Magnetospeed vs labradar

[RegionRat]

I have an Oehler 35P, a ProChrono, a LabRadar, and Magnetospeed, and still use them all.

I will admit that it takes time to set up the 35P and I only do it for nostalgia since the MS and LR are known to be pretty good in terms of accuracy. The LR is always with me at the club range and I have used it on other folks as much as my own stuff. It has been a real help to many other long range and mid range shooters in terms of troubleshooting.

I plan to keep them all, but I find the LR to be my go-to unit since it doesn't require special hardware to attach to anyone else's gun on the drop of a dime, nor is it difficult to set up. Is it perfect? No, I had to learn what makes it work in terms of muzzle brakes and shooting around other active benches. However those are very simple menu picks and positioning of the unit relative to the muzzle, no big deal.

In the MR and LR games, the other benefit is that the data tracks the projectile out a ways and we can determine the match to our ballistics models. It is like having another chrono downrange.

If you have a MS and budget is an issue, I would say not to worry about it. If budget is not an issue, then you will eventually get to try someone's LR and get one if you like it. Having at least one of them is a real time saver for load development and troubleshooting.

 

[Dell]

Che

I am in the market for a new chronograph and I was wanting to get some opinions of people that own or have experience with the Magnetospeed and the LabRadar chronographs. Needs some opinions with pros and cons for each. I currently have the pro chrono with the digital upgrade to connect directly to my laptop while at the range.

Check out the 100 plus customer reviews on the LabRadar unit at Midway USA. Pretty good stuff from current users.

 

[Lasiter]

Labradar with base etc is like $650. A Magneto Speed Sporter is $180.
Labradar weight is about 4 lbs. A Magneto Speed weighs about 1/2 lb and fits in your range bag.
Both provide accurate bullet speed, ES, SD, and average speed.
I like to use the Magneto Speed every now and then when out practicing in the field. It is hard to set up a Labrador in awkward uneven terrain or if you point the rifle in a different direction then you have to move the Labradar again.

A month or two back the Labradar was on sale at several places for around $500, accessories extra. A Lab owner at my range said he loved it, but if you were too close to other shooters you could get false readings.

 

[Greensnake]

I've had both at the same time and sold my V3. For me it was the set up on the V3 that I hated going thru every time for each rifle I shoot and the constant checking to make sure that it wasnt coming loose. Did it work? Yes, very well. No complaints as far as numbers seen when compared to the LabRadar. Now for the LabRadar. Takes time to get the placement right sometimes, not all the time. In fact, when I first got it and tried to use it, it drove me crazy not picking up shots. Now I rarely have a problem, but when I do, its because of me usually. Yes it costs more. And you have to handle it like its made of glass. Factor in a case to transport it in, and a different base for range days.

 

[stirner]

I don't know if you saw the following youtube video where the fella purchased both and reviews them.

I don't know if it is appropriate to link to videos on this forum so if not (and the video is removed); copy/paste the following into youtube search: Labradar Vs. MagnetoSpeed Chronographs (1)

The cliffnotes version: He liked both units but he decided to keep the Labradar because he didn't like the POI shift with the MS.

How much of a POI shift was there? Also, was there a change in the group size?

 

[stirner]

I have owned the LR for a couple of years now, and love it. There was a learning curve at first: I kept forgetting to arm the sensor before I shot, and placement of the various rifles. I now set the unit 18" from the rifles on a tripod, that seems to work best with those with a brake. I put the battery pack in a glove when it's cold (10 degrees or more) and in my pocket when I'm changing targets or rifles. I also plug it into the UBC port in my truck going to and from the range.

 

[hrh00b]

I had the labradar and sold it to get the v3. My problem with the labradar was that most of my guns wear a muzzle brake when the suppressor isnt on the gun. The setup was always a little finicky getting it aimed, but when shooting the braked rifles, there were times I just gave up. I couldn't find a spot that it would read with some of the bigger brakes from a 6mm creedmoor to a 338 lapua. The magnetospeed is pretty fool proof.

 

[ltcjwb]

Where u find the ms sportier for 180?

Brownells, $179.00. Amazon, $181.55, Free Shipping with Prime, get it Monday.

 

[7stwnut]

Where u find the ms sportier for 180?

Midway just had them for $149.00

 

[Buzzsaw]

isnt the complete v3 kit better?

 

[ronstone09]

i have both and prefer the labradar to the magnetospeed if you can afford the difference in price ! the only downside i see for the labradar is its 100 yd target distance ! the labradar give you much more information also !

 

[ronstone09]

i have both but prefer the labradar over the magnetospeed for several reasons, i dont have to attach it to my barrel and dont have to keep tightening the bracket ! the labradar gives me more information when checking factory vs my handloads ! the price is about double but i feel its worth it !

 

[ilc]

I went through the same decision making process recently, and chose the MS. Sadly, I haven't had the chance to use it yet, it's still in its shrink-wrapped box.

The problem for me with the LR is it's reportedly poor performance with small calibre high velocity bullets. I have a .17 and a 220 swift so the LR was out.

Being a ballistics nerd it was hard to give up the downrange information that the LR provides, however I'm not sure how useful 50 to 100 yards of info really is. Hopefully better versions will be released in the future, and when you can get a personal radar that can track 300-500 yards for a reasonable price then I'll probably buy one.

 

[Sflutes]

I have a CED M2 optical chrono, a MagnetoSpeed V1, and a Labradar. You already know at least some of the advantages that MS and LR have over opticals, so I'll focus on the the differences I've found.

For me the biggest problems withe the MS were (1) it "must" be attached to a barrel and (2) it is not attachable to all barrels (eg pistols). When attached to a barrel it will change the POI in almost all cases. Its affect on group size is harder to evaluate, but if you believe that barrel tuners work then the MS will also have an affect on group size. The bottom line is that I did not chrono the loads I actually used for load development or for score. Instead extra ammo was made to chrono.

The LR will not at this time chrono shotshell, and problems have been reported tracking velocities over 4.000fps. You can also have issues adjusting the unit's sensitivity if you are shooting suppressed in a shooting gallery. None of these issues affect me, so I use the LR exclusively now. ALL loads are chronoed with no impact on POI or group size and that gives me a lot more data to understand the true fps range of any load. I recently shot steel at 100 yd increments out to 1200 yards, and was able to chrono each shot. Whether or not one considers that useful, it is not practical/possible to do that with any other style chrono.

I don't know what makes you feel the LR is ripe for fine tuning other than that it is new. Perhaps at some point they will improve the alignment sighting method. Performance improvements may be handled through firmware downloads - there's already been one release adding additional sensitivity settings. There may be some other functional improvements that can't be added except via hardware change. But if the unit covers what you shoot, those improvements probably will be of little utility to you.

One other thing - there is a brand new chrono out called the Twobox Chrono. You can google to find out whether it suits your needs. Finally, I guess I should mention that although my screen name is Twoboxer, I have no connection with that chrono's manufacturer, and I am not a user of it either lol.