chrono recommendations?

They all do the same thing as far as telling you the speed of a projectile. That said it becomes a matter of features and which features you want or which work for you. Personally if looking today I would look for a PC interface. I want the display near me and not with the sky screens. They all offer about the same accuracy. Shooting Chrony's Beta Master Chrony combines all of the features of their Beta-Chrony chronograph with a remote read-out-monitor that also functions as a remote control. Nice features but cost more than a basic chronograph. Just about all of them are available through Amazon at a good price and free shipping if you use Amazon Prime. There are also the models now that attach to your muzzle, several members have those and like them.

Ron

I can recommend the Magneto Speed line. I personally use the Sporter version for my bolt action rifles. I also bought the smartphone adaptor so when I've shot my rounds I just synchronise the data over to my smartphone using the Magento Speed application. The device itself is a "bayonet" style chrono that fits onto the barrel of your rifle and is pretty accurate. Unlike conventional chronographs this one is not affected by light or weather conditions which makes it usable all through the year. The only downside I will say is that it may not fit every barrel profile, for example, the cheaper Sporter will accomodate barrel diameters of 1.0", if you have a tapered barrel or a heavy barrel that exceeds 1.0" diameter then you'll need the V3 which is almost double the cost. Also, you might struggly to fit this chronograph onto full stock rifles, such as a Lee Enfield. I believe there is a picatinny rail adaptor so you should be able to fit this to a full length AR-15 rail or even a pistol with an underbarrel rail.

Yes, if you are working with rifles, the Magnetospeed is the way to go. As mentioned, there may difficulty mounting the bayonet to some rifles. Mine works with all of my rifles.

Nothing is down range so good to use at public ranges if range rules do not get in the way.

They are adapting it more and more to handguns.

The ones with optical sensors work about the same as already said. Get the little features that suit your wants and desires.

I sprung for the infrared lights on mine CED M2 and the eliminate some of the futzing with the chronograph when light conditions are not optimal.

I started with the F1 Shooting Chrony and it worked well, but if you go that route I highly recommend getting the Master version with the remote display. I bought the remote printer for mine, and it helps, but is somewhat awkward to use compared to the remote display.

What I use now is the Caldwell, it interfaces to my iPhone or iPad. The free app does all the logging and statistics calculations. Without a smartphone, all it will do (standalone) is display the last shot velocity. The app is very nice, it logs all the data if you choose, and can either text or email the data. You can attach photos of the grouping with each shot string data. It also sends a .csv file for each shot string in the email - good for importing the data into a spreadsheet.

And, no, I did not stop using the F1 Chrony because I shot it. The Caldwell was an upgrade and I carry the F1 as a backup.

I just purchased the Caldwell chrony several weeks ago and love it. It attached to my iPhone through a 15' cord (no blutooth - wish it had but no big deal). They have a free app which calculates everything for you, then you can save it, print it, mail it, whatever you like. All functions are controlled through the phone. If you don't have an iPhone or Android etc., everything is saved right on the screen which is large and easy to read.

The chrony appears to work in all kinds of light, from shade to bright sun. My range has strobe lights which announce a cease fire or live range (it's for hearing impaired people who don't necessarily hear the buzzer) and the chrony reacts to the strobes. Once they stop after a few seconds, it resets itself and it's good to go again.

It's the only one I've owned, but so far I'm very happy with it. For $75 on Amazon, you can't go wrong.

a shooting chrony has worked for me for many years. simple and effective.

murf

Among amateur type chronos, the Oehler 35P remains the gold standard. (We're talking about accuracy and reliability here.) However, within the coming several months there will be radically different chronograph systems offered that will possibly upset the amateur consumer market.

I have a Caldwell (Midway product #626107). Works great so far. Comes with a 15'ish cord that connects to my iPhone and sends the data to their app. Pretty simple and effective

I would love to have a chrony with which I could easily setup comm with a computer via usb/wifi/bt in order to d/l the data ... but ...

... I am still using the Shooting Chrony Beta Master that I bought ~15 years ago.

Works great but d/ling captured data is a manual of a PITA.

A coupla years ago, for a total cost of less than $30, I sent the control unit back to them for a memory upgrade which converted it from 6(?) 10-shot strings to 102 10-shot strings (now when I turn on the unit, it claims to be a Gamma instead of a Beta). One of the best expenditures I have ever made in this hobby.

I have only shot the Chrony once (lightly winged it). If I ever kill it I will be in the market for a more user-friendly, newer(read, not-decades-old))-technology replacement.

Offfhand said:

Among amateur type chronos, the Oehler 35P remains the gold standard. (We're talking about accuracy and reliability here.) However, within the coming several months there will be radically different chronograph systems offered that will possibly upset the amateur consumer market.

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I currently use an Oehler 35P which was a Christmas gift from my wife over 20 years ago. That 35P has served me well for a long time and the only reason I have not moved along to something more current. Last I looked an Oehler 35P today runs upwards of $500. Not quite a budget item for the average shooter.

With the wide array of easily programmable micro-controllers out there the ballistic chronograph has really come a long way, especially in the last maybe 7 to 10 years. Really nice and useful features that were pipe dreams a few decades ago are easy to achieve. Like I mentioned earlier, what features do you want or need?

Ron

Bought the Competition Pro Chrono Digital earlier this year. Highly recommended for a $100 chronograph. Plus, for about $60, you can add a bluetooth link for your smartphone.

http://www.amazon.com/Competition-Electronics-ProChrono-Digital-Chronograph/dp/B0028MTBJ4

I'm a surveyor by trade and so I prefer something that has repeatable accuracy and precision, and I was willing to pay more $$ for it if necessary. The Oehler 35P fit the bill better than anything else. Not cheap but worth every penny IMO.

