Magnetospeed vs Labradar, a test.

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Alpheus

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Buddy of mine picked up a Labradar, and graciously let me borrow it to compare to my Magnetospeed.
I was shooting my 6x47L, and got the following results.


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Couple of points:

First couple of rounds I shot didn't pick up on the Lab, I found it needed to be quite close to the barrel to register.
Controls for the lab are not as easy as the magneto, I couldn't go from the measuring screen back to the home screen without restarting the unit.
Batteries for the lad did not last long. Yes, it was cold, but even then. A rechargeable battery pack would be a #1 upgrade.
Also had half a dozen shots that it didn't measure at every distance, only one or two. The muzzle velocity it gave was right in line with the overall trend and what the magneto gave, so I left them in.
I did this ladder without any chrony at 300m during the fall, so I was pretty sure where the node would be.
The group it produced at 100m was about 1" tall, 1/4" wide. Just a ragged line of touching holes up the paper. I tried plotting each one, but couldn't see any distinct trend. Really not surprised, given that it was only 100m.
I also shot my 7RM thru the labradar, turns out it's quite a bit slower then I had thought. :confused:
 
Interesting stuff, Thanks for sharing with us.
I bought the Magnetospeed simply because for me it was more affordable.
Hopefully I can give it a good workout in a few months.
 
I have the magnetospeed and have yet to change the battery , though it has missed a few shots and by reading the fault code was suprise do that it was because I had the cable not kinked but bent (caused by storage in the case) straightened it out and it works fine but I wonder if the cable may be a weak spot . It's good to know the accuracy compares to the lab radar thanks for posting
 
Very cool to see them so close. Which Magneto do you have? I cheaped out and went with the sporter since rifles are my only legit use for it. It doesn't do shotguns but I got most of my SG data out of my chrony before its execution. Was the magneto used in conjunction with the lab or did you do separate strings?
 
I got the full magnetospeed, my F-class rifles have 1.25" straight contour barrels.
Each round was measured by both chronys.
 
I bought the Magneto speed first, but it wouldn't attach to full wood milsurps or some lever rifles, so I switched to the Labradar. So far, so good.
 
Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

Sample results (readings) are so close, difference is not significant. Makes me believe a purchase decision should be based on other factor, like ease of use, reliability in various conditions (weather), price, service and warranty.

Got a Labradar unit and so happy with it I am selling my barely used/fully accessorized CED M2 chronograh (EE).

My observation with Labradar:
- muzzle placement is critical to get a reading;
- requires +/- 3 seconds delay between shots to allow display and reset for next shot;
- with correct setup, very reliable (used for a few IPSC matches in QC and ON)

I am not familiar and never observed a Magneto speed in operation.
 
Further to above:

If one strictly need muzzle velocity readings, I would suggest Magnetospeed. I really like the fact that it can read rapid successive shots.
If one cares to know muzzle velocity throughout flight, I would suggest Labradar.

I wanted to know velocity of my .223 and .308 loads at 100 yards, so I dished the extra bucks and went for the radar. You may dish a little more on accessories to track small cals. You must for airguns.
 
Thanks a lot for sharing, it's very interesting to see that they recorded within 0.10%-0.25% of one another. That means they're both good quality products, it's great to know. :)
 
the labradar is a bit confusing to use. To go back form the "measure" screen to "home screen" you have to hold the cross hair button for 2 seconds.
 
My only concern with the Magnetospeed (whether legit or not) would be the change in point of impact with it hanging from the end of barrel which would prevent from recording velocity and looking for accuracy at the same time.
 
bcsteve said:
My only concern with the Magnetospeed (whether legit or not) would be the change in point of impact with it hanging from the end of barrel which would prevent from recording velocity and looking for accuracy at the same time.
Click to expand...

That depends on the rifle and barrel. My 6x47L has a 26" medium palma barrel, 0.900" at the muzzle, and it makes no difference to the PoI. Same with my truck axle F-class rifles.
My Sako 85 has a nice pencil hunting barrel, and the 100yd zero wonders by 1-2" when I strap on the magnetospeed. That, and the 7RM recoil makes the chrony slowly slip towards the muzzle with each shot, got to watch out for that.
 
Great info and nice to see that the two best options in the market right now provide near identical results.

The magnetospeed bayonet will affect sporter contour barrels. No change on my heavy varmint contours.

One nice benefit we found with a cranky barrel, adding the bayonet tamed down all problems. A weight of similar weight was added and that barrel is now shooting like a champ.

Sometimes, there are positive collateral benefits to a weight on the muzzle.

Jerry
 
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