Sorry typo. I didn't try the meter right at the battery I used an 8' of 22awg wire. So I figured there was a voltage drop....
There are voltage drops, and then there are VOLTAGE DROPS. A typical sensitivity for an "inexpensive" (i.e. cheap) D'Arsonval meter movement is 1000 ohms per volt, meaning if the top end of the scale is 15 volts, the DC resistance of the meter circuit would be something like 15K. With, say, 14.5 volts applied, this results in a current of ...? Remember, I = E/R.
Hint: not enough current to worry too much about, which means not much voltage drop, either.