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Old August 31, 2013, 02:06 AM   #1
chipchip
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Calipers

Need a decent caliper. What do you recomend.
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Old August 31, 2013, 02:11 AM   #2
Hartblood
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I would say one that is not digital.
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Old August 31, 2013, 02:18 AM   #3
mxsailor803
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I've got 2 that I use regularly. 1 digital Kobalt and 1 Harbor Freight dial. I use them both about the same amount. Its usually which ever set is closest.
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Old August 31, 2013, 02:24 AM   #4
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I've used the Dillon dial caliper and it was good until I dropped it and messed up the teeth bad. After that it would not hold zero. Now I have a similar one branded by RCBS. Most of the $25-$35 6" dial calipers work fine for many years even though I think all of them are made in China. I would trust any of them branded by the reloading companies at least: Hornady, RCBS, Lyman, Dillon, etc. They all do a reasonable job measuring consistently to the .001".

I have been thinking of getting a metric caliper as well since more and more specs for both guns and automobiles are in metric.
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Old August 31, 2013, 07:06 AM   #5
TexasJim
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I have had good luck with the Lowes Kobalt as well. Also made in China with the rest of them. Until you step up to the high dollar units they all appear to be about the same.
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Old August 31, 2013, 07:24 AM   #6
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I supervised a metrology lab in a large machine shop and was responsible for all gage calibrations. In all honesty, I've never seen a bad set of calipers unless they were damaged in some way. I'd suggest you buy what ever fits best in your budget and not get too concerned about buying a "big name" brand. Also, nothing wrong with digital. I've had the same pair for over 15 years with no problem. Most machinists use them now days. They are very accurate and hold up very well. Just have a spare battery (which will last for years also).
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Old August 31, 2013, 08:27 AM   #7
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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Any stainless dial caliper. Such as this Starrlett's (look) is good.

http://www.mansontool.com/merchant2/...FalcMgodUDgAxQ
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Old August 31, 2013, 09:21 AM   #8
boondocker385
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I have a starlet and a harbor freight set. Both work great!
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Old August 31, 2013, 09:31 AM   #9
Wreck-n-Crew
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Quote:
1 Harbor Freight dial
I bought a set of these and they really are decent. I use them over my digitals.
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Old August 31, 2013, 09:49 AM   #10
Ambidextrous1
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The Kobalt digital caliper has a large display, good for geezer eyes. it's also priced reasonably, while resembling the feel and heft of the high-end calipers (Starrett, B&S, et al).
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Old August 31, 2013, 09:51 AM   #11
AllenJ
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Stainless steel dial calipers are what I use. I picked them up from my local gun store on sale for $16.00. Digital are really nice but as stated above you'll need spare batteries.
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Old August 31, 2013, 10:26 AM   #12
chipchip
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Thanks for the info.
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Old August 31, 2013, 11:09 AM   #13
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Got mine at a autoparts store.
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Old August 31, 2013, 11:22 AM   #14
royesses
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Mitutoyo 505-675 stainless dial caliper. Super smooth and always returns to zero. The harbor freights I purchased don't zero the same when moving back to zero from a reading. On sale at enco:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PMAKA=307-3602
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Old August 31, 2013, 11:41 AM   #15
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Failed to mention the ones I purchased from harbor freight were not the cheapest ones they had. They actually had a choice and I bought the Pittsburgh 6" Dial Calipers model 66541.

Quote:
The harbor freights I purchased don't zero the same when moving back to zero from a reading
I am assuming you Zeroed them and tightened down the adjuster for zeroing so what model did you purchase?
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Old August 31, 2013, 12:35 PM   #16
royesses
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Model # 66541. Tried 3 pair of them All had the same defect. Use the thumbwheel to run them out and then back in and the zero would be 5-20 thousands off. On 2 of them the indicator needle was loose. I have used Starrett for going on 50 years and never had a problem. I had Mitutoyo for the last 20 years with no problems. I have heard that many people have had good luck with the HF calipers so I most likely got a bad batch. The Mitutoyo calipers I linked to are very good indeed but a little pricey. Enco sometimes has 20% off sales and so the price is 20% lower than the sale price.
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Old August 31, 2013, 05:47 PM   #17
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I have the original green plastic one that came with my RCBS kit in 1984. It looks delicate (plastic) so I don't manhandle it. It's only calibrated to the 100th/inch; but you can easily see between the markings - making it reasonably accurate to 1/200th/inch.

