Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles So learn me up on chronographs

Got a birthday coming up. What brand / features do I need to be looking at? I don't want or need anything fancy, just reliable and the cheaper the better.

TIA

Chrony

pact

Ed

CED2 is one of the best out there.

Get the best you can afford to shoot..

Then don't waste your money on some of the recommendations you've been given so far. The ProChrono Digital (from Competition Electronics) is the best machine for the money, IMO. It doesn't suffer from the sky screen setup issues of (some of?) the other options (which you don't necessarily notice, but which can mess up your velocity readings badly), yet it won't cost you more than $100 if you can wait for a sale.

I just asked the same question a month ago, and did buy the Prochrono Digital, with the remote. I have been using it alot, and it works flawlessly. Easy to set up and use, can't brag it up enough.

I have had a CED2 for almost 2 years and never had a problem with it.

I've had a basic Chrony since shortly after they came out. Still works. So I can't compare it against any others. I did proof it against a couple of other brands when I got it --noone would believe something that cheap would work-- and it was right on.
Now everybody's got a affordable chronograph so just pick which one has the whistles and bells you want and go for it.
It will add a whole new diminsion to your reloading.

I have been using chronograph's for decades, IMHO a shooter's chrony is a total waste of money and time spent.
The best chronograph you can get is an Oehler 35p. they were out of production for some time but are now available again.
Oehler research......get one while you can.
RC

Thanks for all help guys. I'm gonna do some research and then see what I can decide on.

At $575 I wouldn't say it met the "cheap" criteria...
I've had two Chrony's...first one got shot & the second is still working just fine...Best $100 you'll prolly ever spend on reloading accessories...

A friend who has both the Oehler and a PACT.. has always commented on how fast my Shooting Chrony was to set up vs his spendy ones..

So one day at the range I left mine with him which he wanted to compare results from his other two and mine...

His conclusions... the Shooting Chrony was giving the same readings as his other two were...

for something basic and easily set up quickly, he went out and bought one...admitting it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the Oehler and PACT.. but most of the time he only needs to chrony several shots and that is it..

and for that, the others were cumbersome and time consuming to set up in his opinion..

Mine is 12 to 15 years old now...and all I have had to do is replace the 9 volt batteries..originally paid $69.00 for it..

and Passed on an Oehler offered to me when a Doctor friend passed away...the Shooting Chrony does all I ask of it, and if it gets destroyed, it is expendable and replaceable.

Me, my nephew and several of my friends have Oehler's and have tested them against each other and against shooters chrony's , what you are stating here is simply not true.
but think what you will

They all work on the same principle, why wouldn't the readings be nearly identical?? If one is set at a slight angle or such, you are going to get a different reading but any difference I found between mine and the high dollar spreads could be attributed to the varying velocity of the bullets.

One thing that all chronographs share is that the odds of shooting your chronograph go up in logarithmic proportion to the cost of the chronograph.

I found the same thing. I found Chrony's reading fast up to 200fps to the point that I often deducted that amount whatever it read. I use and recommend the Oehler 35P with triple screens.


JW

I've had my Oehler 35P for over 15 years, and I got to totally agree with you and Rock Chuck. It's a little pricey but worth every cent if you want something that you can count on being accurate.

Only had the skyscreens shot twice when I loaned it out, but it was a pretty cheap fix (not that anyone ever remembursed me for the damage!).

This is a great point on this thread, if all you ask of a chronograph is to give you a ballpark guess on the velocities of squib load's of Blue Dot or Alliant 2400 then the Shooter's Chrony's is adequate for this task because it is only for short range use where accuracy takes a back seat to how many rounds you can get out of a pound of powder.
If true longrange shooting and accurate information from your equipment is what you are interested in the Shooter's Chrony is a child's toy, the Oehler is a TOOL

WEll I beg to differ... the conclusion that the readings were the same... came from the guy I loaned it too.. not me..

so he had no motivation for telling me the cheap one was giving the same readings as his more spendy stuff...

and RockChuck828's post, tying in something not even mentioned on this thread, just goes to show the attitude of folks who style themselves as some sort of snob.. thinking they are better than others due to having spendier and more trendier equipment..

ya know RC828... I develop loads and once I get something that shoots the kind of accuracy I want out of it, the last thing I do is chronograph it just to see what I've got for an MV..

If a Shooting Chrony is a toy, I guess a scope that doesn't cost $1200 bucks and a rifle that doesn't have 4000 fps MV and 3500 Ft Lbs at the muzzle.. those are all toys also....

Grow up...