[ChefJeff1]

Hi, i went to a free reloading seminar at Cabela's and went home with a Lee 50th anniversary kit. Upon inspection, this seems like a decent kit, the scale is so sensitive. (more sensitive than my bakery scale) My question is what kind of caliper should i buy for measuring lengths, widths, and whatever else that might need measuring? I've seen some on the internet from frankford arsenal, hornady, rcbs. thanks, Jeff

[jcwit]

They'll all measure plenty good enough for what you need/want for reloading. Some of the real cheap ones eat up batteries, thats why I still stick to the dial calibers.

[RandyP]

If you have a Harbor Freight store nearby, their $15 4" digital metal one works just fine for me. I also bought a Cabelas $27 manual dial unit that is also quite good.

[.38 Special]

If you want top quality you'll shell out for Mitutoyo or Starret. Most of us just use whatever was on sale, which almost always works fine. I have a Lyman branded dial caliper that's been doing the job for 20 years now.

[RustyFN]

I prefer a dial caliper just so I don't have to worry about the batteries. I got these at Harbor Freight for around $20.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7ce35b3127ccec209c23f90a300000010O00DZOGblm4Yg9vPhI/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Rusty

[ArchAngelCD]

When my Dial Calipers finally gave out I replaced them with Electronic Calipers from Frankford Arsenal. Midway (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=604242) has them on sale right now for only $12.99. I've been using mine now for over 3 years and they are still working as well as when I bought them.

[indiandave]

I use dial calipers. Starrett makes really good ones thou the ain't cheap.

[Quoheleth]

+1 Frankfort Arsenal.

If I know I'm not going to use them for a while, pop the battery out. There's even a battery niche in the case to store it.

Q

[Walkalong]

I bought some digital calipers from my local Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47257) when they were on sale. For readings to .001 that are not super critical, which 99% of our measuring needs are not, they work great. I bought them because they are just plain and simply easier to read than my old Mitutoyo and Brown & Sharp dial calipers. :)

[RandyP]

With the caveat that I am NOT a competition shooter, don't shoot 1000 yards rifle and mostly enjoy the simple fun of punching holes in paper zombies at my local indoor gun shoppe range and practicing to stay in good form for potential SD needs.

The high end measuring tools ARE fantastic and worth every single penny, but I seriously doubt that my reloading equipment can turn out ammo of matching measured accuracy with each throw of the lever to warrant the higher cost.

Harbor Freight has been my "friend" for all things "tool related". LOL

I do subscribe to the notion that a scale and caliper are are among the best reloading gear money you can spend to insure your safety and longevity once you get past the guaranteed lighter safe loads of a Lee dipper and Lee Loader (whack-it-with-a-hammer).

[dagger dog]

IMO go with the dail, I have the Harbor Freight digital and the battery life sucks! The dial I paid less than 20 bucks, I checked the cheapos against a 150 buck high end that I own, and both are dead on.

I guess if you used them day in day out 24 hours a day back and forth you would probably wear out the cheapo's first. but then you could just go out and buy another ca;iper.

I like to have the best I can afford, but sometimes I can't justify the extra pay out.

[deacon8]

If money is not an object, get a Starett. The quality is amazing.

[Hikingman]

An inexpensive model that I picked up on ebay over two years ago. It has three digits past the decimal (example: 1.590 inches), or thousanths, an on/off button, a reset to -0- button, and a inches/mm button. The unit came with two '357' watch type batteries. Price? It arrived with shipping for about $20. Battery drain, not bad at all. Two batteries and a handy plastic foam lined case came with the unit! YMMV.

[possum]

+1 Frankfort Arsenal.
thats what i have, they are digital, and i haven't had to change the battery in a long time.

[RandyP]

Regarding battery life on the HF and other digitals..I suspect that they are probably not supplying them with the world's finest batteries either at the plant? The second set from the Walgreens will likely last a lot longer than the 1st I'm guessing?

[ChefJeff1]

wow, thanks for all the replies. It seems they both work fine (digital and dial). It seems like just personal preference. I'm not looking to spend $$$$ on one but just want one that will keep me safe and fun. Thanks, Jeff

[bensdad]

Any of the cheap ones are exactly the same. I think there's a caliper factory in China that just slaps different labels on them for different companies. I got mine at Menards. It is identical to the one in the pic from Harbor Freight. It's also identical to the house-brand one at Cabelas. Oh, it works great.

