Chronograph

[Olderfart]

I would appreciate any advise on newer Chronographs.

Ease of set up, utilization, data storage ECT. - And why you recommend it.

Thanks in advance.

I plan on making a purchase soon.

[kcstott]

I would appreciate any advise on newer Chronographs.

Ease of set up, utilization, data storage ECT. - And why you recommend it.

Thanks in advance.

I plan on making a purchase soon.

if a handgun is not part of the equation get a Magnetospeed.
it's cheeper than a Lab Radar
reads up to 5000 fps unlike the Lab radar that tops out at 3500 fps
it's doesn't require shutting down the range to set up (like a sky screen chrono)
it will out put data to a file that XL can read so your Mac or your PC running windows can read it and save it. I just copy and paste my data to a form I came up with and keep all my data in files with reload data on the same sheet.
It does change your point of impact slightly but does not effect group size unless you shoot bench rest. (yes I know guys I use to claim it didn't but have since seen the results and it in fact does change the point of impact by about 1 moa on my rifle.)

If a hand a hand gun is involved get the Caldwell unit with the IR lights and call it good. it works but it's still hit or miss with being able to get all shots to read. The only time my Magnetospeed failed to read was when I failed to plug it in. it's never missed a shot.

Lab radar says they are easy to set up but I've seen them on the range and when they work they work flawlessly but when there is an issue well it's a mess. and I don't know if it was an issue with the unit or the operator so I can't say. But I can say this Magnetospeed out numbers Lab radar about six to one on our range at every match. I have no complaints and would buy it again if needed.

[mike.h]

LabRadar

[Dooder]

Depends on what you need to meter. I've used a lot of different chronos and have gone through around 5 until I ended up with the one that suits my needs.

Had two different gen magnetospeeds. They're pretty convenient but as stated before, no good for pistols that do not have light rail. The profile of the rifle handguard or barrel can produce limitations and it affects accuracy. I didn't like how it's tethered to the gun either.

Had and used a bunch of light sensor units. Chrony, pro chrono, CED M2 and I didn't like that indoor lighting kit is needed, don't like wires from sensors to the brain, don't like that need battery pack or extension cord. Some ranges don't have access to plugs and it's a safety hazard to have the cord run across the range.

Had a Labradar. It's convenient, but not infallible. Has much more limitations than I wanted to deal with. Can't have shooters too close, like an indoor range. It was hit and miss with brakes and comps. I spent more time playing with the settings which was an issue when I had multiple different guns of varying power. Have to play with trigger settings. But the bigger issues was the velocity cap, can't track shot - only slugs, can't do archery without buying a mic which then have bow tethered to the chrono. Also the phone app for it is beyond terrible.

So at a time I had to use three different chronos to do rifle, pistol, archery and shotshell. That sucked. I got rid of them all and spend $180 on a Caldwell G2. The phone/tablet app is awesome. It has an internal battery, it's inverted and uses it's own lightsource so no extra lighting kit to buy. Works with arrows, bb's, rocks, shot, whatever you want. The velocity goes to 9999. It has been hands down the best chrono I've used yet. I wish it came out a long time ago.

I suggest you think about what you need to meter, where you're going to use it, power availability and how convenient you want it. Let us know what you get!

[Rg422]

LabRadar here. No complaints.

[Olderfart]

Thank you for all the responses - I still have more research and plan to purchase for hopefully Black Friday sale. I will be utilizing hand gun and Rifles - Rifles up to I hope 4200 - 4300FPS. I was hoping to be able to purchase just one but most of what I have read has been confirmed by all who responded.
Thanks again and if anyone has any aditional advise Please post.

[rsrocket1]

You really need to list YOUR requirements before taking on recommendations.
Budget
Require or don't care about remote operation
Lighting conditions (indoor or out and where the sun is when you shoot)
Reading at one distance OK or want down range speeds
Number of strings needed or will you simply upload individual written readings to a computer

You can pay anywhere from $90 to $600 and the $600 chronongraph may not be the right one for you even with an unlimited budget

[scotty99]

[anyracoon]

I'm a happy camper with my LabRadar

[JackEllis]

I think it depends a lot on your budget.

