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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Do I need a chronograph?
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<blockquote data-quote="JTComfort" data-source="post: 2000346" data-attributes="member: 103514"><p>I began shooting precision rifle several years ago with a .308 (maybe not the most "precise" option, but a great learning platform). At first I used a friend's LabRadar and I quickly saw the value of the data you could collect quickly and easily and how much that data informed my choices for ammunition, projectiles and reloading tweaks. Using a chronograph is critical to knowing what's going on once the projectile leaves the muzzle of YOUR rifle. Velocity is everything when understanding trajectory - someone else's data will not apply to you universally. Others have pointed out "accuracy" at 100 yards can be achieved with wide swings in sd/es and "minute of steel" accuracy out to 400 yards can be misleading. Consider your purposes and study ballistic charts to understand what an "average" ballistic arc looks like for your caliber and ammo specs. If killing a bull elk at 300 yards or ringing IPSC plates out to 500 yards with a .308 is your game, you probably don't need a chrono to be successful and have a lot of fun. My .308 will shoot an 8" kill zone, point blank out to 283 yards and I can confidently ring a full sized IPSC out to 450 w/o dialing a correction. Beyond that there are holds or dial-ups to consider - I know that the rifle is .3moa accurate and my DOPE tells me that my wind holds and dial-ups are good out to 1200. But to achieve precision - .moa/sub-moa at 600, 800, 1000+, - requires good reloading practices and as well as good data. BTW - LabRadar is top-drawer.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JTComfort, post: 2000346, member: 103514"] I began shooting precision rifle several years ago with a .308 (maybe not the most "precise" option, but a great learning platform). At first I used a friend's LabRadar and I quickly saw the value of the data you could collect quickly and easily and how much that data informed my choices for ammunition, projectiles and reloading tweaks. Using a chronograph is critical to knowing what's going on once the projectile leaves the muzzle of YOUR rifle. Velocity is everything when understanding trajectory - someone else's data will not apply to you universally. Others have pointed out "accuracy" at 100 yards can be achieved with wide swings in sd/es and "minute of steel" accuracy out to 400 yards can be misleading. Consider your purposes and study ballistic charts to understand what an "average" ballistic arc looks like for your caliber and ammo specs. If killing a bull elk at 300 yards or ringing IPSC plates out to 500 yards with a .308 is your game, you probably don't need a chrono to be successful and have a lot of fun. My .308 will shoot an 8" kill zone, point blank out to 283 yards and I can confidently ring a full sized IPSC out to 450 w/o dialing a correction. Beyond that there are holds or dial-ups to consider - I know that the rifle is .3moa accurate and my DOPE tells me that my wind holds and dial-ups are good out to 1200. But to achieve precision - .moa/sub-moa at 600, 800, 1000+, - requires good reloading practices and as well as good data. BTW - LabRadar is top-drawer. [/QUOTE]
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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Do I need a chronograph?
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