[Gewehr98]

And all my instruments get NIST-traceable calibrations every year. We machine some of our fussier parts to +/- .0005", so the instruments have to be capable of measuring to one additional decimal point, and keep their calibration in the process. We're mostly a Mitutoyo shop, with some Brown & Sharpe units in inventory. All of the setup folks and quality people use their own calipers, and the Quality Department won't let them on the shop floor without a yearly cert and a sticker affixed documenting such.

Having said that, guess what I use for measuring items to .001" both at work and at home?

A pair of ancient 6" Craftsman dial calipers. One set came from my dad, and a backup set came from eBay, in the original box, for $13.00. Both sets checked out just fine on my NIST-certified calibration set, from 0 to the full 6" range.

The inherited calipers:

http://mauser98.com/rainysundayammo3.jpg

The eBay calipers:

http://mauser98.com/500grhornady01.jpg

[04JRB]

I Have the frankfort arsenal digital calipers that were 12 bucks from midway and I have been happy with them. The battery that came with them didn't last very long but the new one has lasted 6 months now, and still going.

I also have a harbor freight dual set I owned first that I use and I haven't any complaints with.

[NotSoFast]

I bought a General electronic caliper at my local hardware store for about what you would pay for Harbor Freight plus the shipping. I consider General to be a good mid-range brand. I've had good performance out of mine.

[Sunray]

"...more sensitive than my bakery scale..." It would be. Not much call for weighing flour in grains. 7,000 grains to a pound.
A dial calipre is easier to read than a standard vernier. A digital is, of course, easier to read than a dial. They all do the same thing. Like everything reloading related, if the name on the calipre is a reloading company's, it'll cost more. Kind of like a horn for a car. If it says it's for a Mercedes, it'll cost more than the same horn for a Chevy.
When you get that far, a big bag of crushed walnut shells or crushed corn cobs for your tumbler can be had in a pet supply shop for less than $20. It's sold for small pet bedding. Lyman wants $20.95 for 10 pounds of crushed corn cobs. You'll get 40 pounds or so for less than that in a pet supply shop.

[racap]

I've been a toolmaker for over 30 years. If you are going to use a caliper numerous times a day , 6 days a week, for 30 years definately get a Mitutoyo or Starrett. If not I would suggest one from a well known manufacturer. I've had a few no name cheaps ones that didn't survive a 6" drop. I like a dial, younger guys seem to like a digital. With all the tooling trade jobs going to China, Ebay might be the best place for a good deal on a Mitutoyo or Starrett. Check the sellers rating first.
Also if you are trying to work closer than + - .001 then you need micrometers, indicators and a granite surface plate.

When I was younger I could fight a small man and outrun a big man. Now I can reason with a reasonable man and I don't fear a good man. For all others I need a gun . Please don't take it away from me.

[MADDOG]

I found a digital read at Lowes for $30. It appears to be a good one. The warranty is "forever". How do you beat that.

[redneck2]

I got mine at a pawn shop. You can get good ones for 1/3 or less of new price. As long as you zero them out each time, I can't imagine too much going bad. I knew a guy that tried to use some plastic ones. Teeth would slip.

[LongRifles, Inc.]

STARRET

BROWN/SHARP

MITUTOYO

You get exactly what you pay for when you buy inspection tools.
Digitals are fancy but batteries go bad and before they completely crap out they can give false readings.

Also don't take a caliper reading for granted. As one colleague of mine puts it "it's a ruler with a speedometer."

I've been a machinist since 1992 (started part time while in the Marines) and a gunmaker full time for the last 10 years. In the metrology labs and the tooling/indirect labor departments I worked at during the days of autoracing/nuclear/medical/aerospace parts manufacturing a caliper wasn't even allowed on the bench. I use mine for rough cutting stock and digging crud from under my nails. The measurement with a caliper depends on how hard you want to push on the thumbwheel.


A decent 6" caliper runs about 120 bucks. Sometimes you can get them on sale a bit cheaper. Stick to the three brands I listed and you can't go wrong. As soon as you get them, close them up and hold up against a light source (ceiling light) if you can see ANY light make sure there's no grit on the surfaces and recheck. If you still see light they are JUNK and should be returned.

Good luck.

Chad


MSC industrial supply is a much better source than ANY gun nut supply store. They will be much cheaper.

[dmazur]

I've had fairly good luck with Fowler -

http://www.gaging.com/calipersorder.htm

This is a distributor, which carries several lines including Fowler. You can see from the catalog page that Fowler offers a variety of models, including some with carbide inserts. Most are under $100.

