Do you use a chronograph when you shoot?

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Willybuch

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I am looking at getting one, since I have started looking at getting a whole crap load of stuff for long range - I just ordered my Kestrel on Monday and the next big thing looks to be a chronograph...

Do you use one?
Which brand do you use?
Where did you buy it?
Are you happy with it?
Do you feel it gets accurate results?

Also bonus points if anyone knows of someone near Van city that carries decent ones for cheap(Say 80$-120$).

Thanks for any input on the subject!
 
I have a crony F1, cost me like $80 or $90, works fine.

edit: I only have non-pal airguns, so i can only vouche for it working fine up to 500fps.
 
Essential !

A must if you reload. If LR shooting, you must input MV in program. Want to analyse round quality ? You must know standard deviation.
I have a S. Chrony beta. Worth every penny, made in Canada, excellent post purchased service.

Mush
 
Absolutely! If you reload or do any long range work you need one. It is an essential piece of gear to see velocities that may be nearing max pressures even though it may not be obvious by looking at your brass or hard extraction. Average velocities, standard deviations, extreme spread... These are all things you need to know when reloading.

My personal opinion is don't bother with the crappy Shooting Chronys. Save your time and patience and get something good. The Oehler is the benchmark by which all other chronographs are measured. They are very accurate but also quite rudimentary in design. I use a CED M2 which has been great for me. The CED has tons of features, a great display and its own software.

Research the different chronographs available and pick something good, don't waste your money on crap.
 
There's nothing a chrony can tell you that your target and spent brass already hasn't.
Saying it's a "must have" is ridiculous.

Yes I have one, no I don't use it.
 
Iv got my super chrono acoustical chrono graph on order , in comparison they are expensive (just under 400) but they work in doors out doorsn rain, shine , cloud ...

As I do have it yet , other then the price , I can recall reading any thing bad about them any where ..

Perhaps I'll do a review / write up when it arrives
 
I have a Shooting Chrony brand one and a CED M2, I have used the Chrony for years without a problem, then a year or so ago started to get erratic readings so I purchased a CED M2 to replace it. Turned out there was nothing wrong with the Chrony, the erratic readings were cause by having it too close for a rifle with a muzzle brake and big muzzle blast.
Anyways now I have both models. I have run them one behind the other on several occasions and their readings are always within 3-4 feet per second. The real advantage I like with the CED is I purchased the LED light kit for it, and it is very reliable in all light conditions.

I think they are a valuable asset with your reloading and load testing regiment, especially if you want to start stretching your long range shooting out. Finding a load with a small velocity spread between each shot helps eliminate vertical spread at extended ranges. Grouping at 100 or 200 yards can be excellent, even with rounds that have big changes in velocity between shots, but start stretching that range way out there and problems will show up.

So whether it is really necessary or not would depend on what ranges you want to shoot and how accurate you want to be. I use mine, for testing almost every load I try. I like knowing my velocities, even it it doesn't matter to my groups.
 
I chronograph after I have found promising loads to confirm speed and velocity spreads. Magnetospeed to improve readings.

Targets at 200 and 300yds tell me all I want/need to know about my load development. The Chronie just helps separate the two best ones.

Jerry
 
9x19p said:
There's nothing a chrony can tell you that your target and spent brass already hasn't.
Saying it's a "must have" is ridiculous.

Yes I have one, no I don't use it.
Click to expand...

Once you find a load that works it sure does help set up a ballistic calculator instead of doping at every range.
 
I found, that as an added benefit, chrony's answer those lifelong questions that begged to be answered..........................................................just how damn fast (or slow) is my pellet gun that I still have from when I was 8
I spent many a night arguing about the speed of the pellet, and all the things that kids argue about. (such as "mine is faster than yours!!)
I now know that my "star" pellet gun from the "land of China" goes a BLISTERING 375 f/s
No wondering now.
As a side note, it did help me with my reloading. I was able to pick powders/bullets that shot fast, and had close variable numbers (ES, SD, Velocity) . BUT REALLY, I didn't NEED it, but it sure is fun to KNOW instead of guess. Plus it has SHUT UP several of my blowhard friends that thought their 30-06 or 300wm were weatherby rounds. They looked like someone blew up their Grandmothers, all the steam was let out of their mouths. Sometimes, all the empirical data in the world wont convince someone that they are shooting a MORTAL round. They believe all the hype and BS and think they are shooting a laser. It was nice to knock them down to our world or realistic external ballistics.
 
You're using velocity to calculate drop.
You can use drop to calculate velocity too.

I'm not suggesting a chronny is useless, I'm suggesting it's not a must have.
 
Awesome info thanks guys! I pretty much knew I was getting one, I just wanted to try and find out which one I should get. Honestly the chrony brands are all that are really showing up on freakin' google when I type in shooting chronograph. But I will look for some of the other ones listed here.
 
I am with 9x19p on this one. While I have a chrony somewhere I never use it. I could care less if my rounds are leaving the bore at 2960 Vs 2940 or even 2900 as long as the vertical dispersion at long range is less than 1 MOA. I only shoot at know distances and have elevation setting for different bullets from 100-1000. Since I only shoot 300m and 300 yards, 500 and 600 yards, 800,900 and 1000 yards or 700, 800 and 900m, I don't need to make a drop chart or use a ballistics calculator. I don't need to figure out on the fly how much elevation I need to make a one shot kill at 723 yards. Nor do I have to figure out how much lead I need to give a 5'9" man walking away from me from left to right on a 37 degree angle with a 14 mile an hour wind coming from 4 o'clock or what affect the worlds rotation brings into this equation.

I will agree that is may be nice to know what the velocity of your bullet is, but a chrony is NOT a "must have or your #### will fall" off item.
 
9x19p said:
You're using velocity to calculate drop.
You can use drop to calculate velocity too.

I'm not suggesting a chronny is useless, I'm suggesting it's not a must have.
Click to expand...

Well, unless you don't mind the challenge of making things more difficult than they need to be, I guess you're right. Still don't know how you're going to know your exact velocities on days of various temperatures, humidity levels, or barometric pressure unless you plan on retesting across various known distances. Or how you plan on calculating ES or SD of your loads and how said environmental conditions affect your load and any effects on shot-to-shot consistency.

But hey, you're right. Obviously, it's not a necessity because guesswork is so much more accurate. :/ Seriously, for $100 you're doing yourself a disservice by not owning one.
 
When spending $100, you get a device with a built in error larger then the numbers you are trying to crunch.

so about the only thing it can provide is a ballpark of what the velocity actually is.

I stopped using Chronies a very long time ago.

so far, the magnetospeed is showing its worth.

Jerry
 
I use one with a developed load just to determine rough velocity. From there I prove it with ballistics.

Once again, a tool. Not required, but handy.
 
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