Best Chrono for the money?

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Ruger 15151

Ruger 15151

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I am in the market for my first Chrono so I thought I would reach out for advice.

I don't have any experience with using a Chrono so I am not sure what options are "nice to haves" vs. "need to haves". Things that are important to me at this point are ease of setup, accuracy, and Bluetooth connectivity with my iPad so that I can track my results more easily.

I am hoping you guys can point me in the right direction.
 
I also have the CE Pro and like it. Everything seems reasonable and repeatable so far.

I'm seriously thinking about the Bluetooth adaptor.
 
I have the Chrony Master.... I wish I had gotten the CE Pro, but the Chrony does everything I need, the CE does it a little easier and the price is Great.
 
I bought a PACT Model 1 XP many years ago. It has been very reliable but it doesn't have all the bells and whistles the newer chronos have. Only the sensors sit out in harms way and replacement parts are inexpensive. Indoors infrared sensors are also available for those who need them. I have never used any other chronograph so I can't comment further.
 
Best for the money will always be the Pro Chrono. Best overall, I'm finding quickly to be a lab radar. Sad I bought a magneto speed 4yrs ago now, as I haven't touched it since I got the LR.
 
Chronographs, all chronographs do the same thing as applied to shooting, they tell us how fast the projectile is traveling. Chronographs can cost between $100 and $500 or more depending on what features the chronograph has and how it measures projectile velocity. My Chronograph is an old Oehler 35P given to me by my wife 25 plus years ago as a gift. Works as well as it ever did and tells me what I want to know and even makes little print outs on paper. :)

Were I to replace it today I would be looking at features since they all do the same thing and are all, for the most part going to deliver the same uncertainty. I would look first for a chronograph with a PC software interface or a Tablet interface. I guess a smart phone interface would be OK as I can later upload my data to a PC. Number of recordable shots and number of shot strings may be important. You need to decide what features and data you want and what works for you. You also need to decide a budget as to what you want to spend. Budget the what you can get as to features you want for your bucks.

Ron
 
Reloadron said:
Chronographs, all chronographs do the same thing as applied to shooting, they tell us how fast the projectile is traveling.
Click to expand...

True, but yet, not true. All chronographs do tell you how fast a bullet is traveling, but the Lab Radar "chronograph" will tell you how fast it is traveling over 100yrds of travel, as such, you can true your BC in an instant.

I'm hoping to experiment soon with shooting past my lab radar at longer ranges to get spanning velocity further down range.

Consistency of measurement regardless of lighting conditions and regardless of projectile is another gap - I can shoot my with my lab radar indoors, and measure the speed my 4yr old throws a baseball just as easily as I can measure a rifle bullet or an air rifle BB. Can't do that with any of my sky screen, conventional chrony's, as cfl's even mess with the powered sky screens, and they still always have trouble picking up BB's and some of them have trouble picking up arrows. Lab Radar doesn't.

All chronographs output speed, yes, but they are NOT all equal. Any time you're working outside of a square range, they bring an advantage.
 
Varminterror said:
True, but yet, not true. All chronographs do tell you how fast a bullet is traveling, but the Lab Radar "chronograph" will tell you how fast it is traveling over 100yrds of travel, as such, you can true your BC in an instant.
Click to expand...
Yes, that is why I added the:
Chronographs can cost between $100 and $500 or more depending on what features the chronograph has and how it measures projectile velocity.
Click to expand...
I wanted to cover the bases and include the use of RADAR. :)
The Lab RADAR is pretty much today's Cadillac of chronographs. Initially they had a rough time getting those units ready for release but with the early bugs worked out they are one sweet unit. They do cost but for someone looking for a top flight chronograph they fit the ticket. The reviews I have seen here as well as other shooting forums are all favorable. When the day comes I part with my ancient but reliable Oehler 35P I will likely get a Lab RADAR for some of the very features you mentioned, like velocity 100 yards down range.

Ron
 
My shooting Chrony gets used the most but I'll admit it's only because it was so cheap it stays set up on a tripod in my shop unless I'm going shooting somewhere else and it rides in the truck.

It's not as nice as my others and it doesn't have the functions of some of them but it has been worth every cent of the $20 I payed for it.

I am also glad I saved that pair of head phones my Daughter broke to access the other features.

 
Reloadron said:
Chronographs, all chronographs do the same thing as applied to shooting, they tell us how fast the projectile is traveling.
Click to expand...

Right.

