GOOD DIGITAL CALIPERS

[Bret4207]

My issue with digital anything is that you can't see if what you are measuring errs to the + or - side. With a vernier/dial type you get an idea if it's half a zillionth under or over. I know most people don't need accuracy beyond a hundreth, much less a thou or ten thou. But as with digital multimeters, with a digital caliper or mic you are stuck with what the little gizmo tells you and that's it. Doesn't matter all the time, but sometimes it matters a lot.

 

[Brad]

The $ spent on the tool is dependent on the importance of the measurement.

For me, for reloading use, a cheap digital is good enough. Knowing the case trim length to anything under .001 is silly. Is a variance of .001 going to matter?

For a professional machinist it matters, and the money will be spent. For most of us the igaging, Shars, etc are good enough.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

The $ spent on the tool is dependent on the importance of the measurement.
...............

/\ TRUE /\

And there are diminishing returns for those dollars spent.

If I was a machinist, I would buy tools appropriate for the work I was doing. I would have a hard time justifying the money for a tool that measures to ten thousandths of an inch and was repeatable. I know they exist and I understand there are times when that type of precision and accuracy is important; I just don’t work in that world.

I have digital and mechanical scales that read to the tenth of a grain. That’s as much precision as I need for reloading tasks. Truck scales read to the pound, (and it’s probably more like to 5 or 10 pounds) and that’s close enough for that task.

Many houses have been built with steel tape measures graduated to 1/16 of an inch, and that will get the job done.

The odometer on a car reads to the tenth of a mile and I don’t think anyone needs hundredths of a mile to be displayed.

My father used Volt/Ohm meters, scientific calculators, and oscilloscopes – I was more of a test light / jumper wire, kind of guy.

 

[Charles Graff]

I have a high dollar Starrett digital battery operated caliper. I trust, it kinda, sorta, but I don't really, really trust anything with a battery. I have a Starrett mechanical micrometer with a digital readout, that I completely trust.

 

[Winelover]

I use an old set of Lyman digital calipers. They came in a wooden storage box . I have no issue removing the battery after each use. Uses a small (<3/8") diameter coin battery. Wish it was a 2032 cause I have a bunch of red dots that use that size.

 

[Bret4207]

I have a high dollar Starrett digital battery operated caliper. I trust, it kinda, sorta, but I don't really, really trust anything with a battery. I have a Starrett mechanical micrometer with a digital readout, that I completely trust.

I have a Starrett tenths reading mic that's sorta digital- it's an analog display, IOW a mechanically activated reading, nothing electric at all. That I trust completely!

 

[Dimner]

I also use the igaguing ones from Amazon. Its all I've ever needed. A year ago I got an actual micrometer so I could measure in more finer increments. However, I found that for my kind of reloading/casting the calipers are simply good enough for my needs. The micrometer stays in its case.

 

[dale2242]

I have 2 China made digital calipers.
They are both crap.
They are not so accurate and battery life is short.
They accuracy is good enough for LOA and cartridge length.
I use a good set of mics for measuring bullet diameter.
I have yet to decide how much to spend to upgrade if I feel I need to upgrade at all.

 

[Brad]

One must always factor in what your budget allows. For hobby use top of the line $ doesn’t always make sense.
If you can afford it great, but I wouldn’t expect that $200 more spent on calipers will bring more joy than another 8# of powder would.

 

[KeithB]

Not a fan of electronic calipers. Got a 50+ yr old Craftsman 6" vernier that I keep in the loading room. Got a 24" vernier at the shop (graduated 0-50, not 0-25 on the vernier scale) a 12" digital (rarely used) and I have a Starrett 6" dial and Scott has a Mitutoyo 6" dial (my gift to him when we started our business, along with a 0-3" SPI mike set).

