Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Chronographs - what's the best buy?

I'd like to buy a chronograph.

What are your thoughts on a good rig, that won't break the bank?

What kind of options are out there?

Shooting Chrony used to offer factory refurbs for ~$50. For the money and ease of setup it's not a bad unit. Yes they can be finicky in certain sunlight conditions.

Pro Crono only way to go for about $100.00

Caldwell

Competition Electronics ProChrono

I use a Shooting Chrony Alpha model. It works well. I bought it used for $50 but a new one can be found for a bit less than $100.

X2

Their free app allows you to save everything on your phone or tablet, including taking pics of the target.

Ok, thanks guys!

I'll start doing research on those models and get something going👍

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...istic+Precision+Chronograph+LCD+Display+


You can't beat this price. It's about $75.00, shipped.

Alan,

Good morning!

I've had good luck with a plain Jane Shooting Chrony.. I've had it so long I can't even remember when I bought it...

Its been criticized for some of the readings it gives me.... but when compared to the same loads over some friends, PACT, Oehlers etc... there isn't much variation of the readings of the MV...

One thing I will say for it... I have a couple of acquaintances at our range I run into from time to time.... guys with money, no kids, real good jobs for the Rogue Valley... like a Doctor or VP of Colvin Oil...

One thing they were impressed with my Shooting Chrony over, was how quick it takes to set it up and break it down....

I can set up, chronograph 5 or 10 rounds and they are still getting their PACTS and Oehlers set up when I am breaking down...they liked it so much, and for the price, both guys went out and bought the Shooting Chrony....

At times when they only have 10 shots or less to chronograph, they don't need to take the time to set up the spendier models.. and from mine, loads tested over theirs, yielded no real variations....

yeah, the others can do more... but for simplicity, reliable and quick set up and take down... the Shooting Chrony isn't a bad way to go...

I've had mine so long, I remember brand new, ( no sales or discounts) I paid $69 for it.. so its served me a long time...

Happy thanksgiving to you and the family..
best regards
john chr/ seafire

I went from a Chronny to an Oehler
I have it so I can set it up in less than 5 minutes
I would buy another

I have the connector for each screen color-coded so when I set it up awls I have to do is put the plug in the corresponding hole and I am ready to go

I have a magnetospeed and I love it. It will read in all conditions. It does change POI a little but not much. If you read the instructions you won't destroy it.

Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital. They also make a bluetooth adapter you can purchase and sync to your smart phone so you don't have to get up and check your readings.

Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph

I have a Shooting Chrony and a friend has ProChrono. We tested them side by side and the velocity recordings were the same, but his ProChrono did better in bright light. My Chrony dropped several shots in bright light when the sun was at an angle.

The best lower-priced chronograph I've tested is the ProChrono Pal. As Leon noted, it does better in bright light than the Shooting Chrony. (I've also seen more than one Chrony go nuts, for no apparent reason.)

Have set up a couple of ProChronos in front of my Oehler 35P, and every shot the Oehler recorded the Prochrono did too. The test of the first ProChrono was made across several hours on a clear afternoon when the sun went from almost directly overhead to low in the sky. Neither the Oehler or ProChrono "missed" a shot. (Have owned three Chronys and they almost always missed shots during any range session.) The ProChronos also are reasonably consistent with the same load whether the sky is clear or cloudy.

To be fair, I haven't tried a Caldwell--yet.

I have a PACT chronograph that I bought ~20 years ago. As of this last weekend it still works and gives me the data I want.

The "Best Buy" depends on how important your data is to you. If the data is very important, either get a machine that makes two measurements of every shot or get two machines that make one measurement.

If both measurements are in close agreement, you have high confidence in your data.

For alignment of screens, someone posted about using a laser boresighting device. One of the best suggestions I've read on the internet.

Mine slips sometimes and I have to readjust it but its not a big deal.

Might upgrade to a labradar though.

I recently purchased a SuperChrono. Have not had a chance to use it as yet, but reviews were excellent and a whole lot of versatility, even downrange. Second link is a review.

http://www.steinertsensingsystems.com/product-details/superchrono-acoustic-shooting-chronograph/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RKuHNX3AR8

Wow!!

Lots of information now!

I looked at the products offered at Sportsman Warehouse and have an idea of which way I'll go. When we come from vacation I'll round one up.

Thanks a bunch guys!

BT53

^^^ THIS ^^^

Well, I just have to know how "accurate" my data is. The attached shows a tape where there are two measurements. I feel good about all of them. The setup was identical for each shot. Why any variance? It is just really difficult to "see" that bullet under all conditions.

