Calipers

How many emergency situations occur where a dead battery in a caliper is a problem?
Maybe have an extra battery on hand if that may become an issue.

I bought a dial caliper form Harbor Freight when I was in motorcycle school in 1994. I had it checked several times by Snap-On guys. It has always been 100% accurate.

I purchased a Mitutoyo digital caliper for a LOT of money from a Snap-On truck when I was building engines. It is nice because a button changes from standard to metric.

The previous battery lasted years, only to be replaced about a year ago. They last a very long time.
 
I use mics sometimes also. They're not digital either.

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To be as precise as possible, one will want some check gages. I happen to have plenty of check gages that came with my micrometers so that is what I use. And for the most accuracy, you really want your precision measuring tools in a controlled environment. Though most also have their reloading equipment in a control environment anyway.

Funny story for you all.

I have a 12" vernier caliper that needed calibrated as part of ISO900. I gave it, along with my other measuring tools, to the QA/QC guy doing the calibration and I went back to work. About half an hour later he returns to the shop asking me to teach him how to read the vernier calipers. :rofl: Needless to say, he caught all kinds of her from us tool and die makers.
 
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Picked up this haul from a recently retired machinist. I found her on Facebook market place (Believe or not I got a great deal on a lathe and milling machine on their too, all local). She was selling a bunch of stuff to move south and enjoy her retirement so I got a good deal. It was just the right amount of instruments and accessories to go with my growing little machine shop I have.
 
Soonerpesek said:
Bragging rights…… cause sometimes that seems real important around here…!!
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A very expensive set of calipers is generally NOT needed for reloading. What is important is accuracy to 0.001" and also repeatability. The cheap box store chinesium calipers won't be as accurate as better quality calipers.

And some of us are machinists or tool and die makers by trade where we are measuring to the 0.0001" versus 0.001". So we will spend good money for quality precision measuring tools.
 
Those are nice but not digital.
Varminterror said:
For vernier calipers, I have two Mitutoyo digitals and a dial, and a couple cheap, imported digitals which I keep mounted to anvils and bushing arbors for headspace and BTO kits - and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I have an RCBS dial kicking around somewhere... I almost exclusively reach for the digital Mit's, I can't recall the last time I even had the dial Mit's out, and I wouldn't use the imported/cheap branded versions (seems like I have a Hornady set and a Lyman, and they're identical other than the label) for anything of any importance, ever.
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Dial and digital calipers are not Vernier calipers.
 
Walkalong said:
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View attachment 1168960
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I have the same calipers (minus the mic), though mine are not in nearly as nice of condition as yours. They were my first set, bought used off eBay (back when eBay was new) to get me through undergraduate engineering school. They have some accuracy issues now and thus get used in dangerous placed for calipers to be (near the anvil, around the welder etc).

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Jim Watson said:
Why doesn't Brand X just put a switch on theirs? I mean a real switch with contacts not touching when off; the bump buttons are obviously not cutting completely off.
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That’s an idea worth doing! Make it like the LED TI watches back in the ‘70’s, so power hungry they only showed the time when you had your hand on the button. With the LCD and batteries we have now, they sure would last a long time.

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12Bravo20 said:
A very expensive set of calipers is generally NOT needed for reloading. What is important is accuracy to 0.001" and also repeatability. The cheap box store chinesium calipers won't be as accurate as better quality calipers.

And some of us are machinists or tool and die makers by trade where we are measuring to the 0.0001" versus 0.001". So we will spend good money for quality precision measuring tools.
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Completely understand about measuring to the tenths….
But, like you stated, this is a reloading forum and measuring to 4 places right of the decimal is not required…
My point is that a more economical set that is checked against a known will suffice for our reloading needs…
But there are many that can only grasp that the most $$$ need to be spent to do a simple task….
Yes, Mit and Starrett are the bees knees, that is not disputed…
Sometimes simple is the better method…
I admire you career machinists, I am but a fledgling home shop tinkerer… :thumbup:
 
What are you guys doing to get you calipers to eat batteries? My home shop are all dial/Vernier but at work my everyday calipers are Mitutoyo digital calipers and I am going on three yeas on my 6-inch and my 8-inch are at least four years on the same battery. Turn them off when not using them and store them in a case so the buttons cannot get pressed and they just seem to last. As other have mentioned don't go cheap on the batteries either the name brand batteries are worth the price. My guess it the cheaper calipers also eat batteries faster than the higher quality calipers.
 
You all have some nice looking presicion metal there. As pretty as all those blocks look, I'll have to find some in a pawn shop. Ive been buying pin gauges here and there as needed. I'm always looking. I'll advise which way I went soon enough.
 
Walkalong said:
And just because a caliper reads correctly in one spot, doesn't mean it reads correctly up and down the scale.
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This ^^^^^

If you are loading 9mm and have a wear spot on the calipers, checking with standard at different ranges where there is no wear spot may not help you verify the accuracy of the calipers for reloading 9mm. ;)

Soonerpesek said:
this is a reloading forum and measuring to 4 places right of the decimal is not required…

more economical set that is checked against a known will suffice for our reloading needs…
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I agree.

I won't spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for standards when $4 pin gages are "good enough" for reloading - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-unlimited-budget.912629/page-2#post-12465906
 
If you are only reloading and not building a gun, calipers are all you need. As stated above, dials don't have batteries to go bad, but digital does offer certain conveniences.

As far as calibration, I have 2 sets of feeler gauges. Wipe them clean and the "jaws" of the caliper before measuring. My gauges and calipers are in sync with each other. I have a 1" mic to measure case head expansion, but my free plastic calipers from a distributor 10 yrs ago, at work, and my Harbor Freight digital reads the same as my mic.

So, for me, and my reloading measurements, a set of calipers is all I need. Take a set of feeler gauges with you when you go shopping.
 
eddiememphis said:
How many emergency situations occur where a dead battery in a caliper is a problem?
Click to expand...

Zero if you have reliable backups. Also helps to keep replacement batteries. I do from tiny hearing aid batteries to really big tractor batteries and many in between, at least for the stuff I need to work when I have to.
 
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