The 8 Best Calipers For Reloading in 2024 (Dial & Digital)

Hornady – Dial Calipers

As mentioned above, Hornady is a well-established company with a long tradition in manufacturing measuring devices. It offers quality at a low price. The company offers a lifetime warranty for its products.

Its dial caliper feels well made when you first take it in your hand. It is made from stainless steel for durability. Its measuring movement is tight with a very, very slight jerky-ness. That might only manifest when it is new, it might get smoother with usage. There is a thumb wheel next to the dial face that allows you to move the slider. It has a big dial face that is clear and easy to read. There is a red edge around the dial which makes the caliper design a bit unique. The dial is shock resistant and it is accurate to 0.001 inches.

You can measure outside diameters with big jaws, inside diameters with small jaws, depth with a retractable rod, and steps. The caliper comes with a plastic case for safe storage. The price is very affordable, especially considering the quality. There are, however, a couple of downsides too. The zero is not set properly out of the box, so you might have to reset it yourself. The needle at zero is not precisely at 90 degrees but very close to it.

Sinclair International – 6 inches Digital Caliper

In the 1970s, Fred Sinclair began building high-quality firearms and reloading tools for competitive shooters and varmint hunters. Over the years, Sinclair’s company became a well-known brand in the reloading business. The company offers a warranty for the original buyer for 45 days from the date of the order.

Its digital caliper is durable and of good quality. You can take four different measurements with it.

1. Outside dimensions with the large jaws
2. Inside dimensions with smaller jaws
3. Depth measurements with the extending rod and
4. Step measurements on the back end of the jaws

The caliper works smoothly along the entire slider. It is made from hardened stainless steel that provides a solid feel from your first touch. There is a big 5-digit display with a resolution of .0005″/0.01mm that is easy to read and prevents glare.

This caliper can be connected to a computer through an SPC interface. It has 3 function buttons with a firm and crisp response. The functions include On/Off, Zero reset, and Inch/mm conversion. The zero point can be set anywhere along the full travel to compare measurements. That function is called relative zero. Auto turn-off is included to save battery power when not in use. If you do not move the calipers it will remember the numeric value of the coordinates before it auto turns off. It runs on a lithium battery (3V CR2032).

Mitutoyo – 6 Inch Dial Calipers

As mentioned above, Mitutoyo is an American/Japanese company manufacturing measurement devices and offering a one year warranty. Its 6-inch dial caliper is manufactured in Brazil. It comes in a plastic box with a certification of calibration and a manual in multiple languages. The fitted plastic box is not very sturdy and might not last very long if used daily. The caliper is made from stainless steel so it is very durable. It has a white-faced dial that is easy to read. Because it is mechanical and not digital, no battery is needed.

The caliper has sharp edges that are borderline uncomfortable. Another downside is the fact that the dial does not always return to zero and you have to set it. On the other hand, the dial slide movement is ultra-smooth so it is easy to use. The caliper is shock-proof and there is a titanium nitride coating applied to the sliding surface to increase wear resistance.

The caliper is accurate to .001 inch. It can measure outside diameter, inside diameter, depth, and steps. There is a lock screw that holds the sliding jaw position while measuring.

RCBS – Electronic Digital Calipers

RCBS was founded in 1943 by Fred T. Huntington in Oroville, California, who started to make his own dies in the back room of his father’s laundry and dry-cleaning business. The bullets he made were used to shoot rock chucks, so he named them Rock Chuck Bullet Swage dies, later shortened to RCBS. RCBS has become a well-known and exceptionally well-respected brand in the reloading business over the years. The company offers a limited lifetime warranty on most of its products.

This caliper is digital and offers an instant reading. It is made with a hardened stainless steel body for prolonged tool life. Its range goes from 0 to 6 inches (0-150mm). The resolution is 0.0005 inches and accuracy 0.001 inches. You can adjust to zero at any position and start measuring outside diameter, inside diameter, depth, and steps.

The LCD screen is big with large, easy to read numbers. There is an inches to millimeters switch button on the screen. The LCD screen is battery operated and a battery is included in the package. The LCD screen will also let you know when the battery is running low. That will be quite often as the battery life of this product is quite unsatisfactory. It lasts less than it’s advertised battery life, which is a tad upsetting. Also, this unit doesn’t feature an automated on/off feature.

