Dial calipers

[Gothboy]

So, Ive been building cars for many years.
Im very old school (just the way I was raised) so new plastic cars, things with sensors and batteries are NOT on my good list. Im the only young car guy I have met who knows what and how to use an automotive points dwell meter lol.
Thats where reloading stuff comes into play.

Digital dial calipers just dont sit well with me, but is there a good reason I should get some? Batteries fail, and I dont want to be stuck some night reloading and have to wait til daylight to get a battery. Are they more or less accurate than manual dial calipers?

Same question about digital / beam scales? Is a manual beam scale be as accurate as a digital or am I just WAAAAY over thinking this whole thing?

Can I be reliable with old tech stuff or do I need to buy digital instead?

This is probably a silly question with just a yes or no answer, But still I want to be sure.

[XDRoX]

For calipers, there is no difference in terms of accuracy or speed.
I've been using a digital for years but got tired of changing the batteries and upgraded to a dial a few months ago. I'm very happy with the switch.

As far as scales, you really need to get a decent quality digital in order for it to work well and last a long time. If you don't spend at least $100 on one it won't last and I personally wouldn't trust it.

I believe that every reloader should at least have a quality beam scale. I think Dillon makes the least expensive one but any of the major brand beam scales will last a lifetime and are as reliable as they come. Most of them are made by the same company (Ohaus) anyway.

Speed is what you gain going with a digital scale. Once you go digital it's hard to go back but it's always nice to have a trustworthy beam scale to double check anything that doesn't look right.

But if I could only have one scale, it would be a beam scale.

[joelogic]

IMO, its depends on cost of equipment plus your reloading goals. If you are using $300 digital calipers I am sure they are extremely accurate. However for me I only need to check OAL to the nearest .005" when I am setting the die so even a $10 digital caliper is good enough for me.

When I was shopping for a scale people said manual scales need to be calibrated often. Pass.
My digital scale only goes to 1 decimal place and that is accurate enough especially since the Dillon can be +/- .1gr per throw anyway.

[john16443]

I started reloading with a set of $10 Harbor Freight digital calipers, came with an extra battery, and batteries for them are only about a quarter or less on ebay. Work fine for what is normally needed for reloading with a resolution to at least 0.001.

BUT... I now use a dial caliper exclusively, purchased on ebay for about $20 with 0.001" marked increments. No reason that I can think of to use a digital caliper at all, and I'll be you have a good dial caliper already. Use it and don't look back.

Beam scales will be as or more accurate than a digital in my opinion. The downside for me is the longer time needed to get an indication of the powder charge on a beam scale. For the semi auto calibers I load, I won't be without a digital scale. The Gemini 20 avaialble on Amazon is amazing. Resolution to at least 0.02 grains is head and shoulders above the typical 0.1 grain resolution of digital and beam scales. The best part is that it is relatively inexpensive and ships free.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Gemini-20-Portable-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351090003&sr=8-1&keywords=gemini+20

Order the Lyman Powder Pal to use with this scale and you get it all for under $30.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N8QKUI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

Your needs for a digital scale will really depend on your requirements. I can highly recommend the Gemini 20, but if you're more of a 'you get what you pay for' guy, consider a Jennings Mack 20 with AC adapter from Old Will Knot Scales for about $70. If it has to be 'Made in the USA', the scale Berry's Mfg. sells will set you back over $100.

[sunborder]

Is that Gemini scale reliable? Does it last? Does it actually measure in grains, as opposed to grams? Not much info on the amazon page.

[Rule .308]

No, they are no more or less accurate but you have a problem with your terminology. Calipers basically come in 3 types, vernier, dial, and digital, there are no "digitial dial" calipers, not that I have ever seen. Just get yourself a set of decent dial calipers and be done with it. They came out with digital stuff to speed things up but now you have idiots that cannot read the stuff that came before it.