Edited to say: Sorry, but I don't know how to make it show up without your clicking on it.

I had one that lasted 20 years ago and finally gave up. The parts are no longer available. It was reliable to say the least.

They have a lifetime guarantee.Ship it back to PACT.They will fix or repair it.Mine (20 + years old} went cowchit.I called their number for CS and he told me how to fix it.The keyboard was not working.All I had to do was take it apart and use an eraser on the boards contact points.Up and running again.

The magnetospeed works well. I just don't like it hanging on my barrel, so I rigged this set up. You need a long bench and have to maintain proper alignment with the barrel.

DF

Seafire -
W/o doing a lot of deleting of your post..

Pertaining to quick set up and take down, I made my own mounting board of 2X6 8' long and mounted the Oehler Skyscreens III and set them exactly 5' apart center/center. Obviously the board doesn't have to be that long but Oehler says that farther spacing gives more accurate readings.


I can use the diffusers or not. So far I haven't detected any difference. If you want to use the THIRD skyscreen you only need 2 bases instead of 1 to set it on.


With this set up it doesn't take long to be ready to use and then quick and easy to leave. I haul it in my pickup so no trouble.



Blacktail - I suggest you buy the best you can afford that gives the INFO you want.

Jerry

+1(or 6 or whatever).

I finally broke down and bought a magneto. It works really well when you have to shoot at a public range with people next to you. No going down to readjust your sky screens or anything.

It does mess with POI and accuracy though. So now range sessions take one trip to determine velocity and another (without the device attached) for accuracy testing.

Fwiw.... I am the lucky gift recipient of a Labradar setup recently.
I had been using a pro chrono pal for a long long time with great success. I had read a review of a while back that was pretty in-depth and supposed to be very scientific that said the pro chrono are very consistent but usually over read by about 20 FPS. Turns out my lab radar and my prochrono read almost to the exact FPS every time.
Just about got the labradar all figured out for how to review things etc....and where to place on the bench. So far it's a very sweet setup but for what it costs I hope it stays that way a long long time!

For those that have the Magneto, is the V3 worth the money over the sporter version?

thanks

John, when are you going to give one a try? I'm curious about it as well.

RM

No plans to at the moment.

I'm curious as it looks like the screens are on the bottom...if I'm looking at the picture correctly.

I'm resurrecting this thread (after all, we're still in the Easter season) because I am interested in the Labradar. From everything I've read, light can be an issue and I live on the east coast of Florida: bright, sunny days are the norm. That said, I've looked into the Caldwell G2, which inverts the screens (does this solve the bright light issue?) and the Labrador. By the time all of the accessories are put together, the Labrador is about three times the cost of the Caldwell, but is also more flexible since it doesn't depend on light for the readings. If the inverted screens of the G2 solve the issue, though, I'll save the money.

Kraky - What is your opinion now that you've had the Labrador for a while? Also, has anyone used the G2?

Thanks

My .02 worth,Rev,buy a Pro Chrono. Just don't put a bullet through it.

I don't plan to shoot it, but I'm looking out and the wind is blowing about 15mph and the only clouds are low on the horizon. Y'all have the experience, but from what I've read that has been written here and elsewhere, the light might be a problem, even with screens.

Rev,I did not plan to shoot the two previous chronographs I owned either.

Do not worry about the light,the wind yes and your rifle also.

I chronograph the picked load at least twice and the readings are usually not that far apart. For instance,the .35 Whelen (55.0 grs Var-Get 250 gr Kodiak bullet,Fed 210 Match primer from a 22" barrel) load the first time over the chrono was averaging 2480 fps for three shots,the second time,the average was 2472 fps for three shots. End of the chronograph that load.

[quote=elkhunternm]Rev,I did not plan to shoot the two previous chronographs I owned either.

Do not worry about the light,the wind yes and your rifle also.

[quote]

If you keep shooting your chronographs, you might as well buy a Labrador since it sits beside your muzzle, not in front of it!!

There is rarely a day without an ocean breeze, but I've lived here all my life, so I know the ways around it.

RevMike, I live at 4,400 ft elevation 30 miles north of the Mexican border. I have been running a conventional chronograph (Pact) for the last twenty years or so and I can count on one hand the number of times that light has been a problem. Most years, clouds are nonexistent from about the end of February until the monsoons start around the first week in July. Lots of bright sunlight--so much that my cameras rarely get turned on from March to October because the light is so harsh. I suspect that you are overthinking this.

