do these hydrometer readings seem right?

I've used SO much 05 over the past few years and never once has it finished anywhere near 1.002 or even 1.008...the lowest FG I've gotten was around 1.010 or so on a beer with the OP's OG. I'm curious if you have an infection/a little Brett floating around your brewhouse?

 

It's not normal for a 6.5%-7% beer to finish below 1.007 with s-05.

 

^ True that, for pretty much any reasonable grain/fermentables bill.

 

You'll also need an original refractometer reading, or convert your hydrometer OG reading into an adjusted Brix reading. The odds of someone at most LHBSs being able to do the latter are small.

Edit: you could just have them check with a different hydrometer, after de-gassing. Though if you got 1.000 with plain water, I'd say your hydrometer is fine.

 

Bubbles in the hydrometer tube could knock you off a point or two. Those were always my bane and one of the two reasons I bought a refractometer (the other being wasting less beer)

 

I've had no issues with the cheapies, but I've also never used an expensive one to know if I'm missing out on anything.

 

This is true. But bubbles would cause a Too High reading. I think OP's problem is lower than expected gravity readings.

My opinion... any hydrometer reading plain water correctly at 1.000 @ its calibrated temperature should work fine. I think a manufacturer would really have to screw up to make a hydrometer where this wasn't the case. Like printing up inaccurate scale paper slips, or something like that. I guess that's possible though.

 

Ah, I got the scale upside down in my head. Shows how much I use a hydrometer these days.

 

Are you reading the bottom of the meniscus?