Labradar ?

[rebs]

Can you guys educate me on this unit ? I would like to know the pro's and con's before buying one.

 

[338 dude]

It works well is the pro the cons are it eats batteries it is difficult to aim and it is expensive I do want one but don’t have $700 right now to buy one the unit is about 500 or 550 but you need other accessories to use it correctly

 

[46and2]

Get an external power supply. Do not pay more than $550, wait for a sale. Expect some frustration until you learn the personality of your unit.

Mine failed the fifth range trip and had to get it repaired.

 

[Bob L.]

I own one and find it very easy to set up. I don’t have any difficulties with aiming it without any additional “sights”.
You will need some sort of stand. If you have a tripod, that will work since the Labradar has the standard 1/4 - 20 threads. I recommend the stand form arkomat (sp?), who is a member here.
Battery life is limited and most use an external battery pack. Labradar sells one, but I’m sure it can be found online for a lower price. For shorter sessions, I use 6 rechargeable AA batteries in the Labradar itself. These will last for 2 -3 hours, depending on how long the unit is left “armed.”
Expensive, but worth it to me.

 

[338 dude]

Get an external power supply. Do not pay more than $550, wait for a sale. Expect some frustration until you learn the personality of your unit.

Mine failed the fifth range trip and had to get it repaired.

That really sucks used it five times with nearly 6 or $700 invested and it fails maybe I’ll just hang onto my magneto speed a little longer

 

[46and2]

The warranty is one year. So the next time it will get a 230gr Berger at 3150 fps right through the middle!

 

[nmkid]

The base from ARKOMAT and the trigger from JKL rounded out my package.

 

[mikehotel]

I have one and there is a learning curve. I purchased an external battery source from Amazon.

 

[Bill Norris]

Purchased one New. Bought the external batt. pack and trigger. After reading about so many issues and problems finally sold it here. Never turned it on. Realized I really didn't need to know how fast my bullet was going.

 

[ckaberna]

Either go by the target, or find one of the “Oheler 35p’s”

 

[JEFFPPC]

It's great. An external battery is about 20.00 and runs quite awhile between charges. Order the JKL trigger at the same time, takes the aiming difficulty totally away.I mount mine on an extra tripod set right beside me for easy access. I am Mr No Technology and I figured it out....you can too.

 

[powderbrake]

I have a regular chronograph, I bought a Magnetospeed, and I now own a Labradar, so I have had all versions. The Labradar is far and away the best chrono I own. The regular chronos are a pain to set up, you have to wait for a range shut down to go in front of the line. The Magnetospeed is easy to attach (but it tends to slip after a few shots) gives you the data you need, and fits all my rifles, but it effects the point of impact when hanging on the end of my barrel, so It is not as good for load development.

The Labradar is easy to set up, does not effect impact point, and easy to operate from an app on my iphone. I also use an external Lithium-ion battery, and it runs for days on that. I set mine on a tripod in front of the bench because my muzzle is off the end of the bench, so the mounts others speak of are useless to me. I got the "travel" tripod on amazon.
I made a sighting device out of two pieces of telescoping brass tubing. ( K&S Precision on amazon, I used the 1/4 od and 9/32 od) I look thru the tube and adjust the ball head on my tripod to see the target, and lock it in place.

I highly recommend the Labradar, AND the Labradar app on your phone. It is SO much easier to start a new series, ARM and DISARM, and look at the series result on the phone app, rather than the Labradar. Having an external battery (again , amazon) a ball adjustment on the base, and a decent sighting arrangement makes it invaluable.
I do not have an external trigger, I set my muzzle about 3-4 inches from the Labradar, and about 1 inch in front, and have the settings on the 1-6 inch setting. Depending on your setup and Labradar mount the external trigger may be helpful.

Edit; I do not have smaller than 22 bullets, or higher than 3900 fps, so all my work is within the Labradar limits.

pics

 

[rardoin]

I own one and find it very easy to set up. I don’t have any difficulties with aiming it without any additional “sights”.
You will need some sort of stand. If you have a tripod, that will work since the Labradar has the standard 1/4 - 20 threads. I recommend the stand form arkomat (sp?), who is a member here.
Battery life is limited and most use an external battery pack. Labradar sells one, but I’m sure it can be found online for a lower price. For shorter sessions, I use 6 rechargeable AA batteries in the Labradar itself. These will last for 2 -3 hours, depending on how long the unit is left “armed.”
Expensive, but worth it to me.

