Suggestions please on quality simple cheap chronograph

[Smokestick]

I am building my first rifle, intended mostly for fun with my kids but it is built for longrange competition, and my smith tells me it's imparative to have a chronograph so I know what my loads are doing. I am all for it but now nothing about them.:confused:

[scope eye]

I have had good luck with Comp Elect #CE3900, under $100.00 you can't go wrong.

Dean

[Smokestick]

Thank you, I will check it out

[huntin1]

I have a Shooting Chrony Alpha, I think they are in the $120 range. Have had good luck with it.


huntin1

[BarrelNuts]

Shooting Chrony is probably the most popular brand in the mix... picked up my F1 Master for about $110 on sale at MW.

[LongRange]

i know guys using both of these with good results....

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/626107/caldwell-ballistic-precision-chronograph?cm_vc=ProductFinding

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/113204/competition-electronics-prochrono-pal-chronograph?cm_vc=ProductFinding

this is the one i use but i think its off a little according to my actual dopes...i like it because the read out is on my shooting mat....

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/244882/shooting-chrony-beta-master-chronograph?cm_vc=ProductFinding

[justinp61]

I hope this is not too much of a hijack. Are there any problems with the chrono's listed used in sun/shade? I've been looking and don't want to buy something that takes more time to set up than actually shooting.

Thanks

[yobuck]

I am building my first rifle, intended mostly for fun with my kids but it is built for longrange competition, and my smith tells me it's imparative to have a chronograph so I know what my loads are doing. I am all for it but now nothing about them.:confused:

If you can work up an accurate load for the gun there is absolutly no need for a chronagraph.
Id be just following basic loading proceedures and see how the gun shoots.
Save your money for a (good) one in the event you find you later want one.

[barrel-nut]

+1 for the Competition Electronics Prochrono. Cheap and effective

[GaCop]

+1 for the Competition Electronics Prochrono. Cheap and effective +2 for the Prochrono.

[JW]

+3 pro chrono

[MS50]

I use a ProChrono. Works well. Think I paid somewhere around $100. My load development skills are a work in progress. A chronograph is just the ticket for me.

[LHitchcox]

I have a Shooting Chrony and a friend has a ProChrono. His is less sensitive to light than my Shooting Chrony. We have set them up side by side and the velocity readings were identical, but I had a few unrecorded shots due to varying light conditions.

[yobuck]

Mines a Chrony master beta, and ive concluded thats a very good name for it.
If i were younger, id be sending it to master beta heaven and buying a Magneto speed.
I was always told that in order to be a good liar its best to have a good memory.
This thing has trouble remembering what it said yesterday.

[BarrelNuts]

Mines a Chrony master beta, and ive concluded thats a very good name for it.
If i were younger, id be sending it to master beta heaven and buying a Magneto speed.
I was always told that in order to be a good liar its best to have a good memory.
This thing has trouble remembering what it said yesterday.

This is priceless... love it

[foxx]

For an ornery old buck, he's pretty funny.

[Mozella]

The Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph improved version is on sale in several places for less than $70. Mine works great and what I like best is that it plugs into your smart phone. Since you already own the processor, the Chronograph just contains the measuring function. The processing, storing groups, emailing results, storing ballistic data, etc. is all done in your smart phone via a free App. Hard to beat for the price. Claimed accuracy is something like a quarter of a percent. I'm very happy with mine.

[jlw1974]

The Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph improved version is on sale in several places for less than $70. Mine works great and what I like best is that it plugs into your smart phone. Since you already own the processor, the Chronograph just contains the measuring function. The processing, storing groups, emailing results, storing ballistic data, etc. is all done in your smart phone via a free App. Hard to beat for the price. Claimed accuracy is something like a quarter of a percent. I'm very happy with mine.

I have this Chrony and it works very well. People at the range was drooling over the chrony connected to my iPad watching the display in between shots.

One thing to consider, and this is with most Chronographs that I have seen, use it in shaded area otherwise the sun-light will give you error readings. Something to do with the suns ray hitting the sensors.

[tufrthnails]

Okay I am 99% sure my wife bought me a caldwell for fathers day instead of the Pro. So which app are you guys using?

[Mozella]

I have this Chrony and it works very well. People at the range was drooling over the chrony connected to my iPad watching the display in between shots.

One thing to consider, and this is with most Chronographs that I have seen, use it in shaded area otherwise the sun-light will give you error readings. Something to do with the suns ray hitting the sensors.

My range is in full sunlight, no choice of shade. I use the built in sun shade and yesterday I shot nearly 200 rounds with one error. But the device, or to be more correct, the APP is smart enough to calculate a proper average, SD, ES, etc. so no harm, no foul with a very occasional error.

What I noticed; however, is that sometimes when someone is shooting on the same line with a powerful gun, even if they're 10 or25 feet down the firing line, my chronograph will record either an error or a false reading of something like 11,000 fps. I don't know if it's caused by muzzle flash, shock wave, or some other cause. It also happens only under bright sunlight. On cloudy days there is no problem. I'm still trying to track down the reason so I can work on a fix. The problem is that the false readings get averaged in with my groups. No problem sorting my data from the wild recorded readings except that I have to do it by hand, recalculate the average MV, calculate the SD and MS, etc. In other words, it's a PITA.

Fortunately, it doesn't happen frequently and so far I don't find it a reason to reject this inexpensive chronograph. Other than that small glitch, it's nearly perfect for my needs.