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My Pro Chrono died on me. Comes on but wont show velocity. So I'm looking for another chronograph.

I'm not excited about one that attaches to the barrel.

What's the next best?

I went with Labradar. Very happy so far.

I've got two working chronys. As soon as I've shot the last one I'm going to take a look at that radar job - https://mylabradar.com

Guy at the range was using one and it looked cooler than anything.

Have you cleaned the sensors on the prochrono? A Qtip with some alcohol on it has helped when mine stopped reading reliably.

Pro Chrono is a good as it gets for the buck. Some day I'll quit shooting them.

I had one Prochrono die because an unepected gust of wind knocked the chrono/tripod over. Sent it back to them and they charged me $34 to fix and ship it back. You might try that.

Have tested at least dozen chronographs over the years, owning most of them (right now have half a dozen). One thing I IMMEDIATELY do with any light-screen chronograph is place clear tape over the openings for the sensors. That keeps the dust off 'em, and they keep running right for years.

Good info, John.
I don't know how old my PACT is, but 15 years would be a good bet.
I'll clean the sensors with alcohol, and do just that.
Thank you.

I've been completely satisfied with my old Ohler 35p, other than the set up time. That being said, other than the
price, the Labrader does look interesting.

I'm certainly giving it some thought.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll try cleaning the lenses with alcohol first and see what happens...If it works. I'll take Mule Deer's advice and put some tape over them. If not, maybe send it back for repair.

I have stayed with Oehler 35P since tehy arrived on the scene.
When options started to come on board late 80's or so, they were not as accurate and especially in consistency and mostly had screen too close together. When you are writing you need credibility and telling everyone about the wonderful new Crony you have is not a feather in your cap. Those first generation with the green case and cardboard shooting surrounds turned me away from any other option forever.

The best thing that ever happened to them was when a bullet landed dead center.

Nothing wrong with the Oehler 35P. I've used one for more than twenty-five years. I bought a Labradar about a years ago. The only advantage the Labradar has over the 35P is the slightly faster setup time.

Have my Oehler 35 (non-printer) fromm the early 90's and the Labradar. Use the Labradar all the time now. But I'm still waiting to have the chance to see how the Labradar works in single digit temps for cold weather testing.

It's nice when I go out somewhere to shoot from prone at longish ranges, the Labradar is just the ticket if I also want to chronograph some new loads.

Had a Pro Chrono (still do). Just bought a Labradar a few months ago and have fallen love with it. Wonderful little gizmo. Doesn’t retrieve birds worth a damn though.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7573054/1

dave

I recently picked up a Magnetospeed and so far I'm satisfied. My needs aren't as complicated as some here- the occasional verification of velocity is all I need. My range is often crowded and not having to putz around in front of the firing line setting up a chronograph is a huge benefit. The Labradar was my first pick but the price difference turned me to the Magnetospeed.

Well the campfire came through again! Cleaned the lenses with alcohol and clear tape and she's working again!

Thanks to all! Butch

People really need to take their "chronograph needs" into consideration when buying one. I, like gnoahh, use one to verify velocities to get my come ups and then, in essence, I verify the numbers provided by my chronograph by shooting my come-ups. The Magnetospeed is hard to beat for this when you take in to consideration, simplicity, no need for cease-fire to set up and cost. Note this is not a knock on the higher dollar and even "better" chronos out there. Just to re-emphasize, look at your needs before diving in to the chrono pool.

+1 . If and when I'm in need of a new chronograph a Labradar will be the one.

it is pretty hard to put a bullet into a lab radar or a magnetospeed and they set up easily.

but a neat thing about the labradar is you can get a100 yd velocity with the muzzle velocity to verify a BC on that bullet.

My PC lasted about 10years. Dang good for the money!

When the PC died I really wanted to do some load development the next day and all I could find locally was a cheap Caldwell and a big ugly RCBS shaped like a bullet lol. I bought the Caldwell and surprisingly it worked very well and has worked well for two years. The thing I like the most about the Caldwell is it came with a long cord that attaches to my iPhone and after downloading the free Caldwell app from the app store it has some really cool features. I can type in all details of the load, attach pics of the groups, and have all the data(SD, ES, etc) saved in a file on my phone. It may not last 3 years, but I'm pretty impressed with the features of the app. If it died tom, I'd probably order another PC just because my last one lasted so long.