Chronographs - Which one?

[boltfluter]

I've had my Oehler 35 P for so many years I can't remember. It's still does the job well enough that I don't feel I need one of the Orange monsters on my bench.

It is no surprise that I am an Oehler 35P fan as well! Just hearing of the Lab Radar learning curve makes me tired at this point! Happy shooting.

Paul

 

[moondog]

Has Magnetospeed come up with one that will work with a suppressor yet? If so, I may consider getting one.

Never a problem with mine. As to the poa shift, who cares? As previously mentioned, I use mine to get a baseline speed, and see if the ES needs work. Hanging off the barrel is never going to affect that. I rarely even shoot at a target when its on. I inevitably have to tweak velocity and bc
numbers on most ballistic solvers anyhow.

 

[SVT_Tactical]

I ended up ordering the Labradar. Found on in stock. If the learning curve throws me I'll resell and likely not loose much money and go with another type.

 

[powderbrake]

I ended up ordering the Labradar. Found on in stock. If the learning curve throws me I'll resell and likely not loose much money and go with another type.

Good choice. I love my Labradar. Suggestions:
Buy the trigger trigger It simply eliminates the bullet sensing and it's location problems.
READ the manual.
Get the app for your Iphone or android, allows control of the labradar without getting up from your seat to push the buttons on the labradar.

 

[SVT_Tactical]

Good choice. I love my Labradar. Suggestions:
Buy the trigger trigger It simply eliminates the bullet sensing and it's location problems.
READ the manual.
Get the app for your Iphone or android, allows control of the labradar without getting up from your seat to push the buttons on the labradar.

I'll get the trigger kit ordered.

Any other must haves?

Couldn't find a manual online to study until it arrives.... know of a place that has it listed online?

 

[quest450]

Any other must haves?

quad base made by Arkco Machine Products

 

[MikeMcCasland]

SVT_Tactical - Good call on the LabRader and the remote trigger. I also second the suggestion for the Arkco machine base (assuming your shooting location allows for the chronograph to be placed at the same elevation as the rifle.

It's the exact setup I have, and it works exceedingly well. A lot of the problems with the lab radars you read about have to do with triggering the unit; the external trigger fixes pretty much all of that. In fact, I don't even know how to get my LR to trigger without it (jumped straight into the JLK trigger out of the box). Just add some velcro to some part of the rifle/bipod/scope and you're good to go.

The Arkco base is nice because it fits in the LabRadar carrying case.

I would also strongly recommend an external USB battery source. These things chew through AA batteries like you wouldn't believe.

With a setup like this, usually the only problems you'll encounter will be low signal strength on shots, but 99.9% of the time that's because you don't have it aimed correctly; very easy to correct.

Battery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X5RV14Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
JLK Trigger - https://jklprecision.com/product/labradar-trigger/
Arkco Machine Link - https://arkcomachine.com/shop

 

[Cbashooter]

It's like the idea of the Doppler Chronograph but I'm waiting till it all gets worked out. Right now you spend your money then you spend more money to get the thing to actually work. That's what I've seen from the 5 or 6 guys that have them at our range.

 

[powderbrake]

Click on link for manual. MANUAL

I use mine with a tripod. I bought the labradar base with ball head, but it then requires lots of jacking around to get the barrel centered on the Labradar. Same thing goes for the akro base, you have to get it to match your rifle setup.

I do almost all my shooting from a bench, so placing a "travel tripod" in front of the bench with the labradar on it, allows me to set my rifle at the best height, then place the labradar at the correct height via the tripod, and just near the end of the barrel Positioning is not critical with the external trigger.


I have a travel tripod from amazon, similar to this one. Tripod
This one has two mounting pads so you can put one on the Labradar, and one on your camera.

Also, it is wise to purchase a battery pack, the AA batteries go down fast, and the pack lasts for days. I set my timing on the time the "ARM" stays active to 2 minutes, so I dont have to reset it every 30 or 60 seconds because it is transmitting, and using batteries.

A power bank ( battery pack) from amazon is only $20, and lasts for days.

Here is how I sight mine on the targets


A small piece of 1/4 ID tube bathtub caulked to the top, and a 1 foot piece of 1/4 OD tube in it. Spray some black paint inside the long tube to kill reflections. This stuff is made by K&S Metals Tubes
and can be found at hobby stores and some hardware stores. Big lump on end to keep me from jamming it in my eye. Long piece slides out and stores in the Labradar bag.

 

[Ccrider]

I ended up ordering the Labradar. Found on in stock. If the learning curve throws me I'll resell and likely not loose much money and go with another type.

Order the trigger. It will reduce your learning curve to almost 0. They should be sold as part of the unit, even if it increases the price.

Also, a cheap carpenter square is all you need to line the unit up with your target.

Empire 7 in. Polycast Rafter Square 296 - The Home Depot

The Empire 7 in. Rafter Square is lightweight, durable and can stand up to everyday use. Its bright yellow color makes it easy to locate and the square features molded-in conversion tables. Made in the

www.homedepot.com

 

[whatsupdoc]

Been using a Labrader for years and have fired THOUSANDS of rounds next to it.
I dont use a trigger, I dont use any type of aiming device to set it up. If you are shooting suppressed
you may want to use the external trigger other than that it works fine just the way it is.

You can bring 10 rifles with you and easily clock them without ever attaching dongles to your barrel
or having to setup cronos on tripods downrange. Some public ranges may not allow you to place a tripod
downrange.

Its not a rifle you dont have to AIM it just point it. I simply place it on my shooting bench step back
six feet and sight through the V notch, works 100%.


Hate to say it but many people just cant understand and follow simple directions. A while back
a range officer came over to me and told me that there was a guy with a Labradar that was having trouble
with it picking up shots. I asked the range officer did he find the issue. Range officer laughed and
said "yes he had it pointing backwards.

 

[Emmett Dibble]

Depending on how much you use it and what you use it for….

I purchased a USED Magnospeed Sporter and am tickled. It changes POI but not really group size. 100% easier then anything you shoot through, 100% accurate and even though it’s not rated for it I find it very accurate on 22LR.

If I was a high volume shooter or wanted the shots fired to be used for practice also or needed them to not have the POI shifted or other mounting problem concerns then LR is the way to go, ease vs price vs accuracy… MS rocks. YMMV, IMHO etc, etc..

 

[Slickrick0999]

Well, I think it depends on the gun.
I say this because we mostly shoot stocks with rails. In our case, the magnetospeed is perfect. We utilize a mount that attaches to the rail so no contact with the barrel. We easily take it from a manners stock rifle using a can to a MPA chassis rifle running a tuner brake.
One thing we do is accept that all chronos lie. We do powder load development as much in one day as possible and use chrono speed to identify nodes. After all development is done, the chrono speed is used for a starting point and we true the data with actual shots fired at different distances to get a good speed for ballistic app.
Just our way, your mileage may vary...