Nudder vote for the Competition Electronics Pro Chrono Digital.
Bought mine about 5 years ago.
It's been shot several times - they charge a max of $60 (or less) to repair or replace.

My observation:

There ain't but 2 kinds of chronograph users...
1. Them that's shot theirs
2. Them that's gonna shoot theirs.

I'll admit, I'm in the first category.
Scoped rifles are the bane of a chronograph's existence.

Same here, Competition Electronics Pro Chrono Digital. I have both the USB & Bluetooth modules for it - can't decided which one I like best... It works great, maybe takes a few minutes to setup. It would be nice to have the Magneto Speed V3 just to not have to line things up, but a big price difference.

I've got the Competition Electronics with the Digital Link. REALLY like the tablet / smart phone app and it's export capabilities + the chrono can sit protected behind a barrier.

Did a little write up:

http://webcity.net/benchrest/digital_link/digital_link.html

I built what I call a stop box (I may have shot my last chrono, evidence has been disposed of!) - chrono is now impervious to hot 10mm loads

Hondo 60 said:

Nudder vote for the Competition Electronics Pro Chrono Digital.
Bought mine about 5 years ago.
It's been shot several times - they charge a max of $60 (or less) to repair or replace.

My observation:

There ain't but 2 kinds of chronograph users...
1. Them that's shot theirs
2. Them that's gonna shoot theirs.

I'll admit, I'm in the first category.
Scoped rifles are the bane of a chronograph's existence.

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LOL!......Yep, did that more than once. Now the chrono sits on a small skid with a 1/2" steel plate on the front for protection. The steel plate has paid for itself.

Just tested the Caldwell chrono today with the cell phone app on my iPhone. Worked excellent and recorded all the shots, seems like a great app and a good price for the chrono.

One question, I was trying to chrono shotgun slugs, and I wondered what happens with the wad as it passes through the gates? I was at about 7' range from the chrono. Wad was probably still near or even on the slug at that point so might not matter, but just wondered.

taliv said:

i dunno, but putting a piece of 1/2" steel plate 15' away from the muzzle seems like a bad idea to me.

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Exactly why I built my stop box the way i did.

Scrap piece of AR500 would have easily worked, but not something I'm real interested in hitting from 10' away.

Paddy said:

Just tested the Caldwell chrono today with the cell phone app on my iPhone. Worked excellent and recorded all the shots, seems like a great app and a good price for the chrono.

One question, I was trying to chrono shotgun slugs, and I wondered what happens with the wad as it passes through the gates? I was at about 7' range from the chrono. Wad was probably still near or even on the slug at that point so might not matter, but just wondered.

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If your chrony is close enough to the muzzle the slug and wad will pass through at the same time and you won't notice. I have had my chrony a little to far away from the muzzle and got two readings, one for the slug and another for the wad.

For me price matters with a chrony because like already stated its probably going to get shot eventually. I have shot over a thousand rounds through mine and most the time I am also shooting for accuracy instead of just shooting through the chrony but I have yet to shoot it. I did put a good dent in the front from a muzzy sabot. I like the Shooting Chrony's Beta Master Chrony with the remote head as its cheaper to replace the chrony without the control head. Another plus is the phone line that attaches the chrony to the brain box can be used as a measuring tape during set up.

One word of advice I would give new chrony owners is with use set up gets easier. The first couple times out you will cussing the dang thing trying to get it set up just right but after you do it a couple times you will get faster.

I've got both the Pro Chrony, and the Beta Chrony, The Beta Chrony I've had for 25 + years and is really very basic, the problem with that is, although I've never hit it with a bullet I've hit the rods that hold the screens, and shortly thereafter the first round would never register accurately. The next one I bought was the Pro-Chrony by Electronics. It didn't take long and I put a .44Magnum slug through the top of it dead center (I'm in the #1 category). Sent it back to them and about $50.00+ they sent it back to me good as new. I've found the Pro Chrony to be every thing I need to chronograph all my loads. Note I'm somewhat computer illiterate so I don't have an I-Pod or smart phone, but I was educated in the old math technique and that is all I need to show me all the info I need to get by as far as ballistics is concerned. I do believe it is computer compatible though.

Never had any problem setting either up for chronographing my loads though, as I have my own private range out here.

Chronograph

I bought a Shooting Chrony in the early 1990's and it has worked fine ever since. I have used it for rifle, pistol, bb gun, airsoft gun, and arrows and gotten consistent results. I have never had it calibrated, but when I have tried it with factory ammunition, it has returned numbers comparable to what the manufacturer claimed, so I assume it is accurate enough.

I have it mounted to a board with a wood block with a 22.5 degree bevel to protect the screen from an errant shot. I attach the board to a sawhorse when I need to use it. The wood block obscures the screen, so I have to stop firing to check the result after each shot, but that's a small inconvenience and it means if I ever miss, I won't have to buy a new chronograph.

One more vote for Magnetospeed. Quick and easy to use, and harder to shoot it by accident...

taliv said:

i dunno, but putting a piece of 1/2" steel plate 15' away from the muzzle seems like a bad idea to me. i'd much rather ventilate my chrono than take a chance at having a rifle round come back towards the line



you mean the past few years?

the magnetospeed is pretty radically different, but it has been out a while
lab radar is pretty radically different, and it's been out several months now

what other technology is coming out soon?

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He might be talking about the Labradar. Radar technology. I've heard it works very well. It can also tell velocity as it moves downrange.