Need help from anyone who has ever blasted their chronograph !!!

[yooperchuck]

Or help from anyone who is smart enough not to have blasted their chronograph.!!!! I am about to purchase a chronograph and I have heard and read of shooters hitting their chronograph while shooting. How can I prevent doing this? How does this happen? Also, any opinions on which chronograph to purchase would be welcome. Thank you in advance.

 

[Ballistic64]

I usually remove the bolt and look through the barrel to line up the chrono.
I'd say to find an Oehler 35,but it might take quite a bit of searching on your part.

 

[BountyHunter]

Yooperchuck

1. mount it on a good tripod and I have a 10 ft string tied to my brackets to measure from the bench and to help line it up.

2. Look over the gun and through the barrel at your alignment and go for center of the V's of the screens.

send me an email, have a chrono for sale.

BH

 

[Guest]

Its a little easyer to hit them at 100+ yards. Thats were most(I think)hit them. Just take your time and make sure everything is lined up right and you should be fine.

 

[Ronin]

When I use the chronograph from a bench I set up the rifle on bags / tripod so that the reticule is on target. I then remove the bolt and set up the chrono tripod and screens about ten feet away from the muzzle in line with the estimated bullet path or somewhere near.

I then boresight to the target and move the screens accordingly so that the bullet path is somewhere in the centre of the screen triangle if you see what I mean.
If you have several rifles I recommend you check each time you swap over - saves costly mishaps.

If you are shooting with the chrono nearer the target, I for one would set up a steel plate with a hole slightly smaller than the screen triangle placing it just in front of the screen.

Only other way is purchase a stock of replacement screens /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[kraky2]

I never "shot mine" but here's something else not to do. Never let it sit around on the tripod on a concrete floor!

I have a prochrono (body and parts all plastic). Had it sitting here at work in the shop and someone came through in the dark and kicked it and over it went hitting the floor from about 4' up!! It exploded like a plastic model!
BUT HERES' THE AMAZING PART----I couldn't really see anything broken...just parts and wires and circuit boards. I starting snapping everything back together..put a few pieces of tape arount it and......flicked the switch and it came on like nothing happened. Then to further my amazement I took it to the range and ran some proven loads over it and it was registering perfect. I'm sure this is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!!

 

[Fotis]

[ QUOTE ]
I usually remove the bolt and look through the barrel to line up the chrono.
I'd say to find an Oehler 35.

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="red"> YUP ON BOTH COUNTS!!! </font>

 

[LB]

First, I don't know how that happens, if you set up correctly?

To do this, first place your target.

Second, get your rest or bags or both in place and set your rifle up with the bolt removed so that you can see the target through the bore.

Third, set your Oehler 35P in place, at least ten feet in front of the muzzle.

#4, 5 6, etc. is to keep moving your tripods, raising your tripods and nudging your tripods so that the bore is looking through the inverted triangle in the upper half. You can't rush this process, make sure it is right.

It really facilitates things if you have one person looking, and another moving the chrono. The one looking through the bore needs to be behind the yellow line, but that is not hard to do.

Lastly, it is not the end of the world if you do, (somehow) manage to hit a sky screen on an Oehler, since the machine is with you on the bench. I think a sky screen costs about fifty bucks, versus total junk with the others that place the whole unit in the line of fire?

Good hunting. LB

PS You think you need advice from somebody that has blasted their chrono?

 

[Buffalobob]

[ QUOTE ]
PS You think you need advice from somebody that has blasted their chrono?


[/ QUOTE ]

That was good, really good. you'll probably cause Uncle B to ruin another keyboard with that one.

 

[sambo3006]

The important thing to remember when using your chronograph at close range (10 ft or so) is that your crosshairs are about 1.5 or more inches above the bore and line of bullet flight. Aim accordingly. That's what I have always done.

 

[wapiti13]

sambo3006, Right on. If you aim high in the window, you'll avoid the low shots. I've had friends borrow my chrono &amp; blast the start screen by not aiming high. I agree the 35 Oehler is hard to beat, but I've heard that they are being discontinued. Not sure what will replace it, but I'd grab a 35 if you can find one.

 

[RDM416]

Yooperchuck,

All the other guys have nailed it on how to line up your chrono. I also second (or third) the suggestion of an Oehler.

I did shoot my Chrony chronograph a couple of years ago. The arrow whent through it end to end with just the fletching sticking out the front side /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

The good news is that it gave me the excuse to buy an Oehler 35. My wife still thinks I shot it on purpose /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Centre Punch]

yooper,
I am not going to recommend a certain make and model but what i will say is, buy yourself a chrono that has its display and its electrics in a module that sits on the bench rather then a fuly integrated unit.
That way if you do put a bullit through it you dont completely destroy the whole chronograph, you can buy replacement sky screens, sensors, etc for most makes.

Ian.

 

[Matt27]

One other good idea i have read about is using a cheap laser bore sighter.

Line your rifle up on target then set up your chrony, with a piece of notebook paper put behind the chrony and with the laser on the paper you can align your chrony for no mistakes.

I have not tried this method but sounds like a good one. I have always boresighted and turned my scope down to lowest setting and can usually see the chrony arms (blurry) but able to.