new doppler radar chronograph

[cheygriz]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/523157/labradar-ballistic-velocity-doppler-radar-chronograph

Anyone have experience with this unit??

Looks like it would make all other chronos totally obsolete.

 

[LiveLife]

But at $560, I think many will opt for $100 chrono.

 

[Reloadron]

They had a few initial release issues and problems which seem to have been cleared up. I believe we have a few members who are using them and all my reads have been favorable. Just a question of how much one wants to spend for a chronograph I guess. Hopefully a few of the members here shooting using them will have more to add.

Ron

 

[cfullgraf]

I have a LabRadar and like it.

It is not without its idiosyncracies but all and all it has been less frustrating to use than the optical sensor chronographs.

Search THR and the internet on LabRadar. There are several threads on the chronograph here as well as reviews on the the internet.

It is pricey though.

 

[DBEAM]

Its pricey now but I suspect this technology it will come down and be the new standard. My experience with optical sensor chronos is frustration with lighting and to easy to shoot. If I was a richer man/had no kids I might buy one now.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

If you have money to blow have at it but what you get with a CE Pro Chrono is all most anyone needs. What most people get from chronograph readings when loading precision rifle loads is a confirmation of what they see on the target providing they do their part on the trigger and the rifle does its part.

I went years without a chronograph and find less use for it than I thought I would. If I do good loading keeping to the taught practices it shows on paper. YMMV

 

[cheygriz]

I currently use an Oehler, so this doesn't seem all that expensive.

Having said that, most folks would probably be perfectly happy with a cheaper unit.

When I was younger, and sometimes chonographed as many as 100 rounds in an afternoon, this thing w1ould have been a godsend

 

[rscalzo]

I friend tried one here. It outstanding. Back then it was almost eight hundred. This has come down even more this year.

I don't have the need for something that extensive. Up side is setting it up is ultra easy. No worries about the lighting conditions. But justifying that cost isn't possible for me.

 

[jmorris]

Looks like it would make all other chronos totally obsolete.

Played with one. Price, battery consumption and if you want to get results from things that don't have a report loud enough to "trigger" it, are a few reasons why other choices will remain.

 

[Swampman]

As jmorris mentioned, they can have issues sensing quieter loads, especially subsonics fired through a suppressor.

They can also be "confused" by others shooting nearby.

They may be the wave of the future, but I don't think optical sensor chronographs are likely to be phased out anytime soon, particularly among hobbyist shooters.

 

[Odd Job]

Ah, pity about the suppression issues. It would have been quite tempting otherwise.

 

[Offfhand]

It seems that many of the criticisms of the Magradar chrono are from people who haven’t used one or don’t understand how they work, as reflected in prior comments on this thread. For example, it can be set to trigger by muzzle blast OR by sensing the bullet in flight, which is the mode I prefer, with the unit conveniently set beside me on bench. Operation may seem confusing at first because there are so many function options, but once the operator selects the type functions and readouts he prefers operation is simply pushing a start button and beginning his shot string. As for battery life, a rechargeable power unit can be plugged in for long sessions. Price is certainly an understandable issue for many shooters, but for myself the cost is more than compensated for by the convenience and multiple downrange velocity readings. The only real criticism I have is the flimsy and overpriced base option, which I trashed and replaced with a much heavier and easily adjusted base as shown in attached photo.

 

[jmorris]

For example, it can be set to trigger by muzzle blast OR by sensing the bullet in flight,

And they will give different readings depending on what mode you select. The internal trigger can tell when the shot occurred the Doppler trigger just knows that an object reflected the signal. There is an optional trigger also that they call the air gun trigger that would likely be the best of both worlds (I would guess it will become standard and built in on the next model).

There are also folks that sell better aiming devices that get better results than the factory notch, as what you get out of them is dependent on how well you have them aimed. The 20+ page manual might seem like a bit much to a regular chronograph user who is used to just flipping the switch to on and start shooting.

 

[Fire_Moose]

Gotta remember too, it's not......most likely not going to be shot and destroyed.

 

[rskent]

Gotta remember too, it's not......most likely not going to be shot and destroyed.

Where’s the fun in that?
A buddy of mine has one. He seems to like it. But he is in the income bracket where the price is not a big deal.
I’ll keep my chrony, Its cheap and accurate enough.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I looked into getting one of these, then read the reviews and watched a bunch of videos and decided it wasn't more me. Apparently, it would not work well on my narrow range. Also, in so many of the videos I watched, people seemed to be continually fiddling with the controls. And then there is the suppression issue. I now shoot suppressed.

 

[rfwobbly]

But at $560, I think many will opt for $100 chrono.

That's one expensive target !!