Thoughts on chronographs

[Trickymissfit]

You really have to look at the Oehler 35P as two cronies because it has the third channel and it is a complete kit so I think the price really not bad and I'd have one setting here if it weren't for the fact I would need two for what I want to do!

I'm completely convinced that the third cell is nothing but a sales gimmick. Have used two screens as well as three screens side by side I see virtually identical results. There's the ongoing idea that the third screen prevents lost shots thru it, but have found that if one tosses the round out, the other will as well. The accuracey is about one quarter of one percent (difference in readings), and which is right nobody will ever know as it's impossible to have a perfect round over and over again. I'm just not gonna loose any sleep over five or six fps.
gary

 

[bigngreen]

I'm completely convinced that the third cell is nothing but a sales gimmick. Have used two screens as well as three screens side by side I see virtually identical results. There's the ongoing idea that the third screen prevents lost shots thru it, but have found that if one tosses the round out, the other will as well. The accuracey is about one quarter of one percent (difference in readings), and which is right nobody will ever know as it's impossible to have a perfect round over and over again. I'm just not gonna loose any sleep over five or six fps.
gary

I guess I could see that, in the cronying I do it's fairly obvious when you get a bogus number without the need for a second channel. It also happens so infrequently that it's not really a concern. I do prefer the idea of having a second channel or a second crony, even if it is more for a confidence factor.

 

[Trickymissfit]

I just got off the phone with PACT about the new XP chronograph with the inferred cells (they'll work in the dark!). Asked them about upgrading my old PC2 with the newer screens, and the guy told me that if I wanted to, I could trade my PC2 in for a 30% discount on the new XP! The XP has a serial port to download shot strings into a PC. A printer, and pretty much all the aftermarket bullets out there in it's software.
gary

 

[Moosetracker]

Here an evaluation of currently available chronographs conducted on 6mmBr and reported by the forum administrator, "Forum Boss"

"We tested all the major brands except the Pro Chrono.

1. Shooting Chrony -- Narrow sweet spot. Controls are confusing -- multiple pushes of same button required. Some units are very fussy as to light conditions. No IR option. Good Battery life.

2. PACT -- IR option doesn't work very well. Too many buttons on keypad. Thermo printer burns batteries quickly. We had to send one unit back. Having printer is nice, but overall, battery life is big issue.

3. Oehler 35P. Big, heavy with proof channel. Base unit very simple to use and very reliable. Sensors have proper lenses so the beam is focused, giving bigger sweet spot. Paper is very hard to feed when you run out. Battery life is pretty good considering it has a printer.

4. CED -- Small, light keypad. Nice big display. Keypad is pretty intuitive. Hinged sensor mounting bar is clever, compact when stored, but you have to be careful to slip the sensor bases on securely. IR option works good, IF you have the plugs seated tightly.

5. PVM-21 -- Once assembled (like a box kite), it is very fast, easy to set up. IR emitters work fantastic -- it will register lead pellets in complete darkness. AC adapter is funky. Unit works better with 12V battery but that has to be carried separately. Very reliable unit if you just use the white receiver box, but then you have to write down the results. Software is cranky to install and Not at all intuitive. Most guys using PVMs have given up on using with a lap-top. Unit desperately needs a better (less buggy and simpler) software interface, and it should be converted to run 5.5 volts so you could power from your laptop.

What would I buy? CED for entry level. Oehler if you have the money. PVM-21 if you shoot in low-light. PVM is excellent, but the computer interface is "not ready for prime time" and far too complex for most users. We had issues just installing the software on laptops -- you have to fiddle around to get the drivers to "take". If PVM would plug directly into USB port (like a printer) with clean software, it would be my choice for field assignments."

It seems that the Oehler 35P is still the gold standard for affordable chronographs. Oehler recently re-started production of this unit at a retail price of $575.

I've been using a CED Millenium II with the infra-red option and I'm very pleased with its reliability and consistency. I've had occasion to compare the CED MII with various chronys in the field over the past 2 years, and these comparisons have confirmed my choice, particularly with the infra-red option.

