Best Chrono for the money?

[TheDomFather]

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.

I am using the magneto speed sportster which I believe is exactly the same of the V3 with the exception of the display module and is about half the price when you can find it on sale. I used it for the first time yesterday on my AR to measure velocity of the reloads I made and it worked flawlessly. Downside is I dont see how you would use this on a pistol! I have heard great things about the lab radar but the price tag is huge!

 

[hdwhit]

jmorris wrote
Get two and put them at a "V" angle so you are shooting through both at the same time and post the results. I have $1 that says they are not within 2 fps of one another across the board.

Of course they won't.

But that's not the issue.

Whether a particular chronograph can repeatably measure velocities to within 2 fps has nothing to do with whether or not two different units return the same number. In point of fact, it would be surprising if they did since the frequency generator that provides the timing signal is unlikely to be that consistent from unit to unit.

Further, the source of the timing signal (be it crystal or oscillator) is subject to variability due to age, temperature, humidity, the strength of the battery powering the unit and so on, and in most units cannot be adjusted or calibrated so the number shown on the display is unlikely to be the actual velocity in any absolute or objective sense. What the chronograph can deliver the shooter is 1) an idea of whether his round is "in the ballpark" with what is printed on the box or in the manual and 2) a measure of the consistency of the shots. This is valuable information when coupled with information gleaned from the targets the rounds impacted in comparison with observations about point of aim vs. point of impact and other conditions.