Labradar Quick Review

L

luckey

CGN frequent flyer
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This is my personal view of the labradar based on my limited experience with it as I only used it once for 3 hours. Hope it could be useful for those who are in the market for a chrono.

1. Overall impression. I LOVE IT!!!
2. Purchase experience. I got it directly from the vendor, bought the main unit, padded carry case and bench mount. orderd on March 3, arrived to my door on March 7 & 9 because the main unit was shipped from quebec and the accessories(case and mount were shipped from states). The total price already included all tax and shipping. the accessories were tax free because they were under c$100 when shipping via UPS ground(canada post in canada). See the picture for the item(except the battery pack which I already have for my long camping trip).

3. Quality. Both the main unit and accessories are well made. the Bench Mount is a standrd tripod head with quick release pad mounted on a metal board with a standard 1/4" screw. I like this bench mount setup because everything is replaceable with standard tripod parts. The padded case just hold everything in one bag which is easy to carry around.
4. Features. The selling point for labradar is that it is a doppler radar that is not affected by weather or light conditions, like the traditional chrono. The only other product closes to it is the magnetospeed which measures velocity using magnetic field changes and thus no dependencies on weather either. It gives you the standard info, like velocity @ different distance up to 100 yards, average, highest, lowest velocity, ES and SD. Also additional information like kinetic energy @ different distance, calculated power factor. there is one spreadsheet for all the numbers from all the shots in one session, also one spreadsheet for each shot within that session holds projectile flight time, velocity at different distances. lots of useful information.
5. Usability. I found it's very easy to use. the buttons are easy to understand and operate after reading the manual. The best selling point for this device is that it supports all firearms, rifle, handgun and airguns. No need to tie to the gun like magnetospeed(which is why it cannot be used on some guns). No need to call cease fire which means you can use it in any range at any time even those ranges don't allow chrono. And no wait on others before setting it up. Best of all, no risk to shot it accidently as it happens from time to time to the traditional chrono. :)
6. Accuracy. I found it overall very accurate. I tested my X95 with factory ammo and P226 with my handload. the velocities measured fall into the correct range of the ammo I used. Technically I supposed to put the gun beside the unit at the rough same level, but since I was at indoor range, I just put it on the bench and standing beside it, the rifle and handgun were on the top right side of the unit, yet no issues. It does take a few seconds to capture and display the number which could be why I couldn't do rapid fire, otherwise, it lost shots. My friend who had the magnetospeed said magentospeed has no issue with rapid fire. Also, at indoor range where the shooting port is close together, AND if the guy beside you have a rifle with muzzle brake, labradar WILL definitely pick up false reading from those shots. so, you have to either delete them, or temporarily disarm the unit(still turned on) to avoid the false readings. Outdoor rifle range would be better as rifle bench are usually far apart.
8. Power source. It can use 6 AA batteries which I haven't tried yet as according to online review and manual, it only gives about 1 hour use(litium AA batteries may be better, but expensive). Since I already have my trustworthy Anker Astro E7 25600mAh power bank I bought a few years ago for my desert camping trip(last me 3 full days with all my cell phones, tablets and can even charge camera batteries), I used that. After 3 hours, the power indicator didn't lower a bit. I got mine on amazon. now there is a newer version @ 26800mAh at around the same price when I got mine.
https://www.amazon.ca/Anker-Ultra-H...F8&qid=1489451823&sr=8-2&keywords=anker+astro
9. Price. it's expensive over C$900. I think this is the only real down side to it, but still think it's well worth the money.
 
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I have one of these too. Very expensive but it makes my Shooting Chrony seem like some kind of primitive stone-age tool. I find that it reads through AA batteries fast, so a power bank is necessary. Also, I found it works better outdoors.
 
oppy said:
I have one of these too. Very expensive but it makes my Shooting Chrony seem like some kind of primitive stone-age tool. I find that it reads through AA batteries fast, so a power bank is necessary. Also, I found it works better outdoors.
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Did you ever compare it's velocities to your chrony velocites to see if there was a difference.
Reason I ask is that I have a chrony and would like to know how accurate they are.

Tks
 
I also absolutely love my Labradar! Indispensable reloading tool.
Easy to use, really no set up to speak of, you just turn it on once you get it initially set up the first time and go.
Also bought a 30$ battery pack off Amazon which lasts forever with the unit.
I had a Magnetospeed V3 prior to this and before I sold that, I did compare them side-by-side and found that over countless shots there was almost always less then 3 fps difference between the two units and that was very repeatable. I actually think the units were measuring the same speeds overall and were bang on to one another when you factor in that the Magnetospeed reads MV at the muzzle and the Labradar measures it's MV several feet or more in front of the muzzle once the bullet enters the radar field.
Certainly nothing wrong with the V3, worked flawlessly but the set up for testing multiple guns/barrels or users at the same time was a huge hassle. With the Labradar, just pick it up and set it on your buddies bench, or when shooting prone, just set it in between two shooters and it'll record whoever is shooting. So easy.
 
