Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Which chronograph?

This may not measure up to LR standards, but asking here anyway. Out to 500-600 yards, what do you use for chronograph? Muzzle data is easy to collect, and Labradar will measure out to 100 yards. But what do you use downrange? Setup a secondary chrono? Would like to understand the bullet speed downrange as well as muzzle.

I let my ballistics program tell me how fast things are moving down range. If you use a scope that tracks precisely, several apps will true velocity for you using known BCs and good impact data.

John

Many variables go into the ballistics programs. I'm interested whether anybody checks the program's math by measuring actual downrange velocity to confirm correlation with prediction. Otherwise stated, unless every single ballistics program provides the exact same answer @500 yards, that's where model validation comes in.

Would the Oehler 89 suit your purposes?

https://oehler-research.com/system-89/

If the program is giving you accurate elevation adjustments, would you doubt the down range velocity? Considering BC changes with velocity - if the program is giving accurate elevation adjustments, then they must have down range velocity and starting BC for the bullet correct - I'd think.

What is your budget?

Build your own model by shooting it. You will get data for that day and conditions. Compair to the ballistic program, and adjust it to match your shooting results. Much more simple, and just as accurate, than trying to set up a chrony, and then shooting over it, my experience. It`s doable, but not worth the effort.

W/the advent of Radar based chronos I'm less concerned about my velocity being off than I am about the accuracy of stability-factor/BC of my projectile from my rifle w/my chosen twist rate.

In all reality, I'm not really worried about any of it. I don't consistently shoot well enough to point to anomalies/misses being the fault of inaccurate velocity/BC inputs. The number who can and do load carefully enough and shoot well enough to be able to determine those things is, I suspect, and awful lot smaller than those who THINK they need to concern themselves with it.

This.....

I have a Garmin now, and for me, anything less would be an exhibition of imbecility. It's not even close....

For 500-600 yards.
Let's take the cheapest chrono out there.
Or for that matter, factory ammo with a published MV on the box.
Let's say your load is consistently around 1/2" at 100 yards off the bench. It's not your best group, but it's not worst-An Average.
Have a solid 100 yard zero, and slip your dials/zero your turrets out
With a free online ballistic calculator, put in your MV (Cheap chrono or Published MV).
Put in the BC (Don't care if it is G1 or G7-Whatever is published for the bullet).
Give the approximate elevation and temp, and throw in 50% humidity (or leave it alone).
Get your parallax set for 300 yards.
If you don't know how to do this and how to focus your ocular check out some YouTube videos
Dial up for the distance-4.25 MOA is what your cheat sheet says, and on paper or steel fire three shots at 300 yards.
Pay attention to where they group vertically compared to your aiming point (Have a specific aiming point).
Let's say the center of your three shots is a 1/2 MOA low (1.5" approx). Dial up a 1/2 minute - 4.75 MOA, and shoot one shot at 3 again.
Let's pretend it is spot on.
Write all of it down.
Look at your computer generated dope sheet for 400, and it says 7 MOA. Since you were a 1/2 MOA low at 300, add a half MOA, just for giggles, and dial up to 7.5 MOA. Shoot three shots, and find where the center is from your aiming point.
Again adjust if needed and fire a shot and document.
Go to 400 yards and do the same thing.
Check your parallax as you move further out. also check to keep your rifle level. A working scope level is a good thing too.
Rinse and repeat...Write it all down.

You are just walking it out and documenting it.
You actually don't even need a chrono or ballistic software-Nothing wrong with having them (I have them!).
You are developing an actual hardened drop chart for that day and atmospheric conditions.
Even if your clicks are consistently less or more, it doesn't matter, as you are finding the drops it takes for your rife, scope, and load at those distances...
Rinse and repeat on another day.
Try to find days where the wind is calm and mirage is not high.

If you want to really know the MV at target...
https://autotrickler.com/pages/shotmarker
https://www.silvermountaintargets.com/e-targets.html

OP - what exactly are you looking to do? It seems like there's some confusion in the replies.

I took it to mean - you want to know what your bullet speed is at say 500 yards. How are people arriving at that, 2nd chrono or what? (nothing to do with what you dial to get to 500 yards with a 100yd zero)

Or are you looking to build a dope sheet for scope adjustments out to 500 yards with only MV?

I've got (3) chronographs,but haven't used any of them in multiple years. Shooting last pass daily with The 'Horn and his new Garmin,I decided to order same,due size weight,ease of use and the fact it misses NOTHING. Hint.

DOPE is very easily factored via sound erector,but ES/SD isn't as easy to capture. Hint.

If one KNOWS starting speed,atmospherics and BC,it's a breeze to extrapolate impact velocities,as far as you please. No second chronograph needed,or wanted. Hint.................

We're running Silver Mountains and the velocities captured at the target don't match up with expected numbers. I'm hearing similar for the ShotMarker systems. I have a plan to validate the SilverMountain at 100 yards with a LabRadar or a Garmin placed downrange. I just need to find out the Garmin capture distance so I can use the appropriate setback. ...then hopefully we can actually measure custom BC at 600 yards.

So far that seems to be the case with mine. One time however, I forgot to change the velocity range setting while shooting some Federal 50gr .22 mags, which are right on the borderline at 1500+. Those were ignored totally.

That thing is fuggin’ amazing. Bluetooth it to your iPad or phone when you get home and the sessions all pop up and let you input the bullet weight in case you forgot to like I did yesterday, and add your notes. All that stuff transfers to a spreadsheet if you want hard copies.

We have Shotmarker targets at our club, so anyone wanting to know their terminal velocity at any distance can shoot at the shotmarker target and get the velocity right at the target at that particular distance .
This system is fantastic!
Cat

Garmin is the only one to buy based on current offerings.

As has been said, you can extrapolate everything else based on environmental conditions, BC, and muzzle velocity.

If you were curious I am sure you could put your Garmin down range and have it pick up impact velocity.