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Thread: Lyman 6" dial caliper

  1. #1
    In Remembrance

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    Lyman 6" dial caliper

    Does anyone have a Lyman 6" dial caliper, if so are you happy with it?
    I was loading up some boolits last night and went to move something and knocked my dial calipers off the bench. The cussing started before they even hit the floor, I have had them for over 20 years and the concrete wasn't kind to them. They are toast so in the trash they went.
    I can get the Lyman model #7832212 for about $35 locally which isn't any more than mail order plus shipping, if they are an good.

  2. #2
    Banned

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    The $20-30 dollar ones are fine. Most with a brand name on them are STI or Phase II or such. Just remember , they are really only good for .001" accuracy. But if you work with them alot, keep them clean, and practice measuring gage blocks to get the "feel", you can really get .0005" acurracy with them.

  3. #3
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    I was really bummed out when they hit the floor, like I said I had them for probably 20 years and they still looked like new.
    I went to the local hardware stores today and they had a plastic set for 20 bucks and a good set for 150 bucks but nothing in between. The Lymans are at a local gun store and I will probably just get them.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    You have just found why I only bought one "professional" caliper for my lathe work; no matter the cost, they are only good to a thou AND if/when you drop 'em they're gone! I don't know if Lyman (or Hornady, RCBS, Midway, Harbor Freigth Tools, etc) have changed sources recently but at one time they all got their stainless steel calipers from the same Chinese plant, only thing different was the labels ... and the PRICES! Harbor Freight frequently has them on 'sale' for a little as $12, both dial and digital.

    The Chinese calipers - and micrometers - are accurate and plenty good for light use and reloaders.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    1 hole is right, why pay a lot when you can get the same item for a lot less.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master bearcove's Avatar
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    Harbor freight, grizzley, LYMAN... All same Chinese stuff. Grizzley has started to sell more quality stuff also. Find best price, pick your poison.
    I'm just the welder, go ask him>

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I used mine for the first several classes of my machine shop work at the local community college. They worked just as well for that application as the Mitituyo set I also have. I still get out the Starrett micrometers if I need a precise measurement, since I only trust any caliper to +/- .001" in actual use.

    Froggie

  8. #8
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    I'm an Inspector in a machine shop.
    For professional work I'd only buy Mitutoyo electronic calipers.
    But you know what? I HAD to buy and rely on $15 Harbor Fright Chinese electronic calipers once (lack of $) and it was just fine.
    Very accurate and repeatable.
    Came with extra battery too.
    I kind of agree with Green Frog about the .001"...but with good calipers on OD work I'd say +/- .0005 is possible. IF you have jo-blocks or precision pins (Deltronic) to verify.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master

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    I've been using a set from cabelas bout 3 years now. Checked against the gauge block in my brown & root mic, it does read 0.0005. Also checked against the mic itself, my old eyes can't tell any differance.
    Gun control 1ST ROUND ON TARGET.

  10. #10
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    Well it looks like a Lyman will be coming home with me tomorrow. I'm sure they will be as good as or better than the old set from Midway that got broke, I was basically curious because Lyman doesn't seem to have the satisfied customers that it once did.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    FYI, I'm confident that Lyman's Ultrasonic cleaner is also the same thing as my Harbor Freight's larger model... and none of the cheap table-top models are much good, no matter how much they cost!

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Honest makers rate their calipers at +/- .001" or +/- .002" for a reason.

    Bill
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Some digital (reading) calipers obtain their location from a rack and pinion just like the regular dial calipers. Drop them and they are junk. True digital calipers have no rack and pinion.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
    GREENCOUNTYPETE's Avatar
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    i have the lyman 7832212 6inch caliper i paid 27 and tax for it from my local gun store that ordered it for me the benifit for me of letting them order things like that is they do it with a bunch of stuff and i see a savings in shipping vs a midway order with shipping.

    the caliper has worked fine for me i have not had it very long. i am new to reloading but not new to using a dial caliper i used to work in a machine shop. they thought it was strange that i wanted a dial and not a digital when i ordered it as they could get the digital for a few dollars less , those are dollars saved the first time i don't need batteries and i am familiar with dial from my past use.

