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What caliper to buy

MEwertMEwert Member Posts: 25 ✭✭
edited January 2010 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
I have been looking around the internet for calipers and find a wide range in regards to price. What would be considered adequate for reloading? Should I be looking for dial or digital, LCD?
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    shooteroneshooterone Member Posts: 139 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would get a dial caliper. Six inch is good enough. And pay the money and get a steel one, not plastic. Get the best you can afford and you wont be sorry. Starrett is tops. I use a Starrett 120A-6. When it comes to reloading you should go for quality on your tools.
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    jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Different folks, different strokes. I'd say go digital. The time I spent pondering just what the dial says I could do 2 or 3 with my digital. But keep an extra battery on hand if you do go digital.


    I'm not of the opinion that the most expensive is always best but I do think buying a good quality one is important, not the cheapest chinese import. Not that a chinese one might not be fine, just don't get the $9.99 one.

    I have a stanley but I don't think brand is so important here. Look on midway. Either a digital or dial in the $30-$50 range should be adequate for measurements down to the thousandths of an inch. You won't need to realistically do better than that as slight variances in bullet manufacture will mean you can't do better than that on seating depth, slight variances in trimmers means you won't do much better on trim length, etc. But that's MY opinion.
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    bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,664 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My thread on Mitutoyo got poofed, for some reason. If you want my experience with those particular high end tools, email me for information.
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    ChetStaffordChetStafford Member Posts: 2,794
    edited November -1
    I bought a set of digital Craftsman for $60 and they are just fine and accurate when compared to my Buddy's Starretts
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    alan selfalan self Member Posts: 328 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I bought 6" digital caliper from harbor freight for $10-20 They worked great except the battery run down in just a few days !
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    dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    Get a good digital, 6" set of calipers.
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    Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,197 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Frankly, they're all accurate enough for reloading purposes unless you drop them. A machinist might get all torqued to read that, but it's true. We ain't building Space Shuttle parts, folks.

    A stainless steel dial caliper is great, and never has a dead battery. I keep a plastic one that reads to 0.01" in my range box to measure groups and adjust sights, and a steel one that measures to 0.001" on my reloading bench. It's been a very long time since I had a need to pick up my micrometer.
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
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    JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    RCBS stainless calipers have never put me at a disadvantage in a match
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    codenamepaulcodenamepaul Member Posts: 2,931 ✭
    edited November -1
    I use a Starret 12" digital. I am loading 50 BMG so the bigger scale is useful. It also happened to be in my aviation box looking at me longingly from disuse.
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    PearywPearyw Member Posts: 3,699
    edited November -1
    I quit using my digital caliper and went back to my dial caliper. If you use them much, the digital calipers will break you buying batteries.
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    aap2aap2 Member Posts: 203 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I collect fine machine tools and love the stuff in the Starrett catalog; but for reloading I use a $20 Dillon dial caliper...yeah, it's made in China, but it's accurate and easy to use. For reloading, it's the best $20 that I have ever spent.
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    264fan264fan Member Posts: 81 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would get a lower priced set,dial type, from Enco or Rutland tool. Make sure they read .100 per revolution. Have 2 sets of Shars, used them at work for several years and they still check out within .0005 on the "christmas tree". Think I paid 19.95 ea about 15 years ago.
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    perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390 ✭
    edited November -1
    Dial NO BATTERY[^] a digit battery will go out when you need it the most in your app. you will not be using every day it might be months between uses
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    MEwertMEwert Member Posts: 25 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I went and bought a Lyman dial caliper at my local walmart. When I took it out of the shrink wrap and opened it up, it looked used. The dial face has scratches on it and it looked handled. When I took it back, they wouldn't take it, saying that it is against the law to take gun related items back. Buyer beware at walmart.
    I zero'd it out and measured a .357 Speer slug at .358. Is this the normal size?
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    FEENIXFEENIX Member Posts: 10,559 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I got a digital 6" Franklin Arsenal. The battery lasts a long time and mine came with a spare battery. The LCD screen is generous enough for my old eyes and of course eliminate reading errors.

    P9260368.jpg

    Good luck and happy safe reloading/shooting.

    Ed
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    partisanpartisan Member Posts: 6,414
    edited November -1
    I'm old school and I use the dial ones. The electronic ones scare me, but then so does my cell phone!
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    ~Mr. Colt .45~~Mr. Colt .45~ Member Posts: 1,546 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I bought my digital caliper from Autozone for $20. It works great and comes with a spare battery.
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