Who doesn't have a chronograph?

[Trey Veston]

I went shooting today with my neighbor, who, while has much less experience and knowledge about firearms and reloading than me, also has a ton more discretionary spending available. He invited me to his secret shooting spot a mere 2 miles from town and we had a great time shooting and sighting in several firearms. He also had a chronograph.

I was able to shoot some new loads I was working on, as well as some other loads I had been using for years that I thought were great, based on accuracy and published load data.

However, when shot over an actual chronograph, the results were not even close to what I expected.

That was disturbing to me, so I am adding a chronograph to the top of the list of new toys I want/need.

I was curious as to if other reloaders here don't have a chronograph. Was also curious to hear reloaders with chronographs share some of their examples of why they are worth the investment.

 

[Insignificant bill]

I use mine for airguns

 

[Chuck R.]

The 1st time I used a Chronograph was in 1989 in Austria. A gunsmith friend of my wife's family was letting me use his range to confirm my zero prior to heading out for my 1st Chamois hunt.

I've been hooked since. I've now got two, and old Oehler 35P and a Labradar.

IMHO they're pretty much essential when it comes to any type of distance shooting. While I believe that accuracy trumps statistics (SD and ES), when it comes to over 300 yds I want both. Without good stats you'll start picking up vertical and horizontal dispersion. IF you don't believe it, just run a couple ballistic solutions with your high and low MVs and watch the effects down range.

As many have noted, the book MVs published in loading manuals often seem optimistic. They're generally using test barrels, long custom test barrels, with tighter than average factory bores. I have no doubt their barrels shoot "faster".

So the normal scenario runs something like this...loads IAW published data, zeros his rifle IAW a ballistic program (maybe, a lot don't bother) and they find out the hard way that there were actually running 100+ FPS slower than book data. The +1.something at 100 to get them a 200yd zero (a lot of guys only have access to 100yds), really should have been +2.something. On the day of the fictional hunt, our guy spots a decent buck at 345, not a problem as he's worked out his dope chart and he holds 10" high, right on hair line (cause he read about "hold on hair" in an old Outdoor life magazine) He then proceeds to hit low and more left than they had hoped as the temps were lower than when they zero'd and that 3 O'clock cross-wind was a little more brisk than he thought it was.

My scenario is a little extreme because in reality our chronograph-less, reloading hunter, will probably pop his deer at the standard 200yds or well under and will never be the wiser.

 

[Steve51]

I have hand loaded for several years but do not own a chronograph. Most of my shooting is 75 yds or less. Very seldom would I take a 100 yd shot. My main concern over the years has been POI and good groups. For rifles, I mainly load 10% below max load and for handguns I usually load mid-range loads.
I think a chronograph would be nice but don't have one and have never used one.

 

[Spclk]

I've been handloading for nearly 40 years and don't have one. Deer and paper don't care how fast a bullet goes through them and neither do I.

 

[armydog]

I have one but just to verify that I'm in the ball park of what I am expecting. I never recorded any numbers. I should though, but when I lock in a load, I just highlight it on my massive and confusing excel doc that would even confuse a forensic accountant. I make adjustments based on group size. I load xtps in 9, 10, 357, 44, 460 and 45-70 and after I get a good group, I'll line up some water jugs and even when the velocities are a little lower than expected, I get great expansion with the xtps.

 

[Hartkopf]

I went almost two years of hand loading for pistols without a chrono. Now that I have one, I can’t imagine not having the tool available. You pretty much have to have a chrono if you want to figure the power factor of your hand loads. I also like to check factory defensive ammo to make sure it’s close to advertised. One big name (Remington GS bonded 165gr) 40S&W I just checked was way under. Advertised at 1150fps but checked at 1050. The ammo might be effective but still not what was advertised. It might not expand either.

 

[Walkalong]

I went many years without one, until they got cheap, as in the neighborhood of $100.

 

[Chuck R.]

I went almost two years of hand loading for pistols without a chrono. Now that I have one, I can’t imagine not having the tool available. You pretty much have to have a chrono if you want to figure the power factor of your hand loads. I also like to check factory defensive ammo to make sure it’s close to advertised. One big name (Remington GS bonded 165gr) 40S&W I just checked was way under. Advertised at 1150fps but checked at 1050. The ammo might be effective but still not what was advertised. It might not expand either.

