LabRadar question

[venatic]

I have had my Labradar since they hit the market.
First thing I did was run it side by side against 35P and Magnetospeed and all were very close with the Labradar and Magnetospeed getting same numbers often.
I have used mine quite a bit and yea I have had a couple of glitches over the years but turning off and restarting always got it back running and it's been the best Chrono for what I do.
I tell most folks to just get the Magnetospeed for occasional use but if you are checking lots of guns and loads it just takes too much time and the POI change wastes ammo.
I don't even have batteries in mine I just hook to the recharging booster making sure it's on the 1amp slot( that caused some head scratching)
I downloaded the app tried it and then deleted it as it didn't work for me.

 

[J E Custom]

Just a question for those that have a Lab radar.

In my investigation of all chronograph brands and types another problem was mentioned, and not believing anything unless I have first hand experience or witness it my self, I was told that Muzzle brakes interfered with the function unless the instrument was placed out front where the side blast could not impact it.

I see pictures of it setup beside the muzzle and was just asking if this was true ?

J E CUSTOM

 

[venatic]

I shot mine yesterday with 28 Nolser 6.5 PRC and 6.5 Creedmoor all had muzzle brakes. I actually used it both ways as one gun has long barrel.
I either put it about 18 inches past the brake or 1 foot behind the brake on a tripod or you could just set it on the bench on either side behind the brake all would work fine.
A muzzle brake set too close or beside it will definitely mess up the reading. Also Suppressors have to be behind and close to the unit so it can hear the report.
I have not had much trouble with it hearing other rifles around me although if there is a very loud rifle say 6 ft away it will activate and give the missed shot warning.
That's why I always bring a loud muzzle braked rifle to keep my fellow shooter at a safe social distance.

 

[Roninco]

I get reliable results from my LabRadar when placing the side 8" from the barrel (make the adjustment in the settings menu) and the muzzle brake about a foot in front of the unit. How far in front depends on the blast direction of the brake. Non-brake muzzles are nearly inline with the side of the unit.
I have run the LabRadar and Magnetospeed together and find the speeds within 10 FPS of one another. The slight difference may be the LabRadar offset.
Small calibers will read to a maximum of 50 yards while larger calibers may read to 100 yards.
LabRadar will not read shotgun pellet velocity (too many pellets and the wad) but may read a shotgun slug. The Magnetospeed will record a shotgun shell velocity with the proper setting adjustments.
The iPhone app was not worth the effort. I did not have the LabRadar rebooting problem but would regularly loose the Bluetooth connection.
I have not used any of the external triggers.
I did add the sight from MK Machining. Aiming the device is more reliable at distances beyond 300 yards.
I highly recommend the external battery pack. It will last several long periods of use. Batteries will last a few short range sessions but they will die when you are trying to eek out a few more shots.
I made my own labels for some of the buttons. It helped when using it the first few months.

 

[nksmfamjp]

In my investigation of all chronograph brands and types another problem was mentioned, and not believing anything unless I have first hand experience or witness it my self, I was told that Muzzle brakes interfered with the function unless the instrument was placed out front where the side blast could not impact it.

I set it about 12" to the side and move it back until the muzzle brake doesn't move it anymore.

 

[J E Custom]

I set it about 12" to the side and move it back until the muzzle brake doesn't move it anymore.

Thanks.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Scott E Ames]

I have no problem with .224 bullets. You do need to read and follow the instructions for programming bullet size/weight into the unit. Very easy with a small amount of practice, takes about 20 seconds. Don't know about the 3900 FPS deal as I have never tried it out on my 220 Swift since the book said it wouldn't work. The only problems I have had was when 2 or 3 other labradars are on the range (they are very popular here) and lots of people are firing all at once, you will get a failure to capture error from the other shooters that needs to be cleared or it won't see your next shot. It is very rare that any other shooter's bullet gets picked up by mine, just the muzzle blast causing the unit to trigger. Our benches are about 6 feet apart and most people have so much equipment these days that we all use 2 benches and this spacing seems to be good to keep the other bullets from being picked up. If there are lots of shooters you can turn the sensitivity for the sound trigger down, also easy, so you get less false triggers by the unit. After 2 or 3 trips to the range you will find it is your favorite toy.

 

[Scott E Ames]

Just a question for those that have a Lab radar.

In my investigation of all chronograph brands and types another problem was mentioned, and not believing anything unless I have first hand experience or witness it my self, I was told that Muzzle brakes interfered with the function unless the instrument was placed out front where the side blast could not impact it.

I see pictures of it setup beside the muzzle and was just asking if this was true ?

J E CUSTOM

I find with my muzzle brake guns that it works best with the muzzle 18-20 inches in front of the unit and about 8-12 inches to the side rather than behind.

PLUS I got this battery pack. More power and less $ than the LabRadar unit.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VWG2L4D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It will run the LabRadar and a "Chamber Chiller" for 4 or 5 trips to the range no problem. Otherwise you better get a lot of AA batteries.

 

[Dr. Vette]

I have not had a problem with brakes messing up any readings.

For some reason, my iPhone app works much better than the one on my iPad. I had to use the pad Saturday so I could use my phone as the timer, and noted more difficulty keeping connected.

As I've stated before, a faster SD card makes a difference, as does using a battery pack.

 

[cohunt]

I have not had a problem with brakes messing up any readings.

For some reason, my iPhone app works much better than the one on my iPad. I had to use the pad Saturday so I could use my phone as the timer, and noted more difficulty keeping connected.

As I've stated before, a faster SD card makes a difference, as does using a battery pack.

interesting about the sd card-- I bought the recommended one with the larget memory that the labradar supports and I always use an external battery pack--I wonder if thats why I dont have connection issues? weird, but I'll take it