chronograph question

[chief38]

The easiest way to test them is to compare to other Chronographs. There are a bunch of Fellas in my club who routinely have their Chronographs out and I just ask them if its OK for me to shoot a few of my rounds through theirs. Since I know what my loads Chronograph through my own, I know if there is any discrepancy. The results have always been pretty darn close and so I can assume mine is accurate as all 3 or 4 units don't vary much at all. May not be scientific - but it is practical and makes sense to me.

 

[fredj338]

Best imo is test with match grade ammo, It is very consistent. Variations in testing will always yield diff results, so it is not calibrating but confirming your chrono works.
I tested 3 diff chrono back to back to back. Switched positions for all three. Vel readings were never nore than single digit variations between the three, regardless of position. Well within the norms for variation from shot to shot in any ammo.

 

[fredj338]

Skip the Chrony and buy the Competition Electronics $99 pro digital
instead. I've owned two Chronys and found them to be useless for
chronographing handgun rounds.

While not useless, certainly more challenging than other brands.

 

[Forrest r]

Now that has an answer. The timing circuit is calibrated against a known traceable standard, just like an electric watch. And is normally the LEAST of your worries in accurate, repeatable measurements of bullet speeds.
I recently "fixed" a chronograph with loose mounts, FILTHY lenses, and a loose battery wire. And as usual, the timing circuit was perfect. The only real problem was the loose nut behind the wheel who made no attempt to follow the manual directions on maintenance and operation..

+1^^^^ this

 

[Forrest r]

I have 2 chronographs, a chrony f1 and a competition electronics. They both read within +/- 10fps of each other. I believe this has more to do with operator error than the differences in the units.

FWIW:
The competition electronics is a lot easier to setup and use. It isn't as sensitive to sunlight & I don't get the wild/questionable reading the chrony f11 gives me.

One of the most mis-understood things about chronographs is that they are used to pickup on any mechanical issues/ammo issues a firearm has. Most people that use chronographs are doing this/seeing this and don't even know it.

 

[Joe4d]

skip the CHRONY,,, as mentioned, lifes to short to deal with them. Harder to set up, lots of missed readings and wasted rounds. When to the competition electronics and a camera tripod,, way mobetta.
Far as altitude, yeh lower is slower in theory, but for match purposes all we care about is muzzle,,, or 10 foot velocity. Air pressure at the muzzle isnt gonna amount to squat... Down range rifle shooting ? yes.. Muzzle velocity of a pistol ? Not so much.
The most accurate chrono's will be the one at the match,,, LOL,, as thats the only one that matters.. and despite a couple above posters 40 FPS makes a HUGE difference in handgun ammo when you are gaming.
In ur case assuming a CE chono, Follow the ole 5 over power factory,, develop loads with single digit SD and call it a day. Pay attention to weather temps and certain powders that change with temps.

 

[rsrocket1]

Go out on several days and shoot some standard velocity 22LR or match grade 22LR out of a bolt action rifle. CCI Standard velocity is pretty good in terms of consistency and relatively cheap too. Most of the time, they average at 1060 fps for me and if they are off a bit, it's because of the weather and not because of the sensors. If the reading says 300 fps or 2000 fps, there is obviously an alignment or placement problem.

The most important factor is usually getting the Chrony to measure velocity at all. Many times, the lighting conditions (time of day) and muzzle blast of your gun or a gun from the next bench over can give bad or no readings.

It would be a shame to waste a complete test batch of cartridges and wind up with no valid data because you happened to set up the Chrony too high, too low or with the sun setting and shining directly into the sensors. You can also use a break barrel pellet gun as the good ones can keep the spread down to 0-10 fps but I simply find a 22LR to be good enough.