My usual routine is to chrono the factory stuff and mimic it with my handloads for reliability testing and practice. I made it a practice early on to only carry factory defensive ammo that I could buy the bullets for reloading. For a long time that was Rem GS and Speer GDs, now I also use Sierra V-Crowns in my 357Sig.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I got kick off a range for using a Magnet Chrono. Was developing 458 SC loads, and with a my AR you have to take the hand guard off to attach the sensors. Anyways the gun was looking all crazy, and they lady next to be said I was being unsafe or something.

Lesson learned: get a Lab Radar

 

[Targa]

Like Chuck R. my goal in reloading is replicating factory ammunition as closely as I can, my chronograph is a very useful tool. I also find that my standard deviation on velocity with my hand loads is noticeably less vs. the factory ammo I am testing against.

 

[MakBaba]

If you’re a gun nerd, and if you reload you are, then a chrono adds another level to your hobby.
I first got mine when I picked up some WC846. Turns out it was way faster than I thought. The brass indicated it was too hot, the chrono confirmed how much.

 

[243winxb]

No chronograph.
Bought a chronograph in 1979. The "new" sky screens replaced the cardboard/copper wire sensors. Sold it about a year later. To much junk to carry to the range.

Results of 45 acp target load testing was interesting & learned from it.
Other cartridges, where loads on target were already accurate, showed nothing abnormal. Velocities matched manual mostly. Change in barrel lengths, different velocity.

Trying to match "claimed" velocity on factory ammo boxes may get you in trouble real fast, when reloading.

 

[Legionnaire]

I started without a chronograph but after a long range rifle course and exploring ballistic calculators, I realized the significant difference in trajectory different velocities have. Bought a Shooting Chrony that worked well for many years; sold it when I purchased a Magnetospeed. The Magnetospeed was great with rifles, but I missed the Chrony for working up handgun loads. So I bought an inexpensive Caldwell to use with handguns. About two years ago I sold the Magnetospeed and bought a Labradar; haven't used the Caldwell since. The LR is expensive but it sure is handy to set up right at the line and it's not sensitive to light conditions. But I'd happily shoot with the Caldwell versus no chronograph at all.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I went 50 years of shooting and reloading without one, just recently got a magneto speed, I tested some of my revolver loads and they were with in probably 50fps from what I figure they probably were. So many on here, over the years, have said how hard it is to get to the fps that is usually listed with load data, especially with handguns.
So I guess I took the pessimistic view on the fps, and found my loads were running fairly close with my estimates. I need to get my 41 mag to the range and check my hunting loads but I expect they will be around 1200fps for 17gr of 2400 and a 210gr XTP.

I never did pay attention to the fps the manuals assigned to a load data entry. They never used my length or type of barrel so I never expected their loads to represent what I was going to get.

I'm waiting on a box of Brazo's 41 mag SWC coated bullets that I wanted to use for range shooting but the Postal service are running behind on delivery and now I'm going to start my last 4 day work week (12 hr plus days) so I definitely won't be doing any loading then. I get past this week than I have a month of easy schedules. My 41 project will have to wait until then.
I am looking forward to using the magneto speed again but I really didn't get any real surprises after I started using it.

One thing about handgun loads is that I can use that familiar crack from the sound barrier also to tell me where I am with my loads also, but I guess that doesn't count in this discussion.
Now rifle shooting, that is a completely different animal. I working on getting a membership to an outdoor shooting range and will be checking all my rifle loads with the magneto speed.

 

[dannyd]

I use one to test different loads; you would be surprised how much better you can make you rounds perform whether 25 or 500 yards.

 

[jmorris]

I went around 25 years reloading without one. Before that I really didn’t need one until I started shooting competitively, in sports that require the ammunition to meet a power factor.

I have 3 now, one as each place I shoot the most and another that travels with me.

I could live without them and lots of other stuff too but they tell me quantified data I otherwise would not know without significant testing otherwise.

 

[dgod]

I have 3, the Chrony, Magnetospeed, and a Labrador, I love ALL 3, but haven’t used the Labrador yet, that is next. My biggest issue is that I moved, no longer have a range that allows the Chronograph to be down range.

 

[Mark_Mark]

If you follow published load data to the T. You don’t need a chrono, they already chono-ed for ya

 

[Chuck R.]