IMHO a vernier scale is a perfect match for a caliper as it is able to be read to the useable accuray of the instrument. A dial type is just as good and quicker and easier to read w/o glasses. I know I'll get some argument on this from folks that claim they can read a caliper scale to a finer resolution than +/-.001 (tests show this isn't the case but anyway) and that the 4th digit (0.000X) on a digital caliper is significant, but I flat out don't believe it. You want 4 digit accuracy - get a micrometer and use the vernier scale on it!

To each their own. I would tell a serious reloader to get a good 0-1" mike and a good 6" dial caliper and learn to use and maintain them properly. Spend the money once and they will last most people a lifetime or three.

 

[KeithB]

For less than $200 you can get a good mike and a good dial caliper. I read here about folks spending a hell of a lot more money on just a scope and not think it's out of line. Then you shoot crap reloads with sketchy dimensions because you don't have the right measuring tools. Hmmm...

 

[Glaciers]

Well I don’t trust electronic measuring tools, or powder scales. Yes I know that there are some good ones, but…
I use a 1” Mitutoyo micrometer and a 1” ball micrometer for case necks. A good 6” I think it’s a General caliper which I’ve been using for close to 50 years.
Got the bug to try digital caliper and micrometer and both failed, but not before readings became unreliable. Once I realize there was a problem, I had to ask myself just when did the problem start.
So for me the expensive quality tool could not be justified. I believed the tools I bought were middle of the road with good reviews.
But, the non-digital’s are reliable. As far as powder scales are concerned, I have a good double beam that’s working fine. Don’t have the funding to purchase and be disappointed.

 

[Dimner]

I should also add... I'm using lee seating dies, not turning the inside or outsides of my case necks, and using noe's lee style mouth expander setup. All which have been convincingly critiqued on the site here.

I have a long way to go before I need any better than 0.0005 readings. Other gear to upgrade first. Rifles I need to pillar and/or glass bed.

I treat my 30 dollar digital calipers as good enough to give me reliable thou readings and give me confidence my components are consistent one to each other. An extra decimal place isn't going to help me at this stage in my cast bullet journey.

 

[todd]

I should also add... I'm using lee seating dies, not turning the inside or outsides of my case necks, and using noe's lee style mouth expander setup. All which have been convincingly critiqued on the site here.

I have a long way to go before I need any better than 0.0005 readings. Other gear to upgrade first. Rifles I need to pillar and/or glass bed.

I treat my 30 dollar digital calipers as good enough to give me reliable thou readings and give me confidence my components are consistent one to each other. An extra decimal place isn't going to help me at this stage in my cast bullet journey.

AMEN, BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm sure there are times when precision to 4 places to the right of the decimal point are important. I just don't work in that environment.

3 decimal places are thousandths, FOUR places is TEN THOUSANDTHS [10,000]

One ten thousandths of an inch is getting awfully small.

 

[Glaciers]

My problem is I can only remember so much.
I can remember 1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000’ I’m good with that. Like P&P said, but entirely different reasons, adding that fourth place, well I would forget one of the first three.
I know that doesn’t make any real since, but for the average Joe 1/10,000 is unnecessary.

 

[Ian]

Repeatability, not resolution, is why we ought to spend more on these kinds of tools.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Even repeatability has useful (economically justifiable) limits.

 

[RBHarter]

I had a no Brand caliper , I still have it just haven't found the can/box it's in yet , it was as solid as my Craftsman 1989 mic as long as I didn't reef on it like it was a monkey wrench . It doesn't seem like much but .001-.002 is a long way if you're trying to get tolerance bolt in a class hole . The difference in .453 + a line and 1-1/2 lines short of .454 sucks when you need room for that front drive band in a 1917 . I don't mean 3 little lines past a half on the pro grade Stanley tape I mean line breadths on the .001 tools .
Eyeball .00025/33/5 is probably plenty for what we do here and I'd bet that most of us sub consciously hear "oh yeah thats .311-1/2 that'll work" or .3115+/.3115- everytime the thimble stops . Long or shy for the framers .

 

[Bret4207]

Wasn't it Gear who said, "It doesn't matter until it does."?