Lab Radar anyone use one?

Got mine with the second batch shipped.

Positives:
works with any gun. Even air guns and arrows.
Don't have to go down range to set up.
Gives downrange velocities so you know how the bullet is performing
Saves stats in spread sheets for later analysis.

Did I say you don't have to go down range?

Negatives:
Cost
Doesn't directly do printouts.

Didn't Mac use one in the 9mm very .357 revolver segment he did? Thing looked pretty nifty.

Yeesh, $560.00 is a tad pricy.

I hear they’re very good, so if you have the $$ it looks like the cats meow.

Stay safe!

I've had mine for about 6 months......awesome and worth it.

I use it while practicing in addition to load development. It allows me to get multiple data points per load for using with ballistic software. Very quick/easy to set up and depending on target array can be used for multiple targets without adjusting. It's also "all" weather/light, so shade & low-light isn't an issue, my old Oehler 35P has issues with shade at times. The LabRadar rarely misses a shot. Get a detachable battery pack and it will run multiple sessions on a charge.

While it doesn't do print-outs, it does provide spreadsheets by series. All I do is track the series number and weather data in a notebook. I then add the sheets together as TABs in a single spreadsheet by caliber, it has seriously cut down on my record keeping during load development. Makes it really easy to provide data to friends as I just email them their sheet(s) later.

It does cost quite a bit, but I find myself using it a lot more than I ever did my Oehler.

I have one as well. I agree with what Chuck R. said.

The only downside has been the .csv files the LabRadar generates for inputting data to a spreadsheet. For getting printouts on a Mac, I have to rinse the files through TextEdit and convert the semi-colon used as the delimiter to a comma. (Apparently, PC based computers can accept the semicolon as a delimiter). A bit aggravating at first until I found that I needed to change the semi-colon to a comma and that TextEdit would do them all at one time.

The auxiliary battery is a must but any USB auxiliary battery will work so you do not necessarily have to buy the battery offered by LabRadar if you already have one on hand.

I still have an optical sensor chronograph but it has not been out of the case since I got the LabRadar.

Ks5shooter said:

Great thanks for the input. They have a free battery code going on now at their website,so I may have to pull the trigger

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Syncing it to a tablet/phone took a couple attempts at the app download, but once accomplished it made using the unit much more enjoyable. I've got a 7.5" Samsung tablet that's become my "range PC" as it syncs to the LabRadar, my Kestrel and runs Strelok Pro. Very easy to move data between apps.

I recently purchased one. It was on sale at Brownell's with free shipping, so my delivered price was just over $500. Unfortunately, work schedule has kept me from the range lately so I have yet to test it out.

Seen them at Chrono Stage at my last two big IDPA matches.
Nationals has two set side by side for certainty.

$500 is not excessive for quality equipment.

Priced an Oehler lately??

I got one three months ago. I've used it twice and have 30+ series on it.

I like that it provides immediate stats and if you are testing new loads where accuracy may be an issue, you have no chance of shooting it.

I bought a Slik brand tripod to use with it. Any USB battery will work in it.

I got mine on sale for $500 from Midway.

The only two down sides are cost and the two second delay before it will register the next shot.

Buy once, cry once. It's my first chrony and hopefully my only one.

Friend bought one last week. Neat.

I like having a friend who owns one. ;-)

Lab clearly better than Border Collie (confirmed via cat-scan)

I don't own one, but I can see one in my future. I've met a guy at the range using one recently and it definitely seemed impressive. It was easy to setup, no worries about lighting conditions, no worries about accidentally shooting it, you could see velocities downrange. His testimonial was very positive, and what I witnessed from it seemed impressive.

The only downside I can find to these is the cost. It's just a lot of money to justify for a glorified chronograph.

I have had one for a year and find much easier to use than my old Chrony.

I can easily switch between different rifles and pistols without having to change the location or setup for the radar.

slowr1der said:

... no worries about accidentally shooting it,....

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There are two types of down range, sky screen chronographs. Those that have been hit with a bullet and those that are going to be.

I had a Shooting Chrony before the LR and at least when I hit mine it was only with a pellet rifle and it only hit the screen support.

Love mine, and use it all the time. Don't really have anything to add that hasn't been stated already. I soundly recommend it, 100%!!!

Does anyone use it in an indoor range? Does the person shooting next to you bother it?

dannyd said:

Does anyone use it in an indoor range? Does the person shooting next to you bother it?

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Quite frequently because it's so quick and east to set up. Haven't notice a problem with neighbors. But then rarely does some one on either side fire at the same time. On the other hand, at close ranges the "beam" diameter is rather small. I can see that out past 25yds, adjacent projectiles might confuse the machine.

They're nice if you want to calculate ballistic coefficients or if you can't use an old fashioned screen chrono for some reason. For most other applications I would prefer either a screen chrono (pistol) or a Magnetospeed (rifle).

alfsauve said:

There are two types of down range, sky screen chronographs. Those that have been hit with a bullet and those that are going to be.

I had a Shooting Chrony before the LR and at least when I hit mine it was only with a pellet rifle and it only hit the screen support.

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Of course you could hit about 10 screen chronos for the price of a Lab Radar.

FWIW I've never hit one. But I see how it can happen.

dannyd said:

Does anyone use it in an indoor range? Does the person shooting next to you bother it?

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I have used mine several times at indoor ranges, and have not had problems with neighbors. You can set the trigger sensitivity to help with that issue as well.

One time, I ended up on a lane right next to the concrete wall (on my right side). I thought, "There is no way this is going to work being right next to the wall..", but it worked fine, no issues at all.

You guys are not doing my entertainment budget any good. I had about convinced myself that I was not doing enough chronographing to justify a LabRadar over my CE and CED.