I started without a chronograph but after a long range rifle course and exploring ballistic calculators, I realized the significant difference in trajectory different velocities have. Bought a Shooting Chrony that worked well for many years; sold it when I purchased a Magnetospeed. The Magnetospeed was great with rifles, but I missed the Chrony for working up handgun loads. So I bought an inexpensive Caldwell to use with handguns. About two years ago I sold the Magnetospeed and bought a Labradar; haven't used the Caldwell since. The LR is expensive but it sure is handy to set up right at the line and it's not sensitive to light conditions. But I'd happily shoot with the Caldwell versus no chronograph at all.

My favorite Labradar feature is being able to practice AND chrono at the same time. For the precision stuff I like having MVs at varying temps as it helps derive a "more better solution"



The Labradars easy setup takes all the azzpain out of chronographing. Just record temps while practicing and add to Strelok Pro later.

If you follow published load data to the T. You don’t need a chrono, they already chono-ed for ya

You're joking....right??

IF not I'd suggest a simple poll to see how many guys used a book load and achieved the advertised velocity....

 

[Mark_Mark]

My favorite Labradar feature is being able to practice AND chrono at the same time. For the precision stuff I like having MVs at varying temps as it helps derive a "more better solution"

View attachment 1052554

The Labradars easy setup takes all the azzpain out of chronographing. Just record temps while practicing and add to Strelok Pro later.



You're joking....right??

IF not I'd suggest a simple poll to see how many guys used a book load and achieved the advertised velocity....

I have used published data and chrono-ed it. the data’s are About right. For special PRS shooters, I get it. But range and even hunters, used a published load, zero your gun, good to go.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I could live without them and lots of other stuff too but they tell me quantified data I otherwise would not know without significant testing otherwise.

So could I but what fun is that?

 

[cfullgraf]

A chronograph is a good tool to have but not essential.

I like to shoot some factory ammunition over the chronograph. I get an idea if the gun shoots fast or slow with ammunition that is known to be of safe pressure levels. At a minimum I shoot ammunition with the same bullet weight that I'm planning to use.

For some of my military rifles, I've been able to approximate the performance of military standard ammunition.

I've had some handgun reloads that produced quite variable velocity levels. I was able to adjust the powder charge or change powders to get the variation down to levels I deemed satisfactory. I do not know if it really helps reduce group size, but it makes me feel better about my reloads.

I do not have access to long distance shooting ranges to test out sight settings for my rifles. With the chronograph, I can take the muzzle velocity and crunch it through a ballistics program and get some bullet drop information at various ranges. Not perfect but it was helpful on several prairie dog hunts where we had shots out to 500-600 yards. I had a starting point that reduced the number of shots required to zero in on the little critters. (Fortunately, prairie dogs aren't real smart. They do not go to ground instantly at the first or second shot unless they get splashed by dirt.)

 

[Mark_Mark]

A chronograph is a good tool to have but not essential.

I like to shoot some factory ammunition over the chronograph. I get an idea if the gun shoots fast or slow with ammunition that is known to be of safe pressure levels. At a minimum I shoot ammunition with the same bullet weight that I'm planning to use.

For some of my military rifles, I've been able to approximate the performance of military standard ammunition.

I've had some handgun reloads that produced quite variable velocity levels. I was able to adjust the powder charge or change powders to get the variation down to levels I deemed satisfactory. I do not know if it really helps reduce group size, but it makes me feel better about my reloads.

I do not have access to long distance shooting ranges to test out sight settings for my rifles. With the chronograph, I can take the muzzle velocity and crunch it through a ballistics program and get some bullet drop information at various ranges. Not perfect but it was helpful on several prairie dog hunts where we had shots out to 500-600 yards. I had a starting point that reduced the number of shots required to zero in on the little critters. (Fortunately, prairie dogs aren't real smart. They do not go to ground instantly at the first or second shot unless they get splashed by dirt.)

FYI people, don’t eat prairie dogs! BAD IDEA, they are not squirrels

 

[Blue68f100]

I don't have their receiver, powder or bullet to duplicate their results. All I have is the results of what I did shooting at distances with my gear. If a load is repeatable, accurate, what's not to like. Paper trumps any mfg suggested load. I just need to build a drop table for that gun and bullet combo. Which can be done at range and is more accurate than using what the mfg says they got.

I shot 35 yrs without a crony. I bought one just to see what I was missing. Out of all the guns I have, only one was close to what the mfg got. My barrel lengths did not match theirs, some of my guns shot faster, some slower that what they published. Some barrels are naturally faster while other or inherently slow. I have found if you have a slower twist barrel they do shoot faster due to less friction. I use my cronly any time I'm testing loads. It's just another tool to give me data on what my hand loads are doing.