chronograph

I found mine at SIR (now Cabelas in Winnipeg) on sale for $99.90 plus shipping, thats the base model F-1 Shooting Chrony.

I got lucky with a sale at the time I began to look but you can order direct from them, http://www.shootingchrony.com/index.htm

Plus they are Canadian.

If you want a fancier model such as a PACT I cant help you there. My theory was that eventually it will get hit and I want the cheapest possible.2
 
Call Epps and ask them a price for the F1 Shooting Crony. used to be $110. You'll also need a camera tripod to mount it on.
 
I bought mine straight from Shooting Chrony. Better price than I could find from Cabelas or Wholesale or any other place. They are in Canada as well.
 
I have a Chrony Alpha Master, and can't say I recommend it. It behaves flakey and gives suspicous velocities. When others shoot at the range it reads a velocity or gives an error. I hear better things about CED, but have no experience. Oehler is the best, but is quite expensive.

Have you looked at Sinclair International as a US source?
 
I have a Chrony Alpha Master, and can't say I recommend it. It behaves flakey and gives suspicous velocities
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Ditto, I will try the tape thing. Also near useless in the cold, good for about 5-7 shots then it's done....
 
The tape keeps stray light from interfering with the IR from the sensors. It improves the efficiency of the unit and almost eliminates error messages from coming up (dropping shots). It partially mitigates variable lighting conditions and allows the unit to give more consistent readouts in different lighting conditions.

Adding tape isn't the magic solution to chrony problems, but it sure helps.
 
My Alpha Master Chrony responds to the shock wave from a muzzle blast even two or three stations down the line at the range. Not sure how the tape is going to prevent it, but I sure will give that a try. Others who have it report the same thing. On the other hand I have tested mine to below zero a few degrees and it still works.

One suspicion I have is that I set up at 9 feet, and the shock wave from my gun is also vibrating the unit and causing measurement error. I will also try moving the unit out further -- to the limit of the cord.

With this shock wave issue and ability to read the display, I would strongly recommend avoiding any model that only displays speed right at the unit. You must have a remote display to control the damn thing when it is acting up. And at a range you can't shut the range down after every shot to go out and play with the unit.
 
I always set up my Chrony at least 15 feet away if I want to avoid all muzzle blast interference.

You also need to keep a spare battery or two in your pocket on those really cold days. It's not so much the Chrony that has trouble in the cold, as it is the battery.
 
Here an evaluation of currently available chronographs conducted on 6mmBr and reported by the forum administrator, "Forum Boss"

"We tested all the major brands except the Pro Chrono.

1. Shooting Chrony -- Narrow sweet spot. Controls are confusing -- multiple pushes of same button required. Some units are very fussy as to light conditions. No IR option. Good Battery life.

2. PACT -- IR option doesn't work very well. Too many buttons on keypad. Thermo printer burns batteries quickly. We had to send one unit back. Having printer is nice, but overall, battery life is big issue.

3. Oehler 35P. Big, heavy with proof channel. Base unit very simple to use and very reliable. Sensors have proper lenses so the beam is focused, giving bigger sweet spot. Paper is very hard to feed when you run out. Battery life is pretty good considering it has a printer.

4. CED -- Small, light keypad. Nice big display. Keypad is pretty intuitive. Hinged sensor mounting bar is clever, compact when stored, but you have to be careful to slip the sensor bases on securely. IR option works good, IF you have the plugs seated tightly.

5. PVM-21 -- Once assembled (like a box kite), it is very fast, easy to set up. IR emitters work fantastic -- it will register lead pellets in complete darkness. AC adapter is funky. Unit works better with 12V battery but that has to be carried separately. Very reliable unit if you just use the white receiver box, but then you have to write down the results. Software is cranky to install and Not at all intuitive. Most guys using PVMs have given up on using with a lap-top. Unit desperately needs a better (less buggy and simpler) software interface, and it should be converted to run 5.5 volts so you could power from your laptop.

What would I buy? CED for entry level. Oehler if you have the money. PVM-21 if you shoot in low-light. PVM is excellent, but the computer interface is "not ready for prime time" and far too complex for most users. We had issues just installing the software on laptops -- you have to fiddle around to get the drivers to "take". If PVM would plug directly into USB port (like a printer) with clean software, it would be my choice for field assignments."

It seems that the Oehler 35P is still the gold standard for affordable chronographs. Oehler recently re-started production of this unit at a retail price of $575.

I've been using a CED Millenium II with the infra-red option and I'm very pleased with its reliability and consistency. I've had occasion to compare the CED MII with various chronys in the field over the past 2 years, and these comparisons have confirmed my choice, particularly with the infra-red option.
 
The big advantage of the Oehler is that it uses three measurement planes. they say it takes two measurements and does some error checking. If both good it gives you an averaged velocity. If one is seen to be bad, it gives you a reading based on one reading and warns you.

Some who have them claim they actually take three readings. That is technically possible as you could measure plane 1 to 2, plane 2 to 3, and also plane 1 to 3.

That said they are huge, there seems to be more than model. Just huge, and bigger than huge. They catch so much wind it is hard to anchor them so they don't blow over.
 
My CED M2 worked well in -15 degC weather and full sunlight on a snowcovered surface. It didn't work so well on an overcast day on snow, though - I got 2 readings for every 3 shots. I found you have to extend the cords as far as they will go (almost 20 feet) when you shoot 308. It was sensitive to muzzle blast from a guy 3 positions away because the sensors were so far away.
 
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