I have an older, Pact chronograph that I want to upgrade. I want to avoid another optical chrono because of the typical problems with narrow window, changing light problems, and I just want something NEW. The Magnetospeed is probably easy to set up and use, but requires re-setup when I change rifles. Also the weight on the end of the barrel will effect accuracy, so ladder testing may not be straight forward. I shoot calibers above .264", so the problems that I have read about with smaller caliber bullets with the LabRader should not be an issue. Some negative comments on set up, ease of use, power, and and battery life have me concerned about paying $600 to set up a new LabRadar. What are your thoughts on this quandary?
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LabRadar vs. Magnetospeed
- Thread starter bgouin
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FearNoWind
Well-Known Member
1. I own(ed) two Magnetospeed chronographs (V2 and Sporter)
2. If you want to spend $380 mopre for the LabRader to avoid setup then nothing I say will change your mind.
3. The Magnetospeed will definately affect where you print on target, compared to your shot group that develops without it. That's to be expected because anything attached to your barrel will do the same thing. However, while the group may print somewhat wider or higher with the Magnetospeed in place than it might with it removed, in my experience the group size maintains its integrity. Furthermore, the chronograph (any chronograph) is designed to register muzzle velocity ONLY. It is not designed to support accuracy. Get the load working, then check the velocity data. Or, if you'd prefer, get the velocity data then tweak the load for best on target performance.
4. I initially purchased the Magnetospeed V2. Nice features, cute little carrying case. Worked perfectly. But I found all I really needed was what's included in the Magnetospeed Sporter package. A mere $180 and I've got money to spend on other nice reloading stuff. I gave the V2 to my son.
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2. If you want to spend $380 mopre for the LabRader to avoid setup then nothing I say will change your mind.
3. The Magnetospeed will definately affect where you print on target, compared to your shot group that develops without it. That's to be expected because anything attached to your barrel will do the same thing. However, while the group may print somewhat wider or higher with the Magnetospeed in place than it might with it removed, in my experience the group size maintains its integrity. Furthermore, the chronograph (any chronograph) is designed to register muzzle velocity ONLY. It is not designed to support accuracy. Get the load working, then check the velocity data. Or, if you'd prefer, get the velocity data then tweak the load for best on target performance.
4. I initially purchased the Magnetospeed V2. Nice features, cute little carrying case. Worked perfectly. But I found all I really needed was what's included in the Magnetospeed Sporter package. A mere $180 and I've got money to spend on other nice reloading stuff. I gave the V2 to my son.
gun) - - - - - - - - (X)
Excellent job FearNoWind!! I was going to type out a super long reply but I couldn't have said it any better, so I'll make it short. I use my Magnetospeed sporter only to verify speeds then it comes off.
Best purchase I ever made in a chronograph.
Best purchase I ever made in a chronograph.
bob4
Well-Known Member
I'll 2nd or 3rd that.
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We sell them both and both are great products.
But there is some misinformation here about the LR.
1. smaller caliber issues have been resolved long ago...almost a year ago.
2. Initial setup is easy and fast. And after initial setup, subsequent use has no setup at all. I store mine on its own flat base mount. When heading to the range I pick it up by grabbing the top of the unit, carry it to the car. At the range I plop it onto the top of the bench, turn on the power, push one other button twice quickly and fire my rifle. That's it.
3. I don't know what the power issues are that are being referred to but I don't experience any. Unless it refers to some thinking that they need to use the unit to measure BC's. That's a worthless feature as BC's calculated over such a short distance are not usable. So it's a moot point if the power is low. And I don't know if it is low since I have no use for the feature.
4. Battery life is a little short but batteries are cheap. And...I have learned to keep the arming active time set to a short duration. It's easy to reach over and re-arm the unit just before I am ready to fire again. Takes about 3 seconds.
