Is LabRadar worth the pice ?

[rebs]

I used a PACT Professional XP for the first time today and it does take a bit to setup especially setting up the tripod when waiting for the range to go safe.
I can see it being much easier with the LabRadar but is it worth the cost of the LabRadar ? Is one any more accurate then the other ?

 

[rkittine]

I have both a conventional Chronograph and a Lab Radar. Lab Radar is easy to set up, but has it's quirks. At my home club I have to shoot through a 30 foot long square concrete tunnel and it wrecks havoc on the Lab Radar, where the conventional one works fine. You typically need an optional mike for RF and forget it for shotgun shells. Accuracy wise, I think it is one of the best. So, for me , I need both.

Bob

 

[Ned Ludd]

I used a PACT Professional XP for the first time today and it does take a bit to setup especially setting up the tripod when waiting for the range to go safe.
I can see it being much easier with the LabRadar but is it worth the cost of the LabRadar ? Is one any more accurate then the other ?

For me personally, the Labradar has been worth every penny. It's pretty easy to set up. I would say more so than a chronograph that has to be set up on a tripod out in front of the firing line, because you don't have to wait for the firing line to go cold in order to set up the LabRadar. Properly set up, the LabRadar is very accurate. If you get yourself one of the JKL external triggers, it's even better.

 

[DngBat7]

Yes

 

[30378]

Yes and I would buy again

 

[Twoboxer]

Brian Litz has said the Labradar is more accurate than an optical. It is definitely less susceptible to reporting identical MVs as different due to variations in your setup of an optical . . . either distance from the muzzle or angle to the bullet's path.

The LR sets up on a hot range, compared to opticals' requirement of a cold range.

It is extremely difficult to shoot a Labradar

At the end of the day whether it is worth the price is up to the individual paying the bill.

 

[nmkid]

Now that I have worked all the 'operator failures' out of my LR, I would never get rid of it.

 

[chromatica]

I use my buddy's labradar all the time and its performance is head and shoulders above my Caldwell optical chronograph. My SDs tightened up quite a bit when I switched so I suspect the optical unit is just not capable of resolving small differences in velocity???

We just recently added the external trigger and that makes life easier on the bench. I don't have to setup the labradar within 1/2 inch of my barrel. Oh yeah, we have an external rechargeable battery which is absolutely necessary. The alkaline cells internal to the unit won't always last one range session.

People are always oggling the technology when we set up our gear. I tell them I'm just looking for people who are speeding!

 

[big john 5394]

You have buy the recoil trigger on line it is $35 or$50 both are good and it makes the lab radar dummy proof .

 

[Mad_Charlie]

"I don't have to setup the labradar within 1/2 inch of my barrel."

I had the same problem. I called Labradar and spoke to Tom, he had me do a test and based on the results, he said it was "hard of hearing". They had me send it back for repair. I paid the shipping to them and they paid for the shipping back to me. They fixed it and sent it back the same day they received it.

 

[farmerjohn]

While I personally don't have one, my shooting partner does and gets along fairly well with it. BUT, from what I have observed about the darn things you need to be a computer expert to get the things to work and then they never seem to get the full string in compitition. As far as home range my 35p just keeps working and gives me a written message to put in my notes. Think there should be a warning label on them for people over 70, DO NOT USE! IMHO....
John

 

[rwj]

Might want to read this thread too... http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/looking-to-purchase-a-chronograph.4011670/

 

[GWY]

I had seen the Labradars in action but didn't feel the "convenience factor" to be enough to justify buying another chronograph. Then one day at the range, the wind blew my tripod mounted chronograph over twice. A shooting buddy came over and loaned me his Labradar. I ordered one the next day.

 

[Medic505]

Yes, worth every penny.

 

[ShootDots]

Here is my 2 cents: I had one of the very first "Shooting Chrony's" when they first came out with cardboard skyscreens. Then I had, for over 20 years, THEE BEST chronograph I ever owned, the ORIGINAL P.A.C.T. Professional. Never a malfunction, durable, shot to shot, time after time, right on the money accurate. Then I got a new P.A.C.T. Professional>>>>worst pile of junk ever created on this planet! Then I got a C.E.D.II M2 which I still have and it is almost as good as the original P.A.C.T.! Now I have a LabRadar. It is VERY easy to set up, however, from time to time, I get readings from day to day that are hard for me to believe.. Maybe I am not "Techno Savvy" enough to know how to "get it right"? I do wish my original P.A.C.T Professional would never have broken.. I believe it was 99.00 bucks at the time of purchase..

 

[INTJ]

My Lab Radar replaced an Oehler 35P and I would never go back.

 

[RegionRat]

A LabRadar, the plate stand, a large battery pack, and the external trigger, are part of the gear I haul to every range session. Very easy to set up compared to an optical unit. In many cases, they are even easier to set up than a MagnetoSpeed bayonet.
The only bugs I can tell you about are that the Bluetooth link is very unreliable, but that doesn’t interfere with getting work done.

 

[Papa Charlie]

I purchased the Magnospeed first. It worked well for pistol but I was disappointed on my rifle. It threw the POI off, often slipped and I had trouble maintaining the bayonet position as a result of the recoil.

I never considered the traditional chronographs. Can't always set something up in front of the firing line and they are a pain to use. Very sensitive to sunlight.

I had not wanted to spend the money on the Labradar but, must admit that I wish I had just purchased it to begin with. It works exceptionally well. Takes some getting use to. But so does any precision tools. I purchased the audible trigger for shooting 22LR.

I bought my a power supply from Walmart for $8. You can purchase a nice tripod on Amazon for as little as $15.

 

[group therapy]

Yep!!!!!!! And the a&d with adams add ons!!!!!!!

 

[Hoot]

Now that I have worked all the 'operator failures' out of my LR, I would never get rid of it.

Ditto!

The smartphone app is very handy for remote control and statistical evaluation though as already mentioned, occasionally the Bluetooth link drops and has to be re-initiated. Reinitializing only takes a few seconds.
The results displayed in the phone app are stored in the phone. You can review any of them anytime without needing to have LR running. I currently have around 180 series saved to my phone and no sign of running out of storage space. I still back up the SD card from the LR, to my PC from time to time.

For the first 20 years of reloading, I used an inexpensice Chrony with remote head. I still have it but haven't used it since I got proficient with the LR. Its no small chunk of change to buy but it sure is handy, especially not having to inconvenience everyone by shutting down the firing line to set up my optical unit. I will keep my optical unit just in case but for now it sits in a cabinet, wondering what it did wrong to deserve this.

Hoot