For most folks, cost rears it's ugly head in some way when buying equipment like a chronograph. For a first chronograph, I'd suggest looking at the low end units.

Don't get hung up on features but look at reviews on reliability to get data, ease of use, and durability. Then, after some period of use, the chronograph really fits your need, you can work towards an upgrade for the equipment that fits your wants and needs.

Personally, I like having a chronograph around but will admit it does not get used too much. Generally, after deciding on a new load for a gun, I like to chronograph it for my records.

Over the years, I have shot two of them (remember the old saying "Haste makes waste"?:)) but have always immediately replaced the damaged the units. I've usually upgraded at the same time as well.

Hope this helps.
 
I have the MagnetoSpeed V3 Ballistic, very convenient, reasonable priced. It rains a lot here, I don't have to get soaking wet to read the speed.
 
Not sure if it is the best or the cheapest, but I like my Caldwell chrono. It comes with a cable to connect the chrono to your Iphone or Droid (must have an audio jack) for recording results. The deluxe kit comes with a tripod and IR lights for low light conditions.
 
I went with the Magnetospeed V3, the setup is easy after getting the spacers set in place. They pretty much stay in place when stored in the case.
What I like about it, you're not depending on a cold range setup or optimal lighting conditions.
It doesn't seem to mess with the barrel harmonics enough to notice, from what I'm experiencing while using it.
Smart phone and excel compatibility along with very friendly customer service.
 

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SARuger said:
Cry once, smile every time you set it up on a hot range and get velocity readings out to 100yrds=LabRadar
Click to expand...
That is a nice feature. No need to wait for the range to go cold as you set it up behind the line of fire.

How well does it do with adjacent active shooters on the line? Can it distinguish between my and my neighboring shooters out to 100 yards, say shooting 168 grain BTHP bullets?

Ron
 
I'd rather put the money into a nicer scope etc. The low priced units are all 99% of us need. Besides, they can't tell us if the load is any good, just how fast it is going, give or take a bit. Nice, useful, not needed, sometimes get in our way of working up loads, really cool.
 
Walkalong said:
I'd rather put the money into a nicer scope etc. The low priced units are all 99% of us need. Besides, they can't tell us if the load is any good, just how fast it is going, give or take a bit. Nice, useful, not needed, sometimes get in our way of working up loads, really cool.
Click to expand...

mine can tell me if my load is good! a low extreme spread tells me when my powder is burning real well. a high average fps means i've a bit too much powder and need to back off. a large standard deviation means i'm not real consistent in my loading process.

hint: high gloss white spray painting the underside of the diffusers works wonders in low light conditions!

i use a worn out shooting chrony, by the way.

not picking on you, walkalong. just spreading some info.

murf
 
Reloadron said:
That is a nice feature. No need to wait for the range to go cold as you set it up behind the line of fire.

How well does it do with adjacent active shooters on the line? Can it distinguish between my and my neighboring shooters out to 100 yards, say shooting 168 grain BTHP bullets?

Ron
Click to expand...

I've not used my Labradar with other shooters present but there are settings to set the distance the gun will be from the unit for triggering the device. This should minimize someone else's gun from triggering the unit. These settings are in inches, not feet or more.

From Labradar's FAQ page, here is their response...

"Will LabRdar pick up shot from other shooters?
LabRadar accuracy will not be affected by other shots being fired into your radar beam. Part of the technology built into the system allows it to determine if the shot came from very near the radar unit or if it came in from another location. Since the radar tracking is only active for a fraction of a second it is nearly impossible for you to receive a velocity from another shooter nearby. Your unit also has an adjustment in it to "turn off" most gunshots that are nearby, yet allow your shot to operate the unit. In rare cases your unit may trigger on another shooters muzzle blast. If this occurs you can easily delete that shot from your data."

http://mylabradar.com/#FAQ

Another point that may help limit double readings, when setting up the Labradar, you do have to aim the unit to the target that you will be shooting at. Not a difficult thing to do but in looking at reviews on the Labradar, aiming the unit has been a problem point for some folks. If not aimed properly, the Labradar may not "see" the bullet. There have been several simple devices and even a scope mount have been developed to aim Labradar.
 
The low priced units are all 99% of us need.
Click to expand...

Please refrain from using that last word, my wife could be in the room.

I was on their list but decided to wait after they missed the expected release date a few times.

I have been able to play with one since and I'll wait on the 2nd gen to come out. Hopefully they figure out how to incorporate the optional air gun, .22, suppressed adapter (trigger) into the base unit.
 
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