hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
Best thing that ever happened to my Chrony only I did it with a crossbow.
I wondered what the noise was and why the bolt wasn't in the target.
Bought my first Magnetospeed and never looked back. 
What do you use your Chrono for ?
- Thread starter JimSC
- Start date
Best thing that ever happened to my Chrony only I did it with a crossbow.
I wondered what the noise was and why the bolt wasn't in the target. Bought my first Magnetospeed and never looked back. i keep my chrony around only for my bows. otherwise it would have been offered up in pay it forward long ago...
MS gets me all the data i need to be distracted by.
I use mine only during early load development to watch for speed. Speed = pressure so when I see speed approaching that listed for max load I know I am approaching max pressure. Speed will show over pressure long before you see any indication on the brass.
I don't use it for selecting a load, I let my target show me which is best. Initial development at 100 yds then test at the range it is intended for. Once the load is proved at distance I am good to go.
I don't use it for selecting a load, I let my target show me which is best. Initial development at 100 yds then test at the range it is intended for. Once the load is proved at distance I am good to go.
wkdickinson
Gold $$ Contributor
Magneto Speed V3 work great!
a laser boresighter and piece of foam board or cardboard is cheap insurance. Makes for a setup faster too. The universal boresighters work fine, we are only talking 15 feet for a standard optical
Saw a guy shoot his first chrono the first day with the first shot fired across it. I think that deserves some kind of award
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
I have actually shot two of them, back in the day. Believe me, I had several mechanisms in place to prevent doing it, but it happened anyhow. On the second one (not pictured above), the shot was absolutely perfect...dead center in the box, all the way from end-to-end LOL.
I switched over to the MagnetoSpeed when it first came out, but I always found the effect of the bayonet on barrel harmonics problematic. I eventually purchased a LabRadar, and haven't looked back. For my purposes (primarily load development and occasionally for estimating drop), the accuracy/precision of almost any one of the currently available chronographs is probably good enough. However, the ease of use and versatility of the LabRadar were worth the extra $$$, IMO.
Mines gotten shot 3 times and still works some of the time.
Like I said in another thread I may have received a lemon with my Labradar but it was nothing but frustration and anything but easy to use. And if you want versital you have to buy a lot of optional accessories. Lots of shots dropped and the USB port failing after less than a month was the final straw.
I would not trade my 125 dollar Pro Chrono for three of them unless I planned on selling all three on Ebay. I killed my first Prochrono, bounced around in a Wrangler for 8 years and developed a rattle but still worked, a 4 foot fall onto concrete was the last straw though. I can set mine up with the boresighter trick faster than trying to aim the Labradar and get it to consistently pick up shots. I don't need any optional parts to get it to work with anything from a bow to a rifle either
I probably will pick up a magnetospeed between now and next summer though just to carry to the range in case I want to double check a load
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Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
Jim - FWIW, if by the USB port you mean the connection in the unit that the power supply plugs into, I had the same issue. In my case, it turned out not to be the port in the unit itself, but the male end of the short cable that came with the power supply, which was an easy and inexpensive fix. Having owned light-based chronographs, the MagnetoSpeed (which I still have), and the LabRadar, I personally find the LabRadar to be far more versatile and as easy, if not easier, to use than the other chronos I have owned. As always, to each their own.
The UBS thing was just a final straw, it may have well been the cable I never checked because by that time I just wanted my old reliable optical back. I would not call it versatile either. Without buying optional adapters it won't do airguns, rimfire, suppressed, or bows. The optical will do all of those no adapters needed. Like you said each to their own, I know of at least two guys at my club that have them and love them
I use a tape measure for a consistent distance, is that what you use the string for ?
Now you’ve got me curious! How is your program built around them, or what info about velocity are you using to make reloading decisions?
I use the Labradar after load development is completed to find what the final load velocity is (as a reference).
I also use the Labradar to cull match cases/brass looking for outliers.
I also use the Labradar to cull match cases/brass looking for outliers.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
Jim - not sure what "optional adapters" you're referring to. My LabRadar will do rimfire, suppressed fire , or arrows. For suppressed rounds and arrows, the trigger source setting merely needs to be changed from "Trigger" to "Doppler". My understanding is that some folks have had issues with smaller projectiles (under 50 gr), but mine seems to work just fine with 40 gr .22lr bullets. The manual also suggests not using the "Doppler" trigger setting for firearms, indicating that measurement precision may be affected. However, in my hands it works just fine.
My use of the term, "versatility" was primarily in reference to the use of the LabRadar for things such as measuring velocity of groups fired during load development, velocity determinations of longer strings of fire during practice, and the use of velocity decrease at a specified distance for estimating/comparing BCs, all of which I do regularly. Although I like the MagnetoSpeed very much, especially it's accuracy/precision and ease of use, it does not generate velocity data at any distance other than the muzzle, and I find the effect on POI and precision (barrel harmonics) to be problematic for my most common uses. Nonetheless, I can understand that not everyone has had the same experience with the LabRadar. In the grand scheme of things, I think many chronograph options currently available are perfectly capable of providing adequate velocity data for many shooting applications. So the most critical factor in selecting a chronograph often boils down to the individual user's impression and personal preferences. As long as the user is satisfied with whichever chronograph they choose, the specific brand/model probably doesn't matter much.
My use of the term, "versatility" was primarily in reference to the use of the LabRadar for things such as measuring velocity of groups fired during load development, velocity determinations of longer strings of fire during practice, and the use of velocity decrease at a specified distance for estimating/comparing BCs, all of which I do regularly. Although I like the MagnetoSpeed very much, especially it's accuracy/precision and ease of use, it does not generate velocity data at any distance other than the muzzle, and I find the effect on POI and precision (barrel harmonics) to be problematic for my most common uses. Nonetheless, I can understand that not everyone has had the same experience with the LabRadar. In the grand scheme of things, I think many chronograph options currently available are perfectly capable of providing adequate velocity data for many shooting applications. So the most critical factor in selecting a chronograph often boils down to the individual user's impression and personal preferences. As long as the user is satisfied with whichever chronograph they choose, the specific brand/model probably doesn't matter much.
Honestly I’m tire of repeating it! I’ve stated many times on this board what I’m doing. A few search’s on tuning you should be able to find it. I’ve fired very few shots over the last three year that I haven’t chronographed. That’s practice and matches
Bart
No worries at all. I'd skimmed your prior posts trying to find something on the topic before asking but didn't get very far. Now I did a more specific search (tuning, velocity) and was able to locate your prior explanations. Thanks for sharing!
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