Dial Caliper Recommendations

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I rarely need better than .001" resolution for handloading. I have some fairly high quality tools for other purposes, but my cheap 40 year old "Lyman" branded dial caliper is the one that sits on the loading bench, and it has not yet let me down.
 
rabid wombat said:
...and you learn how to use them....There is a lot of “feel” to use a caliper or micrometer correctly.
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.38 Special said:
I rarely need better than .001" resolution for handloading...
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There are calipers that have a higher resolution than accuracy and yes the user can make a difference as well.

Just use a measuring tape! problem solved !
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They too have sufficient accuracy for many jobs, reloading isn’t one of them, for me. Good example of a tool “not accurate enough” though.
 
Mitutoyo. But I'm prejudiced as I worked at the company for 17+ years and 10+ in the small tool service department. I have several calipers in Dial and Digital flavors.

Biggest things I used to see when people were complaining about inaccurate readings were, worn jaws, gib screws almost falling out/not adjusted properly, units packed with grease/grit/dirt, or for dial- they had been dropped and knocked the gear set out of alignment with the rack or put a burr on the tip if the jaw.

I always hated repairing those big mics (or sets of) JM posted... what a biotch to get the anvils set parallel to the spindle face if it had to be replaced.


.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
I've been doing machine work (lathe and mill) off and on for about 30ys now and I've kind of grown fond of Starrett for analog and Mitutoyo for digital.
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+1 for the Starrett recommendation. My dad handed me down a Starrett Dial Caliper in 1979 and it was a few years old then. Still works flawlessly to this day. Glass never yellowed, etc.
They may be a little more $$ upfront but they are of exceptional quality.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
I've been doing machine work (lathe and mill) off and on for about 30ys now and I've kind of grown fond of Starrett for analog and Mitutoyo for digital.
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I've been a machinist/toolmaker for 15 years, and I agree 100%! I have a 0-6" Starrett dial caliper and 1-6" Mutitoyo digital that I use for reloading at home.
 
I prefer Vernier calipers, because they're much more robust. Mitutoyo is outstanding, and the jaws will wear out of spec before anything else mal'fs.
 
edwardware said:
I prefer Vernier calipers, because they're much more robust. Mitutoyo is outstanding, and the jaws will wear out of spec before anything else mal'fs.
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Almost, anything else, they are about useless to me if I don’t have readers handy these days.

Get over 24” and they cost a lot less than any of the other types though.
 
jmorris said:
Simply that calipers as far as precision tools go are the least precise but cheap and handy to use.

$120 for a set might seem really expensive to folks that only own tape measures but when compared to a $500 bore micrometer or a $12,000 set of micrometers, they are cheap and not as accurate.

If you want precision measurements you use precision tools.

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Calipers are “accurate enough” for most reloading chores, meaning more precision isn’t necessary for them.

You could measure your, say seating depth to .000002 but it wouldn’t matter because you can already tell they are not that precise just using your calipers...
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The one guy I know knows the answer... the point is have they made the .002 variance is good enough assessment or is it an arbitrary decision. Many dont even realize there are standards as they dont have machinist backgrounds. Asking a self reflection question without sounding like an ass is not something I'm great at but try... I always appreciate your imputs...
 
I don't have a pic of my old Brown & Sharp Micrometer/Dial Caliper set.

If you know the limitations of a cheap pair of calipers, they can serve for most of your reloading needs.
 

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My shooting/reloading, for the most part, has not advanced to the point that a 0.001 variance makes a repeatable difference.
While a Machinist needs that level of accuracy in a caliper, I don't.

YMMV
 
Love my Lyman dial calipers. Only one I’ve ever had. I guess I would love whatever I had.
 
I'm a metrologist--I calibrate and have for decades.
It's almost embarrassing to state that even the cheapest Horror Fraught digitals will consistently equal the performance of the finest Mitutoyo or Starrett, but it's true. They FEEL like ****e but are accurate & repeatable.

Lately I'm most impressed with the nice feel, yuuuge display, and $30 price of the Husky digital at Home Depot. It'll also display fractions if you want to use it in the workshop.
https://tinyurl.com/4uyjr2zk
 
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When I worked in the machine shop and ran Romeo Water Jet tables and Messer plasma table I used a Mitutoyo digital. For reloading I got the RCBS with the Supreme Rock Chucker reloading kit. I got a Swiss made glass filled nylon caliper in a bunch of reloading gear years ago and loved them - light accurate and repeatable. I gave them to a new reloader that was starting out and when I handed them to him he laughed at them. I should've kept them....

I bought a Brown and Sharpe set at my buddy's pawnshop for 20 bucks that had been calibrated before they were pawned. They have since started jumping teeth, so I'm back to my RCBS ones. I wish I knew where I could send them to be rebuilt/calibrated. Any suggestions?
 
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Hugger-4641 said:
I've been doing machine work (lathe and mill) off and on for about 30ys now and I've kind of grown fond of Starrett for analog and Mitutoyo for digital.
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Browne & Sharpe guy myself but you really can't go wrong with either Starret or Mitutoyo. Stay away from the slide rule style or any of the plastic ones.
 
If you were a machinist and you were going to use them everyday I’d say buy Mitutoyo or Starrett but just for reloading I’d say buy anything made in the USA Japan or Switzerland. Check on eBay for some older ones that are like new or NOS. You’ll pay less for brands like NSK or Fowler or Tesa and they’ll be good quality.
 
my experience with Hornady digital calipers. I had to rezero alot because it keep shutting off and would not rezero after a full 6” pull. I keep it for non-important stuff. But bought a Starret and it’s bomb
 
Legionnaire said:
So what would y'all recommend if I didn't want to spring for an entire set of gage blocks to check accuracy?
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Just order a guage pin that is close to size if what your measuring. They come in every size imaginable. It can even double as an expander mandrel when you get tired of it.
 
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