If you are looking for precision a caliper isn’t the right device anyway a micrometer is what you are looking for. For most reloading tasks a caliper is just fine, expensive or cheap.
+1.
Like verifying scales with check weights, I prefer to verify calipers with pin gages with round cylinders as I can have better "feel" when measuring bullets over standard blocks (I usually close my eyes when checking with pin gages and also when measuring bullets to be more consistent) -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ks-for-digital-calibers.821135/#post-10545265
I have a HP dial caliper but it doesn't read all that consistently. I just wanted something a little better.
Not the "best" but my Frankford Arsenal dial calipers has consistently verified .355", .400", .451" plus/minus pin gages.
Many reloaders, even long-range bench rest/Palma match shooters consider .1 gr resolution of scales good enough for reloading. As jmorris posted, I also consider .001" resolution of calipers "good enough" for reloading. After verifying 4 calipers I had with pin gages, I retired the oldest dial calipers I bought when I started reloading some 27 years ago.
I collect vintage American made tools as hobby and have sold off Starrett calipers and micrometers. I am currently looking at buying new/good used Starrett/Mitutoyo micrometer and leaning towards Mitutoyo.
I agree with Harbor Freight. I'm also a hobby machinist so have a small assortment of measuring tools and standards to calibrate them.
Bought a Harbor Frieght Pittsburg brand stainless digital for $20, got it home and it was the grittiest, cheapest thing I’ve ever used.
I bought my HF digital calipers more than 5 years ago and still very happy with accuracy/consistency but I think in recent years quality/consistency has gone down and would highly recommend verifying them with pin gages in the same caliber range (They are only $3 to $5) before buying one -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ks-for-digital-calibers.821135/#post-10545265
Over the years, I have not been happy with HF dial calipers I have checked enough to not endorse them on THR. For me, I consider Frankford Arsenal dial calipers to be minimum quality standard for reloading (Around $25) -
https://www.jgsales.com/frankford-arsenal-dial-caliper-p-35742.html
bring a bullet with you to check the calibers.
No, I would rather recommend pin gages or even feeler gages over bullets as they come in different sizing and what says on the box don't always reflect the actual sizing -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...re-sized-the-same.818806/page-2#post-10567453
Just for 9mm, they can come sized .354", .355", .3555", .356".