Labaradar

summitsitter said:
Why are there so many for sale in all the classifieds. Is there a major con to them?
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Very fussy about aiming and the app is very quirky and difficult if there's too many at the range they interfere with each other. They're very big require extra stands microphones, etc. the Garmin xero is so small and simple and never misses a shot. The labradar will miss shots left and right all day long.
 
I had very good luck with my LabRadar. I had no complaints but there was a short learning curve. I went to the Garmin because it is MUCH smaller and I have way too much to lug to the bench already. Now that I've used the Garmin, it is easier to set-up and operate in almost every way.

However, now that you can buy a LabRadar, with all the bells and whistles, (here) for less than 1/2 of its retail cost, it's a better deal than ever before. Not everyone wants to drop $600+ for the little Garmin.
 
Varmint Hunter said:
I had very good luck with my LabRadar. I had no complaints but there was a short learning curve. I went to the Garmin because it is MUCH smaller and I have way too much to lug to the bench already. Now that I've used the Garmin, it is easier to set-up and operate in almost every way.

However, now that you can buy a LabRadar, with all the bells and whistles, (here) for less than 1/2 of its retail cost, it's a better deal than ever before. Not everyone wants to drop $600+ for the little Garmin.
Click to expand...
I use a LabRadar at my CO place where I step out of the door of my reloading room and have a covered shooting area. LabRadar works fine for this application. In AZ, I have a Garmin for the simple fact it is so small I can put it in my pack and set up when shooting LR at rocks in the desert. I also do most of my load development in AZ and the Garmin summarizes shots far easier than LabRadar, which is very obtuse. LabRadar's reputation for missed shots is not nearly as aggravating as the fact the cord to my rechargeable battery is so finicky. But LabRadar works well enough for my needs. Magneto Speed? Sits in my reloading room. Old Chrony's? Out in the garage under a pile of old caribou and elk racks.
 
Similar to what's already been said, but I had a Labradar for a few years and had no real issues with it. I only used it for probably 10-15 range sessions, it missed a few shots but overall worked well. However once the new Garmin came out I immediately sold it and picked that up mostly due to the size. That's why I didn't use the Labradar more often, it was huge to carry around so only brought it when I needed to. I haven't had a chance to use the Garmin much yet but knowing I can bring it along anytime I'm shooting without much effort is a huge upgrade to me.
 
My only complaint with the Garmin is that the LCD display could be a little larger for my aging eyes. :D The Garmin is such a small package that the display is correspondingly small.
 
wdrjr said:
Can you sync the Garmin with a phone, ipad or a laptop?
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The Garmin easily syncs to the Garmin ap "ShotView". Even a troglodyte like me managed to do it. Supposedly, whenever your phone is near the Garmin, the chronograph will update its software automatically. However, mine worked just fine with the original software.
 
I am loving my Labradar. Its a huge step up from the old chronograph. So much easier to set up and use. I don't usually shoot next to others at the range so it works perfect for me. I bought the $12 aiming device on ebay and I haven't missed a shot yet…except for when I forgot to arm it. I took advantage of the ~$200 used price since the market is flooded with them as guys are dumping them for the garmins.
 
trout004 said:
I am loving my Labradar. Its a huge step up from the old chronograph. So much easier to set up and use. I don't usually shoot next to others at the range so it works perfect for me. I bought the $12 aiming device on ebay and I haven't missed a shot yet…except for when I forgot to arm it. I took advantage of the ~$200 used price since the market is flooded with them as guys are dumping them for the garmins.
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I never saw a need for the aiming device. I started by using the McDonalds straw, as people had recommended. It wasn't long before I just looked through the little V notch without a problem. The beam emitted by the unit must be fairly wide because even when I switch to a target backer that the unit wasn't aimed at, the unit still recorded the velocity.

The only quirky problem that I ever had was the unit periodically failed to record Sierra 130TMK bullets. Not on just one day, but several. It recorded every other bullet, big & small, but hated those Sierras. How odd is that?

One recommendation for LabRadar users - Get a magnetic charging cord (Amazon) to run from the ext battery to the unit. This prevents you from plugging the cord in & out of the frail female receptacle on the unit. Currently, I use them to recharge everything. They are very convenient.
 
Good idea with the magnetic cord. Yeah, aiming isn't too difficult, but it really works well if you have one. The one I bought is 3D printed, screws into one of the screw mounting holes on the frame. Has a nice little crosshair.

www.ebay.com

Labradar Low Profile S ight | eBay

Low Profile Sight for Labradar chronograph. Fits comfortably in Labradar case. Shown with anti-rotation adapter also installed.
www.ebay.com
 
The new Garmin chrono is better, and lots of people are unloading Labradars to get the new cool thing. If you can swing the $600 for the Garmin there's no disadvantages to it for the vast majority of shooters. If you're looking for something cheaper or are one of the few people that has a reason to collect downrange velocity the labradar is still a good device.

The only time I find mine finicky is when I want to record both muzzle velocity and velocity at 100yd. It takes a bit of effort to get it lined up well for that. There's no reason to collect downrange velocity unless you're shooting a bullet with no published BC (cast bullets in my case), so the vast majority of shooters will never have a reason to care about that. I don't think the app is bad, but I only use it to arm, disarm, create new strings, and name strings. I do all my analysis on a computer using the csv files it creates. It's definitely bulky and sucks a lot of batteries if you don't use an external battery pack.
 

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