Like myself, I old enough to have come up on regular dial calipers and vernier mics, but too young to have really used a vernier caliper enough to be fluent with it. And of course the old timers will give me crap for it.

Dial calipers are cheap enough, as are digitals anymore, get both and when the batteries wear out in your fancy digitals you can use your dials and probably never go back to digital.

[Horton Fenty]

I use calipers a lot more than scales, so I prefer the combination of a digital caliper and a regular beam scale. Digital gets you fast, if you need or want fast get digital. Nothing wrong with manual gear though. If your afraid the battery might die on you at an inopportune time....then buy more than one battery.

[XDRoX]

How is a digital faster than a dial?
That's like saying its faster to tell time on a digital clock than one with hands.

Ready...go

[Bill Steele]

I have both, use both, no difference (other than the batteries as noted).

[Gothboy]

Excellent advice, thank you guys. I'll pick up a sigital scale and caliper. That Gemini setup looks like a good deal too. Thank you. Then, as was pointed out, if my caliper battery dies, I have the manual backup. I just didnt realize that the accuracy "most commonly" needed in reloading isnt as strict as I thought, though maybe for match / competition it is. Thank you again.

[QUOTE=Rule .308;9579866]No, they are no more or less accurate but you have a problem with your terminology. Calipers basically come in 3 types, vernier, dial, and digital, there are no "digitial dial" calipers, not that I have ever seen. QUOTE]

Ah, yes, You caught that did you? lol. I noticed that after I posted it and laughed. Sort of a submarine with a screen door to keep the fish out there haha.

[Horton Fenty]

How is a digital faster than a dial?
That's like saying its faster to tell time on a digital clock than one with hands.

Ok. Lets zero our calipers......go.

[problemchild]

If you clamp a headspace gauge onto one blade can you then zero the caliper to start from 1.17 inches open to measure shoulder bump?

Dont like batteries buy a solar powered caliper, problem solved!

But with batteries being like 10/$1.00 at HF why bother? I bought 2 calipers and have both on my bench with 30 batteries in the freezer. Lifetime supply all with 20% off.

For calipers, there is no difference in terms of accuracy or speed.
I've been using a digital for years but got tired of changing the batteries and upgraded to a dial a few months ago. I'm very happy with the switch.

As far as scales, you really need to get a decent quality digital in order for it to work well and last a long time. If you don't spend at least $100 on one it won't last and I personally wouldn't trust it.

I believe that every reloader should at least have a quality beam scale. I think Dillon makes the least expensive one but any of the major brand beam scales will last a lifetime and are as reliable as they come. Most of them are made by the same company (Ohaus) anyway.

Speed is what you gain going with a digital scale. Once you go digital it's hard to go back but it's always nice to have a trustworthy beam scale to double check anything that doesn't look right.

But if I could only have one scale, it would be a beam scale.

[Cowboy T]

Didn't know they made solar-powered digital calipers. That's pretty cool.

I also got tired of buying those expensive CF batteries for my digital set and went analogue dial. Unlike some folks these days, I have no trouble at all reading dials. :-)

That's also why none of my reloading gear is electronic, like my powder scale. That's a beam unit by RCBS. Always works, always reliable, didn't (and doesn't) break the bank.

Not saying I don't like electronics. I love 'em, and they're not just my profession, they're also my hobby and lots of fun. That also means I know their limitations and prefer not to depend on them when making ammo. Sometimes, there really is no school like the old school, and there are times when I prefer it.

[Colt562]

I use electronic. Mainly because I am young and want things now

But I have thought about picking up a set of dial calipers.

For the scale i would suggest only digital. I find it very time consuming to measure powder on a beam scale, maybe i am just doing it wrong.

[Pete1979]

I've been using both for years, The dial is reliable and if you get a good set, pretty accurate. For measuring case length, its a matter of preference. Same for car stuff, if I need an exact measurement, I use a mic and or a bore gauge. If I need a quick bore size, valve size or push rod length, I grab whichever caliper is closest.