I just got a rockchucker, powder scale, and powder trickler for Christmas. I'd like to know what manufactures make quality dial calipers. Thanks, and Happy New Year.

I use Mitutoyo tools every day as a machinist, and also use them at home for reloading and bullet casting. I'm a firm believer in using good quality tools. You can get a set of Mitutoyo 6" dial calipers for about $70 I think.

Toby

Mine are the generic stainless steel ones for about $40.00 that go on sale from time to time for about $20.00. I have checked them against an expensive set of Starrett and they read the same.

When reloading you don't need to measure accuratly down to 1~10,000 of an inch. If the caliper reads to the thousands accuratly that will do.

Got mine from Midway and they work just fine for reloading.

yep...frankford arsenal brand in ss from midway fer about $20 work superb. had mine for yrs n yrs. havn't kept up.... ya might look into the electronic of the same brand.
how do users of the electronic like those?

as Mellonhead stated the Mitutoyo's are excellent as are the Starrets and Central tools but if your just using them for reloading one of the 20.00-40.00 generics will work.

I've got both dial and digital calipers and prefer the dial. There is that "no-mans-land" with the digital between readings that the dial doesn't have, you can read the dial to .0001" which is close enough for me ;-)

Thanks mellonhead. Where do you buy Mitutoyo tools? Mine will be pulling double duty as well when I build my next motor so precision is important.

They are a little more than I remembered, but it has been a while since I bought a set.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=7434647&PMT4NO=0

I use one of my Starret calipers.I think as long as they are not made from plastic they will work fine.

just a side note about the double duty for the calipers, having built dozens of engines over the last 22 years in the business invest in a good set of micrometers and they can pull double duty also. The calipers are great for comparative readings on rod and main bearings but a mic is better and same goes for checking crank and cam journals and if you really want to get picky then you'll need some type of bore gauge to check the cam a main bores for concentricity and the lifter bores for excessive wear, of course if you trust your machinist then you don't have to worry about much except bearing oil clearance and ring end gap. I always used Central Tools mics and calipers for my engine work but the calipers will set you back about 150.00-250.00 depending on the which ones you get and the mics will be a few bills depending on the set or if you buy them individually. The Mitutoyo's will work great though, about the only brands you would seen in the shop were the Centrals, Mitutoyo's and Starrets.

DON'T GET DIGITAL BATTERIES ALWAYS RUN OUT WHEN NEED THEM

I have the generic stainless from midway and they work fine.

I aldo bought the Frankford digital when they were on sale a year or two later. I DO NOT LIKE IT. The batteries didn't run out on me. I didn't use it long enough for that to happen.

I use the Mitutoyo's too.