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Gentlemen, I need a chronograph. Im a weekend warrior .trying to stay away from the junk .What do you reccomend ?

I look for a used ohler 35p
You'll never need another ..
Dave

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020438152?pid=988434

And free shipping for now.

I agree with this, if you cant find used this is where you buy new
Oehler 35P
There are newer products like LabRadar and MagnetoSpeed that work but have issues. some are cheaper but if you just want to buy once and be done get an Oehler

Whatever you decide to buy DON'T let anybody talk you into a Shooters Chrony, a true flaming pile of dog schit just waiting for you to put your foot in the middle of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like my Magnetospeed

Yes, This. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

https://oehler-research.com/model-35p/

Had one since before the printer. Just a 35, no P. Returned it for a free repair about 30 years ago & it still keeps working. Skyscreens are $45 now they used to be $25 if you shot one. It does happen.

I pretty much agree with the above: Oehler 35 or 35P, especially if you shoot at a private range where there's no problem setting it up.

If you mostly or totally shoot at a public range where setting a chronograph in front of the benches is a problem (and maybe even against the rules) I would go with a Magnetospeed. Due to being mounted on the muzzle-end of the barre, they do tend to the change point-of-impact and accuracy, often a LOT on sporter-weight barrels, but they can also be set up off the barrel in various ways.

Thank you for the thoughts guys . Off to the web I go !

LabRadar is another one. Sets up behind the firing line. Is not affected by light/cloud conditions. Not cheap however.

It also isn't as versatile as the Oehler and Magnetospeed, with definite caliber/velocity limitations. If those are ever solved I'll buy another.

Yes, not that good with smaller bullets. Magnetospeed also has its issues. Oehler is the Gold standard in a chronograph.

John,

Could you elaborate on the caliber and velocity limitations. I’m looking hard at the Labradar to replace my old Pact. I do a lot of shooting in the winter and light is an issue. So often we have those gray, overcast days and low angle light that makes getting readings difficult at times. I’ll want to do rifles from 17-45 and revolvers from 32 to 475. Thanks.

Mart

I'm still using my Oehler33 bought new in 1985, if they ever quit making D cells I'm in trouble! It takes 6 .

I've got an Oehler 35P that I bought over twenty years ago. Bought a Labradar a couple of years ago, the Oehler hasn't been out of the house since.

mart,

The LabRadar will read handgun bullets fine; there's a setting for them.

But it won't read rifle velocities above about 3900 fps, and rifles calibers below .22. Or that's what the instructions claim. I found them to be correct--except for the caliber. The LabRadar reads bullet by bouncing off the flat rear end of the bullet. I liked mine a lot--until it wouldn't read Hornady A-Tip 6mm bullets, which I was shooting for a magazine assignment, apparently because they have such a tapered boattail that the rear end was too small. Luckily, I had a skyscreen chronograph along as well, so didn't have to make another range trip to get the info.

I also sometimes chronograph loads faster than 3900 fps, and as the instructions state, it did not work with those.

If everything you plan to chronograph is within those specs, it works very well. But I would also advise you to buy the rechargeable battery pack, as unlike all my other chronographs (including the Oehler 35P) it doesn't use a single 9-volt battery, but several AA batteries, which don't last all that long.

I sold my LabRadar after the 6mm A-Tip experience, but as noted above would buy another if they ever solve the limitations.

Has anyone figured out a good way to use the Magnetospeed for handguns? I’m assuming you can’t strap it to the barrel of a revolver due to the cylinder gap? I’m in the market too and like the idea of the magnetospeed for simplicity sake but don’t want to buy something I can’t use with my revolvers.
Labradar is apparently out due to both the speed and caliber restrictions.

I've owned 4-5 chrono's, currently own a M35 and a Labradar. The Labradar is easier to use and these days gets used a lot more than the M35. Although I have thought about selling the M35 for the time being I decided to keep it.

The Labradar will pick up my .22 cal bullets but I don't shoot any with "severe" boat tails. Aiming the Labradar is a little more critical when shooting the .22 bullets.

One of the best things about the Labradar is I can shoot from prone. Whether shooting at 100 yds or longer distances it's just a matter of leaning over and adjusting the unit to pick up the bullets regardless of the range I'm shooting at. Also, as others have said in past threads it's just a matter of time before one shoots his chrono that's out in front of the muzzle.

The only chronograph I've shot was a Shooting Chrony, which happened because I had it set up 20 feet away because a .416 Rigby's muzzle blast affected the results when set up closer.

After shooting the .416, I started testing an S&W .41 Magnum revolver. This worked fine until I tried some light-bullet (170 grain?) loads, forgetting that point of impact can vary considerably with lighter bullets, usually lower. The first one center-punched the Chrony, and I eventually decided that was more than OK, because I'd owned three of them and they were the most erratic chronographs I've ever owned, out of a total of around 10.

My biggest issue is the low angle flat light in the Alaska winter. My old Pact just doesn’t want to pick up bullets sometimes. Usually when it’s a gray overcast day during the winter. Bright sunny days aren’t an issue but sometimes it doesn’t work out to get to the range when conditions are perfect. I’ve tried adding lights to the sky screens but it didn’t seem to work.