< Back to the Main Site

Author Topic: Chronograph recommendations?  (Read 2846 times)

Offline Kendahl

  • Lead Benefactor
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 390
Chronograph recommendations?
« on: October 31, 2016, 10:42:56 PM »
It's time I bought a chronograph so that I know what my reloads are actually doing instead of estimating from reloading tables. Cabela's has several different models from Caldwell, Competition Electronics, Shooting Chrony and MagnetoSpeed. Prices range from $95 to $380.

The only features I really need are consistently good accuracy, reliable operation under outdoor lighting conditions, reasonable sturdiness and reasonable ease of operation. Built-in statistical calculations aren't important since I can write down each reading and enter the data into Excel at home. A remote isn't necessary if I can read the screen through binoculars. (One Caldwell model comes with a smartphone cable. A wireless USB computer connection and software is an option for one Competition Electronics model.)

Does anyone have recommendations about which ones are good and which ones I should avoid?

Offline SemperFiGuy

  • Steel Benefactor
  • *
  • Join Date: Apr 2009
  • Location: Omaha, NE
  • Posts: 2079
  • GG Grampaw Wuz a DamYankee Cavalryman
Re: Chronograph recommendations?
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2016, 10:24:41 AM »
Here's a good place to start:

http://www.reloaderaddict.com/best-chronograph-for-the-money-ballistics-shooting-reviews/

I have a Competition Electronics ProChrony Digital.

Nice and simple.   All I want is plain ol' velocity.

This model does just fine.

EZ set up.   Straightforward.   Even has place holder for spare battery.

Have fun.


sfg
Certified Instructor:  NE CHP & NRA-Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Personal Protection Inside/Outside Home, Home Firearm Safety, RTBAV, Metallic Cartridge & Shotshell Reloading.  NRA Chief RSO, IDPA Safety Officer, USPSA Range Officer.  NRA RangeTechTeamAdvisor.  NE Hunter Education (F&B).   Glock Armorer

Offline Dan W

  • NFOA Co-Founder
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2007
  • Location: Lincoln NE
  • Posts: 8143
Re: Chronograph recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2016, 08:52:26 PM »
I have a Competition Electronics ProChrony Pal

The only reason I would upgrade would be to get a remote readout but since I don't use it all that much It would have to be a cheap upgrade
Dan W    NFOA Co Founder
Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.   J. F. K.

Offline gsd

  • 2013 NFOA Firearm Rights Champion award winner
  • NFOA Full Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Oct 2010
  • Location: Lincoln, NE
  • Posts: 1831
Re: Chronograph recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2016, 06:26:59 AM »
I have the Caldwell Pro kit. Smartphone app, super easy to setup up and take down. The cheap tripod is a bit unstable but not enough to cause me to go buy a new one.
It is highly likely the above post may offend you. I'm fine with that.

Offline JTH

  • NFOA Full Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Jan 2009
  • Posts: 2300
  • Shooter
    • Precision Response Training
Re: Chronograph recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2016, 11:27:42 PM »
I have three different chronos, now. 

When I first started, I bought an F1 Shooting Chrony (green box, no frills).   Very much the lowest-cost chronograph out there at the time.  All I cared about were approximate velocities, because I basically only wanted to check to make sure my reloads weren't going to kill me.  This was prior to any competition shooting.  On the good side, it was cheap and fairly reliable. On the downside, the readout was hard to read, the framework not particularly solid or stable, and the accuracy decent but not top-notch.

Several years later, I got a CE ProChrono Digital off a prize table.    MUCH better about picking up shots in all sorts of light conditions, easiler to put together, much more stable on a tripod.  Accuracy relative to chronograph data officially taken at competition matches MUCH better than the F1.  After using this for awhile, and shooting the same round over both chronos at the same time (and then comparing it to match chrono data), the ProChrono was simply more accurate...and these days, those two both cost similar amounts.

That being said, currently I'm using a CED M2 setup, which comparatively speaking, is AMAZING.   The M2 is what is used at pretty much every single major USPSA match to record bullet velocity data  (from state-level up to Nationals), and its accuracy and sensitivity is second to none.  The ability to shoot an entire string, then go back and pick up all the numbers without having to leave the bench, the ability to run calculations for quick checks immediately, the simplicity and ease of setup.....it is just easier to use, records bullet data under all sorts of light conditions, and is consistently the most accurate.  (You can also connect it to various electronics for data recording and transfer, if you want.)

It also costs a lot more.  I got lucky and won one in a random drawing at a match, and I love this thing.

For someone just starting out and needing a budget chrono to start with, I'd definitely suggest the ProChrono over the F1.  If you KNOW you are going to use it a lot and the precise accuracy of the velocity reading is important (and you have the money), the M2 really is the way to go.
Precision Response Training
http://precisionresponsetraining.com