cheap digital calipers from Harbor Freight

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I'm not arguing that anyone's caliper is inaccurate, just asking how you know.
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I know because I check my dial calipers against my Starrett carbide face mic's 1" Gage Block Standard that came with it about 40 years ago.

But if I measured 5 Sierra or Hornady .308" bullets and one came out .3089" and the next .307", I would first be concerned about my calipers health & welfare, not the bullets.

But as walkalong said, we ain't making parts for the Space Shuttle here.

rcmodel
 
I know because I check my dial calipers against my Starrett carbide face mic's 1" Gage Block Standard that came with it about 40 years ago.
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Ditto, not to mention the fact that I have several to compare against each other once zeroed. I'm confident in the accuracy of my mic's.
 
I checked mine agianst my pricey micrometers, besides, we are not talking about critical, earth shattering measurements here.

Repeatablility is much more important to us than wether or not it is really 1.234 or 1.235.

For a machinist, accuracy is in a whole nother ball park. We understand that.
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Checking one tool against another is NOT a pass to say they are accurate. If you aren't checking them against a standard(precision ground gage blocks or rod type standards) you have absolutely zero idea of whether or not they are reading correctly.
 
I know because I check my dial calipers against my Starrett carbide face mic's 1" Gage Block Standard that came with it about 40 years ago.

But if I measured 5 Sierra or Hornady .308" bullets and one came out .3089" and the next .307", I would first be concerned about my calipers health & welfare, not the bullets.

But as walkalong said, we ain't making parts for the Space Shuttle here.

rcmodel
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Do you have any proof they measure correctly between 1" and 2" or 1" and 6"? And for that matter, how do you know the 1" standard you are using is correct?
 
Now then, digital calipers are easy to read and faster to use. Aside from that, they don't have much going for them. If the read surface is damaged or gets moisture on it(excluding the "coolant proof" digitals on the market now) they will not read correctly, if at all. In the case of moisture, once it is dried the calipers will normally work fine again. They aren't any more accurate than a good set of dial or vernier calipers, and in some cases they are less accurate. Yes, you read that correctly--some manufacturers(including the big names) only guarantee +/- .005" in 6 inch accuracy, versus +/- .001" in 6 inch accuracy in dial or vernier calipers from the same manufacturer.

You get what you pay for in precision tools. I have a $20 set of chinese dial calipers that are stiff to move and not all that smooth. A $60-$80 set of equivalent dial calipers from B&S or Mitutoyo feel much better and are a pleasure to use. The $600 Starrett Master Series vernier calipers pictured below are a dream to use, but somewhat difficult to read if you have poor eyesight or poor lighting. They were picked up in a pawn shop for the princely sum of $40. That said, I trust them more than my $180 12" Brown and Sharpe dial calipers.

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The other thing I want to say here is that checking a tool against a single size of standard IS NOT a true test of accuracy. Micrometers need to be checked at 1/4 of a turn intervals to find any wear in the measuring faces. They also need to be checked at several intervals in the measuring range. Calipers differ only in that they need to be checked at various intervals in the measuring range. They both need to be checked against known and verified(calibrated) standards under controlled conditions to obtain any real idea of accuracy or repeatability.
 
I know it seems like an unintelligent thing to say, but I like a digital read more than a needle. The Dial calipers I end up staring for a while at trying to read it.
I also have the HF $17 special. My battery was dead when it arrived, but the spare that came with it has been working just fine. My friend bought the same thing a few years back at Summit Racing for some ungodly sum (I think about what Frankford Arsenal runs), and with the exception of the logo and the program flash in it, they're identical. Mine works better than his, in fact.
 
They had the regular blue-box nondigital dial calipers on sale for $14. I bought a set and compared them with my Mitutoyos and my Starrett and then the Mitutoyo digitals we have at work. Can't see a difference. The HF one is not quite as smooth as the Starett or Mitutoyo but seems to be as accurate. For what reloaders use calipers for (Measuring to .0005") they will do just fine.
 
Hello machinisttx

We understand your points. We conceeded them before you made them.

We are not going to be trying to make a part to a spec and have that part fit another part somewhere else. A good machinist has to be able to do that. We do not.

I trust my Brown & Sharp Calipers and Micrometer. Are they "dead on balls accurate" like the movie said. H***, I don't know. Are they good enough for anything I use them for? Yes, more than adequate. My cheapie HF ones are adequate for most of it.
 
I say again, we ain't making parts for the Space Shuttle here!

If your cheap calipers measure .224" V-Max bullets at .224", and they do it repeatably every time, they are way more accurate then you need them to be for any reloading measurement.

Longer measurements calipers are commonly used for, such as case trim length, or OAL cartridge length is very likely to be well within reason too. But even if it's off .002" at 3.0 inches, so what?

It's still way more accurate then a tape measure or wooden yard stick!

rcmodel
 
rcmodel said:
I say again, we ain't making parts for the Space Shuttle here!
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...but if we were, we'd probably be using Mitutoyos.
 
We have 1911 snobs, AR-15 snobs, and now, caliper snobs :rolleyes:

I bet my flash hole uniforming tool is better than your flash hole deburring tool :neener:
 
The HF one is not quite as smooth as the Starett or Mitutoyo but seems to be as accurate. For what reloaders use calipers for (Measuring to .0005") they will do just fine.
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Good calipers are trustworthy and accurate to no better than +/- .001". The "spring" inherent in the design, along with the mechanism makes closer accuracy impossible. You may be confusing resolution with accuracy though. Digital calipers commonly read(resolution) to .0005", but are only accurate to +/- .001". Anything closer than that requires a micrometer.
 
We have 1911 snobs, AR-15 snobs, and now, caliper snobs

I bet my flash hole uniforming tool is better than your flash hole deburring tool
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Use a particular tool for 8-12 hours a day and you'll develop an appreciation for a more refined version as well. ;)

It's like going from a Lee hand press to a Dillon XL650(I have both and a few more FWIW). :D
 
Use a particular tool for 8-12 hours a day and you'll develop an appreciation for a more refined version as well.

It's like going from a Lee hand press to a Dillon XL650(I have both and a few more FWIW).
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I know, I know. I was jsut giving you a hard time:D
 
I bought one like that from Harbor Freigh and it was a piece of crap. The screen would give all kinds of weird readings, and then the plastic thing that held the rolling wheel broke. I chucked it and bought a Frankford Arsenal dial caliper and it works very well.
 
Use a particular tool for 8-12 hours a day and you'll develop an appreciation for a more refined version as well.
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Like Snap On vs cheap junk. Like quality sanders vs cheap junk. Run them all day and see.

Some things you can scrimp on, others you cannot. If I was using my dial calipers all day everyday, I would only use my Brown & Sharp tools, but since I am using them only occasionally for reloading, the HF ones will do just fine. :)

PS. I do use my Brown & Sharp Micrometer when I am turning 6PPC necks to the nearest .0001, and measuring the loaded rounds that have to fit in a .262 necked chamber. ;)
 
I had a "No-Name" digitial caliper given to me at a trade show years ago. Probably from the same company that makes Harbor Freight models. Put battery in it due to the unit freezing in the garage last winter. Other than that it has worked flawlessly. Better than Cheap, it was Free:rolleyes:
 
Has anyone ever used one of these?
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...&PARTPG=INLMK3

We used to set comparators like this up in the machine shop I used to work in. You can use caliper measurements to get a COAL set and then zero an indicator and have a quick check station to see what you plus/mius variance is.

Luke
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I've used one. The cheap indicators that come on those are generally sticky and have too much spring pressure. As long as it has a good indicator on it, you're good to go.
 
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