I'm just more careful when shooting over the chronograph now!

I do my shooting in the morning,not breezy/windy or too hot.

I've never found light to be a significant problem with either ProChrono or Oehler light-screen chronographs. It had been in at least one other brand, but not those.

No doubt. It sounds like, outside of the elevation, we live in the same light conditions. I'll go back and re-read this thread. As I said, by the time the Labrador is completely outfitted, it is somewhere in the neighborhood of $700 (unit, case, tripod, bench stand, etc). That can buy several of what y'all have recommended here.

And Ken, I'll be careful and not put an Interlock through a screen!

IIRC,I shot the two chronographs with Nosler Partitions,they did over penetrate.

Thanks, John. Those are the two names that keep coming up in the chronograph threads.

The prochrono is the Toyota Camry of chronographs, inexpensive & it just works. The Oehler is the Lexus, lots more expensive & works well too but the Camry gets you there just as reliably.

I've been using the prochrono for years, light isn't an issue with it, it works on cloudy days, bright days, & days in between. The only time light's a factor is late in the evening as the sun goes down. I can pretty much tell you to the minute when it'll quit reading as I watch the sun go behind the trees. That's not a design flaw, as long as the sun is just a few degrees above the horizon it's gonna read. It's got a pretty big shooting area & I can't figure out how guys manage to shoot them, but some do obviously.

$100 for a prochrono digital & $20 for a cheap tripod and you're set. If I were running a ballistics lab I'd have something fancier, but you really don't have to go crazy to get a reliable chronograph today.

Most of my range time is mid morning or mid afternoon, and then it's generally only to check loads and scope zero, since the rest is practicing different positions and distances for hunting. I expect the ProChrono will be fine. I might even splurge for the Bluetooth connection for my phone. It's about the same price as the Labradar carrying case!

Pro Crono is a good way to go for about $100.00

I have had mine for years with no problem. It is simple and easy to use.

I use the Pro Chrono. It's not fussy in the least. I bought their Bluetooth module, which instantly sends data directly to my iPad or iPhone for display, evaluation and storage. It's a great little unit.

I've been using a PACT for 15 years or so. It's very reliable. I've seen tests that indicate it's not quite as accurate as some other units, especially Oehler and CED. I'm considering a Lab Radar at some point so I don't have to deal with sky screens, but they're pretty expensive.

Do people use chrono's with sky screens in the rain? I've avoided that, and since we get a lot of rain in this area, it limits the when I can use my chrono.

I suspect that "at least one other" would include Shooting Chrony. Been very happy with ProChrono.

I recently plugged a skyscreen that belongs to the club where I shoot, so I was on the hook for replacing it. Instead of replacing an old system, I just forked out the cash for a Magneto Speed. It's much faster and easier to set up and you don't hold up all the other shooters dicking around with a tripod in front of the firing line.

If you have your own place to shoot then I'd go with something more conventional, but the Magneto Speed rules for public range use.


Okie John

I bought a CED Millennium about 8 or 9 years ago. It still works perfectly and I couldn't be happier.

Bought a Shooting Chrony from Midway about 30 years ago. Works great. Says on the box "Diamonds last forever, Shooting Chrony is working on it". I believe them.

Just ordered a ProChrono Pal off Amazon for under 90 bucks shipped.

You should get the Blue Tooth module!

I've tried the regular chronos with screens and now have a magneto speed. I don't like the fact that setting up screens is a problem on a range and lighting seemed to be a problem. One area I shot had trees and the light coming through the leaves seemed to mess with the chrono. The magnetospeed almost never misses a shot, but it does change POI and accuracy. Going to try a lab radar next. On paper it seems like the best of all worlds. We'll see.

For the Magnetospeed, there ought to be a way to attach the sensor to the forward sling connection similar to how a bipod attaches. If a stiff, I-beam ran forward to attach the magnetospeed with at most, a very soft foam bumper to insure it could not deflect into the bullet flight path, it might alleviate the POI and accuracy changes enough.

I'm must be one of the few here that didn't have a good experience with the Magneto. I thought the concept was good but the attaching to the barrel not, and particularly how it attaches which in my case required constant fiddling between shots. It looks like Dirtfarmer circumvented that problem but I didn't bother -- that's not how they sold it.

Went to a ProChrono and haven't looked back. To be fair, I shoot on a private, makeshift range so don't have to worry about others or getting in front of the line to make adjustments.