Favorite Chronograph? Why?

[W.E.G.]

And here is a review of several

https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/chronograph/

 

[.38 Special]

That Lab Radar is an expensive date.

I'm kind of a cheapskate, so I like the Chrony "Master Beta."

I keep mine stored in the original box. I get a huge laugh out of it every time I look at it.
Who names these things?

Seems to work pretty good if I give it a fresh 9v battery each time. It malfunctions if the battery isn't really fresh.

Also make sure the hinged contraption is FULLY OPENED. It only needs to be a tiny bit still in the folded positionn to give you much faster velocities than you expect.

I haven't shot it (as in actually put a bullethole in it). Yet.

Its a big mistake to try to shoot at an actual target when shooting though that narrow opening. Everybody I know who shot their Chrony, did it while trying to simultaneously shoot at a target. You gotta just aim through the rods and the skyshield, and let the bullet go into the dirt downrange. I promise you will shoot the device if you do otherwise.

Buy a Lab Radar, or Magneto Speed, or some other such that doesn't require threading the bullet through the device if you absolutely have to shoot a target at the same time you're measuring a batch of ammo for speed.

Advance to 1:22 for yuks



LOL... that name...
View attachment 1151708

One of mine that got shot actually took a hole from the neighboring bench. I honestly don't know what the hell the fellow was doing, but he apologized profusely and wrote me a check. None of which is especially important, other than to reinforce my theory that anything put even slightly downrange will eventually get perforated.

 

[GoldieMI]

LabRadar for me -
it's far easier to use than mounting the magnetospeed I started with
it would have to be a terrible day to have it die from lead poisoning unlike the ones downrange
it's bright orange so not likely to be left behind on the bench at the range
it works for me

 

[eddiememphis]

No one has mentioned Oehler.

Expensive unit. Are they worth it?

 

[Chuck R.]

LabRadar and that's after using an Oehler 35P for a bunch of years.

The ease of set up is the clincher for me. The design allows for getting MVs while practicing without having the sensor strapped to the barrel screwing with my POI.



The Oehler is a great chronograph, and I still have mine, it just doesn't see much use since I bought the LabRadar.

 

[Varminterror]

I have had several chronographs over the years, and currently have 3. I have a ProChrono Digital, a Magnetospeed V3, and a LabRadar. I keep the ProChrono for archery and pistols, use the Magnetospeed the most for rifles, and love the LabRadar’s capabilities for everything else I do.

But…

If I were to only have ONE, it would be a LabRadar. I can apply various triggers to be able to use the LabRadar for archery, pistol, air gun, and rifles. The LabRadar has no opportunity for mounting issues or incompatibilities, no opportunity to shoot a bullet through it, and no opportunity for environmental disruptions.

BUT…

I shoot a lot, shoot a lot of different cartridges, shoot a lot of long range, and shoot a lot of long range competition, so knowing my muzzle velocity is critical for most of the shooting I do. If I were just reloading and shooting relatively casually, or only reloading for short range rifle or pistol, I wouldn’t spend the money on a chronograph.

 

[snowman357]

Competition Electronics ProChrono, I picked this brand because sooner or later it will get shot. From their website:

Competition Electronics will recondition to working order any product returned to us regardless of condition for no more than ½ current retail price (plus shipping) if it is still part of our current product line.

I focus on shooting through the sensing area not at a specific target, I replaced the metal rods for the sky screen with dowel rods, dowels break easy and dont damage the chronograph. Never lend it out with out a deposit someone will hit it. When this one is broken I will switch to lab radar, hard to justify the money for that since I only used it on new loads.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Chrony. Because they’re cheap and work well enough.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

I bought an F1 Chrony some years ago. Never used it. I know how I am. I'm a fiddler and this would be something else to fiddle with. I'd go to the range to shoot the guns but would end up fiddling with the Chronograph...until it got shot. Then I'd have to have another.

So I looked at it and saw another rabbit hole...one I refused to go down. I'll get my velocities from the books and you guys.
Bob

 

[jmorris]

I don’t think anything is easier than a shooting Chrony on a cloudy day, turn on, shoot over.

If you have an old head phone plug and a momentary push button, you can have access to all of the features of the expensive ones.

 

[Varminterror]

Chrony. Because they’re cheap and work well enough.

I bought an F1 Chrony some years ago.

I don’t think anything is easier than a shooting Chrony

Shooting Chrony made several fantastic models, however, they’ve been out of business for last least the last 2 years.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

Just took a look at my F1. No jacks anywhere. But thanks for the video, JMorris. Glad yours has one.

 

[lightman]

No one has mentioned Oehler.

Expensive unit. Are they worth it?

I have a 35P that I still use. It was about the best thing going back in the day. But its kind of outdated today. I bought it used in like new condition for less than $200 a few years ago.

