Chronograph

[Joefrazell]

Would spending around $100 on a chrono be worth it? Or should I wait and get something better. I'm not sure when funds will alow for a 4-500 $ chronograph. I see a few on midway that have good reviews. My main concern would be that es's and sd's would be accurate. I'm ok if the actual velocity is slightly off.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Something is better than nothing, just don't chase your tail with potentially false readings. Remember that they're sensitive to different lighting conditions.

 

[Pdvdh]

I'd forego the cheapie. Wait till you can buy a decent unit.

 

[gohring3006]

I would save up a little more and go for the magnettospeed sporter. It's a step up to most of the lazer units.
The convenience of setting it up without having to wait for the range to go cold will make it worth more than the laser units.

 

[Joefrazell]

I would save up a little more and go for the magnettospeed sporter. It's a step up to most of the lazer units.
The convenience of setting it up without having to wait for the range to go cold will make it worth more than the laser units.

I don't like how the magneto speed goes on the barrel. Couldnt it have an effect on accuracy or do you guys think just poi is effected? I shoot at an actual range once a year when I go out with my deer hunting crew to make sure are guns will hit a paper plate a 100 yards . I live 10 min from blm land where I can shoot over a mile if needed.

 

[johnnyk]

Worth it? Heck yeah. Like WeiserBucks said above, "Something is better than nothing". I used the Shooting Chrony Beta for a number of years and never had any problems. Until I had a bullet come apart on its way to the target. Those Hornady SPSX really are explosive when you combine a little too much velocity and a fast twist barrel!
When the Caldwell Chrono came out I was a bit skeptical. It looked a little "cheap", but I needed a chrono. The first time it went on sale I bought one. No regrets with the unit so far. I am going to purchase the light kit that came out after the units introduction. I have noticed errors seem to occur more as the sun gets at a low angle to the unit (4:30-6:00pm). I haven't tried it in the early morning so I can't say for sure if it's effected then also. I do trust the readings that I get from it. I input them in to my ballistic app and shoot up to four different rifles/calibers out to 1500 yards with spot on results.
If you're on a budget you can't beat it, not everyone can afford the Labradar.

 

[Garycrow]

You can get a prochrono digital off of Amazon for around $100 and it's a very good chronograph. I've been using one for years and really don't see a reason to upgrade.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

The magspeed will often change the poi. I don't see much effect on accuracy. I don't do any zero or accuracy testing with it on. With that said I use less ammo working up loads than I did with sky screen chrono. No missed shots or irratic readings. Also I am confident in the data collected.

Steve

 

[HARPERC]

Something is better than nothing, just don't chase your tail with potentially false readings. Remember that they're sensitive to different lighting conditions.

I get the point, but the false readings are why in this case something isn't better than nothing.
The tolerances (+/-) can be a bit buried in the technical data on some models. I haven't checked recently so my answer could be dated, but the cheaper ones used to be listed at +/-, 1%. in ideal conditions. At 3000 fps that's a range of 60fps, 2970-3030 fps. Some of the better/newer ones, are 0.1%, or 10x better, and will give good readings in less than ideal conditions.

Long range requires more from all parts of the system.

 

[ctw]

Go for it, they worked just fine until all the wiz bang tech stuff came along. ctw

 

[Gord0]

The magspeed will often change the poi. I don't see much effect on accuracy. I don't do any zero or accuracy testing with it on. With that said I use less ammo working up loads than I did with sky screen chrono. No missed shots or irratic readings. Also I am confident in the data collected.

Steve

I'll second this. Magneto speed all the way.

 

[Capt RB]

I've had a crony F1 for years. When I found a load that showed very low es and sd I would shoot it at distance. Vertical will show up very quickly if that isn't the case @ distance. The magneto speed is a better option and under $200 for the sporter version. To combat the coi you can make a mount for your bipod rail Tyler has one also if you wish to just buy one. This would allow you to acquire data on any shot practice load development at a match or even hunting
One thing I've found is once your there with a good load shoot don't friggin tweak and tinker with it. You will find out far more shooting rather than continuing to test things. Once the gun needs a barrel retest and tweak. I use to test everything constantly

 

[Pdvdh]

No MV data is better than erroneous, unreliable data. You might find a decent used chronograph for $99.99.
Less than that you might as well buy a stop watch...

 

[Joefrazell]

Im looking hard at the magnettospeed sporter. Lots of bad reviews saying it will come loose under recoil and that it's very flimsy and a cheap overall build. It's between that and the procrono digital. Maybe I should just continue without one.