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On one or another of these forums, I can't recall which, I learned of a new chronograph, the Magnetospeed Ballistic Chronograph. The description piqued my interest and the price was reasonable, $250 plus shipping, so I ordered one. Last Monday was the first time I was able to use it, and I was so impressed I thought I'd share my experience.
Let me state first off that the Magnetospeed chronograph simply is superior to all others, bar none, for ease of use, accuracy and data logging. In fact it may well replace the current crop of optical chronographs rendering them obsolete at a stroke. I have two other chronographs, both Oehler brand, one a Model 33 the other a new issue Model 35P. Because setting these units up at a public range requires considerable fiddling with screen stands, screens, light diffusers and lengthy cables, I have just about stopped using them. Just aligning the screens with the target and bench is a major PITA that requires repeat trips back and forth to accomplish.
What is different is that the Magnetospeed relies, as the name implies, on magnetic resonance rather than optical bullet shadow detection to measure velocity. There are no screens, stands or tripods and the entire setup is accomplished at the shooting bench. This means that the setup can be done during the shooting period without having to wait for a ceasefire to walk forward and make adjustments. In fact, there are no screens to adjust and one can shoot at multiple targets without regard to accidentially shooting an optical screen.
While I was using the Magnetospeed I wished I had brought my digital camera, when I remembered I had a cell phone with a camera, so with a little Photoshopping these pictures will have to do. The view below shows the Bayo unit attached to the rifle barrel by it's nylon strap. All that is required is to be certain that the bullet passes over the detector and doesn't make contact. There is an adapter for thin barrels included with the unit.
Rifle being tested is a Cooper Model 22 chambered in 6.5-284, which produces plenty of muzzleblast, the Bayo unit took it all in stride without any pitting or sandblasting effect noticed. It wasn't even smudged. Instructions note that the Bayo strap may shift forward while shooting, but this didn't happen due to the barrel flutes acting as a stop.
Next step is to set up the Display Unit and attach the Bayo unit to the Display unit using the small retractable cord included in the kit. Plugging in the cord turns the unit on, it is powered by 4 AAA alkaline batteries.
At the same time there was another shooter setting up an optical chronograph. I watched as he repeated the same drill I had to undergo with the Oehler units. He made several trips between his tripod mounted screens and the bench, moving the entire rig to center it on the rifle, then began the fiddling to align the screens with the target. Running out of ceasefire time, he had to wait until the next ceasefire to complete the alignment. I began firing immediately. When it came time to leave, I could disassemble the unit and pack it away during the firing session, without struggling with removing the downrange screens and tripod with their lengthy cables during a ceasefire.
As the day passed and overcast turned to sun, and the sun progressed moving shadow on to the area of the screens, I was not effected as in the past because the Mgnetospeed was immune to shadow errors. Moreover, it wasn't effected by nearby muzzleblast from other shooters that can sometimes record as an error. Nothing is more frustrating than having a loss of sunlight prevent optical screens from functioning during a long range session.
The display shows the series and shot number, the velocity, and computes the Maxium, Minimum and Average Velocity, and the Standard Deviation (this is reprogrammable and the unit can be programmed for bullet type and other functions) . I fired 10 shot series or strings, then archived the data to the unit's mini-SD card. Back home, the mini-SD card was transferred to an SD card adapter (included) and uploaded the Log.CSV file directly into Excel. I reformatted the spreadsheet slightly, saved it as an .xlsx file and printed it for inclusion with the test targets.
One drawback of the Magnetospeed is that it doesn't work well for handguns. However the Magnetospeed website shows how a custom mount may be constructed where the Bayo unit is attached to a shooting rest that allows different firearms to be tested without barrel mounting. Some will ask what the effect on accuracy is of hanging the Bayo on the end of a barrel? I can't answer that as it will have to wait for a comparison test, but I suspect not much.
In all, I am enthusiastic about the Magnetospeed, it made my testing easier. Now if I could just figure out how to shoot the Cooper without dinging my nose each time things would be perfect.
Let me state first off that the Magnetospeed chronograph simply is superior to all others, bar none, for ease of use, accuracy and data logging. In fact it may well replace the current crop of optical chronographs rendering them obsolete at a stroke. I have two other chronographs, both Oehler brand, one a Model 33 the other a new issue Model 35P. Because setting these units up at a public range requires considerable fiddling with screen stands, screens, light diffusers and lengthy cables, I have just about stopped using them. Just aligning the screens with the target and bench is a major PITA that requires repeat trips back and forth to accomplish.
What is different is that the Magnetospeed relies, as the name implies, on magnetic resonance rather than optical bullet shadow detection to measure velocity. There are no screens, stands or tripods and the entire setup is accomplished at the shooting bench. This means that the setup can be done during the shooting period without having to wait for a ceasefire to walk forward and make adjustments. In fact, there are no screens to adjust and one can shoot at multiple targets without regard to accidentially shooting an optical screen.
While I was using the Magnetospeed I wished I had brought my digital camera, when I remembered I had a cell phone with a camera, so with a little Photoshopping these pictures will have to do. The view below shows the Bayo unit attached to the rifle barrel by it's nylon strap. All that is required is to be certain that the bullet passes over the detector and doesn't make contact. There is an adapter for thin barrels included with the unit.
Rifle being tested is a Cooper Model 22 chambered in 6.5-284, which produces plenty of muzzleblast, the Bayo unit took it all in stride without any pitting or sandblasting effect noticed. It wasn't even smudged. Instructions note that the Bayo strap may shift forward while shooting, but this didn't happen due to the barrel flutes acting as a stop.
Next step is to set up the Display Unit and attach the Bayo unit to the Display unit using the small retractable cord included in the kit. Plugging in the cord turns the unit on, it is powered by 4 AAA alkaline batteries.
At the same time there was another shooter setting up an optical chronograph. I watched as he repeated the same drill I had to undergo with the Oehler units. He made several trips between his tripod mounted screens and the bench, moving the entire rig to center it on the rifle, then began the fiddling to align the screens with the target. Running out of ceasefire time, he had to wait until the next ceasefire to complete the alignment. I began firing immediately. When it came time to leave, I could disassemble the unit and pack it away during the firing session, without struggling with removing the downrange screens and tripod with their lengthy cables during a ceasefire.
As the day passed and overcast turned to sun, and the sun progressed moving shadow on to the area of the screens, I was not effected as in the past because the Mgnetospeed was immune to shadow errors. Moreover, it wasn't effected by nearby muzzleblast from other shooters that can sometimes record as an error. Nothing is more frustrating than having a loss of sunlight prevent optical screens from functioning during a long range session.
The display shows the series and shot number, the velocity, and computes the Maxium, Minimum and Average Velocity, and the Standard Deviation (this is reprogrammable and the unit can be programmed for bullet type and other functions) . I fired 10 shot series or strings, then archived the data to the unit's mini-SD card. Back home, the mini-SD card was transferred to an SD card adapter (included) and uploaded the Log.CSV file directly into Excel. I reformatted the spreadsheet slightly, saved it as an .xlsx file and printed it for inclusion with the test targets.
One drawback of the Magnetospeed is that it doesn't work well for handguns. However the Magnetospeed website shows how a custom mount may be constructed where the Bayo unit is attached to a shooting rest that allows different firearms to be tested without barrel mounting. Some will ask what the effect on accuracy is of hanging the Bayo on the end of a barrel? I can't answer that as it will have to wait for a comparison test, but I suspect not much.
In all, I am enthusiastic about the Magnetospeed, it made my testing easier. Now if I could just figure out how to shoot the Cooper without dinging my nose each time things would be perfect.
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