Has anyone had fragments of a jacketed projectile hit your chronograph?
The reason for my question is because this is exactly what happened to my new Chrono yesterday.
Background:
I shot a killing blow through my 6-month old CE Chrono DXL a few weeks ago and was able to get it replaced by CE for 1/2 price. I set the new Chrono DXL up yesterday at the range and did everything humanly possible so that I would not have a repeat performance of the first Chrono. Seriously I was very conscious and deliberate with every shot. I had fired 35- 9mm 124gr. Precision Delta FMJ rounds through the chrono without any issues. The average speed of the 35-rounds was 1,105 fps with the high extreme being 1,119 fps.
Unfortunately as I took shot number 36, I saw one of the plastic diffusers fly off as well as the display shut off. Because I was being so cautious and conscientious with each shot and shooting from a firm rest, I was super pissed off about hitting my second chrono. When I looked at it the only damage I could see was a very small entry wound near the front display, but no exit wound at all. I knew that there was no way the 124gr FMJ bullet made that tiny entrance hole, but because the chrono was now DOA and would no longer work I packed up and left the range fuming and cursing like a big dog!
As soon as I got home I took the chrono apart and what I found inside amazed me because it was just a tiny piece of copper. Unfortunately that tiny piece of copper had taken out the display and passed through the main PC board and was laying in the plastic housing, rendering the chrono useless. This explains why there is no exit wound at all.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that the piece of copper that I found had to be from the jacket of the projectile. The only thing that I will never know is whether the jacket fragmented because of a faulty projectile or from excessive speed. (if even possible?) I hardly suspect excessive speed because of the data recorded from the previous 35 shots and the fact that the fatal bullet was from the same exact batch of reloads. Of course I can't be 100% sure because the fatal shot did not get measured!
Has anyone else ever had this happen?
This experience has proven to me that the first lesson which I learned as a kid, which was "do not aim a loaded gun at anything that you do not intend to destroy", holds true in regards to these type chronographs that have to be placed in the line of fire! I did everything humanly possible to avoid shooting the chrono and because of some odd occurrence, damn if it didn't get destroyed anyway.
The reason for my question is because this is exactly what happened to my new Chrono yesterday.
Background:
I shot a killing blow through my 6-month old CE Chrono DXL a few weeks ago and was able to get it replaced by CE for 1/2 price. I set the new Chrono DXL up yesterday at the range and did everything humanly possible so that I would not have a repeat performance of the first Chrono. Seriously I was very conscious and deliberate with every shot. I had fired 35- 9mm 124gr. Precision Delta FMJ rounds through the chrono without any issues. The average speed of the 35-rounds was 1,105 fps with the high extreme being 1,119 fps.
Unfortunately as I took shot number 36, I saw one of the plastic diffusers fly off as well as the display shut off. Because I was being so cautious and conscientious with each shot and shooting from a firm rest, I was super pissed off about hitting my second chrono. When I looked at it the only damage I could see was a very small entry wound near the front display, but no exit wound at all. I knew that there was no way the 124gr FMJ bullet made that tiny entrance hole, but because the chrono was now DOA and would no longer work I packed up and left the range fuming and cursing like a big dog!
As soon as I got home I took the chrono apart and what I found inside amazed me because it was just a tiny piece of copper. Unfortunately that tiny piece of copper had taken out the display and passed through the main PC board and was laying in the plastic housing, rendering the chrono useless. This explains why there is no exit wound at all.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that the piece of copper that I found had to be from the jacket of the projectile. The only thing that I will never know is whether the jacket fragmented because of a faulty projectile or from excessive speed. (if even possible?) I hardly suspect excessive speed because of the data recorded from the previous 35 shots and the fact that the fatal bullet was from the same exact batch of reloads. Of course I can't be 100% sure because the fatal shot did not get measured!
Has anyone else ever had this happen?
This experience has proven to me that the first lesson which I learned as a kid, which was "do not aim a loaded gun at anything that you do not intend to destroy", holds true in regards to these type chronographs that have to be placed in the line of fire! I did everything humanly possible to avoid shooting the chrono and because of some odd occurrence, damn if it didn't get destroyed anyway.