I bought 3 and 1 of these had a problem holding zero, so I tossed it. I agree that you get what you pay for, but sometimes you can get a bargain.

Quick checks with the Starrett at work show agreement over the entire 6" range.

[The Bushmaster]

RustyFN has the answer. I have one just like his on my loading bench

Deacon8...My starett stays in my shop where I need the very accurate measurements in my work.

[Eb1]

Funny. I use a Cabela's caliper, and it works fine.

[Gewehr98]

Spend a few bucks extra and get a single 1" calibrated gage block.

You can find them at MSC, Fowler, Nelson & Storm, or any of the suppliers to the machine shop industry.

I've sen Harbor Freight dial calipers that were off by several thousandths. If a 1" gage block shows you're off by so much, then at least you can compensate by that amount when making ammo.

Granted, plinking ammo may not really care about those few thousandths in the general accuracy scheme, but my long-range precision ammo does considerably better when all those variables are nailed down. ;)

[The Bushmaster]

Hummmm...Gewehr98...Good on you. I have never thought to mention that to people on here. I checked my set several years ago with my Starett standards (1", 2" and 3") and my el cheapo china special Midway caliper was right on.

You got me to thinking so I recheck them just now. Still right on...

You do have a good point. If you don't have any standards for checking micrometers. By all means, get one...

[Jaybird78]

I bought a Frandford Arsenal stainless dial from Midway when I first started and still use it.

However...........my dad was kind enough to give me a NIB digital Mitutoyo and it is slick.

Like others have said above........How much money is burning in your pocket?

[RustyFN]

Hummmm...Gewehr98...Good on you. I have never thought to mention that to people on here. I checked my set several years ago with my Starett standards (1", 2" and 3") and my el cheapo china special Midway caliper was right on.
Damn I never thought of that, now your going to make me go buy some more stuff.:D Thanks for the tip.
Rusty

[Gewehr98]

By .003" at the 1" mark. Bummer, but I was able to rotate the dial face adjustment so it was on the nose at 1" and out to about 3". Between 3" to 6" they drift a bit, but most cartridge OAL lengths are less than that. Obviously, they will not read zero when the jaws are closed, now that I've done that adjustment.

I gave them to my youngest stepson as part of initiating him into the wonderful world of handloading. He can go digital later, but I wanted him to learn to read a dial caliper first.

Regardless, they work fine for his handloading cast bullet 8mm Mauser loads and his brother's cast bullet .30-30 Winchester loads, but I'm leery of buying another $19.95 dial caliper set.

Truth be known, I'll bet Midway would've done right by me and exchanged them for another set.

We bought a bunch of Mitutoyo 8" digital calipers at work a few months ago. They're definitely not getting cheaper, are they? :D

[lgbloader]

Up until last weekend, I had 3 Calipers.

1. Starret - I use these only when assembling Hunting and precision Target rounds.

2. RCBS Digital - My main all-around Calipers (I am developing the need for reading glasses so the BIG numbers really help.)

3. Harbor Freight Digital 4" - I like to use these for pistol since they are smaller and easier to handle.


* Oh... I bought a cheap cheap polymor Harbor freight caliper for my son (5 year old) but these really don't count.

I prefer a dial caliper just so I don't have to worry about the batteries. I got these at Harbor Freight for around $20.


Rusty


Thanks alot, Rusty!!! I saw this and thought an extra set won't hurt anything so I bought a set of these as well. Besides, they look kinda cool. Remind me of an old Timex I used to have (Yes, I am sentimental).
I am curious to see how they gauge when I check them against the Starret but what the heck, for $20 bones, I'll take it.

LGB

[HydeSmyler]

I bought one of the cheap 20$ digital calipers. It works fine and is accurate. One of the things I noticed is that if the caliper is cold, say 20 degrees, and I handle it for a few minutes, it will grow in length as it warms up and need to be re-zeroed. I have a couple sets and prefer the mitutoyo dial over the digital.

[RustyFN]

LGB if you don't mind let me know how they test out.
Rusty

[lgbloader]

LGB if you don't mind let me know how they test out.
Rusty

I'll try to do that tonight, Mate. The wife just got home and is giving "The Look" since we are about to eat dinner and then I have to Clean / change bedding for my son's snake pit. He has a pet python named "Monty" - Go figure...

LGB