new calipers

[paintballdude902]

i dropped my dial calipers on the garage floor today... the the dial took the brunt of the fall.

any advice on a budget replacement? thinking less than 40 bucks and id rather go digital this time

 

[cfullgraf]

Any one of these will serve you well unless you want to pay for a "Name".

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=calipers

Check harbor Freight as well. They frequently have sales on their calipers.

 

[Paddy]

I pretty much hate digitals. Go for a 100$ brown and sharpe dial and you won't be sorry.

 

[WonderDavid!]

Don't get the $8 pair. I got one for doing small shop measurements, not for reloading, but they only go out to the hundredths of an inch.

 

[jmorris]

I prefer Brown & Sharpe, Starret or Mitutoyo dial calipers but the cheap dial and digital calipers measure "standards" fine too.




If you need more accuracy than they have, you are using the wrong tool. Precision measurements should be made with micrometers or other instruments.

 

[rcmodel]

Harbor Freight.
Same calipers you will pay twice as much for with a reloading company's name on them.

http://t.harborfreight.com/6-inch-digital-caliper-47257.html?utm_referrer=https://www.google.com/

rc

 

[Blue68f100]

If you get the HF ones you need to check the accuracy. I have a set that is off as much as 0.003" in many areas. I just pick up my pin gauge set and did random checks and found this out.

 

[CMV]

I agree with the HF $9.99 (w/ coupon) digital calipers. I have a store just a few miles from here and what i do is buy 4-5 sets, take them home & check them, & then return the iffy ones.

The set on my reloading bench I'd put up against a Mitituyo in accuracy, repeatability, smooth operation, etc. But I had to go thru about 10 to settle on that set. The quality is really hit or miss. I've had some that were off by .001-.002, some that were dead nuts at 1" & then off at 3", some the battery cover wouldn't stay closed, and some that felt really "gritty" when operating, but measured accurately.

I have a few spares, and I keep one on my mill & one on my lathe. Both have vibrated off onto the concrete floor a few times & still work just fine. Both get covered in grime and wiped off & they don't seem to care. I wouldn't treat expensive gages like that, but at $10 & years of good service, I don't feel the need to baby them. And they keep working just fine. I check them regularly and they stay accurate & repeatable even though I abuse them (the ones at the machine tools - not the ones at the reloading bench).

 

[utvolsfan77]

I just bought a set of Hornady calipers, not digital, from MidwayUSA, and I believe they were about $35. I've compared them with my more expensive machining and woodworking calipers, but cannot tell any difference so far. I guess time will tell.

 

[Walkalong]

The HF digital are accurate enough for 99% of reloading. You can pick them up for $10 or $12 with coupons. The OAL for pistol, and even rifle, won't matter if it is a couple thousandths off your target number. Repeatability is more important. You .45 ACP lead bullet diameter won't matter if it is .4515 or 4518 or .4520 or .4522.

As jmorris said, if you need real accuracy, use a micrometer.

If you get into precision reloading, you may want to consider a pricier option.

I have the HF digital calibers I use for most stuff. It's easy to read without glasses. I also have Mitutoyo and Brown & Sharp dial calipers and micrometers. They almost always agree with the cheap HF calipers to the nearest .001, which is all we need for most things.

 

[joem1945]

I've used the digital ones and don't care for them. I only use the mechanical ones. Seem to be faster and more reliable for me. Same with the powder scale.

 

[JO JO]

+1 ^^^^^ mechanical for me to

 

[Lman57]

I have HF digital & Lyman dial calipers.

 

[GT1]

Go for the inexpensive HF ones, they are the same ones that are sold by FA, RCBS, Lyman, etc. Just slight cosmetic differences.

A $100 pair bought just for reloading is almost laughable. To each their own, though. I'd rather buy 1,000 bullets with the difference.

 

[deadeye dick]

I also like the HF calipers. I also have Starret dial calipers and they match.

 

[GLOOB]

Go for the inexpensive HF ones, they are the same ones that are sold by FA, RCBS, Lyman, etc. Just slight cosmetic differences.

I am convinced this is the case. I have two sets of these calipers (neither one actually purchased from HF, but same thing, same price), and they are accurate enough for reloading.

The on/off button stopped working on my first set after 3 years, but it was just due to dust and is working 100%, once again. When I opened it up to clean it out, I found a "secret," unimplemented fourth button on the pcb. This is just a redundant zero-ing button for installation in a slightly different housing for a different brand.

 

[HOWARD J]

I used a Mitutoyo for about 35 years--I lost the reset key.
Picked up 4 digital at HF for $10 each--my old eyes like them.
They are within .001-good for me

 

[paintballdude902]

i ended up picking up the top rated one on amazon for about 18 bucks. it would cost me me about that to drive to harbor freight. we shall see how good they are

 

[Walkalong]

If it is these, it looks just like the HF calipers.

 

[Schwing]

I can tell you with 100% confidence that the $8 pair from HF will do the trick for any reloader. On a whim, I bought a pair a few years ago and compared it with 2 extremely high end caliper sets from my dad's metal shop, one digital and one manual. On gauge pins, all calipers got the exact same readings on dozens of tests. IMO, there is no reason to spend more money.

 

[paintballdude902]

walkalong- thats the exact set. figure with my wifes prime account and free shipping it ended up cheaper than driving a little over an hour away to grab a cheaper pair. lowes and home depot had some that were more expensive

 

[RobInBrisbane]

I have a 20 year old set of Mitutoyo which I recently sent in for service/clean. Only cost me postage and they're like new again after spending 5 years in a drawer with a corroding battery.

In the interim I used my Dad's cheaper set of WorkZone ones from Aldi. They read identically when put up against each other, and his cos him bugger-all!

 

[Walkalong]

cheaper than driving

No doubt.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

These are the ones I'm using and they work well enough for what I'm doing.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-digital-caliper-47257.html

 

[StrutStopper]

HF calipers work well enough for me.