Do you Chronograph?

[UrbanTarzan]

I've been reloading for darn near 30 years now and before that i dont remember a time that spending time at my dads bench didnt exist.
Im still lucky enough to have him around and pick his brain and compare data, although in recent years his time at the bench and behind the trigger has diminished greatly, but I know he still really enjoys our conversations and when i call for advice.
The vast majority of my reloading years, and all of my dads, was spent without a Chronograph, we relied on every other source of input to guage our reloading success, like gun function, recoil, accuracy, consistancy and comparisons to known factory loads etc.
It wasnt until the last 5 years or so that I started using a Chronograph and I have to say i was very impressed and a little surprised at how consistent and spot on my loads were.
But now i cant live without it , having that added data, having the actual numbers to add to which loads are the most accurate, most consistent is invaluable.
Not to mention with these things now wifi capable.. the ease at which to save , categorize, refer to , compare etc... all at your finger tips has taken my reloading organization to an unbelievable level.
No more little slips of paper stuffed in manuals and all over my bench...lol
And my dad loves when i send him the screenshots of a particular string ..
I even made up some 30-30 from one of his scribbled notes showing his favorite hunting loads and sent him the data.
So now with the availability of these things , and available in barrel mounts as well as stand alone and many at extremely reasonable prices , do you Chronograph your reloads?

[bergmen]

I certainly do on occasion, it depends. I spent some time developing loads for my Browning A-Bolt in .300 WSM. I wanted to be able to predict bullet drop at ranges out to about 500 yards. Chrono data plus BC of bullet did the trick.

Lately, I have switched to plated bullets for most handgun loads (semi-auto and revolver) since I don't hunt anymore and shoot recreationally. Plated bullets have speed limits (1200 fps or so) so I want to stay below that figure. Chronographing is the only real way to do this.

I use it sporadically for many other uses (load comparison, MV deviation, etc.). Very handy tool. Mine is a bottom of the scale cheap unit, I would like to upgrade at some point.

Dan

[kevin c]

For my application, it's a necessary part of putting together a load.

I shoot action pistol sports that use a "power factor" determined by bullet weight times velocity. At major matches this is measured for each competitor, and can make a huge difference in the point value of the hits achieved.

So my competition rounds not only need to be functional and accurate, they need consistency in weight and velocity, as one or two rounds with light bullets or low velocities can reduce my measured power factor and change a good score into a bad one. Chronographing my loads tells me whether they are in the right range (average velocity) and with what degree of consistency (standard deviation and average dispersion).

[UrbanTarzan]

I certainly do on occasion, it depends. I spent some time developing loads for my Browning A-Bolt in .300 WSM. I wanted to be able to predict bullet drop at ranges out to about 500 yards. Chrono data plus BC of bullet did the trick.

Lately, I have switched to plated bullets for most handgun loads (semi-auto and revolver) since I don't hunt anymore and shoot recreationally. Plated bullets have speed limits (1200 fps or so) so I want to stay below that figure. Chronographing is the only real way to do this.


Dan

For my application, it's a necessary part of putting together a load.

I shoot action pistol sports that use a "power factor" determined by bullet weight times velocity. At major matches this is measured for each competitor, and can make a huge difference in the point value of the hits achieved..

Like both of ypu my original venture into a Chronograph was for a specific need at first. I had entered the world suppressors and subsonic loads in 300 Blackout.
But i quickly recognized the ease at recording and saving all my data by using it.
And now i use the app for every load i make and run at least the first 5 thru the chrono to compare to past runs.
I enter all the data into a template as I set up, Bullet weight , case , primer ,powder , COL, etc etc... the app records temp , pressure, altitude and bullet velocity when you shoot , it even measures bullet group size by taking a picture of the target and it saves the picture with the data!!!
Im hooked!! Maybe even obsessed!!

[tabascoz28]

Abso Lutely.

For long range, if you know the speed you can get closer to the target with a ballistic calculator and less bullets. When that one shot is all you have you'd better get the right info.

For handguns and shotshells, you will know if you're getting up to the max speed published so you don't keep messing with it.

Now I won't spend +500 on something that gives me marginally better numbers and blutooth with memory, I got a pen and paper and usually a scope to read the readings. That initial 100 dollar investment is still good after 15 years.

[bigbossman]

I first used a borrowed chrono to make sure I was making major in my .45 for USPC.

Early on, I was like the OP - I loaded up some test rounds, shot a ladder, and then picked the best group. I had no idea what my load was doing other than grouping well. Eventually I got curious as to what they were doing, so I bought a chrono. For hunting rounds, I really want to know how my bullet flies out to 300-400 yards, so I shoot both for best group and velocity with the goal to achieve the best "point-blank" zero out to 300 yards.

