Calipers

[oddjob]

I use mine 95% of the time for reloading. What brands do people here prefer? I just dropped mine and the digital glass area cracked. Some older gunsmiths use the dial and some use digital. Mine was a digital from Lowes.

thanks

[Barbarosa]

I've got a couple sets of Starrets that I used to use for reloading (among other things); one is dial, the other old-school slide. Then I picked up an inexpensive digital General brand from Lowes. It works great for 99% of the stuff I need. If I were rebuilding an engine I might break out the Starrets; otherwise the cheaper one works fine.

[kcstott]

I use Brown & sharp dials, but that’s also because I use them more for precision than reloading

[rothbardian]

Mitutoyo has a lot of fans.

[elpaisa1]

I use a cheap digital one from horror fright and a mechanical one from RCBS. Both are suprisingly accurate. If you can afford it buy a quality caliper

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

[tonyjr]

While I have good ones , I use a cheap-ee that use can set to zero .
I set it with know good case and then use on the ones I am checking - easier when dealing with + / - . Too long gets trimed - to short - check the caliber .

[RookieShooter]

I have this one and very happy with it. If you have extra money to spend, go with the Mitutoyo.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B5XJW7I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Divernhunter]

I have expensive ones both dial and digital. BUT I use the digital ones from Harbor Freight for my reloading and they work just fine

[baih777]

I use these from HF. Wait for a coupon $9.99

https://m.harborfreight.com/6-inch-digital-caliper-47257.html

I check them to make sure they reset to zero as soom as i get home.

The gray case ones i wont buy. Bought two and they were just junk.

The black case ones lasted me almost 10 years. 5 yrs RC racing and then back to guns. Just dropped them once too many.

['ol shooter]

I have two Mitutoyo's, a dial and a lab certified digital.

[TexasJackKin]

I've 6 or 8 pairs, heck, I think I could even dig up a set of verniers. I've got both dial and digital and have had good luck with both Starrett and Mitutoyo, although I think all my digitals are Mitutoyos.

I've got more than you need for reloading, but then I'm a retired Machinist/Tool&Die maker, and over the years you just accumulate stuff.... And no, I don't want to sell anything, once we get moved out of this state, I want to set up a shop, for hobby projects....

[dreyna14]

Mitutoyo and Starrett are easily the best out there. That being said, they are very expensive but they have their advantages. They have better circuitry and the batteries last forever and are more stable in their measurements. I managed to score a solar-powered Mitutoyo at and estate sale not too long ago and glad to never have another battery go dead. The cheap Harbor Freight ones aren't necessarily any more accurate. The production line at my work uses them because the workers don't seem to give a **** about anything that isn't theirs and they've broken many expensive ones. Our calibration guy say they don't see much difference.

I tend to like digital models when reloading because they can be zeroed arbitrarily (yes, I know you can just turn the dial on a dial caliper) and that helps when setting my sizing or seating dies and when trimming. Good models that don't break the bank are Fowler and SPI.

[sonofeugene]

Mitutoyo has a lot of fans.

This. I've used them for years. I prefer them because they're easier and faster to read.

And yes, a dial allows you to see how close you are one way or the other, but you're splitting hairs. In my experience, even though digital calipers are usually only +/-0.001" in accuracy, I find they're close to +/-0.0005". Plus or minus a half a thousandth isn't usually going to make or break a job.

Whether you choose dial or digital is less important than the quality of the caliper. I've always used Mititoyo.

[67Cuda]

Mititoyo and Starrett dial calipers are quality, but clunky. Mititoyo digitals are good, stay away from Starrett digitals.

If you want a quality Caliper, I prefer dial, get a Brown & Sharp, Tesa or Etalon. You will not be disappointed.

[67Cuda]

If I were rebuilding an engine I might break out the Starrets; otherwise the cheaper one works fine.

What are you measuring on an engine rebuild with calipers?