My experience mirrors Bob's. I use a 12,000 AH external USB batt pack which will last me 25+ range sessions of an hour or more. I just purchased an external inertial trigger which allows reliable use with other rifles close by on the line without having other guns set off the trigger. I also use Matt Owen's base and it is a fantastic product (as are all of Matt's products).

I've had mine for close to 5 years and the only issues were missed shots occasionally but the inertial trigger has solved that issue. I do get Bluetooth disconnects at least once per session which is a little annoying.

For the base: http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/new-style-base-for-lab-radar.3924363/#post-36966250

For the inertial trigger: https://jklprecision.com/product/labradar-trigger/

 

[INTJ]

The Labradar is the best of the chronographs out there right now. Mine replaced a Oehler 35P several years ago and I'll never go back. I have a rechargeable battery pack and it lasts many range sessions.

There is a learning curve to setting it the right distance from the muzzle. I cannot stand the idea of attaching anything to my rifle while shooting it so I don't use the trigger. A large braked rifle might need to be 8-12" to the side and 8-12" back from the muzzle. A 6 BRA needs to be much closer.

You also have to point it correctly and have to learn how to use the buttons. None of that is hard to learn, but it might take a range session or two. I don't use any extra sighting device.

I have a 1/4" piece of steel that's roughly 27" long and 4" wide that I mounted the base to. It allows me to hang the unit forward off the bench if needed.

The big advantage is you don't have to shut down the range and walk out in front to set it up. You don't have to worry about using it on an elevated firing line. Another benefit is you can verify BC.

The only downside is like any other tool you do have to make a little effort to become proficient with it. On a scale of learning difficulty from one to 10, I'd rank things this way:

1. Drinking water
2. Digital Calipers
3. Any chronograph including Labradar
5. Chambering a barrel on a lathe
6. Tuning a BR rifle
8. Flying jets
10. Playing trumpet at the pro level

 

[whatsupdoc]

LOL, I have been using a labradar for about two years, clocked over 4000 rounds on it and it has been very reliable. First it is Radar and it works best in open areas, many ranges have bullet traps to prevent bullets from leaving the range and these objects in space do affect a labradars performance.

For aiming I simply step 6 feet behind the unit and look through the V notch, it works perfectly for me.

In open areas I find aiming the labradar is very forgiving. Just for the heck of it I set up the labradar as I was shooting steel targets with two different rifles at ranges of 400 to 800 yards around 20 degrees spread from left to right.

I fired 105 rounds it picked up 100, so it seems that exact aim is not necessary except in areas that have walls that reflect the signal. To me it currently is the best chronograph out there.

Oh yea in case your thinking BS for my non scientific test here you go.



Stats - Average 2743.12 fps
Stats - Highest 2774.4 fps
Stats - Lowest 2641.08 fps
Stats - Ext. Spread 133.32 fps
Stats - Std. Dev 22.48 fps




