Great Chronograph

[DRNewcomb]

I purchased a CED chronograph and like it but if I had it to do over I'd probably go with a MagnetoSpeed, just for the convenience. Having everyone at the range stop shooting for 10 minutes so I can position and adjust the chronograph traps is really a bother.

 

[BoydAllen]

It takes me well under five minutes to position my sky screens and stands...less if someone give me a hand. Perhaps we need a thread on how this can be done more efficiently. I have seen quite a few fellows take a lot longer.

 

[CatShooter]

It takes me well under five minutes to position my sky screens and stands...less if someone give me a hand. Perhaps we need a thread on how this can be done more efficiently. I have seen quite a few fellows take a lot longer.

I remove the bolt, and set the rifle in bags, pointing at the center of my target group.

I take the chrono gates (already set up on the tripod) out to the position I want them to be. I set the height so I can see through the rifle bore, when my eye line of sight is ~4" above the top of the sensors - done.

Takes about 2 to 3 minutes.

All the set up of the sensors, gates, and tripod are done behind the firing line.

 

[BoydAllen]

I do about the same thing with a couple of variations. I have a shortened light stand at each end of the 4' piece of 1/2" conduit that the sky screens are attache to, so the initial move past the firing line is a little more awkward, but I can still manage it by myself, and for those situations where the view back down the bore is not bright enough to be easily seen, I have a tubular single LED, key chain flashlight that I have wrapped with tape so that is is a slide in fit in the rear bridge of the action, which makes it easy to place an eye in line with the bore. Also, experience has taught me that if I position the "brain" of my Oehler 33 in such a way that it is shielded from muzzle blast, that it gives more reliable readings.

 

[rardoin]

My father came up with this idea:

He made a cardboard cut out, black in color, that fits the triangle made by the sky screen supports/sky screen. At 5" above the front sensor he placed a 2"diameter orange stick-on target. This cut-out is fitted into the "triangle made by the front sensor..a kinda "snap" fit. I then remove the bolt, set the rifle on the bags, put the scope on target, and bore-sight the orange circle by adjusting the tripod. When the circle is centered in the bore I remove the cardboard cut out and confirm that the rifle bore sights through the sensors and on to the target properly. Takes less than 5 minutes or less to set up.

Robin

 

[284driver]

You can take a cheap muzzle mounted laser boresighter to help center the sky screens. Use a piece of paper or cardboard and hold it up behind the screens alternating back and forth til its right where you want it.

 

[bozo699]

I have done it two different ways that work very good and very fast, but how I do it now is a 30 second setup, sometimes I have to get up a second time to lower or raise it , usually lower but not usually, method #1 is a combo of last two poster's, I have two cardboard cutouts that fit into the screens , one with about a 1" hole 4" above sensors and the back one with solid cardboard and a dot on it where I want the bullet to go, then use a laser bore sighter to go through the hole and hit the dot, this of course is all after I have the gun in rest with cross hairs on the bullseye. Method number two and the one I have used for a long time, takes me about thirty seconds and that includes setting the gun up, put gun in rest and put cross hairs on center of target, put chronograph where I want it and look through my scope from the chronograph, through trial and error I have learned what I need see,.lock the tri-pod down ,...DONE,...wayyy less than one minute from start to finish, it is always spot on left and right, occasionally I have to adjust the chrono up or down to get my 4" I want but that is rare also anymore.

 

[Nomad47]

My method is similar to CatShooter's.

Back when I used a shooting chrony, I would lay white material (rumpled up white t-shirt works well) over the stock behind the scope. It is then easy to see the scope crosshairs which I line up ~5" above the sensors.

 

[bozo699]

When you add more powder and there is no increase in velocity. That is your warning sign. Oehler System 83 has the pressure trace that you could have upgraded to check for pressure. Randy

I have never seen that phenomenon, and I spend 15 hours a month on a chronograph for a living.

that's the job I want.

It's real cool the first month - OK the second month, and by the third month...

