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What caliper do use?
- Thread starter The7mmSTW
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Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
most of my reloading is measured with a pair of analog Mitutoyos, but also own Browne & Sharps, and Starretts. If you go analog, the Mitutoyos are by far the best. Digital calipers are all pretty good if you buy a good pair. I like the Starretts because I can disconnect the battery to keep from draining it down. The B&S has a couple features that would be nice if you were doing a lot of compairisons (99% of us never will). Fowlers are pretty good as well, but they also tend to eat batteries. Stay away from the Chinese ones
gary
SidecarFlip
Well-Known Member
I use a number of Starrett analog and vernier calipers in the shop and reloading and contrary to Tricky, my opinion is that the Starrett's are superior to the Mitutoyo, but then I remember when Mitutoyo first came out and Japanese stuff was comparable to present day Chinese.
Fowler offers a nice vernier but then you have to know how to read a vernier so stick with analog or digital.
If you go digital, make sure it's an IP54 or better rated model. IP54 is water/coolant resistant.
Fowler offers a nice vernier but then you have to know how to read a vernier so stick with analog or digital.
If you go digital, make sure it's an IP54 or better rated model. IP54 is water/coolant resistant.
rscott5028
Well-Known Member
I think you already have correct answers from qualified experts.
From a novice perspective, the tool is important. But, a little common sense goes a long ways.
i.e.
- good batteries if digital
- check your zero
- tools and work are clean
- take multiple measurements and get repeatable results
- verify crude calibration every now and then against known objects
- cross reference with other good tools
I bet Tricky and Sidecar could put on a day-long clinic on proper care and use of a good set of calipers.
-- richard
From a novice perspective, the tool is important. But, a little common sense goes a long ways.
i.e.
- good batteries if digital
- check your zero
- tools and work are clean
- take multiple measurements and get repeatable results
- verify crude calibration every now and then against known objects
- cross reference with other good tools
I bet Tricky and Sidecar could put on a day-long clinic on proper care and use of a good set of calipers.
-- richard
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
That's why I hate analog Starretts! Every caliper will sooner than later need to be reset back to zero, unless you like turning the dial to get back to zero. I like my zero to be a 12 oclock. That's the nice thing about a digital pair.
Everybody has a favorite way to check a caliper, and I like to use Jo-blocks, but not so much for measuring as a squareness check. Put a very light coat of high spot blue on the faces of the Jo-block, and then check the jaws for squareness (also works well for checking anvils on micrometers). You can also do this with one, two, three blocks if they are ground good and square. The results may scare you to death! In the end a caliper is best at .0005" no matter what the readout will tell you.
gary
SidecarFlip
Well-Known Member
I bet Tricky and Sidecar could put on a day-long clinic on proper care and use of a good set of calipers.
My perspective is, a good pair requires little care other than not dropping them on the floor and keeping them clean and chip free.
The electronic ones use a digital encoder so the rail the head slides on contains the encoder strip so some care is in order. Mechanical calipers use a rack and pinion arrangement so metal bits on the rack can cause issues. Most racks are covered, some aren't.
Vernier calipers have no issues other than dropping on the floor which is bad for any precision tool.
Unlike a micrometer, the novice can't use a slide caliper for a 'C' clamp.
I tend to keep a check standard with each caliper in it's box. Usually 1", for checking the caliper. Gage blocks work too.
A slide caliper can be used as a precision depth gage with the addition of a clamp on base. The rack cover is the depth gaging rod.
My perspective is, a good pair requires little care other than not dropping them on the floor and keeping them clean and chip free.
The electronic ones use a digital encoder so the rail the head slides on contains the encoder strip so some care is in order. Mechanical calipers use a rack and pinion arrangement so metal bits on the rack can cause issues. Most racks are covered, some aren't.
Vernier calipers have no issues other than dropping on the floor which is bad for any precision tool.
Unlike a micrometer, the novice can't use a slide caliper for a 'C' clamp.
I tend to keep a check standard with each caliper in it's box. Usually 1", for checking the caliper. Gage blocks work too.
A slide caliper can be used as a precision depth gage with the addition of a clamp on base. The rack cover is the depth gaging rod.
rscott5028
Well-Known Member
[...]Unlike a micrometer, the novice can't use a slide caliper for a 'C' clamp.
Yep. That little thumb screw thingy is much harder on my fingers. I can get a lot more torque on the mic. ;-)
-- richard
SidecarFlip
Well-Known Member
I see all the major players (RCBS, Hornady and Lee offer slide calipers of some type but I have no idea what the orign of manufacture is. Maybe Gary knows.
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
I bet Tricky and Sidecar could put on a day-long clinic on proper care and use of a good set of calipers.
My perspective is, a good pair requires little care other than not dropping them on the floor and keeping them clean and chip free.
The electronic ones use a digital encoder so the rail the head slides on contains the encoder strip so some care is in order. Mechanical calipers use a rack and pinion arrangement so metal bits on the rack can cause issues. Most racks are covered, some aren't.