Starrett – 6 inches Dial Caliper

Starret was founded in the 1880s and since then it has manufactured more than 5,000 variations of Precision Tools, Gages, and Measuring Instruments. The company provides a one year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

Its 6-inch dial caliper is a precision tool made from stainless steel. It comes in different colors:

• White face with black marks,
• Black face with white marks, or
• Red face with white marks.

It has a satin finish with deep, recessed, black-filled scale markings. You can adjust the measurement with its thumb wheel. The movement of the jaws is smooth and can be done with one hand only. There is also a lock for the jaw and dial to make measuring easier.

This caliper can handle all types of measurement required. Similar to other calipers, you can measure inside diameters, outside diameters, depth, and steps. It is made from stainless steel. It includes “down-pointing” rack teeth that automatically shed dirt and shavings. The dial registers .1 inch per revolution. The dial features wide graduation for fast and easy reading.

Frankford Arsenal – Stainless Steel Dial Calipers

Frankford Arsenal is an American company that is well established in the reloading world. It strives to manufacture top of the line products for an affordable price. Its vision is to make make reloading fast, easy, and efficient.

Its dial caliper is a decent measuring device. It is made from stainless steel but might not be as durable as some of the other brands. Its vernier wheel is held in place by a plastic clip which might not last a very long time. You can use this caliper to measure many critical cartridge dimensions, including case length, neck and base diameters, overall length, and primer pocket depth. The caliper is suitable for non-reloading measurements as well. It comes with a convenient, hard protective case that will last you some time.

The caliper is accurate to .001 inch. It always returns to zero well. It does not depend on batteries like digital calipers do so it won’t stop working suddenly. It is also very affordable. So if you are looking for a decent quality tool for a good value this might be a good choice for you.

Hornady – Digital Caliper

Joyce Hornady started reloading in the 1950s. His company has always valued quality, innovation, and reasonable prices. That is why they have been manufacturing great reloading tools and measuring devices for over 60 years. The company offers a lifetime warranty on all its products.

This is one of the best calipers for under $50 and is super easy to use. Switch the power button on and pull the jaws apart. The measurement will show on the large LCD screen. There is a zero button on the screen so you can zero out any place on the caliper and start measuring from there, giving you relative zero.

When measuring the length of a shell, place it between the bigger jaws on the flat parts, and use the small wheel to hold the round tight. Then read the measurement. Inside measurements can be achieved by placing the small jaws inside the object. There is also a retractable rod on the side of the caliper slider which can be used to measure the depth of a case.

This caliper is very accurate (to .001 inch). It comes with a protective case and an extra battery. The battery life is quite long, so you do not need to exchange it very often. The knob on top of the caliper can be tightened to lock down a measurement. This set also features an automatic shut-off.

Mitutoyo – Digimatic Calipers

Mitutoyo was founded in 1934 by Yehan Numata with one product, the micrometer. His goal was to make the best mechanical micrometer in the world, and one that was also affordable. This philosophy has been expanded to include a wider product offering focused on mechanical and dimensional gaging products including calipers. The company offers a one-year warranty.

Mitutoyo’s digimatic caliper does not require any programming. You can use it right out of the box. The jaws have a smooth-feeling thumb wheel for tightening around the object to be measured. You can use this caliper to measure outer and interior object lengths as well as the depth of the objects. There is neither any rack and pinion to get dirty nor a delicate glass dial face to break.

This caliper also keeps track of its origin point once set. The large LCD correctly displays the actual slider position when ready to start measurement. Thanks to its absolute encoder technology, you do not need to set the zero repeatedly. There is also no issue with over speed errors.

This caliper is very accurate and thanks to its big LCD screen also suitable for people with visual impairment. To use it on the outside of an object, simply place the big jaws on the sides of the object and check the LCD screen for the reading. To measure inside the object, use the small jaws on the other side of the slider and place them on the inside walls of the object. Again, the LCD display will give you very accurate measurements. There is also a retractable rod for measuring the depth of an object.