  15. #15
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    I got the Lyman for 20 bucks out the door for changing a regular SKS bolt cover to a scope mount cover for one of the guys customers, what 5 minutes, lol.

    BTW, yesterday I had a few hours to kill so I visited a Harbor Freight store and the one set of 6" calipers said on the box "accurate to +/- .01" not the usual .001. They were $19.99 or so.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master

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    In my machine shop I use SPI 6" dial calipers from Enco.

    More accurate than dial calipers are Vernier calipers. There is a slight learning curve being able to read them accurately. Mine are some German make.

    The digital "Frankfort Arsenal" electronic 6" calipers from Midway are pretty decent as long as you learn not to use too much pressure in closing the jaws. I compared the readings with my Mitutoyo 1/10,000th micrometer and they stayed neck and neck measuring a throat erosion gauge.

    Enco $20 digital 6" calipers. These look the same as the Midway Frankfort Arsenal. For $20 you can't go wrong.
    http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?P...LMPA&PMCTLG=01

    I see the SPI that I use are $35. I have two of them. One in the shop and one at the loading bench.

    Enco discount codes good to May 31. You can use both codes on one order. No minimum order.
    EFMAY - Free Shipping on your order! Expires 5/31/11
    EDMAY - Save 10% on your online order! Expires 5/31/11

    I bought this 1" digital micrometer a few months ago. It's a lot of fun to play with.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/DELUXE-0-1-LCD-D...item1e63e38b7a

    Hint: Buy spare batteries for digital calipers & micrometers off ebay in quantity. They're much less $$$.

    Dutch

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    "BTW, yesterday I had a few hours to kill so I visited a Harbor Freight store and the one set of 6" calipers said on the box "accurate to +/- .01" not the usual .001. They were $19.99 or so. "

    You must have looked at the plastic versions used by carpenters, their stainless steel calipers are easily accurate to 1 thou - or better.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master JIMinPHX's Avatar
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    Having been a production machinist & having been a traveling engineer that has to check his tool kit & let it get gorillaized by luggage handlers several times per month, I've been through a lot of calipers over the years.

    A good pair of dial calipers can be used accurately down to .0002" across the entire range of measurement. Few pairs of calipers, even from the good manufacturers, are that good. If you ever find a pair that is that good, keep them somewhere safe & consider them an heirloom. They are few & far between.

    The name brand calipers are usually good within .001" or just a little better. Most calipers are more accurate in some areas of the scale than in others, even when new. The cheap dial calipers have been getting worse for about the last 5 years. Some of them have spots that are off by .003" right out of the box. I don't buy them anymore.

    Conversely, the cheap digital calipers have been getting better. They are usually good within .001" these days & many are good down to .0005". The cheapest of the cheap $15 4" digital calipers from Harbor Freight are what I travel with these days. They are actually pretty good & when the TSA gorillas repack my tool box the wrong way, I am only out $15. I usually keep a spare pair on the shelf.

    Harbor Freight carries more than 1 grade of caliper. Some have the standard machinists read out & standard accuracy. Some have fractional readout & are only good to .01". You need to watch for that. This is true of both dial & digital types.

    edit:
    The metal Lyman calipers that I have seen so far were all Chinese cheapo type with a brand label on them. Under the paint they are the same as the ones at Harbor Freight. The plastic ones are of lower quality than the metal ones.
    Last edited by JIMinPHX; 05-31-2011 at 12:11 PM. Reason: add info
    “an armed society is a polite society.”
    Robert A. Heinlein

    "Idque apud imperitos humanitas vocabatur, cum pars servitutis esset."
    Publius Tacitus

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master JIMinPHX's Avatar
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    Harbor Freight has 6" digital calipers (normally $30) on sale right now for $15.
    “an armed society is a polite society.”
    Robert A. Heinlein

    "Idque apud imperitos humanitas vocabatur, cum pars servitutis esset."
    Publius Tacitus

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    When I worked for Zeiss, the service dept used to run a FedEx bill in the tens of thousands per month, shipping the techs' tools from job to job. Trying to get them to survive normal airline handling was futile, and that was before TSA! I feel for you JIMinPHX!
    Cognitive Dissident

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