Honestly, this LabRadar unit is amazingly easy to use. I used it at the shooting classes last summer. sometimes we need to help a shooter chrono his bullet and run a ballistic chart in order to create and then to validate trajectory. It never misses a reading either. Regardless of light conditions.
Again, I just grab the top of the unit to pick it up, plop it down where the shooter's rifle is setting. Push the button to arm it and fire.
Again, the Magnetospeed is great. So is the LR.
But there is some misinformation here about the LR.
1. smaller caliber issues have been resolved long ago...almost a year ago.
2. Initial setup is easy and fast. And after initial setup, subsequent use has no setup at all. I store mine on its own flat base mount. When heading to the range I pick it up by grabbing the top of the unit, carry it to the car. At the range I plop it onto the top of the bench, turn on the power, push one other button twice quickly and fire my rifle. That's it.
3. I don't know what the power issues are that are being referred to but I don't experience any. Unless it refers to some thinking that they need to use the unit to measure BC's. That's a worthless feature as BC's calculated over such a short distance are not usable. So it's a moot point if the power is low. And I don't know if it is low since I have no use for the feature.
4. Battery life is a little short but batteries are cheap. And...I have learned to keep the arming active time set to a short duration. It's easy to reach over and re-arm the unit just before I am ready to fire again. Takes about 3 seconds.
Honestly, this LabRadar unit is amazingly easy to use. I used it at the shooting classes last summer. sometimes we need to help a shooter chrono his bullet and run a ballistic chart in order to create and then to validate trajectory. It never misses a reading either. Regardless of light conditions.
Again, I just grab the top of the unit to pick it up, plop it down where the shooter's rifle is setting. Push the button to arm it and fire.
Again, the Magnetospeed is great. So is the LR.
Darkker
Well-Known Member
+ 3 to FearNoWind!!!
+4, I've had my magneto speed sporter attached while popping 1/2 gal jugs at 1k to get a long string of readings and not waste any ammo. By te visual impacts I couldn't tell a difference in noticable grouping it just threw the bullets about 3moa higher. I've inly had two misreadings with mine. One was with cast 22 short ammo with the magneto on the lowest setting to test it and when I forgot to remove the aligning dowel from the muzzle of my 284win. That was a little freaky to fire and see saw dust come out the muzzle. Destroyed the bayonet though.
Kyle
Kyle
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
The advantage to the Magneto speed in my opinion is the ease of use.
No light is required, it will clamp on almost any firearm(Pistol, rifle, shotgun and even the stabilizer of a bow.
There is little chance of shooting it if it is installed on the fire arm correctly.
You don't have to move anything if you want to shoot another target, and It is extremely accurate.
There is no interference from other sources that can give you different readings. (That I understand that the Lab radar can/will pick up other peoples bullets if fired in the same general direction).
You don't have to go out in front of the firing line at the range that requires shutting the range down
The only downside to the Magneto Speed is the fact that it can change the POA. (Which to me is not an issue because when using any chronograph what you are looking for is SD,s And ES,S and after you get these down to the level you can work on the Zero/POA.
I have a friend that lives in the country and while working up a load in his shop he can and does go outside and fires a round in the dark and goes back inside to log the results. (He doesn't recommend this unless you know what your backstop is).
I find myself using my Ohler less and less because of set up time and range closure to set up.
I don't own a lab radar and don't know how position tolerant it is but you would have to move it
(I Think to shoot at a different target) making it less user friendly. If I am wrong about this I hope someone corrects me.
J E CUSTOM
J E CUSTOM
No light is required, it will clamp on almost any firearm(Pistol, rifle, shotgun and even the stabilizer of a bow.
There is little chance of shooting it if it is installed on the fire arm correctly.
You don't have to move anything if you want to shoot another target, and It is extremely accurate.
There is no interference from other sources that can give you different readings. (That I understand that the Lab radar can/will pick up other peoples bullets if fired in the same general direction).