 

[Trickymissfit]

Here an evaluation of currently available chronographs conducted on 6mmBr and reported by the forum administrator, "Forum Boss"

"We tested all the major brands except the Pro Chrono.

1. Shooting Chrony -- Narrow sweet spot. Controls are confusing -- multiple pushes of same button required. Some units are very fussy as to light conditions. No IR option. Good Battery life.

2. PACT -- IR option doesn't work very well. Too many buttons on keypad. Thermo printer burns batteries quickly. We had to send one unit back. Having printer is nice, but overall, battery life is big issue.

3. Oehler 35P. Big, heavy with proof channel. Base unit very simple to use and very reliable. Sensors have proper lenses so the beam is focused, giving bigger sweet spot. Paper is very hard to feed when you run out. Battery life is pretty good considering it has a printer.

4. CED -- Small, light keypad. Nice big display. Keypad is pretty intuitive. Hinged sensor mounting bar is clever, compact when stored, but you have to be careful to slip the sensor bases on securely. IR option works good, IF you have the plugs seated tightly.

5. PVM-21 -- Once assembled (like a box kite), it is very fast, easy to set up. IR emitters work fantastic -- it will register lead pellets in complete darkness. AC adapter is funky. Unit works better with 12V battery but that has to be carried separately. Very reliable unit if you just use the white receiver box, but then you have to write down the results. Software is cranky to install and Not at all intuitive. Most guys using PVMs have given up on using with a lap-top. Unit desperately needs a better (less buggy and simpler) software interface, and it should be converted to run 5.5 volts so you could power from your laptop.

What would I buy? CED for entry level. Oehler if you have the money. PVM-21 if you shoot in low-light. PVM is excellent, but the computer interface is "not ready for prime time" and far too complex for most users. We had issues just installing the software on laptops -- you have to fiddle around to get the drivers to "take". If PVM would plug directly into USB port (like a printer) with clean software, it would be my choice for field assignments."

It seems that the Oehler 35P is still the gold standard for affordable chronographs. Oehler recently re-started production of this unit at a retail price of $575.

I've been using a CED Millenium II with the infra-red option and I'm very pleased with its reliability and consistency. I've had occasion to compare the CED MII with various chronys in the field over the past 2 years, and these comparisons have confirmed my choice, particularly with the infra-red option.

having never used a CED, I personally can't say much about them. But I can safely say the old PC2 is probably better than any chronograph you mentioned with one exception, and that difference is so minute that you can forget about it. The newer Pact with the inferred system is the best period. Has the best software package on the market. The basic box needs a couple small upgrades to make it a killer unit (two USB ports, and an SD / Compact Flash card reader slot).

The Ohler #35 is a great chronograph. Well built with the junkiest mount on the market. If you use the Square Peg mounting system you also add another $300 to an already too high of a price. No one has yet to prove the third cell to be of any serious value. This unit is for the guys that won Power Ball the week before. The difference between the Ohler 35 and the old Pact PC2 is about one fourth of one percent (.0025%), and yet you still do not know which one is right. (there is no sure fire way to calibrate any chronograph). Shooting the two units side by side one soon finds out that if one throws a round out, the other does as well

One thing consistent about Shooting Cronys at the range is the guys are always adjusting them. Seem to have an oddball shot on a regular basis. Move all over the place due to muzzel blast. But they do setup fast.

I can set the Pact up in about ten minutes and not be in a hurry. The Ohler will take at least three times that to get it right. I do like the spread of the cells better with the Ohler than the others, but once again I can't see an advantage in the readings. The Ohler is really too big to use with one tripod, but onthe otherhand is slightly more ridgid with two tripods once you finally get it aligned with the flight path. I have not used the Pact XP yet, and cannot say for sure just how stiff their new light bar is. The old one was extremely ridgid, and yet worked well with a camera tripod

Guess it's like Fords and Chevys in the end, and we all have opinions. But I'll take a Pact or an Ohler over all the rest anyday of the week
gary