Best affordable calipers

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HOOfan_1

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My dad just asked for some calipers for Christmas. He doesn't seem to care if they are digital or dial.

What are the best calipers for the money. Not really looking to spend over $60.
 
NeuseRvrRat said:
i got the harbor freight digital calipers. they seem to be good enough for reloading.
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+1 on this. I bought a pair for about $10. My dad has a pair made by Starrett that cost around $400. I measured some gauge pins with my pair and his and they were exactly the same out to .001. His goes out to .0001 but for reloading, they are accurate enough.
 
HOOfan_1 said:
Forgot to mention he wants English measurements
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Does that mean he will not accept calipers that do both?:)

The Midway (aka Frankfork Arsenal), Harbor Freight and others in the similar price range are all probably made at the same plant in China and do a good job. $20-$25 or so.

Several reloading equipment manufacturers offer dial calipers as well but they are a bit more expensive than the budget electronic calipers.

If you get into the manufacturers that make machinists tools, the calipers probably have better precision but more expensive. For reloading, these are great but overkill.

So, depends on the use and how deep one's pocket book is.
 
I would go with Mitutoyu or Brown and Sharpe. If you can't afford those, go with plastic and replace them every few years.
I know the old chinese digital stuff from Harbor Freight and on line outlets only turned off the display when you turned them off reducing battery life.
There is no reason a Stainless steel mechanical vernier caliper wouldn't be adequate for 99%+ of your reloading needs.
I was skeptical of my digital Mitutoyu at first and intended to throw it away in favor of my B&S dial but the dang thing just keeps on ticking. I change the battery every 7-8 years or so and occasionally check the measurements via my micrometer.
 
For the time being, HF stainless steel caliper's will serve the purpose. I have a Lyman, and I use the HF for dirty jobs, so as to not damage or crud up my good Lyman.

GS
 
I know the old chinese digital stuff from Harbor Freight and on line outlets only turned off the display when you turned them off reducing battery life.
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this is not the case with the current harbor freight digital calipers. they cut off automatically after a period of time. i believe they are branded "CENTECH".
 
I'll guess that your dad is at least 40yo.
Which means that he will likely appreciate the x-lge digital readout
of a stainless caliper.

Might not be needed now but he will
be glad of it in 5 years. ;)
 
I use the Hornady ones which are literally the same as the HF/Midway/Auto Zone calipers (made in same factory with different labels slapped on). So far they have worked just dandy for me. I always test them against one of my dummy rounds before each reloading session and so far it has been dead on and not lost calibration.
 
I have a good Starrett caliper given to me by my father in law (machinist retired) and an old Craftsman caliper about 40 years old that I bought. Both work very well so you might watch garage sales for Craftsman or similar brands.
 
Not to threadjack, but is there a HF scale that would be appropriate for reloading as well? The last two things I need to add are the calipers and a powder scale.

If I can place one order and get both, all the better. To do that at Midsouth (which seems to have the best prices) would mean nearly $50 in equipment costs.
 
Look at what current "off" brands are currently in production by the big name makers. Starrett, B & S, all have had generic or off brands at one time.

Check on e-bay or such for retired machinists or someone selling off Uncle Johns "junk". Good tools can be had for decent prices.

If you do buy the Frankfort Arsenal, Harbor Freight, etc, you have a 50/50 shot of getting a decent set or compete garbage. For 20 bucks it might be worth the gamble. I've thrown two sets in the trash and kept one for a couple years.

Being a machinist, I'll spend cash on good stuff for work. For reloading hobby, not so much.

Whatever you buy, have a way to verify the measurement. Whether the "zero" button gets accidentally pushed on a digital set or the bezel moves on a dial set, you need to be able to zero them each time you take them out of the box.
 
Harbor Freight

The Harbor Freight calipers work well and are reasonably priced. Throw in a 20% off coupon and you can't go wrong...
MD2020
 
I'd bet a weeks salary that the H/F, Midway, Lyman, etc., etc., and most every other Chinese made caliber is made by the same company in china and branded by whomever it gets sold to. But then I'm retired and have no weeks salary.

As far as batteries going low on a caliber it has no effect on the measurement, its not like a flashlight, its either on or its flashing and not serviceable and dead for all practical purposes. Not really hard to keep a few batteries on hand and thru E-Bay they are VERY cheap.

Scales are an entirely different animal . However I do like my digital scales and they are accurate, have used them now for 10 years with no issues, and yes they weigh in grains all the way out to 3 decimal places.
 
I bought a stainless steel digital caliper from Lowes (Kobalt brand). It works well. I've had it for 5-6 years now. It is as accurate as some of the expensive dial calipers my father had to .001 which is plenty for reloading. It was about $30. It came in a nice protective case as well. I bought one for my father and he liked the digital read out as he was getting older.
 
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