You don't have to go out in front of the firing line at the range that requires shutting the range down
The only downside to the Magneto Speed is the fact that it can change the POA. (Which to me is not an issue because when using any chronograph what you are looking for is SD,s And ES,S and after you get these down to the level you can work on the Zero/POA.
I have a friend that lives in the country and while working up a load in his shop he can and does go outside and fires a round in the dark and goes back inside to log the results. (He doesn't recommend this unless you know what your backstop is).
I find myself using my Ohler less and less because of set up time and range closure to set up.
I don't own a lab radar and don't know how position tolerant it is but you would have to move it
(I Think to shoot at a different target) making it less user friendly. If I am wrong about this I hope someone corrects me.
J E CUSTOM
J E CUSTOM
royinidaho
Well-Known Member
+ whatever it's up to now....
For me the magnetospeed V3 purchased from Len, has upped my program a ton.
I'm confident of readings. Data logging is stupendous.
I dump the stored file into spreadsheet, word processor, and my records become long lasting and better reference material than my chicken scratching in log books.
I don't know about the LR but record keeping is a key feature for me.
Also the MS V3 data is bomb/old man/etc proof. I've made some major absent minded moves with it and haven't lost data yet.
For me the magnetospeed V3 purchased from Len, has upped my program a ton.
I'm confident of readings. Data logging is stupendous.
I dump the stored file into spreadsheet, word processor, and my records become long lasting and better reference material than my chicken scratching in log books.
I don't know about the LR but record keeping is a key feature for me.
Also the MS V3 data is bomb/old man/etc proof. I've made some major absent minded moves with it and haven't lost data yet.
I have currently a V2 and V3 Magnetospeed. Both work great and are easy to use.
I ordered a Labradar back in October because I wanted to use the chronograph during load workup. I noticed POI variations with the bayonet attached.
If you are considering a Labradar I would get it on order ASAP, the ship dates keep getting longer. When I ordered mine it was suppose to ship in December, now they are out to April. Don't know when they will ship mine.
Randy
I ordered a Labradar back in October because I wanted to use the chronograph during load workup. I noticed POI variations with the bayonet attached.
If you are considering a Labradar I would get it on order ASAP, the ship dates keep getting longer. When I ordered mine it was suppose to ship in December, now they are out to April. Don't know when they will ship mine.
Randy
mobenzowner
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2016
- Messages
- 684
Certainly dont want to hijack the thread in anyway but from what I have gathered here the magnetospeed shifts POI higher??Is that correct?
royinidaho
Well-Known Member
Yes but what difference does that make?
That's a huge disadvantage to the magnetospeed in my opinion. I shoot for accuracy and chronograph at the same time, I don't want to have to run twice as many rounds down my barrel to get results that could be had with a chronograph that didn't attach to the barrel.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Anything that is added to the muzzle of a barrel "can" shift the Point of impact because of harmonics
On heaver barrels, I find little if any shift and as I said earlier, And I don't worry about one or two MOA while Chronographing on the light barrels because of what I am trying to do.
Even when using my Ohler, I had to re set the screens to shoot a different group so normally I just kept shooting at the same POI and logging the results of each load. With the Magneto Speed you can shoot multiple targets with the same set up without fear of putting a bullet through your expensive chronograph And even though the POI may shift, the difference in group size is fairly consistent and gives you an idea of what you can expect when you remove it.
There are pluses and minuses to every system and one has to decide what is best for him/her.
The Ohler chronographs are the industry standard for accuracy and I would never sell mine, but I find my self using the Magneto speed more and more because of the convenience and accuracy.
I have nothing against other systems, I just prefer the two that I use based on my needs.
When Chronographing, you are looking for the most consistent powder, primer and bullet weight
that gives you the best SD's and ES's. Once you find that you then start working on accuracy using the data that you developed with the chronograph.
Accuracy and extreme SD's don't always go hand and hand. so often we have to compromise and look for a happy medium.
Just my opinion
J E CUSTOM
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