How To Not Shoot The Chrono

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GJeffB

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Somehow this just seems too elementary, but gotta ask.
Background: viejito, shooting and reloading for ... ~50ish years. Retired, newly found disposable income gets me my first ever chronograph. I received a nicely configured tripod for Christmas last. Nice range, concrete shooting tables, etc. Now, enough blah blah ...

If I'm **sighted in up close**, .22lr rifle, .38sp 2", .45acp 1911, .45 Colt NMBH, soon .45-70 rifle, and I have the up close aim point target closely beyond the chronograph, why would I be the guy that has shot his chronograph?

-jb, discounting yank/flinch/etc
 
I use my chrono for not only my handgun rounds but also my shotgun loads - no issues. The chrono is set at 5' from the muzzle (as per the chrono directions) and I shoot through the middle of the skyscreens. This isn't that hard
 
Somehow this just seems too elementary, but gotta ask.
Background: viejito, shooting and reloading for ... ~50ish years. Retired, newly found disposable income gets me my first ever chronograph. I received a nicely configured tripod for Christmas last. Nice range, concrete shooting tables, etc. Now, enough blah blah ...

If I'm **sighted in up close**, .22lr rifle, .38sp 2", .45acp 1911, .45 Colt NMBH, soon .45-70 rifle, and I have the up close aim point target closely beyond the chronograph, why would I be the guy that has shot his chronograph?

-jb, discounting yank/flinch/etc
did you shoot your chrono?
 
OK, sorry to be confusing
It's not if but when you shoot your chorono
^^^
This. I have a new chronograph. Not yet used. I just can't comprehend shooting the machine as opposed to shooting *over* it. Further
You're not allowing for the offset between the sights and your muzzle

That's the question. If I have already sighted, close range, adjusted for sight height ... why be concerned. Wrong terminology ... why would I hit the chrono?
I haven't even used it yet. The original question is why would I be worried about hitting it? Yes, the new primer thread.

-jb, how hard is it to miss at 18 feet
 
If I have already sighted, close range, adjusted for sight height ... why be concerned. Wrong terminology ... why would I hit the chrono?
Most folks set up their target centered between the screens. That usually puts the center of the target closer to the bottom than the top of the "V" created by the rods. The further out you put the target, the closer the center of the target will be to the chrono. Even a slight slap at the trigger will jerk the muzzle low enough to crate an "Oops"

Back before I went with a Labradar, I'd set up the chrono screens without a target on the other side. Then I'd shoot at a spot just under the defuser
 
Hmmm... that's sort of like saying I have taken 2 eggs out of the carton in the fridge to cook breakfast thousands of times without ever dropping one. So why would I drop one l like I did one morning last week? Stuff happens. We'll be looking for your report of shooting your chrono. ;)
 
jb, how hard is it to miss at 18 feet
Surprisingly easy. For the record, I have not shot a chrono, yet. But I have missed targets at 18 feet, although I was moving pretty fast.
For my prochrono, I built a boo-boo holder. 1/2” steel plate angled, tall enough to protect plastic parts, and welded to 2 pieces of angle iron that the chrono was cradled in. It was cheap insurance, and saved the chrono once. If you’re worried, get a labradar. Good luck.
 
There are lots of people that have shot more than one and there are lots of people that haven’t shot one despite using them for decades. What category you will fall into depends on you, not luck or chance. I suppose there are lots of people that have shot themselves without intending to as well as lots that haven’t, that too is not luck or by chance.

Look at the area afforded to you by the chronographs. Those steel targets, only 60 yards away are 8 inches in diameter and even a load inaccurate enough to miss one of them by feet still won’t damage any of the chronographs, lined up here.

1F854CF3-AAA4-4715-B192-2CAC80621826.jpeg

You don’t test a new load with a suppressor, you test it for stability first without one. I suggest testing for accuracy might be a good step. If a given load isn’t accurate enough to make it inside the basketball sized window at 10 feet a chronograph has, I wouldn’t think it matters much how fast it’s going.

If you are one of those guys that you know is predisposed to killing chronographs, you could take measures that greatly reduce your ability to do so. You could make your bench extra long and put it below the end of it. Kind of like this noise abatement barrel. Chronograph below bullet path every time.

B8C55F71-BFEC-4C1B-8AC9-8C7EE1E7F763.jpeg

You can also take a step back after setting up the target, chronograph and firearm, look at their relationship and if it looks like they cross paths, move one of them.

F7D4F089-9210-40B2-9BBB-0D4D9296F341.jpeg

For the folks that can’t wrap their mind around the bullet exiting below the sighting device on the firearm, a better choice might be the Caldwell g2,

9E386936-56B9-49A5-AFC9-AD8FA77A6CF8.jpeg

magneto speed
87A40FA8-4B54-413F-A929-087AB35814E9.jpeg

or the Labradar.

A68A074C-F579-4639-8681-54F6C1CDCAC6.jpeg
 
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can’t wrap their mind around the bullet exiting below the sighting device

I've not killed one yet, but my first one expired right after I told my buddy to "aim high since an AR has sights way higher than the bore". He said "right" and proceeded to shoot it on the first shot. He did buy me a new one. Nobody shoots over my chronos anymore.
 
I've not shot a chrono yet, but a couple years ago a friend shot one of the rods, and the last time I had it at the range either a friend or myself nicked one of the rods. It had to be a glancing blow, as I didn't even realize it was hit until i was packing up the chrono and saw the mark on the rod.
I'm guessing one of us flinched or pulled or something.
Both those incidents were standing with handguns.
 
The Caldwell that I bought said to set it up at 12' to 15' so I did.
A few months of shooting through it and I gave it a haircut with a part line.
It's also the only time I've seen a 230g 45 Auto go 2200 FPS, at least according to the chrono on that shot, must have been because it rotated after the hair cut, but still works!
My chrony says the same thing but the first one I had I was able to get as close as 5' but this second one will not register any closer then 15'. I miss my original chrony which I bought in 1988 until I started using scopes (2012), yes I did, didn't adjust for the scope height. Now with my gremlin issue I had yesterday :)(wish they had better emogis) I'm looking at the magneto. The chrony is now out of business, so long to their life time warranty:(, looking ahead for a replacement, just in case.
 
I set my target right behind the chrono, as in about one foot behind it. I then take a practice shot without the chrono in place to make sure of where the POI is going to be. This is especially important with a scoped rifle as the impact at such close distance will be a lot lower.

I also always shoot from a rest. When I first got my chrono I was shooting offhand with my pistols since I figured I couldn't be that far off from only 3 yards away, but then I wised up and started using the rest. Better safe than sorry. Haven't shot it yet. Knock on wood. I'm actually planning on some chrono work later today. Hope I haven't just jinxed myself.
 
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