putteral
Member
I have been looking on the net at chronographs. Does anybody have any feedback on The Chrony F1. They are not that expensive and wondering if they are any good. Just trying to get speeds on my handloads.
Thanks
Thanks
Shooting Chronographs
- Thread starter putteral
- Start date
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zxcvbob
Member
I think Clark has shot a couple of 'em.
Competition Electronics. Inexpensive, works great. There are better, more versatile ones, but this will do you just fine.
ScratchnDent
Member
I have a Shooting Chrony F1, works great, even after I shot it with a .357! Just missed the rear sensor, lol.
Mt Shooter
Member
I shot a Chrony, it didn't make it.
Asherdan
Member
I have the F-1 Master, The display and controls are separate and you can put it on the bench with you. Good performance from mine, consistent measurements from use to use, I always check mine with a .22 rifle from the same lot of bulk ammo before getting to work. I run mine out to 12' on a standard camera tripod and have few error issues on my shot data. Light and weather conditions haven't been an issue. On a crowded range day I do get error readings from the muzzle blast of ported big boomers if they're with a couple of benches of either side of me. Good battery life for the one 9 volt that runs 'em but keep a spare handy. When the battery runs low you'll start getting funky readings. If you shoot public or busy club ranges I'd say the F-1 Master with the remore headend is useful for $10 more. If you're shooting solo the regular unit should work out fine for you.
Bonus: when you shoot your chrony, put the parts in a box, give 'em a call and send it back. Replacement is about 1/2 price of new.
Bonus: when you shoot your chrony, put the parts in a box, give 'em a call and send it back. Replacement is about 1/2 price of new.
not so good
Sorry guys, I have to be the spoil sport. I had the same F1 chrono for about 2 weeks and hatted it. I told the company about the very inconsistent readings using every type of ammunition i tried. They replaced it for free which was awesome! (They really are great people!) the second one did give the accurate readings but only in perfect lighting. I just got sick of it and sold it to a friend that was happy with it. I then upgraded to the Pact Pro XP with infrared. It is perfect once you take the time to learn how to use it.
Sorry guys, I have to be the spoil sport. I had the same F1 chrono for about 2 weeks and hatted it. I told the company about the very inconsistent readings using every type of ammunition i tried. They replaced it for free which was awesome! (They really are great people!) the second one did give the accurate readings but only in perfect lighting. I just got sick of it and sold it to a friend that was happy with it. I then upgraded to the Pact Pro XP with infrared
. It is perfect once you take the time to learn how to use it.putteral
Member
Thanks Guys! I probably get one. I am going to check with the range I shoot at to see if there are any issues setting it up.
I have to remember to try not to shoot it!!!
At least we are getting a couple of laughs out of the post.
I have to remember to try not to shoot it!!!
At least we are getting a couple of laughs out of the post.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I like the PACT Model 1 XP. If you really "shoot" your Chronograph, which can happen even when you are careful, you are only shooting at plastic parts because the electronics are on the bench next to you. I own that model and it's very reliable in all different light conditions. Very rarely do I get an error reading.
Midway has it in stock for $129.99 but it can be had for $109.99 when they run a sale.
Midway has it in stock for $129.99 but it can be had for $109.99 when they run a sale.
jfh
Member.
Time to resurrect this thread--
I'm on my third chrono--
First, my twenty-year-old PACT Mark II finally went bonkers--just wouldn't read, even after cleaning sensors, etc., and I've sent it in for repair. Because I wanted to keep recording data for my "short barrel" reloading project, I looked around and bought a Chrony Beta Master--i.e., with the remote head at the bench. I've used the Beta about six times--generally, it seems to work fine--except it does NOT like flat light (overcast), and the sweetspot for getting consistent readings was quite small (compared to the PACT).
I consider the PACT to have about a 5% failure rate for reading shots, and the Chrony seems noticably "touchier"--it was even impacted, I think, by gunsmoke on a still day, and I had to slow down shooting and carefully shoot in the sweet spot.
Meanwhile, last winter I had scoped out the CEDM2--since I am recording large quantities of data in my computer, its USB port and related software were really attractive to me. But as everyone knows, they've been out of stock here in the US for months. Then, last Thursday, in my weekly LGS visit--they were in stock! I promptly bought one, and finally got to try it yesterday.
The CEDM2 puts the the PACT and Chrony to shame for performance. On a spotty-cloudy, bright day, temp 65F, I shot about 350 rounds through it. I had no errors; all shots were recorded. The sweet spot is huge. There were 31 10-shot strings recorded--no problems there; it can hold up to 1000 shots in its standard form.
I am still learning command sequences, so unit operation was a bit of an issue--I haven't tried editing strings yet, and apparently a saved string cannot be deleted, only manually "omitted" once the string has been saved. One nice little feature is that fact the turning off the unit will automatically save the string in memory--and one does not lose the data.
