I've been using a cheap $15 digital caliper from Harbor Freight for several years, and I believe the gizmo is losing accuracy, seems like I have to re-zero often and so i am in the market for a new caliper and intend to upgrade to a better tool.

There appears to be the $15 range, then $35-$50 range like those from General Tool and all the private labeled ones for RCBS and others, then a jump to $120+ range for Starrett and Mitutoyo.

Does anyone have an opinion on the difference between the $50 and $120+ in terms of accuracy and reliability for handloading? I'm not ever opposed to spending a little more for a better product, but i'm not sold on the fact that there is that much of a difference in accuracy and reliability.

Personal opinion; The only two ranges that matter are the extremes, $15 from H.F. and the >$150 Brown & Sharpe, etc., and those are only better for durability, not accuracy. I've checked five of the cheap dial calipers and two of the cheap digital calipers against precision standards blocks; the worst was only off a quarter of a thou at the worst point and that's about as good a calipers get. For anything better than that we need micrometers! But - the cheapie Chinese measureing tools won't last as long as a professional qualtity tool. At the price difference, who cares?

I prefer the H.F. dial calipers for reloading. If I drop them hard they are damaged, no matter the purchase price.

I'm a retired electronics guy, I want no digital anything in my loading room, they ain't long term reliable and can't be made so!

stelljes
I usually take the middle road.I avoid the cheapest,as not good enough,and avoid the most expensive ,as not necessary.
People wh work with tools all day,an justify buying the "best",but occasional users =,like me,cannot.
Sometimes,the cheapest is good enough.SOME Lee tools are first rate.
Frank

The only difference I found while taking a machine tool course in the HF measuring tools and the more expensive Starret, Mititoyo etc was, when you drop the cheap ones you don't cry about the $150 you just threw out the window. They all measured to within standard tolerance values and I used my cheap HF measuring tools to take all my tests during class. I now have a full set of Expensive Tools but that was a present from my Uncle (SAM) for voc rehab. I still use the cheaper tools for everyday use.

Being an ASE Master certified engine machinist I have a cupl grand worth of measuring instruments, and my experience is you get what you pay for!, the top of the line stuff is SWEET! the intermediate stuff is not bad (usually) and will get you by nicely if you don't use it all day every day, and the cheap crap is just that crap!

I have a Frankford Arsenal one from Midway USA, its been solid for the last 4 years. I'd recommend it. It was about $20, they are on sale all the time.

When it comes to measuring tools, money buys accuracy. My Starret tools came with certifications. There is a difference, and there is a reason that the Chinese stuff is cheaper. There is a reason the machinist doesn't use cheap measuring tools, too. They are not long term reliable. I've found this to be true in my own shop. My 30 year old Starret dial calipers still hold true over the length of the rack. Something that can't be said for the imports even when new.

However, just for everyday reloading chores, you are not going to need much more than the import stuff that RCBS and Midway (or the local auto parts store) sells. Get Starret if you can swing it. You'll only have to buy it once. Otherwise, buy what suits your budget.

If I could afford the best of any tool for occasional use, I would get it, but I save buying the "best" for tools I need to perform my job or for my woodworking. Aside from that, I use a $30 Chinese caliper (NOT digital...I'm with Ranger on that one) and, with it's resettable dial, it's as accurate as I'll ever need it for reloading. It's a SMIEC and it's been working fine for nearly 16 years now.

I kind of split the difference and try and get name brand tools on ebay and it has worked. well so far. Last one I got is a Mahr digital and it has been very good. I also have a Mitutoyo dial and it can be reset to 0.
Also got a Mitutoyo vernier which are about indestructable and pretty accurate (for reloading work) once you learn how to read it.

I have had two of the cheapos and one drop and they are shot.

I would get a very good 0 to 1 micrometer. Tubing mic comes in handy if you are going to turn case necks. I also got a inside mic made in Poland reasonable on ebay that has been very good.

An opti visor head loop will also come in handy for you.

I have the same one as Matt does(post #6). It has lasted for a year without battery change. I test it from time to time with a known inch scale and it is always right on. Down to the .001".

Whichever one you decide on,make sure to get a digital. I reloaded with a analog,wheel type, for 20+ years and didn't know what I was missin'. -----pruhdlr

Got mine at Bass Pro. So far......love it.

My HF dial calipers worked great until I ejected a 300 grainer from my 92 and the rim landed on the dial face, I am glad it was not a Starrett. It runs a little rough now with a nice hole in the cristal but still agrees with my Starett micks, I will order another HF dial caliper for the reloading bench. For the reloading I do I do not need tenth of a thou accuracy.

