Using a chrono at an indoor range?

[gonoles_1980]

Don't you have to stand back a few feet to get it to register? I am interested in getting one, but not sure it would be practical at an indoor range.

 

[peels]

You will need to get the light kit or rig up some lighting in order for it to work. And you want the chrono at least 10 ft away from the firingline to prevent the muzzle flash from messing with the readings

 

[Jim Watson]

Yes.
The typical rent-a-lane indoor range is not a good place for a conventional "skyscreen" chronograph. It needs to be well in front of the muzzle, which few range operators will permit, and even if they do, you will need separate lighting because fluorescent tubes will cause it to give funny numbers.

If shooting a rifle or a long barreled revolver or single shot pistol, the Magnetospeed is good because it attaches to the barrel, looking like a bayonet, and triggers on magnetic flux instead of overhead light. Won't work on autopistols or snubbies, though.

I know of one LabRadar actually delivered. It ought to work indoors from beside the gun but is expensive.

 

[emptybrass]

Here is my experience. I purchased a Pro Chrono, tripod dolly(already had a tripod), a telescoping pole, a chrono light kit and a small backup power supply that would give me 120 volts out for the led light package. I mounted the chrono to the tripod, which set on the tripod dolly. I made a part to go on the end of the telescoping pole so I could position the tripod about 10 ft downrange. I hung the battery power supply on the tripod and plugged in the led light kit. On my indoor range, you can drop the bench out of position, so I did that and used the push pole to position the chrony. I then put the bench back in place so I could use my gun rest. And I ran a target down rand to about 15 feet with the bulls eye at the right elevation for the chrony sweet spot.

I set it all up and it worked perfectly. It picked up every shot I made as well as every shot made for the three or four lanes on either side of me.

I went back one more time and this time I had fashioned a velcro attached cardboard tent that basically covered the chrony all except for the tunnel to shoot through.

I had exactly the same results and sold the chrony.

 

[Jim Watson]

Ingenious.
I can't see how it picked up shots "for the three or four lanes on either side of me."

 

[Lost Sheep]

Ingenious.
I can't see how it picked up shots "for the three or four lanes on either side of me."

My thought, too. The Chrony chronographs (and most all others today) make no use of the sound, but depend on the shadow of the bullet passing over the optical detectors.

Sometimes, if the chronograph is too close to the muzzle, the sensor will detect muzzle gasses and have problems, but if the lanes on either side of you are that close, .... well, I am not that chummy with my neighbors.

Lost Sheep

By the say, SAAMI sets up their chronographs to detect the bullet velocity at 15 feet. (e.g. start screen at 14' and stop screen at 16', or 10' and 20' or whatever.)

 

[Jim Watson]

Old data shows velocity at 78 feet. To get good readings out of the Le Boulenge electromechanical chronograph, you had to have a wide separation. Start at 3 ft, stop at 153 ft, midpoint and nominal reading, 78 ft.

 

[emptybrass]

I was surprised that it picked up the other lanes as well. The RSO stopped by and he has a chrony and since this was my first, I asked him what was going on. He didn't have a clue but had never run his at an indoor range. The numbers from the other lanes were all over the board, but the fact that the chrony was recording played heck with my sets. I keep waiting for the new My Lab Radar to come out but am not sure that I would buy one now. They have been ready for the market for too long with no products available yet and very poor communications with potential buyers. Might go with a barrel mounted unit and just not worry about my pistol loads.

 

[Steve C]

Indoor ranges are usually lit with florescent lighting that despite what your eyes see are not a sustained light but a pulsating light source so it registers the same as the shadow of the bullet which corrupts the data. The indoor range that I go to has a bay set up with a lane for people who want to use a chrono with incandescent lighting (regular old fashion light bulbs) and a switch to turn off the fluorescent lights. One needs to reserve the lane in advance to use it.

If you have an outdoor range available do your chronographing there. After buying a chrono I find that I don't use it all that much so its no great burden to travel 30 miles to the outdoor public range and test the ammo I want all in one day.

 

[Hondo 60]

Data can be odd at times.
Especially from indoor ranges.

gonoles_1980 - what peels said.