Chronograph suggestions

[forestswin]

I am quite surprised at all the negative reviews for just about all the chronographs other than the Oehler - but I just can't justify spending $350 for a chrono

I'm asking for some advice here - previous posts here are several years old - are there new chronos out there?

suggestions????

how about replacement parts for when I shoot it?
my sons fly RC helicopters - they can get any part they break on a crash at the local hobby shop at reasonable prices - is that so with any chrono??

 

[Waywatcher]

I have had perfect results using this one.

I have had it for about 18 months. I use it a few times a month and it's still on its first battery. It always records a velocity, seems to be very accurate and consistent, and without error messages. I have used it from .38 puff loads up to 5.56 loads and it always has worked for me. I have nothing bad to say about it.

 

[AveragEd]

About the only time you should need parts for a chronograph is if you shoot it - but then, you'll need more than just "parts."

I've used numerous brands of "better" chronographs but like you, prefer not to invest a lot of money in something for a hobby. I have two ProChrono units, one newer digital with the bench-mounted remote control and an older analog unit I keep for a backup (but have never needed). For $110, you can't beat them.

The "better" chronographs seem to be much more sensitive to the angle of the natural light they are used under. I bought a Pact that would not work at all and a Competitive Edge Dynamics M2 that gave inconsistent readings unless the sun was directly overhead or obscured by cloud cover. My ProChronos always work.

Pact told me to turn the chronograph so the sun was shining into the photocells. When I told them that since our range faces west, that would mean turning the unit across the range and tilting it. They said, "you gotta do what works." I did - I returned the unit.

CED told me that their photocells are of higher quality, thus the sensitivity, but they yield more accurate results under perfect lighting conditions. That doesn't exist very often and then only at a given time each day, so it went back, too.

I never owned an Oehler but I hear they are good. For the price, I would expect nothing less.

I think a ProChrono or Shooting Chrony would satisfy all your needs.

Ed

 

[Nevada Ed]

$139.99 and still ticking...................

Got this one with the long cord, so I can use it at the rifle range and also nice that the "Brain unit" is at your table if
corrections or adjustments are needed during the testing.

Stores 6 test that you can look at when you get home which is nice but I log all data in a log book, while shooting, just
to be on the safe side.

 

[TAROMAN]

What Nevada Ed said.
Get one with a remote.
First one I bought didn't have that feature.
Thankfully, a friend's son center punched it with a .357 and I ordered a Chrony from Buds.
Got the red one. Does everything I need.
You will be surprised how far off many published loads are when fired in your guns.

 

[S&WIowegan]

All chronos are sensitive to varying degrees to sunlight and the angle the sun's coming from. Here in Iowa we have almost constant wind which can affect results by wiggling your set-up....or blow the whole mess over.

The only answer to reliable repeatable chrono results is to build a light box if you chrono outdoors. That's what Chronoman uses at all the USPSA National championship matches. He must deliver consistent, correct results all day long and he does!!

The other solution which I chose is to chrono indoors. The light source must be incandescent bulbs.....fluorescent drives a chrono crazy!!

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I realize that there are those that don't want to spend alot of money on a cronograph. For me its the Oehler 35P. Had mine for over 20 years and its still going strong.

 

[Rule3]

I have had perfect results using this one.

I have had it for about 18 months. I use it a few times a month and it's still on its first battery. It always records a velocity, seems to be very accurate and consistent, and without error messages. I have used it from .38 puff loads up to 5.56 loads and it always has worked for me. I have nothing bad to say about it.

I get real tired of fighting with the folding Chronys (had 2) and got the same one. Never misses a shot never had a error in the Blazing Florida Sun and reflection off the sandy soil. The CED is a great unit. No I do not worry about shooting it. I can shoot between the uprights at 10 ft. I never use a target when testing, just a pistol rest and concentrate on the shot.

Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph


Forest,
read the reviews 4.6 out of 5, 133 review. It goes on sale regular for $100.00


Scroll to the bottom of this thread there are several chronograph threads.

 

[Nick B]

I get real tired of fighting with the folding Chronys (had 2) and got the same one. Never misses a shot never had a error in the Blazing Florida Sun and reflection off the sandy soil. The CED is a great unit. No I do not worry about shooting it. I can shoot between the uprights at 10 ft. I never use a target when testing, just a pistol rest and concentrate on the shot.

Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph


Forest,
read the reviews 4.6 out of 5, 133 review. It goes on sale regular for $100.00


Scroll to the bottom of this thread there are several chronograph threads.

^^ This one is all you need .

 

[stavman11]

I have had this chrono for a year Now....

F1 chrono

For $99 , and as often as i use it, which is about every 10th range trip, It works great for me

You can mod it to have a Corded extension... But Ive had no issues seeing the readout 15' away

just my opinion... either way... they are a Funny tool for a fun Hobby.. get one... youll love it

 

[125JHP]

no, no... get this one...

CED Millennium 2 Chronograph System

 

[stavman11]

no, no... get this one...

CED Millennium 2 Chronograph System

now THAT is bitchin....

I want one

 

[sourdough44]

I have the one linked to in post #2, near or just over $100 & has worked fine. I use a cheaper camera tripod from Wal-Mart. I'm usually on private property so I just walk up to it for a reading.

 

[forestswin]

no, no... get this one...