I have aIf money is no object, go with the Labradar or the Magnetospeed, but just keep in mind that all of them have their quirks and limitations.

[Ki6vsm]

I have or have had about every popular chrono made I think. The Magnetospeed Sporter gets used the most. Love how small it is, fast to setup, easy to switch between rifles, and calculates ES and SD right on the display.

Next is the Caldwell G2. The upside-down design was a great idea. Still much tougher to setup, but wins for versatility.

Labradar is great if you’re by yourself. At a busy public range, forget it.

I'd been using the Caldwell inverted type also for a couple of years. I'll say that the tripod it comes with is garbage. Flexy plastic 3-way camera head? Useless. I gave it away to Good Will and bought a decent SLIK tripod that collapses short enough to fit in the Caldwell case. I recommend that to anyone. I screw the chrony directly onto this tripod. No head needed. I love the BlueTooth ability.

But you know, I've gotten some really weird readings with my Caldwell. Made me not trust it. One day out in the bright sunny desert it was reading only 1800 FPS average from a 16" AR of mine, with ammo that was measuring at about 2800 or so in an 18"-barreled AR only a few minutes earlier. WTH? Not just one shot---two strings of five shots.

And on another day, same location and conditions, I was using it to measure speed on some 45auto hand-loads out of my 1911. Two strings of five shots each, first round it said the average was 1984 FPS! Second was 1846 FPS! I don't know if the chrono was multiplying by 2?

So I recently bought a MagnetoSpeed Sporter. Only used it once with one string of five shots. It worked though and the velocities seemed to be accurate. What I'd expect. Very compact piece of kit too. The only downside is no BlueTooth; the Caldwell has spoiled me on that point. And it does not save data. So you need to have a pad and pen handy to record the FPS, SD, ES.

.

[Rizzo]

I use a ProChrono Digital Chronograph.
No complaints and a good price.

Here's a link to one on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Competition-Electronics-538002-SSI-ProChrono-Chronograph/dp/B0028MTBJ4

[Chief-7700]

Labradar and they are on sale now.

[Elgatodeacero]

Labradar is the best choice.

[Dooder]

I'd been using the Caldwell inverted type also for a couple of years. I'll say that the tripod it comes with is garbage. Flexy plastic 3-way camera head? Useless. I gave it away to Good Will and bought a decent SLIK tripod that collapses short enough to fit in the Caldwell case. I recommend that to anyone. I screw the chrony directly onto this tripod. No head needed. I love the BlueTooth ability.

But you know, I've gotten some really weird readings with my Caldwell. Made me not trust it. One day out in the bright sunny desert it was reading only 1800 FPS average from a 16" AR of mine, with ammo that was measuring at about 2800 or so in an 18"-barreled AR only a few minutes earlier. WTH? Not just one shot---two strings of five shots.

And on another day, same location and conditions, I was using it to measure speed on some 45auto hand-loads out of my 1911. Two strings of five shots each, first round it said the average was 1984 FPS! Second was 1846 FPS! I don't know if the chrono was multiplying by 2?

So I recently bought a MagnetoSpeed Sporter. Only used it once with one string of five shots. It worked though and the velocities seemed to be accurate. What I'd expect. Very compact piece of kit too. The only downside is no BlueTooth; the Caldwell has spoiled me on that point. And it does not save data. So you need to have a pad and pen handy to record the FPS, SD, ES.

.

I have experienced some anomalies like you deacribed and everytime its been from muzzle flash. I just give it a little more distance and it gets consistent again. With magnum loads like huge 50AE I have to give it more distance, say 15'. But 10' works well for every thing else.

The tripid does suck, but I haven't its necessary to replace. I use a broom to push the tripod around in the range heehe Its flexiness helps me move it around without tipping over. It does its job but yes its a huge turd haaha


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