Shot ID V0 Date Time
1 2642 7/12/2018 10:29:18
2 2716 7/12/2018 10:29:44
3 2708 7/12/2018 10:30:10
4 2731 7/12/2018 10:33:29
5 2745 7/12/2018 10:34:02
6 2753 7/12/2018 10:34:53
7 2736 7/12/2018 10:35:27
8 2729 7/12/2018 10:35:58
9 2734 7/12/2018 10:36:20
10 2725 7/12/2018 10:38:20
11 2765 7/12/2018 10:40:09
12 2726 7/12/2018 10:40:58
13 2727 7/12/2018 10:41:46
14 2641 7/12/2018 10:45:08
15 2738 7/12/2018 10:45:59
16 2738 7/12/2018 10:48:01
17 2753 7/12/2018 10:48:48
18 2753 7/12/2018 10:49:24
19 2756 7/12/2018 10:53:07
20 2753 7/12/2018 10:53:30
21 2752 7/12/2018 10:54:04
22 2751 7/12/2018 10:57:55
23 2744 7/12/2018 10:58:27
24 2761 7/12/2018 10:58:53
25 2755 7/12/2018 10:59:22
26 2750 7/12/2018 11:07:15
27 2744 7/12/2018 11:07:53
28 2733 7/12/2018 11:08:25
29 2735 7/12/2018 11:09:11
30 2723 7/12/2018 11:09:41
31 2730 7/12/2018 11:10:24
32 2746 7/12/2018 11:13:57
33 2739 7/12/2018 11:15:02
34 2732 7/12/2018 11:15:47
35 2747 7/12/2018 11:16:17
36 2761 7/12/2018 11:16:55
37 2773 7/12/2018 11:17:25
38 2760 7/12/2018 11:17:57
39 2770 7/12/2018 11:18:25
40 2768 7/12/2018 11:18:57
41 2754 7/12/2018 11:20:13
42 2757 7/12/2018 11:38:42
43 2758 7/12/2018 11:39:21
44 2765 7/12/2018 11:39:50
45 2758 7/12/2018 11:40:13
46 2756 7/12/2018 11:40:48
47 2753 7/12/2018 11:41:08
48 2765 7/12/2018 11:41:36
49 2752 7/12/2018 11:42:25
50 2752 7/12/2018 11:42:46
51 2765 7/12/2018 11:43:15
52 2765 7/12/2018 11:43:50
53 2767 7/12/2018 11:44:30
54 2763 7/12/2018 11:45:15
55 2740 7/12/2018 11:46:56
56 2720 7/12/2018 11:47:38
57 2720 7/12/2018 11:47:59
58 2742 7/12/2018 11:48:26
59 2728 7/12/2018 11:48:53
60 2722 7/12/2018 11:49:11
61 2737 7/12/2018 11:49:33
62 2742 7/12/2018 11:50:00
63 2745 7/12/2018 11:50:25
64 2735 7/12/2018 11:51:05
65 2753 7/12/2018 11:53:30
66 2766 7/12/2018 11:53:55
67 2768 7/12/2018 11:54:18
68 2768 7/12/2018 11:55:05
69 2774 7/12/2018 11:55:39
70 2760 7/12/2018 11:57:24
71 2765 7/12/2018 11:57:59
72 2770 7/12/2018 11:59:59
73 2767 7/12/2018 12:00:38
74 2769 7/12/2018 12:01:07
75 2760 7/12/2018 12:01:40
76 2759 7/12/2018 12:02:19
77 2763 7/12/2018 12:03:11
78 2746 7/12/2018 12:04:38
79 2740 7/12/2018 12:05:10
80 2745 7/12/2018 12:05:41
81 2740 7/12/2018 12:06:11
82 2743 7/12/2018 12:06:36
83 2718 7/12/2018 12:09:09
84 2731 7/12/2018 12:09:52
85 2721 7/12/2018 12:10:51
86 2711 7/12/2018 12:13:08
87 2714 7/12/2018 12:15:19
88 2727 7/12/2018 12:16:08
89 2715 7/12/2018 12:16:32
90 2717 7/12/2018 12:17:01
91 2719 7/12/2018 12:17:34
92 2734 7/12/2018 12:18:18
93 2706 7/12/2018 12:18:46
94 2717 7/12/2018 12:19:12
95 2756 7/12/2018 12:22:23
96 2748 7/12/2018 12:22:58
97 2747 7/12/2018 12:23:41
98 2751 7/12/2018 12:24:20
99 2762 7/12/2018 12:24:57
100 2754 7/12/2018 12:25:47

 

[XTR]

I am sometimes slow to adopt new stuff, like GPS, took me forever to get one ... "Hey, I can read a map"

Put Labradar in that category. Finally got one and used it this weekend. I'm converted.

In addition to everything else it's really nice to be able to pull an SD card and move your strings to your computer.

I should have gotten one sooner.

 

[Papa Charlie]

Haven't read all the posts, but in my opinion these are great units.
Forget the batteries, I purchased a external power supply from Walmart for $8.
You can buy an inexpensive tripod from Amazon for as little as $15.
The case is nice but you could probably buy a range back or backpack cheaper that will hold the power supply and tripod for a lot less.
Beyond that, it takes a little while to get use to the setup. But that is true with just about everything in this sport.

 

[dogdude]

Get the JKL trigger.. .

 

[XTR]

I've got a couple of rifles that I shoot suppressed, so the trigger is in my immediate future.

 

[rardoin]

I've got a couple of rifles that I shoot suppressed, so the trigger is in my immediate future.

You won't be disappointed Wade.