Chronograph necessary?

[wagspe208]

So, assume I have a weapon capable....
It seems as if reloading is pretty necessary for a ton of reasons...
IF it is necessary, or just desired, then a chronograph IS required??
It seems as if not using factory ammo, calculating bullet drop is not very accurate "guessing" on velocity?
Put another way... is a chronograph necessary, or pretty **** important.
Wags

 

[J E Custom]

So, assume I have a weapon capable....
It seems as if reloading is pretty necessary for a ton of reasons...
IF it is necessary, or just desired, then a chronograph IS required??
It seems as if not using factory ammo, calculating bullet drop is not very accurate "guessing" on velocity?
Put another way... is a chronograph necessary, or pretty **** important.
Wags

Cost is the only downside.

A chronograph is an invaluable tool if you reload and it can keep you safe and have a major effect
on the quality of your ammo.

I did without one for many years but once I bought one My accuracy improved, my cost went down and the knowledge I gained was invaluable.

Not a must, But darn close in my opinion.

J E CUSTOM

 

[wagspe208]

That is what I thought...
It would show if you had a reloading consistency issue, vs a rifle equipment issue if you ran into issues.
Thanks
Wags

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Cost is the only downside.

A chronograph is an invaluable tool if you reload and it can keep you safe and have a major effect
on the quality of your ammo.

I did without one for many years but once I bought one My accuracy improved, my cost went down and the knowledge I gained was invaluable.

Not a must, But darn close in my opinion.

J E CUSTOM

Same here.

 

[Alaska2006]

chrono is fairly critical in my opinion. That said best money spent is a good ballistic solver, Kestrel with Applied Ballistics program. You will need a close starting point estimate on MV but can get actual bullet drop and plug into ballistic solver and you're off to the races.

In terms of Chrono, best thing going is Lab Radar. This tool has help me better understand what is important to obtain repeatable results and what is just a waste of time when it comes to hand loading.

Good luck in your quest for precision

 

[Rick Richard]

Necessary only if you are serious about shooting the best groups consistently from your rifle. As mentioned before, it can tell you a lot of information about the load.

I have Magnetospeed and very satisfied with it.

 

[ATH]

Velocity is not free. It costs pressure. I have been in multiple situations where the chronograph warned me I was at pressures the brass was not obviously showing.

Today I was doing load development for a precision AR I just built. Due to both time and temperatures, I elected not to go to the effort of setting up my chronograph until a later session. I fired a range of loads within the min/max on the Hodgdon website. I had an accuracy node on the lower end, and everything else was unacceptable. But it appeared I was approaching another node on the upper end. So I loaded a couple more sets, with the highest being 0.1gr over the Hodgdon listed max. Upon firing them, 3 of the 5 cases at that highest load came close to head separation. The load 0.2gr lighter had not showed clear signs on the cases that I was that close to issues. None of the primers were cratered or flattened.

If I had had the chrono set up, I'd bet $100 I would have looked at it, seen how high I was, and known to pull the bullets on the highest load.

 

[Capt RB]

You can figure out your velocity from your drops. You can see your consistency in your vertical at range. You can figure out your components sensitivity to weather and which way the load needs to go from the current temp to get back to the node. That all cost time and experience. You can figure this out in days with a good chronograph. Your going to shoot along time before you have enough dope to know the trend even with all the information available on the web.
Education no matter how you get it costs something of value. Time money sweat equity. Your choice which payment method you use

 

[royinidaho]

What J E Custom said goes for me also.

But. . . get a good one. I'd recommend the MagnoSpeed sporter hoping its as accurate as the full blown one that I have.

Getting that ES down to single digits increases confidence in LR/ELR and reduces time and cost significantly.

 

[J E Custom]

What J E Custom said goes for me also.

But. . . get a good one. I'd recommend the MagnoSpeed sporter hoping its as accurate as the full blown one that I have.

Getting that ES down to single digits increases confidence in LR/ELR and reduces time and cost significantly.

+1
You get what you pay for in accuracy and dependability if you buy a good chronograph.

I have tried many different chronographs and finally bought the Ohler 35 P and never looked back. It
is the bench mark for chronographs In my opinion. There are other good models But This is a very Accurate Chronograph for the money.

The only downside is the set up at the range when lots of people are there and you have to wait for the line to shut down to get out front to set it up. Enter the Magneto Speed. for this situation I bough a Magneto Speed and use it under these conditions and when I test in poor light.

I have compared the Magneto Speeds Performance against the Ohler and it is spot on. Set up is easy
and alignment of the "Bayonet" is the only part that you must do right. (I simply insert a cleaning rod in the barrel from the receiver end to help adjust the gap between the bore and the Bayonet.

I have even used the Magneto Speed in the dark with great success just to check a new batch of ammo.

Ether one is a good buy

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[Kansaswoodguy]

I think if your serious about shooting long range than a chronograph is a necessity. I have the Magnetospeed Sporter and I like it a lot. It's a little more cumbersome to use than the more expensive version in getting the info out of the unit but it's half the price. I shot without a chrony for a long time but after getting a reliable easy to use one I would not even consider doing load work ups without one now. The added info the chrony gives you saves tons of reloading components to the point that if you tinker a lot with different loads it will pay for itself in saved components over time.

 

[royinidaho]

+1

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

J E

Your opinion is pretty much gospel around my place.

Merry Christmas and a great shoot'n New Year...

 

[J E Custom]

J E

Your opinion is pretty much gospel around my place.

Merry Christmas and a great shoot'n New Year...

Thanks for all of your contributions to this site and myself. And you have a great Christmas and many more good years.

J E CUSTOM