Chronograph shopping. Advise?

[HKShooter65]

I figure reloaders would be the most experienced with chronographing loads.

I'm perusing Amazon with an itch to spend.

3 basic designs.
1. Traditional sky screens placed out front.
2. The little folding Chrony version, self contained.
3. The newest version that straps onto the barrel itself.

Any experience, expertise and advice here??

H

 

[orbitup]

I have the strap on kind (ah hell) and it's great for rifles. If you want to use it with pistols the traditional setup will work better for you.

 

[Younggun]

I have a ProChrono and it works really well for everything from paintball guns to .50 BMG. Simple and does what it’s supposed to with no need for extra parts. Setting up near trees where the shadows nip across the screens will cause issues. Also doesn’t work well early morning or late evening. Overcast days it works great without the diffusers.



That said, I’ve used Orbitup’s Magnetospeed and they are really nice. No back in forth to make sure it’s lined up and not gonna get shot. But some setup on the barrel. Readout is right there and Easily saved.

On my .50 I have issues with muzzle blast effecting the reading on my ProChrono so I have to set it a little further out which makes alignment tougher. Not an issue with MagnetoSpeed BUT I would have to buy an extra adapter to fit the brake.

For my use I find its best to have a low cost ProChrono and a friend with an expensive MagnetoSpeed.




PS, Don’t forget LabRadar.


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[vmax]

I have the shooting chrony.
While it is very dependable, it has it limits
I have wanted to upgrade to the radar system

 

[Bozz10mm]

Yeah, I was gonna mention LabRadar too.

 

[baboon]

Being an old man I bought an Oelher 35P. Besides they are made in Texas.

 

[robertc1024]

Magnetospeed here. Love it. I have not strapped it to any pistols yet. I think that's its weakspot. The labradar is pretty f'n nice though but pricier. I got to shoot a little over Southtxpilots' and it worked great.

 

[xdmikey]

Advice: don't shoot it!

 

[orbitup]

One thing I really like about the Magnetospeed is that it stores everything on a spreadsheet that you can save on your computer.

 

[Younggun]

F’n spreadsheets.


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[HKShooter65]

Thanks all.
I have a buddy with an old school chrono that is fussy, functional but a pain.

The LabRadar seems attractive but most pricy.

The ProChrono is more old school but most economical and good reviews.

The Magnetospeed is the most attractive to me right now.
I did notice the entry level one only is designed for 1" barrels so, shooting suppressed a good bit the V.3 up to 2" "barrels" would be the one for me.

I'll read more reviews and decide soon.

 

[oohrah]

I have the Caldwell with the phone app. Very good customer service also. I use it to test my black powder loads.

 

[orbitup]

Thanks all.
I have a buddy with an old school chrono that is fussy, functional but a pain.

The LabRadar seems attractive but most pricy.

The ProChrono is more old school but most economical and good reviews.

The Magnetospeed is the most attractive to me right now.
I did notice the entry level one only is designed for 1" barrels so, shooting suppressed a good bit the V.3 up to 2" "barrels" would be the one for me.

I'll read more reviews and decide soon.

The V1 has other drawbacks as well. No spreadsheet is one of them.

 

[FireInTheWire]

LabRadar and don't look back.

 

[robertc1024]

One thing though about the LabRadar - it doesn't work well, if at all on round balls e.g. muzzleloaders

 

[benenglish]

I'm down to just one chronograph and am very happy with my Oehler 35P

<Idiotically long text describing my history with chronographs snipped.>

My recommendation is to get the cheapest chronograph possible and see if you actually use it. If you get substantial use from it, keep it as a spare and then buy a more premium unit.

Some people buy one, use it for one project, then pretty much never take it out again. You won't know if you're one of those people until you've had a one for a year or more.

 

[orbitup]

My recommendation is to get the cheapest chronograph possible and see if you actually use it. If you get substantial use from it, keep it as a spare and then buy a more premium unit.

Pretty much what I did. I can set up my old one for pistols if need be.

 

[HKShooter65]

My recommendation is to get the cheapest chronograph possible and see if you actually use it.

Some people buy one, use it for one project, then pretty much never take it out again.

I resemble that comment!

As with all the kitchen gadgets I or my wife just HAVE to have, now cluttering the pantry shelves!!

Makes this look quite attractive.
https://www.amazon.com/Caldwell-Ballistic-Precision-Chronograph/dp/B076H2QKRP
Anything I buy that lasts for years for the cost of a decent bottle of single malt is sort of a no-brainer.

 

[avvidclif]

Had a long response listing the advantages of the LabRadar and computer went stupid. If I make the spring shoot I will bring mine. Take your Oehler or whatever and get a velocity reading at muzzle, 25yds, 50yds, 75yds, and 100yds. From that you can calculate the actual ballistic coefficient of the bullet. Bluetooth and SD card for saving data.

 

[benenglish]

Take your Oehler or whatever and get a velocity reading at muzzle, 25yds, 50yds, 75yds, and 100yds. From that you can calculate the actual ballistic coefficient of the bullet.

That's tough to do since, in order to factor out shot-to-shot velocity variations, you have to take the measurements on the same shot. That's one of the things the LabRadar has going for it.

Many years ago, I did the same thing, though. I just set up my Oehler at the muzzle and put a Shooting Chrony at the target at 200 yards. It could be tough reading the numbers through a scope if the sun was wrong but it did give me enough numbers to drive myself crazy.

Bluetooth and SD card for saving data.

Yep, the LabRadar definitely has advantages.

Another one that most people don't think about is the fact that it's easy to set up at the firing line without going downrange. That means you can actually do pistol load development at commercial, indoor ranges.

If you like your LabRadar, I can certainly understand why.