I have the Oehler 35 but wow, what a pain to set up at my range. The ground falls away at a 20 degree slope out in front of our shooting benches. Takes one guy (me) at least 15-20 minutes to get it aligned to the target with all the walking back and forth making micro height and side to side adjustments. Then the wind blows it all over. I'm thinking there must be a better and handier chronograph out there. HELP.
What is the best (and handiest) chronograph? (Under $1,000)
- Thread starter denwhit
- Start date
The Oehler 35 is probably the best, or close to it on the market.
This one is supposed to rival it,
http://www.neconos.com/details12.htm
it's aluminum, so heavier. Have you tried a heavier tripod? I have a ProMaster I use for spotting, it will withstand 35mph plus gusts. The one I use for my chrony is some cheap dilapidated POS, that gets blown over too!
This one is supposed to rival it,
http://www.neconos.com/details12.htm
it's aluminum, so heavier. Have you tried a heavier tripod? I have a ProMaster I use for spotting, it will withstand 35mph plus gusts. The one I use for my chrony is some cheap dilapidated POS, that gets blown over too!
denwhit said:
You don't need a better chronograph, just a better method.
First, some sturdy tripods. If necessary consider the Surveyors tripod that Home Depot sells. Super solid and the wind won't blow that over.
Second, invest in a laser bore sighter that you insert in the chamber of your rifle (not the muzzle mounted ones that can lead to a disaster if you forget it). Set your rifle up on your rest, aimed at your target, insert laser bore sighter, and then just use the dot to align your chronograph. If your supports are solid then only ONE trip out to set it up and if it takes you more than a minute to align everything you should consider having someone else set it up for you 8)
A laser bore sighter is a mere fraction of the expense to get a new chrono, especially when you already have one that's undisputedly one of the best.
BTW, I did manage to get 750 fps from a muzzle mounted laser bore sighter (in a .308). Decided that I'd permanently switch to the chamber mounted ones after that "brain fart".
I had these laser pointers that just fit into my Rem 700's breech with a rubber band to keep them turned on and tight in there. I can get it to shine out the barrel so close enough. So, solved that cheaply. Went to HD and bought a real sturdy tripod with a flat top and adjustable leg length. Now working on a fixture for the middle sensor on the 4 foot rail to fit that flat top and I think I'm back in business. Thanks to all.bheadboy said:
I don't understand the resistance to the Magnetospeed? After I first tried mine, I couldn't get my old optical chrono on to ebay fast enough.
Easy to set up, can be used during practice AND competition and accurate!
Easy to set up, can be used during practice AND competition and accurate!
I agree with amlevin. It is indeed your methodology which needs fixing.
I use a Oehler 35 with a 4 inch rail and I can set it up in a couple of minutes. Despite what they say, I use only a single tripod attached to the rail in the middle. It is a good quality one made by Gitzo which I used to use for photography but recently replaced with a nice carbon fiber one. To show you how well it works, here is a graph from my last outing in a seating depth study (BTW, they all look this way….). The X and Y axis are the two numbers obtained by the Oehler using the three screens. You can see the perfect correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.9935 (Perfect would be 1.0) and how the line pass through the origin at 73 fps, not perfect but not bad for a line that only spanse between 2600 to 2680 fps….
The other key is indeed a laser bore sighter. I put my rifle on a rest with the cross hairs on the target. Put in the laser and then use it to set up the chrono. The only caveat here is I use the laser’s bag to block the trigger so as to remind me to get the laser out before firing the gun.
The one big difference between the Oehler and the Magnetospeed is with the Oehler, you get a conformational second reading.
I use a Oehler 35 with a 4 inch rail and I can set it up in a couple of minutes. Despite what they say, I use only a single tripod attached to the rail in the middle. It is a good quality one made by Gitzo which I used to use for photography but recently replaced with a nice carbon fiber one. To show you how well it works, here is a graph from my last outing in a seating depth study (BTW, they all look this way….). The X and Y axis are the two numbers obtained by the Oehler using the three screens. You can see the perfect correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.9935 (Perfect would be 1.0) and how the line pass through the origin at 73 fps, not perfect but not bad for a line that only spanse between 2600 to 2680 fps….
The other key is indeed a laser bore sighter. I put my rifle on a rest with the cross hairs on the target. Put in the laser and then use it to set up the chrono. The only caveat here is I use the laser’s bag to block the trigger so as to remind me to get the laser out before firing the gun.
The one big difference between the Oehler and the Magnetospeed is with the Oehler, you get a conformational second reading.
Attachments
Just a bit more explanation of methodology I use.
First, my rail, the three skyscreen, quick attachment point to the tripod, and the wires associated with them are all put together and never taken apart. My wife made soft covers for the skyscreen to keep the dust off the lens and the whole thing sits on the floor in my backseat area of my car pretty much permanently. The rest of the stuff which is the tripod, diffuser, diffuser support, display/printer, and the tripod all reside in a custom box I made.
So to set it up, I put up the tripod, snap the skyscreen rail combo on, put on the diffuser and plug it in. I do this all behind the safety line at the range so that shooter can go on shooting and not be disturbed. When this is all ready and I have the laser in my barrel, I call time out, move the whole thing out in front of the gun, use the laser to make sure everything is lined up, go back to take the laser out of the barrel and I am GTG. This way, the setup is minimal and disturbance to other people’s shooting is also minimal.
First, my rail, the three skyscreen, quick attachment point to the tripod, and the wires associated with them are all put together and never taken apart. My wife made soft covers for the skyscreen to keep the dust off the lens and the whole thing sits on the floor in my backseat area of my car pretty much permanently. The rest of the stuff which is the tripod, diffuser, diffuser support, display/printer, and the tripod all reside in a custom box I made.
So to set it up, I put up the tripod, snap the skyscreen rail combo on, put on the diffuser and plug it in. I do this all behind the safety line at the range so that shooter can go on shooting and not be disturbed. When this is all ready and I have the laser in my barrel, I call time out, move the whole thing out in front of the gun, use the laser to make sure everything is lined up, go back to take the laser out of the barrel and I am GTG. This way, the setup is minimal and disturbance to other people’s shooting is also minimal.
Judd
Gold $$ Contributor
Regarding the magneto speed, when I use my chrono I'm load testing or ladder testing. Last thing I want on my gun during this stage is weight on my barrel. If I used my chrono just to review known loads then I would have a different opinion.
That is my reason I would never consider one....you asked?
That is my reason I would never consider one....you asked?
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