I made a stand for the sky screens out of a disc blade, 2 pieces of square tubing that telescope in and out with a piece of conduit on top to hold the screens.

It works but its not perfect. Sometimes it misses a shot due to light/shadow/cloud conditions. And you can accidentally shoot the screens if you're not careful. The printer is nice and helps with record keeping. Comparing the readings to the loading manual velocities it seems to be accurate.

 

[BrotherMaynard]

I have the ProChrono DLX and recently bought a LabRadar.

I find they both require a bit of futzing to get properly aligned. The ProChrono bounces better when a wind gust tips it over but the LabRadar can be used under any lighting conditions. The ProChrono does not care whether I am shooting a rifle or handgun over it whilst the LabRadar needs to be reconfigured to tell it which one is being shot.

I prefer the ProChrono app. I create shot lists with names that mirror the load I am testing (e.g. "45colt-7.3titegroup-200rnfpgc"), which both support; however, the ProChrono app allows me to add more shots to an existing string so I can get a better feel for how it is doing over a larger sample size whilst the LabRadar app does not allow this. The ProChrono app can pull in atmospheric conditions whilst the LabRadar app requires manual input AFAICT. The ProChrono app has never lost connectivity once established whilst the LabRadar app will do so occasionally. The Prochrono app allows me to take a picture of the target and attach it to the shot list for review. The ProChrono app also allows me to easily duplicate shot lists, which is convenient for load development.

My quibbles with the LabRadar app are fairly minor and I use the LabRadar most often but will keep the ProChrono for backup.

 

[jmorris]

Just took a look at my F1. No jacks anywhere. But thanks for the video, JMorris. Glad yours has one.

They were around for awhile before I picked mine up. The Jack is on the left side of the display, if you are facing it, on the F1 I have.

 

[Litetrigger]

I use both a Oehler 35P and LabRadar chronos. The pic shown here was taken when the LabRadar was first available and I was comparing them for accuracy. The results were almost identical and I was impressed with the LabRadar's accuracy and ease of use. However Oehler 35P is my favorite because I use it far more often because I do a lot of load testing and developing with small caliber high velocity cartridges that are beyond the capablities of the LabRadar because of it's velocity limits and failure to reliably "catch" .22 cal and smaller bullets. I have hoped LabRadar folks would offer an improved, updated version but so far they haven't, seeming more interested in selling attachments than improving their basic product.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

They were around for awhile before I picked mine up. The Jack is on the left side of the display, if you are facing it, on the F1 I have.


View attachment 1151916

Mine is the older model. There’s a data bus connector where you can install the outlet but I haven’t. I really only use it for new loads where I’m not sure of my math when using the free-fall equations. Gravity is stable around here so I know that every bullet is dropping 32ft/s^2 and I know my range to target so it’s pretty easy to calculate unless I can’t get enough distance or the test barrel has basic sights.

 

[e rex]

Crony Beta Master...............Because I already own one.

 

[jmorris]

I do a lot of load testing and developing with small caliber high velocity cartridges that are beyond the capablities of the LabRadar because of it's velocity limits and failure to reliably "catch" .22 cal and smaller bullets.

Can you expand on this? Can they not “catch” them or just lose them going down range?

 

[reddog81]

Can you expand on this? Can they not “catch” them or just lose them going down range?

It can have trouble both finding and losing them downrange. The smaller the bullet the harder it is for the radar to pick it up. There are trips to the range where I had 20% of the shots fail to read with basic 45 ACP/38 Special loads. This doesn't really happen to me anymore as I think some of their software updates over the years have really helped. Now there are times now where it might miss 1 or 2 shots out of 100. The FAQ on their website gives guidance on range for different calibers.

 

[thump_rrr]

My favorite is my $20 Shooting Chrony but it’s not the most feature filled chronograph I have, just the most handy.

This last weekend I played with my shotmarker a bit and setup my pro chrono down range to see how close it was.

View attachment 1151659

With 10 shots averaged, there was a 3 fps disparity. It not only tells you where the bullet went on target but how fast it was going when it got there.

View attachment 1151660

If someone figures out how to get these to work with subs, my chronographs will collect more dust than ever before. It costs even more than a Labradar but it also does a lot more than just tell you velocity.

Stop helping me spend my money.

 

[irishlad]

I have this one. I don't use it very often, works well when I do. Neighbor uses it alot.

https://www.midwayusa.com/ltd/product/?pid=626107

 

[jmorris]

Stop helping me spend my money.

The good news is you will have 5 to 6 months to set the money aside if you ordered one today….

 

[JFrank]

They all seem to work/record fps and display es& bs , I check my reloading practices by es also sort my competition brass by speed. They are only an aid not a guide.
Target shooters that tune strictly by chronograph numbers are often disappointed with the results as low es /sd does not ensure the smallest groups.

 

[alfsauve]

Lab Radar after shooting my Chrony.