Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Chrono, Yes or No

I have 2 chronographs, and 2 bore scopes and lot of other toys and accessories I find useful. Agreed that every reloader should have easy access to a chronograph. I'd expect most everybody in Montana to have some access to a friend's chronograph if not one of their own.

I don't think a chronograph is any advantage when doing an Audette ladder test. I certainly don't think a chronograph would save any time. Still have to fire the groups. Wind flags and a good rest will help when firing the groups and making sense of the results.

Part of the problem is that minimizing velocity spread is a good thing but minimizing velocity spread is only loosely correlated with group size at reasonable ranges.

At extreme ranges the correlation is better.

If the point of a particular Audette Ladder Test is to find a load that is insensitive to small variations in charge weight so as to allow more variation in dumping powder then I'd put the money into an automated dispensing system that keeps charge weights close to nominal regardless of powder. That may well save time when combined with using a chronometer for a pressure and velocity series. Doing it that way is getting away from an Audette Ladder Test entirely. If that gets to be too quick and easy get a BOSS or other muzzle tuner and go back to testing.

Agreed that a chronograph will save a lot of time figuring drop at extreme ranges and other such but that's a different branch of knowledge.