Any change using a Chrony in the cold?

Silverado

Silverado

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I probably won't get a chance to do any detailed load testing over my Chrony until the temps are quite a bit colder - November or even December.

Are Chrony's affected by cold? I understand that loads will shoot slower in the cold; I'm wondering about the functioning of the device itself.
 
I have used mine upto -15 degrees with no issues. Don't know how it would react to any lower but one thing is for sure, I can't function very good in temperatures lower then that. Plastic shades worked fine and didn't feel brittle at all.
 
-32 at the local range was the coldest I have used it, just bring an extra battery and some of the hand warmers.
put the hand warmer on the display and put the spare battery in your pocket so it can be switched out if need be.
 
This from the Chrony website:

Operating Temperature range: 32o Fahrenheit to 110 o Fahrenheit (0 o Celsius to 43 o Celsius), non-condensing. (Ambient temperature must be above dew-point temperature and not fall below dew-point temperature while Chrony is being used.) Storage Temperature range: 14o Fahrenheit to 120o Fahrenheit (-10o Celsius to 50o Celsius) non-condensing. (Ambient temperature must be above dew-point temperature and not fall below dew-point temperature where the Chrony is being stored, unless the Chrony is sealed in an air-tight container.)

So it may work but readings could be off a bit...
 
All of the readings I have gotten from my Chrony (10 years old) below -15C are definitely different from warmer times. Usually slower but not always.

If you have a rough idea of what your velocities should be, the Chrony will at least give you readouts that should be consistent without much spread. That is the big thing, unless you are developing a new load for your rifle. Then, you may want to reconsider using the Chrony and if your range has target boards out to at least 300 yards, you can easily judge velocities by sighting in at 100 yards and measuring the average drop at 300 yards.

I usually have my rifles sighted in for warm weather and take the ones I use for coyotes etc out to check for drop, if any at the temps I'm going to shoot. Magnum primers in everything seems to level out the spreads.
 
I have seen a couple explode at various temps, I shot one, and had one shot for me, temp did not not seem to make a difference,.
 
They really need a 12v battery setup. I've used mine a lot at -25F. A plastic pipe with a few 1.5v batteries slid in until you have at least 12 volts is compact and lasted me many months of use - I use a motorcycle battery now. The end from an old 9V battery - with wires soldered on, makes a connector - or snip the connector from an old toy or the backup battery connector from an alarm clock.

The way to keep the chrony working right is by narrowing the slot that lets light into it - so that there is less angled light getting to the sensors. Electricians tape works fine to narrow up the slot.

I never use the sky screens.

Cold makes faster powders slow - so pistols shoot slower in the cold but rifle powder isn't affected as much. Ball powders in rifle seem slower than cylinder but I'm not sure. Hodgdons "Extreme" claim might be hooey but I am not really sure yet. I noticed that a powder - (H414 I think it was) - which was not on the Extreme list was less affected - I thought - than Varget - which is "Extreme."
 
Another winter-related issue, not directly related to temperature, is setting up over snow. Some crazy or non-existent readings can be the result of light reflected from the ground. Setting up on a tarp or something similar can prevent this.
 
Cold makes faster powders slow - so pistols shoot slower in the cold but rifle powder isn't affected as much. Ball powders in rifle seem slower than cylinder but I'm not sure. Hodgdons "Extreme" claim might be hooey but I am not really sure yet. I noticed that a powder - (H414 I think it was) - which was not on the Extreme list was less affected - I thought - than Varget - which is "Extreme."
Click to expand...

I'll stay away from commenting on pistol powders, but can add some about rifle powders. I can tell you that at 40 below you can throw a snowball faster than some loads. OK, that's a bit of a stretch, I have no idea how fast you can throw a snowball.

I know that some 30-06 loads that I was testing wouldn't approach 2600 fps at -40, and would do 2900 in August. I was concentrating on Hodgdon powders since I could get the same things as ADI powder in Australia. Things got better at -20, and above zero the variation wasn't that bad. H4350 was a bad one, and Varget the best in the coldest temps. They trade places in more normal temps.

One thing I found is that when you talk to Australian shooters about extreme powders their concern is pressure spikes at high temperatures, not some crazy Canuck chipping frozen snot off his riflestock on the other side of world. I suspect that ADI is much more concerned about the safety of troops in the heat than velocity loses in extreme cold.
 
-40 ARE YOU NUTS. Nobody and his army is going to get me out shooting at -40, i'd be b:. Used to go out on the ol artic cat at those temps but i realised as i got older i like the armchair at those temps now.
 
I have been accused of being nuts, nobody can prove it.

These days, when I go to the range at -40 I'm not the only one there. Usually I'll be the guy in an Arctic Cat suit or a Canada Goose parka and the warmest guy around. A decade or three on the oil rigs does change your perception of what cold is.

The best part is there are no mosquitos.
 
silverfoxdj said:
This from the Chrony website:

Operating Temperature range: 32o Fahrenheit to 110 o Fahrenheit (0 o Celsius to 43 o Celsius), non-condensing. (Ambient temperature must be above dew-point temperature and not fall below dew-point temperature while Chrony is being used.) Storage Temperature range: 14o Fahrenheit to 120o Fahrenheit (-10o Celsius to 50o Celsius) non-condensing. (Ambient temperature must be above dew-point temperature and not fall below dew-point temperature where the Chrony is being stored, unless the Chrony is sealed in an air-tight container.)

So it may work but readings could be off a bit...
Click to expand...

...thanks for this
 
I use chrony in the winter all the time, never had a problem. carry a spare battery in your pocket and change it out every 15-20 minutes, keep the one you took out in your pocket to warm up, and repeat.

I don't mind -40 because I have the gear for it, as long as the wind isn't blowing. Trigger finger can get cold but otherwise it's not such a big deal. But it doesn't take much wind to make it intolerable.

I've worked in -65F and after that -40 is almost tropical. :)
 
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