So I got home, hooked up the USB port to my computer--and had a trouble-free download of all data. That data set was then saved to a tab-delimited file. I printed the file (on a standard printer) and found that in the course of data collection, it had read two shots as "flyers"--which the software notes with an "f" by that particular shot--but recorded the velocity anyway!
I printed the CED output file--and they provide a standard output that obviously will fit to standard calculator tape, or--if output to a standard printer--aggregates the strings into four column widths and puts about about 11 string reports on a page (with ten-shot strings reported). Pulling the tab-delimited CED output file into a spreadsheet (Xcel) file is a no-brainer--and the data comes in with a reasonable row format for the records, complete with headers.
One neat little trick was to provide a compartment for a spare battery. So far, the only negatives I've noted are a "cheaper" construction than the US-made brands--but still apparently satisfactory, and well done. I'm not worried about shooting it--I don't seem to have that problem with Chrono use--but for sure the damage will be significant. However, the easy disassembly and parts design suggest minimal damage possibilty, and easy replacement.
One potential problem might be the loose fit to the sensors on the mounting rod--they simply slip on the ends, and they are "loose." If they tend to slip off during setup or takedown, the plastic brackets and sunshades could get broken, I think, and I wonder just how fragile the sensors are. Preventing these potential problems, or at least limiting it to user mistakes, would probably only take a wrap or two of electrician's tape on the rod to tighten up the sockets.
However, it was the field performance where the unit really performs. The deeply-inset and wider sensors are probably the reason for that performance. I may try it again this afternoon (it's flat, with complete cloud cover today) to see how it does in this kind of light.
Overall, the CEDM2 is highly recommended if you want to work on your chrono output away from the bench.
Jim H.
I'm on my third chrono--
First, my twenty-year-old PACT Mark II finally went bonkers--just wouldn't read, even after cleaning sensors, etc., and I've sent it in for repair. Because I wanted to keep recording data for my "short barrel" reloading project, I looked around and bought a Chrony Beta Master--i.e., with the remote head at the bench. I've used the Beta about six times--generally, it seems to work fine--except it does NOT like flat light (overcast), and the sweetspot for getting consistent readings was quite small (compared to the PACT).
I consider the PACT to have about a 5% failure rate for reading shots, and the Chrony seems noticably "touchier"--it was even impacted, I think, by gunsmoke on a still day, and I had to slow down shooting and carefully shoot in the sweet spot.
Meanwhile, last winter I had scoped out the CEDM2--since I am recording large quantities of data in my computer, its USB port and related software were really attractive to me. But as everyone knows, they've been out of stock here in the US for months. Then, last Thursday, in my weekly LGS visit--they were in stock! I promptly bought one, and finally got to try it yesterday.
The CEDM2 puts the the PACT and Chrony to shame for performance. On a spotty-cloudy, bright day, temp 65F, I shot about 350 rounds through it. I had no errors; all shots were recorded. The sweet spot is huge. There were 31 10-shot strings recorded--no problems there; it can hold up to 1000 shots in its standard form.
I am still learning command sequences, so unit operation was a bit of an issue--I haven't tried editing strings yet, and apparently a saved string cannot be deleted, only manually "omitted" once the string has been saved. One nice little feature is that fact the turning off the unit will automatically save the string in memory--and one does not lose the data.
So I got home, hooked up the USB port to my computer--and had a trouble-free download of all data. That data set was then saved to a tab-delimited file. I printed the file (on a standard printer) and found that in the course of data collection, it had read two shots as "flyers"--which the software notes with an "f" by that particular shot--but recorded the velocity anyway!
I printed the CED output file--and they provide a standard output that obviously will fit to standard calculator tape, or--if output to a standard printer--aggregates the strings into four column widths and puts about about 11 string reports on a page (with ten-shot strings reported). Pulling the tab-delimited CED output file into a spreadsheet (Xcel) file is a no-brainer--and the data comes in with a reasonable row format for the records, complete with headers.
One neat little trick was to provide a compartment for a spare battery. So far, the only negatives I've noted are a "cheaper" construction than the US-made brands--but still apparently satisfactory, and well done. I'm not worried about shooting it--I don't seem to have that problem with Chrono use--but for sure the damage will be significant. However, the easy disassembly and parts design suggest minimal damage possibilty, and easy replacement.
One potential problem might be the loose fit to the sensors on the mounting rod--they simply slip on the ends, and they are "loose." If they tend to slip off during setup or takedown, the plastic brackets and sunshades could get broken, I think, and I wonder just how fragile the sensors are. Preventing these potential problems, or at least limiting it to user mistakes, would probably only take a wrap or two of electrician's tape on the rod to tighten up the sockets.
However, it was the field performance where the unit really performs. The deeply-inset and wider sensors are probably the reason for that performance. I may try it again this afternoon (it's flat, with complete cloud cover today) to see how it does in this kind of light.
Overall, the CEDM2 is highly recommended if you want to work on your chrono output away from the bench.
Jim H.
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