I don't drag the chrono out a lot, mostly it sits in the garage until I need to develop a new load. I don't use it too much as all my loads have been long-established, but it came in really handy this year when I was fooling around with a couple new rifles. So, yeah, it's good to have, and basic ones are not expensive.

[SharedShots]

Chronos are wonderful things and they can give you information you wouldn't otherwise be able to get. That considered, its easy to chase velocity, calculate energy and so on in a quest to improve upon what already works. I used to load for an HK94 SG1 and experimented with 88gr Hornady JHP trying to see how fast they could be driven from that roller locked carbine. I started with accuracy and pressure only (at the time having access to a copper crusher) and got to the point where MOA was a consistent but boring thing, no matter what day it shot less than MOA at 100 meters no matter what. Once I knew I wasn't going to seize the bearings or hammer then into dust I got curious of the velocities and discovered the loads were a breath under 2000 fps (1980+- to be specific).

Without a chrono I'd have never known although seeing a target is believing and the trajectories were rather flat. The only loads that came close to that were some 70 gr projecties in the mid 1700s and the only ones to go faster were 32 caliber sabot 60 grainers at 2000+- but never tested for accuracy, they were experiments fired in a test inside of a enclosed building. The 70 grainers went who knows where at 100 meters, maybe into orbit so development stopped. I still have the load data somewhere after nearly two+ decades from that time and probably the target from the 88 gr load as well.

A good load gets you there but a chrono tells you what you do when you arrive.

[UrbanTarzan]

Abso Lutely.
Now I won't spend +500 on something that gives me marginally better numbers and blutooth with memory, I got a pen and paper and usually a scope to read the readings. That initial 100 dollar investment is still good after 15 years.

Thats kinda my point, today you can spend under $100 for what was considered less than 10 yrs ago to be NASA quality equipment ... with all the bells and whistles.
Sure there are $500+ chronos out there and if you need that , you probably arent browsing Calguns and explaining why ..lol
But for all the money we spend on our equipment, guns , tools , gear and for me , seeing the benefits i have gained from it kinda seems like scoffing at the cost of a decent chrono nowadays is like like saying .. why spend money on a holster when all my pants have pockets..

Plus , Its the one common figure that all other conclusions are based on..

[JackEllis]

I started using a chronograph so I could compare my loads with book data and also gauge how consistent they were in terms of muzzle velocity.

For me it's part of the science experiment.

The chrono did save my butt in one instance involving monolithic bullets. For powder charges about halfway between min and max I could see the primers starting to crater, confirmed by muzzle velocities that were at or above book value for max charge weights.

[UrbanTarzan]

Chronos are wonderful things and they can give you information you wouldn't otherwise be able to get. That considered, its easy to chase velocity, calculate energy and so on in a quest to improve upon what already works.

A good load gets you there but a chrono tells you what you do when you arrive.

Very true , im never trying to reinvent the wheel, just want to make sure my wheels are round when im done making one..so to speak.

Like mentioned above i also shoot plated bullets with speed limits, subs that you dont want too sub , and hunting/defense rounds that need certain velocities for proper expansion, so the ole "that should do" doesnt always sit well.

[Paseclipse]

I think a chornograph is an essential tool for reloading. Especially since you're playing with explosives that can potentially blow limbs and fingers off if you get it wrong. Without one your guessing!

[UrbanTarzan]

I think a chornograph is an essential tool for reloading. Especially since you're playing with explosives that can potentially blow limbs and fingers off if you get it wrong. Without one your guessing!

I couldnt agree more.. even after spending the majority of my life making bullets without one and still being able to count to 10. At the cost of a decent chrono today that is accurate enough to let you know "you are safe!" or even just "your finished product is what you wanted it to be" , i think its a mandatory reloading tool.
And this is from an old dog .. tauting a new trick lol

[bigbossman]

...... or even just "your finished product is what you wanted it to be" .......l

This is a downside of using a chrono, you now know you're finished, and need to go hunt for a new project...... and that usually ends with the purchase of a new firearm.

[bigbossman]

I think a chornograph is an essential tool for reloading. Especially since you're playing with explosives that can potentially blow limbs and fingers off if you get it wrong. Without one your guessing!

IDK...... as long as you're somewhere close to the middle of a published load and watching for pressure signs, there isn't much risk of blowing things up. If you want to chase velocities and go to the max, then a chrono is mandatory.

[UrbanTarzan]

This is a downside of using a chrono, you now know you're finished, and need to go hunt for a new project...... and that usually ends with the purchase of a new firearm.

I know you mentioned a downside.. i dont see it lol