Caldwell Chronograph report

[geeollie]

Found a Caldwell G2 chronograph on a Black Friday sale for under $200. I do not think that this is the best chronograph, but it gets MANY good reports from many sources. It is a light sensing chrono and they can act up when the sky is not bright and clear.
Well, today was a perfect day and I wanted to see how my Black Hills 85 gr, XTP do out of my 1 7/8 inch .327.

Hornady says they expand at well below 800 fps. I was pleased that my average was 890 fps. The minimum was 867 fps. A couple on line gel tests report they produce 15+ inch penetration and some expansion. I also shot some Buffalo Bore 32 S&W Long wad cutters that averaged 829 fps. Slowest was 782 fps.

It really upped my range experience being able to see how fast or slow the bullets were going. Now I can compare felt recoil, accuracy and velocity. For the price, it was a fun purchase and should be helpful when I reload.

And, I did not shoot the machine. Success!!!

 

[H Richard]

If you are a hand-loader, a chronograph is requirement if you want any quality ammo.

 

[geeollie]

Yes, agree. I am planning a load that is tested in a 6 inch test barrel.
I don't plan on loading anything that I shoot in a 6 inch anything.

 

[SF VET]

I chrono just about every load I am "working up", at least for rifle. When I chrono pistol loads, it is just for something interesting, and one of those things is how much faster the same cartridge, ie, a pistol velocity for a 357Mag is when shot out of a longer barrel lever rifle. Amazing. All that big fireball out of pistol barrel, is energy increasing the velocity of that same bullet when going down a rifle barrel. And like many shooters, I have shot my screens when trying to aim above the wired shadow detectors when shooting a scoped rifle. I like to see my own loads be approximately what the manuals suggest for my powder and bullet. And especially like it when my Sd is really small. SF VET

 

[mtgianni]

I have a decades old Chrony. I use it when working up loads as a comparison tool, rather than wanting to know the absolute fastest speed. It tells me when I have the least amount of variation, and am closest to my goals.