What Chronograph to get

[engnerdan]

I am looking at getting a chrono for checking my reloads. Does anybody have any recommendations on what to buy? Any brands or models to avoid?

-Dan

[rugersol]

Couple buddies have this one ... http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=852429 ... it's always done ok ... sunscreen legs are easily replaced via Menards/Fleet Farm.

They need SOME sunlight ... overcast is ok ... but not under a roof ... also gotta stand back several feet.

There's more expensive ones, if ya got the cash!

[engnerdan]

The competition electronics one you linked to is actually the one I was looking at getting.

-Dan

[Shipyard]

i've "heard" tell that chrony brand is fairly decent. they will also accept trade ins if something should happen-

like... oh, i don't know... you happen to put a 45 cal slug center unit directly through both sensors and obliterate the sucker in every concievable way turning it into about $0.20 worth of scrap metal... they'll trade it for a new unit for about half price

not that i'd know or anything, i saw it happen once... heard some dude tell another dude...

if i rememebr right, i think that was Mr. Vrroomm who had the problem anyways... i'd ask him

[engnerdan]

i've "heard" tell that chrony brand is fairly decent. they will also accept trade ins if something should happen-

like... oh, i don't know... you happen to put a 45 cal slug center unit directly through both sensors and obliterate the sucker in every concievable way turning it into about $0.20 worth of scrap metal... they'll trade it for a new unit for about half price

not that i'd know or anything, i saw it happen once... heard some dude tell another dude...

if i rememebr right, i think that was Mr. Vrroomm who had the problem anyways... i'd ask him

I was staying away from "chrony" brand because there webpage is painful to try and make sense of. About 10 different models and no clear explanation of the differences. You have to sit and sort out the details and at that it still does not even make sense what is the difference between them.

[Seismic Sam]

Get a Millenium 2 with the IR screens, and you will never need to look back. Yeah, it costs more, but it will do everything but clean your gun after you shoot it. You can get not only bullet speed, but average velocity, standard deviation of velocity, max and min velocity, total spread of velocity, and if you input a bullet weight, it will even calculate the Power Factor for you on the spot!! No screwing around with data afterwards, which means you won't miss any danger signs like pressure spikes starting to pop up.

Plus, all the electronics are ON THE BENCH WITH YOU. So the worst you can do is shoot out one of the velocity sensors, and you're out about 45 bucks. Now, I'm not saying that anyone here has ever shot their chrony and had to junk the whole thing , but it CAN happen. Sunlight is also a very variable light source, and at certain sun angles your chrono will just stop working altogether. That's a real pisser when you're 40 shots in to a 50 shot string.

[farmerj]

Pact IV.


You can use it as a chrony and as a shot timer.

[870TC]

Very happy with the Pact , no problems guaranteed forever. Had that model of Competition electronics chronograph before I bought the Pact, was EXTREMELY HAPPY the day I smashed it to bits with a ball peen hammer

[engnerdan]

Very happy with the Pact , no problems guaranteed forever. Had that model of Competition electronics chronograph before I bought the Pact, was EXTREMELY HAPPY the day I smashed it to bits with a ball peen hammer

Well then maybe I will have to go back at look at a Shooting Chrony and try to make sense of their webpage.

-Dan

[RAGGED]

Get a Millenium 2 with the IR screens, and you will never need to look back. Yeah, it costs more, but it will do everything but clean your gun after you shoot it. You can get not only bullet speed, but average velocity, standard deviation of velocity, max and min velocity, total spread of velocity, and if you input a bullet weight, it will even calculate the Power Factor for you on the spot!! No screwing around with data afterwards, which means you won't miss any danger signs like pressure spikes starting to pop up.

Plus, all the electronics are ON THE BENCH WITH YOU. So the worst you can do is shoot out one of the velocity sensors, and you're out about 45 bucks. Now, I'm not saying that anyone here has ever shot their chrony and had to junk the whole thing , but it CAN happen. Sunlight is also a very variable light source, and at certain sun angles your chrono will just stop working altogether. That's a real pisser when you're 40 shots in to a 50 shot string.

This ^

Unless you have $800 for an Oehler the M2 with IR sky screens is the only way to go, I know a dozen or so people that have tried every other one listed in the thread only to end up buying the CED later on.

[engnerdan]

This ^

Unless you have $800 for an Oehler the M2 with IR sky screens is the only way to go, I know a dozen or so people that have tried every other one listed in the thread only to end up buying the CED later on.

Bill,
You are killing me and my shooting budget. First you make me buy that reloading press and now this.

[RAGGED]

Bill,
You are killing me and my shooting budget. First you make me buy that reloading press and now this.

I learned crying once is better than the other option

[Ken]

I have the CED M2. I really like it, the included software makes it very easy to print out all of the results as well.

[Seismic Sam]

I have the CED M2. I really like it, the included software makes it very easy to print out all of the results as well.

Printing out the results is nice, but what is really spiffy is that the software will create a Text tab-delimited file that can be eaten by Excel straight up, so you can graph the actual results, do trend lines, and stat analysis. One color graph is worth a 1,000 lines of text...

[macphisto]

I like the idea of the M2, but I'm having trouble looking past the myriad negative reviews on Midway citing everything from unintuitive user interface to reliability issues.