Yep,...nothing at all exciting about QC work, the accuracy tunnels are okay but the function and chronograph and pressure tunnels are boring,...boring,...boring!!!!!!!
Wayne.

 

[Nomad47]

When you add more powder and there is no increase in velocity. That is your warning sign. Oehler System 83 has the pressure trace that you could have upgraded to check for pressure. Randy

I have never seen that phenomenon, and I spend 15 hours a month on a chronograph for a living.

that's the job I want.

It's real cool the first month - OK the second month, and by the third month...

I guess all jobs are like that. I retired from "live" TV broadcasting. It took a little longer than 3 months but the end results are the same.

 

[DRNewcomb]

It takes me well under five minutes to position my sky screens and stands...less if someone give me a hand. Perhaps we need a thread on how this can be done more efficiently. I have seen quite a few fellows take a lot longer.

I've set up this particular chronograph exactly twice. There's a bit of fumbling around involved. I may get faster with more experience.

Still, the point is that with the MagnetoSpeed the time you delay the other shooters is zero.

 

[Nomad47]

One more plus for the MagnetoSpeed - you can switch from, say, a 100 yard target to a 500 yard target and you don't have to reposition a tripod.
I plan on using mine while shooting groundhogs as soon as I get to Ohio.

 

[mcxring]

I just checked in on the post and seen it has got alot of attention, first I would like to say that I enjoy this site and have got alot of helpful information from the guys here, I did not rat out catshooter, site administrator took it apon himself to intervine, like I said earlier I was just posting my views on the chrono, didn't say it was the best, or the only one, just that it has performed well, and I miss spoke saying that it would help with an overpressure situation, what I meant, was being able to compare vel. to powder charges .And yes I have tested thousands rounds, I enjoy testing as much as shooting.

 

[Raythemanroe]

I like to ladder test and write my velocity down as I find a node. MagnetoSpeed, mounted to the barrel would screw with your node right?

 

[bozo699]

I like to ladder test and write my velocity down as I find a node. MagnetoSpeed, mounted to the barrel would screw with your node right?

Many that own it say no, but I can't help but believe it would as it would have to act just like a tuner.
Wayne.

 

[Nomad47]

I saw a guy shoot F-Open with a bayo (MagnetoSpeed) attached. So apparently there is nothing in the rules that prohibit its use.
99% of my shooting since purchasing mine has been with it attached. And I plan to shoot groundhogs and an informal long range steel comp in Ohio with it attached. In my opinion, if the load is developed with it attached and all shooting is done with it attached..... But I know there are members here that say it must be attached in the SAME EXACT position EVERY time to be valid.

 

[DRNewcomb]

I saw a guy shoot F-Open with a bayo (MagnetoSpeed) attached. So apparently there is nothing in the rules that prohibit its use.

Same here and it did not seem to have any negative impact on his score. His goal was to get a large sample of MVs to see what changes he might be experiencing over the course of a match and any change in bullet impact due to MV.

 

[bozo699]

I saw a guy shoot F-Open with a bayo (MagnetoSpeed) attached. So apparently there is nothing in the rules that prohibit its use.

Same here and it did not seem to have any negative impact on his score. His goal was to get a large sample of MVs to see what changes he might be experiencing over the course of a match and any change in bullet impact due to MV.

Well this is good news, this time next year I suppose every br shooter in the nation will be using one of these little gems
Wayne.

 

[Steve Blair]

Well this is good news, this time next year I suppose every br shooter in the nation will be using one of these little gems
Wayne.

[br]
Don't hold your breath, Wayne. The oxygen may come in handy while you're waiting.

 

[amlevin]

You can take a cheap muzzle mounted laser boresighter to help center the sky screens. Use a piece of paper or cardboard and hold it up behind the screens alternating back and forth til its right where you want it.

A far safer method is to use the chamber mounted bore sighter. No chance of sending the muzzle mounted bore sighter down range should you forget it.

It only takes one distraction and ---------