A pipe measuring system provides means for tallying a set of pipes, each of which has a threaded coupling at one end. The system includes a handheld laser instrument and target that are manually and sequentially placed at opposite ends of each pipe to measure its length. However, to measure the pipe's effective assembled length, rather than its actual length, the laser instrument has an adjustable backstop for engaging one end of the pipe. To use the system, a manufacture of the pipe first provides a specified make-up dimension that says how far the coupling should overlap the pipe when properly tightened. A manufacturer and/or end-user of the laser instrument establish the instrument with a zero reference. Then, based on the pipe manufacturer's specified make-up dimension and the location of the zero reference, the end-user adjusts the position of the backstop to be a certain distance from the zero reference.