Chronograph Usefulness

[Phil3]

New to load reloading, hence this novice question.

Thinking about getting a chronograph, but when I asked about the benefit of the tool on another forum, it was generally dismissed as not being particularly useful, collecting dust, etc. My intent is to shoot 100, 300, and 600 yards with an accurate rifle, using 223 Remington, 6mmBR, and 308. I like CED M2 chronograph ($200), but if it won't help much in developing top accuracy, I'll pass on it. Thoughts?

- Phil

 

[jo191145]

You can live without one...usually
Probably one of the best tools a beginner can have. Sort of like having a quardian angel looking over your shoulder that'll tell you STOP NOW FOOL!!! Then theres the anology of flying an airplane with no windows.

OK seriously reloading is'nt really that dangerous if you stick to book data and all. Still a chrono is an extremely valueable asset for anyone who wants to develope handloads for use past 200-300yds. Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation become very valuable numbers to know for longer distance shooting.
And as you progress you might want to try a particular powder in a particular cartridge that has no book data available.

 

[15Tango]

I'd say spend a little less on the chronograph and then spend some money on an exterior ballistics program like Sierra's.

Sierra's ballistic program has saved me a lot of money, I don't buy a bullet or rifle/caliber without first consulting what the program says it'll do; if I don't like what it'll do on paper I don't waste my time or money.

There are also a number of free exterior ballistics programs online where you enter in the bullet weight, caliber, B.C. etc and it'll give you what you need.

Knowing if your load's running an ES of 10 versus 80 is a big help. For instance, if you're running a .308 (which is one of your choices) and using a 155 Sierra Palma Match King (arguably one of the best 600-yard .308 Win. bullets) and you're running them at 2900 FPS with an ES of 10 fps you get:

2905 - 77.23" of drop
2895 - 77.85" of drop which is a difference of .62" which isn't a huge deal, roughly .1 MOA.

At an extreme spread of 80 FPS though it's a much different picture, again 2900 FPS with an ES of 80 FPS:

2940 - 80.11" of drop
2860 - 75.09" of drop which is a difference of 5.02" which is nearly a full minute. In other words, even if you dope the wind perfectly and pull the trigger perfectly the best group you're ever going to get with that load's going to be 5 inches. An F-Class target at 600 will have an X ring of 3" to give you another idea of what that extreme spread will give you.

I don't know if you're looking to do F-class, High Power or just hunting prairie dogs but hopefully it gives you something to think about.

My chrono was only like $130 and it's worked perfectly fine and I use it all the time, it never collects dust.

Regards,

Wayne

 

[Steve Blair]

I use both QuickLOAD and a Kurzzeit PVM-21 chronograph. Although you probably do not want to spend that much, it is the best consumer chronograph currently manufactured. Both are available from Neconos. Unless I am practicing for a match, the chronograph goes to the range whenever I do.

About ballistics software: Remember that predictive tool results are only characterizations of "typical" firearms. Always treat the predictions with caution. Start at least 10% below and work up in 1% increments. Be especially careful if the temperatures are warm (>80f).

 

[Laurie]

Phil,

while not vital if you're not shooting past 600yd, a chronograph is a really useful tool. Without it, you really don't know what your loads are doing, and as Wayne points out until you know your MVs, you can't run a ballistics program accurately, as you're guessing what your MVs are.

If you plan on shooting beyond 600 at any time, the chrono becomes more valuable still as it lets you know what your loads are doing in terms of velocity extreme spreads. You can shoot a small 100yd group with a 95 fps ES - I did just that a few weeks ago. (It wasn't a bad load, but one where I'd tipped a case slightly on seating the bullet and lost what I now estimate as 1.4gn of powder.) Shoot that at long range though and that bullet would have hit really low on the target. At 600yd, a large ES will start to show up in vertical stringing on the target, but not too badly unless you're shooting F-Class where the smaller ring sizes make elevation consistency critical.

I use the earlier CED Millenium which is very good except it doesn't like low light levels (that is November to February inclusive in Northern England) when I use a cheaper ProChrono that provides the reading in a window on the end of the device - not so easy to read and no providing averages, ES and SD values at the end of the string on a display unit by your elbow on the bench - but good enough for what you need at this stage.

Laurie,
York, England

 

[oneflyer]

I consider myself an experienced shooter and reloader. I know many, many experienced shooters and reloaders. I and most of my associates have and use a chronograph. It is a tool. Use it all the time? No. Load development? Yes-- every time. Anyone who says they are not necessary and effective tool for a SERIOUS shooter doesn't know what they are talking about.