I know it can't be expensive - even in today's dollars; but it does what I need it to do. I take good care of it, and it seems to take good care of me.
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Old August 31, 2013, 07:10 PM   #18
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I have but rarely use B&S and Starrett mikes and calipers, too costly to drop. My assortment of Chinese Harbor Freight cheapos are just as accurate for less than 10% of the cost. I can drop and/or wear out (hasn't happened) a dozen or more for the price of one professional machinist tool. Of course, that kills any bragging rights.

The ONLY thing I've ever noted that keep HF or any other calipers or mics from properly zeroing is dirt or grease (or both) on the jaw faces. Clean them and mine rezero perfectly. ???

I have an old green plastic caliper I use for woodworking. Given that HF has both dial and digitals6" stainless calipers on "sale" about all the time for around $10 it hardly seems reasonable not to have one for reloading.
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Old August 31, 2013, 10:36 PM   #19
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I have been using a pair of Frankford Arsenal digital calipers for years and they perform flawlessly. Never had any trouble with zeroing them. Only thing is batteries as others have stated. I just keep several #357 batteries on hand. Probably going to get a set of dial calipers as well just so I can have a set on hand in the event of a battery shortage.
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Old August 31, 2013, 10:54 PM   #20
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Had these Harbor Freight for seven years. They work great.

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Old September 1, 2013, 01:01 AM   #21
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I use Harbor Fright Pittsburgh brand. It will also read inch fractions. I have found this feture useful.
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Old September 1, 2013, 01:52 PM   #22
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I purchased a Midway digital, I can't remember how many years ago. It's been a long time. It come in a plastic case with closed-cell liner that includes a place for and a spare battery. I've use it almost every time I reload for years and I haven't had to replaced the battery yet. It's hard for old eyes to read .001 on non-digital. My Midway is easy to read and has served me well. Worth every penny I payed for it and then some. It will read thousandths of an inch or millimeters with a press of a button.
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Old September 1, 2013, 01:55 PM   #23
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I've used quite a few of the cheap digital versions made in China. They were all crap, with some being worse than others.

Now, I'm back to using good ol' dial calipers.
(They happen to be Hornady-branded, but I didn't pay the stupid price normally demanded for them.)

---

Keep a close eye on the tolerances of cheapie digital calipers. Some of them are only accurate to +/-3%. When measuring something like .30-06 or .270 Winchester, they can be off by +/-0.100" and still be "in tolerance". So, all you really know is that the measurement falls somewhere inside a band 0.200" wide.
Even with the ones that advertise a tolerance of +/-1%, you can still be off by +/-0.033" when measuring .30-06 OAL.
And... performance may get worse, with low batteries.
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Old September 1, 2013, 02:37 PM   #24
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Maybe I've just been lucky, but my Harbor Freight $10 calipers work well, have a repeatable zero and have been on the same battery since new (at least 3 years). Diameter of an Eisenhower dollar as minted is 38.1 mm.


Last edited by spacecoast; September 1, 2013 at 05:31 PM.
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Old September 1, 2013, 02:43 PM   #25
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supervised a metrology lab in a large machine shop and was responsible for all gage calibrations. In all honesty, I've never seen a bad set of calipers unless they were damaged in some way. I'd suggest you buy what ever fits best in your budget and not get too concerned about buying a "big name" brand. Also, nothing wrong with digital. I've had the same pair for over 15 years with no problem. Most machinists use them now days. They are very accurate and hold up very well. Just have a spare battery (which will last for years also).

Works for me. Kinda like buying Stanley or Snap-On, they both do the job.
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