More expensive calipers usually last longer and have more repeatability than the more inexpensive models. Digital calipers (at least Browne & Sharpe and Mitutoyo) are less prone to problems than dials.

When I did finish grinding (.0002" tolerances), I tried to convince myself that the digital calipers weren't as accurate as those with dials, like most of the old machinists did. We could never prove it in our shop, so we bowed to the obvious that digital calipers are less likely to jump a tooth or get a damaged rack, and most everyboyd made the switch to Mitytoyu digital calipers.

By the way, I didn't (couldn't) use calipers when the tolerances got down to tenths (of a thousandth). The old rule of thumb is that measuring devices and gauges should be ten more times accurate than the tolerances called for on the prints. One need gauges or a laser, but sometimes we had to make due with a micrometer that measured tenths.

:D I've seen no less than 15 different spellings for Mitutoyo in this thread! :D

It's one thing to consider the quality of the tool, but it becomes a silly exercise unless you also consider the needs of the job. This is just reloading, and measurements just aren't that critical. We verify bullet diameters, check case length and do a few other length or depth chores - none of them needing more than the nearest thousandth of an inch, and most of them even less precision.

You wouldn't buy a million-dollar computer-controlled machine to cut firewood, and investing hundreds for reloading tools is equally pointless.

I have some expensive calipers and some cheap ones. They all measure the same. I use the cheaper ones for reloading and the others for machine work. I have had several doubts about measurements made with the cheaper tools but when verified by the expensive ones they were close enough. Like Rocky says, it is just reloading but some folks demand the best no matter what they are doing. Each to their own.

This is all common sense, if I could afford it I would buy the best just cause they were the best. Otherwise I buy what I can afford that will do the job at minimum cost that I can afford. I got "Midway Calipers" about 5 years ago for less than $ 20.00 or $ 25.00 if I remember. They work just fine. Would I want better calipers - obviously yes. But I load .45 colt and .38 special and I don't shoot hot loads and I buy quality cast bullets so I could probably get by without a caliper in the first place. Mattsbox99 is right - I just got the Midway flyer yesterday and the Frankford Calipers are not on sale but sell for $ 30.00 or less.

It's one thing to consider the quality of the tool, but it becomes a silly exercise unless you also consider the needs of the job. This is just reloading, and measurements just aren't that critical. We verify bullet diameters, check case length and do a few other length or depth chores - none of them needing more than the nearest thousandth of an inch, and most of them even less precision.

You wouldn't buy a million-dollar computer-controlled machine to cut firewood, and investing hundreds for reloading tools is equally pointless.

Here, here.... the most common thing I've used a dial caliper for in reloading is to measure overall length, and 0.001" is plenty of accuracy. 0.005" would probably be good enough variance, at least for my hunting loads (granted I do not shoot benchrest).

The caliper is a great tool for relative measurement. Due to the spring in the jaws, operating technique (pressure), etc., it is not going to be a good choice for absolute measurement. That's what gage blocks and good quality micrometers are for.

Any dial caliper beats no dial caliper, at least if you don't get crazy and assume much greater precision than the tool can give.

Inside mics and hole gages are nice for checking cylinder throats. Ditto for tubing mics if you are going to turn case necks.

" you are not going to need much more than the import stuff that RCBS and Midway (or the local auto parts store) sells."

That's true. As others state, this ain't rocket science and the measurement of any length or diameter we are normally concerned with is well within the accuracy limits of the less expensive tools.

Actually, I've found that ALL of the reloader company branded 6" dial and digital calipers are identical with those from Harbor Freight. That means all we get from the more expensive calipers labeled RCBS, Lyman, Midway, etc., is the privilige of paying more for them! My first caliper was a German made verniner type, highly accurate and rugged but it got hard to read as my eyes aged. My first Chink dial caliper for reloading was a Midway, now some 20 years old and still going strong. (I've added five more to my metal shop since then, four dial and one digital, but they are all straight from Harbor Freight.)

