RCBS Dial Calipers

airfoil

airfoil

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I just received a brand new RCBS stainless dial caliper from Midway. When I close the jaws and zero out the bezel, the scale on the beam doesn't zero out and reads about 0.05. When I open the jaws and go to an even number and read the dial on the bezel it reads about.070. If the bezel is zeroed out when it's closed, shouldn't it zero out when I stop at a given number? And shouldn't the beam read zero when it's closed? Does anyone have experience with this tool?
 
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My old Brown and Sharps always did too. I'm not sure if I should return these or not.
 
I ended up returning my stainless steel RCBS dial caliper. It had the same issues. I noticed it's another Made in China product for RCBS. Now I have a Starrett. Haven't looked back.
 
Dial Calipers

Thanks for the input. I thought maybe I was being too critical. I'll feel better returning them knowing other people had the same problem.
 
Well you can contact RCBS, but they would just replace them. I would return them to the place you purchased. I have a cheapy Pittsburgh digital from Harbor Freight that work okay, still won't get rid of my Mitutoyo's.
 
Return it and get your money back, then head to the pawn shops. Good quality used calipers like B&S, Sterett and Mitutoyo can often be found at reasonable prices. They are better made and more accurate than the made in China junk.
 
It sounds like you slipped a tooth. When I did in-house calibration checks I had a nifty thin copper blade I could use to allow me to re-zero the Starretts.
 
The Harbor Freight digital model works fine for reloading. Might not want it for manufacturing part for nuclear weapon triggers though.
 
Since the RCBS Dial Caliper is Chinese anyway I would suggest buying one from Harbor Freight instead and save a bunch of $$$.

Sounds like there is a bit:D of backlash between the rack and pinion, or in the gears in the head.
 
If you close the jaws

If you close the jaws, loosen the screw and rotate the bezel to zero and lock it down with the screw, it should return to zero after you open and close the caliper. Unless something is really broken, I don't know why it wouldn't work unless it were dirty.:confused:

You can get a gauge that is a specified length so you can calibrate the caliper at a certain length, say one inch. I had fun playing with mine because it had perfect mirrored surfaces and I could be looking down at the gauge and see anybody coming just like I was looking straight at them
 
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rwsmith said:
If you close the jaws, loosen the screw and rotate the bezel to zero and lock it down with the screw, it should return to zero after you open and close the caliper. Unless something is really broken, I don't know why it wouldn't work unless it were dirty.:confused:
Click to expand...

It's faulty only if it doesn't return to zero each and every time.

It doesn't matter if the slide on the caliper matches up with the ticks on the frame or not. If it is between two marks, you add the reading on the dial to the lower value tick.
 
MichiganScott said:
It's faulty only if it doesn't return to zero each and every time.

It doesn't matter if the slide on the caliper matches up with the ticks on the frame or not. If it is between two marks, you add the reading on the dial to the lower value tick.
Click to expand...

It doesn't seem like too much to ask that the ticks on the beam zero out at the same time the dial does. This thing goes back to zero every time on the dial but it never starts at zero on the beam. Even when it closed tight.
 
airfoil said:
It doesn't seem like too much to ask that the ticks on the beam zero out at the same time the dial does. This thing goes back to zero every time on the dial but it never starts at zero on the beam. Even when it closed tight.
Click to expand...

If you want the ticks to be exact, buy a Starret and pay over $100 and send it back to be recalibrated when you drop it. If close is good enough, buy a cheap Chinese import and toss it when you knock it out of zero.

I'm currently using my fourth dial caliper from Midway. I bought my first one over twenty years ago. I figure that I can buy another couple before hitting the base price of a top end dial caliper. That doesn't include shipping and handling that would have been needed for recalibrating. By the way, you can sometimes find quality micrometers on E-bay to double check the caliper or to use by itself.
 
I picked up one of the dreaded Harbor Freight SS dial calipers years ago. I paid about $15 for it. I initially used it for woodworking tool related measuring. It checked out as accurate enough comparing it to some known sized objects. It has been dropped numerous times. Gotten enough sawdust in it over the years to start a particleboard factory. It is starting to get a little sloppy in the wheel that runs the jaw open and closed, but still measures .358" bullets as .358". Guess what I will be replacing it with?
 
MichiganScott said:
If you want the ticks to be exact, buy a Starret and pay over $100 and send it back to be recalibrated when you drop it. If close is good enough, buy a cheap Chinese import and toss it when you knock it out of zero.

I'm currently using my fourth dial caliper from Midway. I bought my first one over twenty years ago. I figure that I can buy another couple before hitting the base price of a top end dial caliper. That doesn't include shipping and handling that would have been needed for recalibrating. By the way, you can sometimes find quality micrometers on E-bay to double check the caliper or to use by itself.
Click to expand...

eBay currently shows 327 Starrett dial calipers that have sold there within the past month, about half of which sold for under $50 and most for well under $100.

With the collapse of industry in the US, machinists' tools are probably cheaper right now than they've ever been. Anyone buying Chinese measuring instruments today when quality names like Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, etc. are a dime a dozen might be missing out. ;)
 
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If you buy the cheap Frankfort calipers from Midway they will be OK for general reloading and other non-critical duties, plus if you drop them its no big loss. But if you start using them for other more precise work you need to get a good pair to get reliable accuracy past 2 decimals. I chose Mitutoyo. Then get yourself a good mic.
 
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