Calipers for reloads and such?

[GeronimoWSB]

I've pushed back into reloading simply because I have several high end guns that deserve it. So my old Harbor Freight Cen tech calipers need replaced, the micrometers seem fine but kill batteries. My over thinking, has concluded I want a higher end dial caliper from Mitutoyo, the digital looks great though. Here is the issue, besides needing a new Garmin Chrono soon as well. Mitu doesn't make a dual sae/metric dial. So do I go to a well reviewed 'off' brand and call it a day? That's 60 ish, the metric Mitu is on sale for 77 and the saw is 115 ish? Get the metric and convert numbers? Since I don't use it much? Thoughts ? Again rereading I can buy both but hate to not ask the B&B their thought on Saturday evening.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I've been using a pair of Midway branded dial calipers for over 30 years. If something happened to them, I'd probably try a pair of Hornady digital, which measure both metric and SAE.

 

[Kentos]

I bought once and cried once and got a Mitsutoyo digital 10 years ago and it’s still in top shape. Sometimes I get a bit of carbon from the primer pockets on the jaws and it reads 0.0005” big (insert wide eyed emoji here).

Batteries last forever and are the easy to find cheap button battery.

Any reason for not going digital?

 

[nortac]

Buy once, cry once. Up your game and buy either a Mitutoyo or Starret that has both metric and SAE. You'll have to pay more but it is so worth it. I have a Starret and I find myself using it for many tasks outside of reloading, but I'm a tinkerer by nature. I also have an analogue Starret dial caliper as a back up that predates the digital trend.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

I bought once and cried once and got a Mitsutoyo digital 10 years ago and it’s still in top shape. Sometimes I get a bit of carbon from the primer pockets on the jaws and it reads 0.0005” big (insert wide eyed emoji here).

Batteries last forever and are the easy to find cheap button battery.

Any reason for not going digital?

View attachment 1907774

I just hate batteries and like the look of a dial really, I know those last lot longer and my current dead cheap ones are digital. Maybe just over thinking it.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I found that the cheap ones I buy from Amazon are as good as my Mitutoyo. I have a Mitutoyo gauge block set Grade 2 and have compared the calipers with different blocks and never found any deviation from each other. Measurements were the same with the cheap and the high end caliper.

 

[dojpros]

I was gifted a set of electronic Amazonias (10 ish max). They are at least as good as the mechanical ones sold by Dillion in the early 90s. I have only been using them for watch stuff and some misc measurements in the NON reloading context.

Having said that, MITS and STARETT are the old school buy nice or buy twice choices and have been forever.

 

[Kentos]

I just hate batteries and like the look of a dial really, I know those last lot longer and my current dead cheap ones are digital. Maybe just over thinking it.

Reloading is fun, and using equipment that give you joy is really important. If you love looking at the dial caliper as you measure stuff, I can see how a digital might take away from that pleasure.

I would get what you want .

 

[helicopter]

I have the Midway one and the Mitutoyo one, and used starrets at work for a decade. All 6" digital. I don't think you will go wrong with any of those three. Starret and Mitutoyo 1" digital micrometers have also served me well.

 

[helicopter]

Reloading is fun, and using equipment that give you joy is really important. If you love looking at the dial caliper as you measure stuff, I can see how a digital might take away from that pleasure.

I would get what you want .

I can say that at least with Starrets, the dial ones are fine. I wouldn't screw around with them personally, though. Seems like cloth diapers. And my wife works at a hardware store so new batteries are never more than a text message away. I won't judge you, though. Do what you want, especially since the performance is there anyway.

 

[Kentos]

Have you looked powder auto measures? Lots of things to spend money on.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

I can say that at least with Starrets, the dial ones are fine. I wouldn't screw around with them personally, though. Seems like cloth diapers. And my wife works at a hardware store so new batteries are never more than a text message away. I won't judge you, though. Do what you want, especially since the performance is there anyway.

My grandmother actually owned a cloth diaper service company in Illinois when I was young so I'm biased in that one lol.

 

[jkingrph]

digital, dial, I have a couple of old vernier, inch calipers.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

Well I went with the digital, watched the YT video on how to check if they are fake even lol. Found some other cheaper well regarded options as well. Shars among the other brands.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

6" Mitutoyo's arrived from Amazon today, 128$ delivered, and they are real. I did notice a lot of reviews showed cheap ones were measuring the same but one area these shine is the standby current is .9 milliamps while the others were close to 14. Battery saver at least for the price.

 

[gpjoe]

I just hate batteries and like the look of a dial really, I know those last lot longer and my current dead cheap ones are digital. Maybe just over thinking it.

Nope, not overthinking.

I've got both, and prefer the analog.

My el Cheapo digital, though accurate, also eats button batteries. It's so bad that I pull the battery when I'm not using it or it will most certainly be dead when I need it.

Since my dial caliper is SAE, I only use the digital for metric measurements, which means I use the dial caliper for reloading, primarily for setting and verifying OAL

 

[nikonNUT]

Iffn you want digitals that are accurate, tough, and cheap I suggest the iGauging 8" calipers on Amazon. They are solid and less than $50.00!

 

[Mhinagoya]

I have six and eight inch Mitutoyo calipers. They work. I use them for such jobs as setting seating dies for pistol ammunition and setting case trimmers. I DO NOT depend on calipers (no matter who made them) for serious measurements. If I want to know how big something is, I use calipers. If I want to measure something, I use a micrometer.
Some of my rifles have tight match chambers and it is critical that sufficient neck to chamber clearance is maintained so the cartridge case can turn loose of the bullet. I have never and will never use calipers to measure neck wall thickness or loaded round neck diameter.
I like good tools. I am especially fond of good metrology tools.

So if my calipers have a bad day and I'm off .005 on bullet seating depth in a run of 38 Super ammo, neither the gun nor I will ever know it happened.
If I was off .005 on neck wall thickness thinking the brass was thinner than it actually was (when I only had .0035 clearance to begin with) I could end up having a very bad day. My rifle could have a very bad day as well.

The point I'm trying to make is that most people's needs aren't such that their metrology tools need periodic calibration and certification and that they be traceable to the national bureau of standards.

Buy what you can afford/want, use it, and enjoy yourself. If you ever need to measure neck wall thickness, go buy a tubing micrometer with a vernier and learn how to use it. Same holds true for grooves, holes, bores, etc. Buy the tools that fit the need and you will get along just fine.

Bill.