; DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOW FUEL AT THE END OF AN IFR XCOUNTRY FLT. SUCCESSFULLY LANDED WITH LEGAL MINIMUMS.

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THE FLT IN QUESTION WAS A RETURN FLT FROM A TRIP FROM SJC; CA; TO WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS (7S6); MONTANA; ON MAY/XA/00. AFTER WX INFO WAS GATHERED BEFORE DEP; IT WAS APPARENT THAT BECAUSE OF ADVERSE WINDS; A FUEL STOP MIGHT BE REQUIRED IF WINDS ALOFT WERE ANY WORSE THEN PREDICTED. THE FIRST LEG OF THE FLT WAS FROM WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS TO BOZEMAN (BZN) WHERE WE ROUTINELY REFUEL FOR THE FLT HOME. I FILED FOR MY STANDARD ROUTING: BZN DIRECT SJC. THE FLT WAS ROUTINE; WITH A LITTLE OCCASIONAL LIGHT CHOP AT FL180. APCHING MUSTANG VOR (RENO) WE WERE VECTORED PRESENT POS DIRECT TO SACRAMENTO (SAC); DIRECT SUNOL; DIRECT SJC. I ASKED FOR DIRECT SUNOL; BUT THE CTLR SAID THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE SJC WAS LNDG TO THE S AND IT WOULD MESS UP THE BAY AREA ARR FLOW. NO PROB. IT STILL LOOKED LIKE WE WOULD ARRIVE WITH ADEQUATE RESERVES. AT THE NEXT CTLR HDOF; STILL E OF SAC; I ASKED FOR; AND RECEIVED; DIRECT SUNOL. JUST PRIOR TO ARR THERE; I WAS GIVEN DIRECT ALTAM; DIRECT SUNOL. NOT MUCH OF A DEV FROM THE PREVIOUS ROUTING. APCHING SUNOL; I WAS GIVEN VECTORS WHICH TOOK ME S OF THE ARPT MORE THAN 12 MI. AT THIS POINT; THE NEEDLES ON MY L FUEL GAUGE; BOTH NOW DOWN IN THE YELLOW ARC 'RESERVE' AREA; STARTED TO JUMP AROUND DRAMATICALLY. WE WERE THEN VECTORED BACK TO THE N TOWARD THE ARPT. THE NEEDLES ON BOTH GAUGES WERE THEN BOUNCING AROUND PRETTY WILDLY. AT THIS POINT; MY FUEL COMPUTER SAID I HAD ABOUT 40 GALS LEFT; WHICH WOULD BE PLENTY. WHICH TO BELIEVE? AS WE NEARED THE ARPT; I ASKED FOR LOWER AND WAS GIVEN 3500 FT. WE REMAINED IN IMC. I ASKED THE CTLR WHAT HIS INTENTIONS WERE FOR MY SEQUENCING; AND WAS TOLD THAT I SHOULD EXPECT ANOTHER 10 MI N OF THE ARPT BEFORE TURNING TO JOIN THE LOC. AT THAT POINT; I REMEMBERED A STORY IN THE ASRS FLIER; OR MAYBE IT WAS ONE OF THOSE STORIES IN AN AVIATION MAGAZINE; ABOUT A GUY THAT DID AN OFF FIELD LNDG BECAUSE HE WAS TOO LATE IN DECLARING AN EMER. SO I DID. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT I SHOULD EXPECT ANOTHER 5 MI BEFORE THEY COULD TURN ME INTO THE FIELD. THIS SOUNDED PRETTY RIDICULOUS TO ME; GIVEN THAT I WAS WITHIN A MI OF THE ARPT; BUT AT THAT MOMENT WE BROKE OUT INTO A RATHER LARGE HOLE THAT HAD OPENED UP TO MY L AND I TERMINATED MY IFR CLRNC; WAS GIVEN GREAT HANDLING BY THE SJC ARPT CTLR AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I ASKED FOR THE FUEL TRUCK AND ADDED 205 GALS TO 236 GAL TANKS; WHICH IMPLIED THAT I HAD 31 GALS REMAINING; OF WHICH 27 GALS WOULD BE USABLE. THIS WAS CLOSE TO THE FUEL COMPUTER INDICATION. I GUESS THIS WAS ALSO SUFFICIENT FOR IFR RESERVES; BUT NOT FOR MY FLT PLANNING PURPOSES. PERSONAL LESSONS? A) IN 500-600 HRS IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL; I HAD NEVER FLOWN IT TO THESE LOW FUEL LEVELS AND HAD NO IDEA OF THE ERRATIC BEHAVIOR OF THE GAUGES AT LOW LEVELS. NOR DID I KNOW HOW TO CORRELATE THE FUEL COMPUTER TO THE GAUGES. B) IN MY FLT PLANNING; I HAD BECOME USED TO THE 'DIRECT' ROUTING AND EVEN WHEN APCHS WERE IFR; HAD PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED VECTORS FOR A MORE DIRECT RTE TO THE LOC. THESE ASSUMPTIONS LED ME TO PLAN FOR INADEQUATE RESERVES. C) ON THE OTHER HAND; I AM PRETTY HAPPY THAT I DIDN'T LET MY EGO GET IN THE WAY OF DECLARING AN EMER. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FAA WILL SAY ABOUT THE WHOLE AFFAIR; BUT I FEEL LIKE I DID THE RIGHT THING IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.