I greatly respect Byran's educational background, shooting skills, and considerable contributions to the shooting sports. As such, I'm not going to get involved in any debate or argument over statements he may have made. I can only report what I have personally found through testing.
What is not debatable is that the muzzle velocity that appears on the LabRadar screen after each shot is actually calculated using the velocity data recorded over distance by the radar beam. If the individual distance/velocity values as listed by the unit are so poor/unreliable as to be completely disregarded, I can't imagine how a muzzle velocity that is calculated using data over distance would somehow provide all that much greater confidence level. Yet it clearly does. Perhaps the difference lies in the method used to calculate V0 from velocity/distance. Frankly, most of us place little weight even on a single velocity determination as shown on the front of the LabRadar unit. Rather, we typically place greater reliance on an average velocity and the resultant statistical ES/SD values from a string of fire.
In any event, I've been using LabRadar velocity drop data for years to estimate bullet BCs. I am fully aware of the caveat that the distance/velocity values provided by the LabRadar are measured over sub-optimal (i.e. short) distances. Regardless, this approach generally yields estimated BC values that are very close, if not identical to, the BC values provided by Berger for [un-pointed] bullets. Moreover, BCs estimated for pointed bullets are fully consistent with the expected 4-6% increase generated by the pointing process. Nonetheless, everyone must decide for themselves how much credibility they place in such data. I personally find it quite useful for comparative purposes.
There are caveats associated with almost any of the tools we routinely use in the reloading process. The key is knowing what these caveats are, how they might affect one's interpretation of the results, and then making an informed decision as to how and when a particular test result might be of use. Making such an informed decision typically requires a certain level of experience with a particular piece of equipment and a fair amount of testing/experimentation. As noted, I don't use estimated BCs for anything important, not really. They're intended more for my own edification and enjoyment, and I do it largely because I can. Because of the caveat of sub-optimal distance, I don't believe BCs estimated from LabRadar velocity drop data are necessarily written in stone, even though in my hands they also match up very well in terms of comparing predicted versus actual drops out to much longer distances using ballistic calculators. However, I do believe BCs estimated for two or more different bullets, tested side-by-side on the same day are completely suitable as a means of direct comparison. Regardless, everyone is free to decide for themselves how much confidence they place on whatever data they generate.
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