Mid-price calipers don't make sense to me. They offer neither the price savings of the less expensive ones nor the long life of the professional grade tools. :confused:

NONE of them, no matter the price or brand, can survive drop damage without harm! Since I can buy fifteen HF dial calipers, or more, for the price of one good used Starrett, guess what type wins every time in my reloading room? :cool:

I have a Brown & Sharpe mic reading in tenths for checking bullets, etc. But, I'd also use a Chinese mic for that if I had to. I simply can't afford for everything I own to be professonal quality, especially when mostly I'm just cutting cord wood! :D

My measuring equipment is top of the line. Mitutoyo, Brown & Sharpe etc. But that is only because measuring to .0001 was my business.
If I were to buy calipers for reloading I would keep it in the $20 to $60 range and would prefer digital over dial. Any small piece of junk can get on the rack and cause your calipers to jump .020.
One other thing to keep in mind on the ultra cheap stuff is battery life. I've had several that would eat batteries like candy. I'm not talking months, but weeks. And that can get down right annoying. My 6" Mitutoyo's have had 3 batteries in 20 years.

One neat thing about high-precision tools, you can learn how much difference your technique plays in the errors. I do have a Mitutoyo digital caliper with the last digit reading either 0.0000 or 0.0005. It takes but the slightest thumb pressure to change that last digit! Everything 'springs' more than you might suspect.

Mics that measure to 0.0001" and smaller usually have a thimble on the end that you turn them with, and it slips with just the slightest bit of resistance. Helps keep reading consistent (and probably reduces wear on the tool over the long run).

The only tools I ever bought in my life that I was sorry I bought were cheap tools.....most of those were automotive or diesel maniacin'n tools... (they usually broke soon, and were replaced with Snap-On)....if you have the dough, buy the good stuff, you'll never be sorry

Mitutoyo is, (as far as I can tell) as good as Starrett ...

Been using a plastic caliper for 50 yrs and never had a problem:):):)


I've been using a cheap $15 digital caliper from Harbor Freight for several years, and I believe the gizmo is losing accuracy, seems like I have to re-zero often and so i am in the market for a new caliper and intend to upgrade to a better tool.

There appears to be the $15 range, then $35-$50 range like those from General Tool and all the private labeled ones for RCBS and others, then a jump to $120+ range for Starrett and Mitutoyo.

Does anyone have an opinion on the difference between the $50 and $120+ in terms of accuracy and reliability for handloading? I'm not ever opposed to spending a little more for a better product, but i'm not sold on the fact that there is that much of a difference in accuracy and reliability.

Been using a plastic caliper for 50 yrs and never had a problem:):):)

Just curious; Where did you buy plastic calipers in 1959?

Well... been using Lyman plastic (nylon polymer whatever) calipers since late 80s without a problem. Just keep um clean and don't abuse um.

I started with a set of cheapo calipers. Then one day I found that they were off by almost 0.01" when I decided to check with my micrometer. Now I use a Starrett that agrees with my micrometer much better :-). Sure they cost 4 times as much, but they'll probably outlast me. Then someone else can have 'em.

I'm also not too fond of buying goods manufactured in China when I can help it. I try to buy stuff made where I live (Canada), or the good old USA.

Chris.

I claim typo on the "Mitytoyu"!

I have a Frankford Arsenal one from Midway USA, its been solid for the last 4 years. I'd recommend it. It was about $20, they are on sale all the time.

I also have the Frankford. Has been working great for 2yrs now. If you take a hard look at the RCBS, Sinclair, and three or four other major brands you will find that they are the exact same caliper's with different colors and logo's but cost considerable more.

I bought one from Sportsmans Guide several years ago. It is a Grip. Grand Rapids Industrial Products. Works very well. I accidently knocked if off the table a couple of weeks ago. Before when holding the caliber at a horizontal position the needle would point straight up. After it fell on the carpet the needle was pointing at the 3 o-clock position. No problem as I could rotate the dial for zero. Checked it against other cases I had measured and it was right on.

No problem as I could rotate the dial for zero. Checked it against other cases I had measured and it was right on.


Another way to fix the problem is to straighten out the end of a paperclip, file a bevel on the end, slide it in where the rack meets the gear and push the thumb wheel. It will skip a tooth at a time until the needle is back to 12;00. It's just a cosmetic thing. What you did will work fine. It just always drove me nuts.
That's why I like digital. Just slide them closed and hit reset.;)

Another way to fix the problem is to straighten out the end of a paperclip, file a bevel on the end, slide it in where the rack meets the gear and push the thumb wheel. It will skip a tooth at a time until the needle is back to 12;00. It's just a cosmetic thing. What you did will work fine. It just always drove me nuts.
That's why I like digital. Just slide them closed and hit reset.;)

I have no big problems with the way it is working now. Actually after using it the way I have to now it seems a little easier to read. I just have to make sure I zero it each time before I use it.

I have to laugh how when i was a kid I'd open the reloading manual and use a piece of paper and pen to make a measurement for oal from the book. i can't say if my reloads shoot any better now than they did back in those days. :eek: