CALIPER ??

[NapalmMan67]

How precise do calipers have to be in reloading? I have a Neiko digital caliper but the jaws don't shut all the way closed, they stay open about .003 to .005 of an inch, would it hurt anything to just add the.003 to .005 to every measurement when zero'd out? I got it last year in April so I don't have any purchase paperwork and it is supposed to have a one year warranty, should I press the issue and try to have Neiko replace it? I knocked off the reloading bench a couple of times, do you think that caused this situation to happen? Thanks. 74man

If they're metal jaws, knocking them off the bench may have caused a burr on the jaw tips. If that's the case, place a honing stone between the jaws like you were measuring it, soft pressure on both jaws and move the stone like you were "sanding" the jaws and knock to that burr down to make the jaws parallel/close without that gap.

Also check if it has an adjustable gib (Not Andy), there would be two set screws in the top of the frame by the slide lock knob. Those screws may have come loose also and need to be adjusted to keep more pressure on the gib and the jaws closed parallel.


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[redcon1]

I have a digital Mits - Mic + Caliber set. But I loST the calipers. Mic still works GREAT

I have an RCBS Micrometer. I think I have my grandfather's lying around here somewhere too. They're probably pretty decent and made in USA. I should look for them. I inherited most of his tools and I inherited tools from him that he inherited from his father and maybe grandtfather too. Some were unrestorable but some of the wrenches came out pretty good and some of the handtools were in pretty good shape to begin with. I used to play with them in his garage 40 years ago. Some of these tools are over a hundred years old. What do you do with them? They sit in the chest and when I go, there won't be anyone that knows or cares that they're over a hundred years old. They'll end up in the trash. I'm sure the modern tools will be recognized for what they are and pawned for less than they're worth. The guns will probably be illegal by then and they'll be like "OMG, he had guns this whole time"! "How do we get rid of them so we don't end up in the Gulag?"

 

[Mark_Mark]

I have an RCBS Micrometer. I think I have my grandfather's lying around here somewhere too. They're probably pretty decent and made in USA. I should look for them. I inherited most of his tools and I inherited tools from him that he inherited from his father and maybe grandtfather too. Some were unrestorable but some of the wrenches came out pretty good and some of the handtools were in pretty good shape to begin with. I used to play with them in his garage 40 years ago. Some of these tools are over a hundred years old. What do you do with them? They sit in the chest and when I go, there won't be anyone that knows or cares that they're over a hundred years old. They'll end up in the trash. I'm sure the modern tools will be recognized for what they are and pawned for less than they're worth. The guns will probably be illegal by then and they'll be like "OMG, he had guns this whole time"! "How do we get rid of them so we don't end up in the Gulag?"

Put them in out classified area… I’m 100% sure they will be used for another 100 years

 

[redcon1]

I want to get into gun kitchen smithing! Hand tuned 1911 by Mark_Mark

I just fabricated stainless steel antiwalk trigger/hammer pins for my AR15 build using my drill press, a hand file and some emery cloth. I have Wilson combat anti-walk hammer/trigger pins right here in front of me right now but I like what I built better and I don't want to use them. I want to get the taps and dies to thread a trigger pin but I'm not sure if threading a .154" rod is doable by hand but I may get the tools anyways just to have them and see if I can make it happen. If not, I will accept that I have another minimally useful tool laying around and look for a way to use it somewhere else.

 

[redcon1]

Put them in out classified area… I’m 100% sure they will be used for another 100 years

yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I don't care about the money. I just want them to persist.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I just fabricated stainless steel antiwalk trigger/hammer pins for my AR15 build using my drill press, a hand file and some emery cloth. I have Wilson combat anti-walk hammer/trigger pins right here in front of me right now but I like what I built better and I don't want to use them. I want to get the taps and dies to thread a trigger pin but I'm not sure if threading a .154" rod is doable by hand but I may get the tools anyways just to have them and see if I can make it happen. If not, I will accept that I have another minimally useful tool laying around and look for a way to use it somewhere else.

I needs 10 sets of those!

 

[Mark_Mark]

yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I don't care about the money. I just want them to persist.

someone will really need the tools, some people perfer old tools and can’t find any more! you would be doing your elders proud!

hate to see that good old stuff in the metal scrap pile

 

[redcon1]

I needs 10 sets of those!

It was fun making them. I chucked a piece of some 3/8" SS rod stock into a drill press and then spun it on a handfile for a few minutes and then sanded it down smooth. The trick was not taking too much off and drilling a 1/16" hole into the end of it so I could wire it in place. I bought some 1/16" SS roll pins that I'm going to see if I can tap into the hole at the end of the pin to keep the trigger/hammer pins retained in the hole. On the next set, I'm going to grind the heads of the pins into a spike and give my AR a medieval look. The shiny SS looks pretty badaxe against the blackness of the rifle. I may be able to internally thread the pin likke the Wilson's but that may be more than I can manage with hand tools. So I'm looking at lathes of course!

 

[74man]

I have contacted the Neiko and because I bought it through Ebay, it is not one of their official dealers so their one year warranty is null and void so I will take it apart and try to fix it or get a new one. My dial caliper is a Starrett and it is in the shop after 35 years. I would get it back for a week or more now. Home depot has a digital caliper warranteed for life. if anything goes wrong with it they will replace it, might seek one of those. STARRETT IS THE BEST ON THE MARKET.

 

[74man]

Thanks Napalm man, I got out my Magnifying glasses and sure enough the tips were buggered up and that is what was causing the .005 gap. I ground the tips down and got the jaws to close and reset to .000. I borrowed a digital set from a friend and measured a 1/8" drill bit and they both measured close to the same. My friends measured 0.1249 and my Neiko measured 0.1251, close enough. They said tha NEIKO was one of the top 5 Digital Calipers on the Market, still chinese made.Thanks, that is all the fix it needed. My Starrett is still on the way and that is the one I trust the most. A new one costs $265.95 so I won't shirk at the repair costs which are about half of that since I have had it 35 years.

 

[74man]

Thanks Napalm Man, can I ask you about the gib screws and their adjustment? Are they supposed to be tight? How do you adjust them and what are they for exactly? Like I said it was a burr on the tip of the blades, just wondering what the gib screws are for and how to adjust them? I have got the blades to close now thanks to you knowledge and expert observation. That is why I like this forum, lots of professionals, like Machinists, Gunsmiths, and others that have been into reloading a long long time.

 

[Atavar]

I just started reloading for pistol and rifle. I am respectfully wondering why you need such high accuracy? My dad reloaded rifle for over fifty years using a General slide caliper that was accurate to maybe 1/64 of an inch, and the ammo was quite accurate, and I would assume safe because there was never a mishap. This was for hunting, not competition, but I am amazed that measurements accurate to thousandths of an inch are necessary.

For general hunting and plinking you are probably right. For bullseye target it’s a different story.

 

[Atavar]

This is a thing that people forget about digital measuring tools. They have an inherent accuracy no less than ±1 digit. This means that if your digital caliper reads .125 it could actually be anything from .124 to .126. This applies to anything digital. It is in the nature of the beast.

 

[Seedy Character]

This is a thing that people forget about digital measuring tools. They have an inherent accuracy no less than ±1 digit. This means that if your digital caliper reads .125 it could actually be anything from .124 to .126. This applies to anything digital. It is in the nature of the beast.

Quality calipers are +/- .0005.
A reading of .125 is between .1245 and .1255.

 

[Bcwitt]

I just started reloading for pistol and rifle. I am respectfully wondering why you need such high accuracy? My dad reloaded rifle for over fifty years using a General slide caliper that was accurate to maybe 1/64 of an inch, and the ammo was quite accurate, and I would assume safe because there was never a mishap. This was for hunting, not competition, but I am amazed that measurements accurate to thousandths of an inch are necessary.

If you are overlength, you risk higher pressures. If you are underlength, you cannot crimp. It matters.

 

[Atavar]

Quality calipers are +/- .0005.
A reading of .125 is between .1245 and .1255.

The lie in the rub is that you don’t have that fourth digit to read, so the caliper may round up or down and will do it by a full digit.

 

[Otto]

I take pride in ownership, that’s why I use Mittys.

 

[Walkalong]

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