Vernier calipers have no issues other than dropping on the floor which is bad for any precision tool.
Unlike a micrometer, the novice can't use a slide caliper for a 'C' clamp.
I tend to keep a check standard with each caliper in it's box. Usually 1", for checking the caliper. Gage blocks work too.
A slide caliper can be used as a precision depth gage with the addition of a clamp on base. The rack cover is the depth gaging rod.
a lot of people don't know that a dial (or digital) caliper actually has two built in ways of measuring depths. You can do it off the head end or you can use the tail part that sticks out the back end. I personally prefer a good depth mic to using a caliper for measuring depths, but if it works out for you then so be it.
The real issue with calipers is when your measuring I.D.'s The anvils have flats ground on them, and will not fill in the complete arc they are touching. I have one pair that have had the anvils reground to about half of what they were shipped with, good enough for most large bores, but still not upto the job for small bores. For finite measurments I prefer a set of small hole gauges
gary
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
boomtube
Well-Known Member
"China"
Yep. Every one I've seen with a loading tool label glued on appears to have come from the same Chinese shop, from Midway to RCBS. Of course the prices vary quite a lot!
I have one pro-grade B&S 6" caliper. Also have two Harbor Freight 6" and one 12" dial caliper plus one 6" digital; all are within a half thou with my Jo blocks and that's fine for any brand of caliper. Anyone wanting better accuracy than 1 thou needs to be reaching for a micrometer, not a caliper.
Given that Harbor Freight sells both dial and digital calipers for $10-12 when on sale, as they frequently are, it seems silly to pay more for a brand name stuck on the same instrument! And given that I can but a dozen or twenty H.F.s for the price of ONE pro-grade caliper and that I won't cry so bad if I drop a cheepy and that I reload and do home shop work so I don't have any justification for spending big bucks on a tool I'll never see any advantage from .... I won't buy another costly one as long as I live! I mean expensive stuff is really nice but i do't squirrel hunt with a Cooper .22 either; we gotta inject some sanity into our buying decisions somewhere!
I check all my caliper jaws for square by closing them lightly and looking for a sliver of light shinning through anywhere along the joint. So far, so good. I know how to adjust the jaws if they ever do get out of square but that's not very likely anyway.
Yep. Every one I've seen with a loading tool label glued on appears to have come from the same Chinese shop, from Midway to RCBS. Of course the prices vary quite a lot!
I have one pro-grade B&S 6" caliper. Also have two Harbor Freight 6" and one 12" dial caliper plus one 6" digital; all are within a half thou with my Jo blocks and that's fine for any brand of caliper. Anyone wanting better accuracy than 1 thou needs to be reaching for a micrometer, not a caliper.
Given that Harbor Freight sells both dial and digital calipers for $10-12 when on sale, as they frequently are, it seems silly to pay more for a brand name stuck on the same instrument! And given that I can but a dozen or twenty H.F.s for the price of ONE pro-grade caliper and that I won't cry so bad if I drop a cheepy and that I reload and do home shop work so I don't have any justification for spending big bucks on a tool I'll never see any advantage from .... I won't buy another costly one as long as I live! I mean expensive stuff is really nice but i do't squirrel hunt with a Cooper .22 either; we gotta inject some sanity into our buying decisions somewhere!
I check all my caliper jaws for square by closing them lightly and looking for a sliver of light shinning through anywhere along the joint. So far, so good. I know how to adjust the jaws if they ever do get out of square but that's not very likely anyway.
Trickymissfit
Well-Known Member
That's a good test fpr checking jaw squareness, and the results may scare a few folks off. I do that with one two three blocks because there a much larger area.
I've seen the Harbor Frieght ones in use many times, and still say you get what you pay for. I paid the ghastly sum of $71 for a four inch pair of Mitutoyos back in April 1970. They've been dropped so many times that it'd drive you nuts to remember how many times. They've been dunked in coolant tanks a couple times, but just keep on kicking. Yet I've seen piles of analog Starretts on bench tops that were shot. The one thing I did do with them, that I shouldn't have done was to measure a lot of carbide with them.
gary
Gary's advice is right on. I bought a Mitutoyo 6" digital caliper 12 years ago, and it is still working well. I have put 3 or 4 batteries in it over the years.
Some time ago, I could not find it. I ordered another exactly like it. Before it arrived, I found the lost Mitutoyo. So I have a brand new 6" Mitutoyo digital in the original box never used. Will sell it for $125 shipped CONUS.
Some time ago, I could not find it. I ordered another exactly like it. Before it arrived, I found the lost Mitutoyo. So I have a brand new 6" Mitutoyo digital in the original box never used. Will sell it for $125 shipped CONUS.
Lefty7mmstw
Well-Known Member
I've been using a Lyman for years. It works. 25 bucks- no batteries. If it zero's and measures a bullet diameter the same as months ago, I'm good.