I compared my Magnetospeed to a Labradar and there wasn't enough difference to warrant the extra cost when averages were calculated.

Don't get me wrong. The Labradar unit is reliable/repeatable and does everything it claims to be capable of as long as the person setting it up does their part. IMHO it is bulky, and can give issues when more than one shooter is in close proximity as can happen occasionally. Other than that, it's a great tool.

I like the Magnetospeed because it fits easily into my range bag or pocket. It's main drawback is that it does effect accuracy and gives a different point of impact when mounted on a barrel. The cost is about a third or less than the Labradar. Readings are so close as to be hard to tell one from the other.

For anyone considering either of them, you won't go wrong with whichever choice you make.
 
Love my Labradar. A couple of observations:

- a rechargeable USB battery pack is critical...battery life is not all that long otherwise - a couple of range trips.
- takes some adjustment of audio trigger level of multiple shooters on the line, but can discriminate shots well.
- the benchtop mount is flimsy - lost one of the feet a couple of months into ownership, and the swivel mount is cheap - went with a small camera tripod and never looked back.
- memory card stores amazing amounts of millisecond-level velocity data - can track projectiles to impact up to 100 yards out and typically provides 80-100 data points per track, so you can back-calculate ballistic coefficient.
- quick setup time and not in front of the firing line, so you won't be the guy who shoots their chronograph!
- .50 BMG blast can reset the unit unless placed under the shooting bench or in some other protected location. Works great once protected.

An amazing unit overall!
 
I would agree neither magnetospeed nor labradar is perfect. To me, I don't like the fact that I have to strap magnetospeed on the barrel TIGHT and LEVEL so that I won't accidentally shoot it if not level or it becomes loose. of course, it's rare, but could happen, especially with big recoil guns. Also, even with adapters, it cannot be used on some guns, like my glock G30s. labradar can just be placed on the table and immediately works with any firearm you have.

accuracy wise, I would say all the good chronos, magnetospeed and labradar are too close to tell the difference. Unless you are a extreme nerd or physicist who demand ultimate accurate reading, none of them would be good for you I think.


bearhunter said:
I compared my Magnetospeed to a Labradar and there wasn't enough difference to warrant the extra cost when averages were calculated.

Don't get me wrong. The Labradar unit is reliable/repeatable and does everything it claims to be capable of as long as the person setting it up does their part. IMHO it is bulky, and can give issues when more than one shooter is in close proximity as can happen occasionally. Other than that, it's a great tool.

I like the Magnetospeed because it fits easily into my range bag or pocket. It's main drawback is that it does effect accuracy and gives a different point of impact when mounted on a barrel. The cost is about a third or less than the Labradar. Readings are so close as to be hard to tell one from the other.

For anyone considering either of them, you won't go wrong with whichever choice you make.
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remington jim said:
Hmm WHY not ? Thxs RJ
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The LabRadar uses Doppler radar to track the projectile in flight (out to 100 yards in some cases!). For shotguns, it can track the slug as it is a single, large target. For shot, each pellet plus the wad are individual targets that move and decelerate at different rates. The system cannot track multiple targets, so cannot resolve the velocity of the shot.

You can set multiple distances that the LabRadar will report the veolocity at, including V0 (corrected velocity right at the muzzle). Many people don't apply that correction when using screen-based chronographs that are actually messing velocity at 5-10 yards in front of the muzzle. Another cool LabRadar feature!
 
FirearmsEnthusiast said:
The LabRadar uses Doppler radar to track the projectile in flight (out to 100 yards in some cases!). For shotguns, it can track the slug as it is a single, large target. For shot, each pellet plus the wad are individual targets that move and decelerate at different rates. The system cannot track multiple targets, so cannot resolve the velocity of the shot.

You can set multiple distances that the LabRadar will report the veolocity at, including V0 (corrected velocity right at the muzzle). Many people don't apply that correction when using screen-based chronographs that are actually messing velocity at 5-10 yards in front of the muzzle. Another cool LabRadar feature!
Click to expand...

Hmm ! I have a Lab Radar Unit and i have Never tryed a shotgun - BUT i Will and see for my self - Thxs for the response - RJ
 
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