Chronograph

[pacecars]

I am finally going to buy a chronograph and since most of my reloading is for handguns I thought I would ask this bunch what is the best or most reliable. I will also shoot some black powder cartridge rifles through it if that changes anything. Also the Labradar would be considers if y'all have any experience with it

 

[Ernie]

I have had a Labradar for quite some time now.
Dan has a magneto speed, but now Dan would like to get a Labradar.
Depending on the uses, a more inexpensive chronograph, can also work.
If you are going to confirm your drops anyway at different distances, if you're off a little bit won't really matter, as you will tweak your ballistic software to match your actual drops.

I'm not trying to talk you out of one, as I really like mine.
It's nice not to have to hook something up to the bottom of the barrel, or set up sky screens.

 

[just_jon]

Labradar Is the way to go. I still use an optical chrono for my rifles than run in excess of Labradar's speed limit (3900 fps), but setting them is just a PITA.

 

[Reelamin]

Pro Chrono.....simple, accurate, and a phenomenal warranty. I have broken mine twice knocking it over and costs very little to get fixed. Buddy has a labradar and hates it.

 

[jimbires]

I've had a labradar for awhile , I really like it . I use it with an external battery . the small USB plug on the labradar , for the external battery , is a delicate thing . I sent mine back for replacement . other than that I think it's great .

 

[Lapuatom]

I am finally going to buy a chronograph and since most of my reloading is for handguns I thought I would ask this bunch what is the best or most reliable. I will also shoot some black powder cartridge rifles through it if that changes anything. Also the Labradar would be considers if y'all have any experience with it

Got a labradar a few years back, now shoot evrything through it and I am more than pleased with the performance. Its now an integral part of my shooting/ load developing process.

 

[biednick]

I've used optical chronographs, a magnetospeed, and a Labradar. The labradar is the only one I've kept.

Setting up optical chronos is a pain. If the lighting isn't right they don't work well. They take longer to set up. On a public range they're a pain since you can't just walk down range whenever you want.

The magnetospeed solves those issues, but doesn't work well with handguns. I got it to work on songle shots, but never even tried on a revolver.

The labradar solves the issues with optical chronos and works well with handguns. The two main downsides are battery life and trigger sensitivity with some quiet firearms like 22lrs. The battery life issue can be resolved with a USB battery pack and the trigger issue can be resolved with an external mic.

I've found the downrange velocity provided by my labradar to be very useful with cast bullets. I can calculate BC using velocity at the muzzle and at 100 yards which gets my drop close when I start shooting out to 200 or 500.

 

[Still Learnin']

I got a Magnetospeed for Xmas. Haven't used it yet, though. Biggest complaint I've seen (other than the above from biednick) is that it affects accuracy unless installed on a pic/Arca mount. So, I got that for Xmas too! MK Machining mount. Comes with everything you need, including Magnetospeed if you want. $320. Should be able to use on all my rifles, and pistols that have pic rail.

https://www.mkmachining.com/product...onograph-picantinny-rail-mount-adaptor-combo/

 

[Randominator]

I have used a Pro Chrono for over 30 years and had never had an issue.

I also have an Oehler 33 that is super accurate but takes a while to set up. This chronograph is also for sale currently.

I tried the Labradar at my local range a few years ago but had issues with them picking up rimfire and suppressed shots.

I have a Magnetospeed that is used for 90% of my chronograph work. This thing is awesome.

 

[dfanonymous]

To be honest, the amount of money I would have saved over say, a decade from not shooting my optical chrono, if labradar would have existed back when…