CED Millennium 2 Chronograph System

that's the one I thought was 2nd to the Oehler 35P, its been recommended here in other threads

but have you read the reviews? - there are more negatives (1's) than (5's)
that really throws up a red flag I was kind of surprised

normally I'd take reviews like these (equal very good and very bad) as quality control - but in this case - seems to me to be functional design issues.

 

[Jboutfishn]

I have had an F1 Chrony for over 10 years. Plain wrap, has never failed, and I have no problem reading it at 15 feet. I paid $75 for it. Money well spent.

I use it for load development only, as I suspect all are used. No need for the big $$$$$.

 

[AveragEd]

There is a good reason why the CED M2 gets bad reviews: they don't work consistently as they are VERY light sensitive.

I bought one thinking I should have a "better" chronograph than my old ProChrono and really liked the looks of the whole M2 package, so I bought everything, carrying case and all. On cloudy, overcast days, it worked; on sunny days, it wouldn't. When the sun was overhead during midday hours, it worked; when the sun was at an angle to it in the morning, when I prefer to test loads, it wouldn't. Results varied from no readings, error codes for the "start" or "stop" photocells to impossibly low or high readings.

I spoke with an oriental lady at CED, which is located just a few hours from me here in Pennsylvania. She tried helping me but finally said she would have Charles, their chief engineer, contact me. A week or so later, Charles spent a lot of time with me, possibly because I am an outdoor writer, and did exchange every component except the display unit over several months to no avail. I had purchased it directly from CED and Charles initially refused to accept it as a return and refund my purchase price but finally and very reluctantly did. That took some time as he apparently forgot to tell the oriental lady about our agreement before he left for a trip to Asia, but I did eventually see the refund on my bank statement.

The M2's spotty operation was a real nuisance as I would waste my handloaded test rounds trying to get it working. One day when the CED M2 wouldn't work, I set my older ProChrono up right behind the M2 and shot over them while speaking with Charles on the phone. The ProChrono worked while the M2 just gave me error messages. I then set up a 10' canopy over the chronographs and the M2 started working, much to Charles' surprise - he told me it needed light to work but as I said earlier, it only worked on overcast days.

The M2 sure is an attractive setup but as I told Charles when he insisted that the M2 was more accurate than my ProChronos, reasonably accurate readings are better than no readings. I subsequently bought one of the newer ProChrono digital models with their remote bench control unit and it has never failed to work, regardless of the light conditions or time of day. It even has the extras benefit of just one cable running back from the unit while the M2 has one from each photocell.

Ed

 

[forestswin]

There is a good reason why the CED M2 gets bad reviews....


Ed

thanks Ed for such a thorough and informational response

 

[AveragEd]

You're very welcome. I've been at the shooting and handloading games for over 40 years and like to share what has and has not worked for me with others. In fact, that's the basis for my column and articles in Shotgun Sports Magazine.

Ed

 

[arizona98tj]

My experience with the CED M2 is quite different. I've had mine now for about a year and it works very well. I use it on loads from .223 Rem to .45ACP. We don't have that many cloudy days here in central AZ so I have to say most of my range time has been nothing but sunny days. I typically hit the range about an hour after sunrise, regardless of the month. So I shoot with the sun lower to the horizon (winter) and higher in the sky (summer). I stick it 10' from the muzzle and it just works....just like it should.

Here is a photo I dug out of my online review. I was working up loads for my .308 FNAR that day. You can see how the sun is shining from the chrono's shadow. That would have been taken during the winter months. Given the length of the shadow, the sun was far from being anywhere near directly overhead.

 

[Nick B]

no, no... get this one...

CED Millennium 2 Chronograph System

A lot of bad reviews on that one .

 

[125JHP]

I don't know about their experiences but I have had mine for 1 1/2 years and use it weekly under clear sunny Arizona conditions without problems. There was one instance where I had some screwy results but I attribute that to just before sunset when the light was coming very low from behind. (It also could have been the powder charges I was comparing-but I eventually got it resolved)

Normally I shoot with the sun to my right at an elevated angle between 45 and 90 degrees and a position angle from 1pm to 4 pm - sometimes it gets late and the sun drops to 5pm (relative position) without problems. Lower than that and it can miss a shot but the 90% it does get are in line with the normal. When the sun gets real low, and the light is fading fast is when it becomes unreliable.

I have begun using a new shooting spot on a ranch that extends my backstop to 325 yd.
That location is oriented 90 degree to my normal shooting spot above, so that the sun is typically in front of me now, moving from 10am thru an arc to 2pm. I was concerned that the light coming in low from the front would put a lot of glint on the sensors but so far it hasn't given me any false readings.

I shot some 7.62x39 the other day and compared the readings of OEM ammo to their published velocities (they correlated fine) and I also compared loads of 3 powders to what the book said I should expect for the given charge and again my results were as expected with one being 2 fps from the book figure.

There have also been plenty of cloudy days in the winter and during monsoon season that I know mine works in all conditions.

I used a PACT for over 20 years and when I decided to get new tech, I did a comparative test with my PACT and the M2, arranging the screens overlapping so I could shoot thru both and record a single shot on both. Since the overlapped screens were only 3" difference between centers I was able to calculate the velocity difference between the two units was about 8fps - close enough for me.

Like I said, I don't know what problems the other users have had but I have had a good experience with it and would buy another one. Both of the above scenarios I mentioned are posted on here somewhere if you search on my UN.

... ok I read the reviews and it seems like with so many chinese products these days, you either get one that works as expected or you don't. It also seems that some of the users might be a bit tech challenged.

Like many, I usually rely on user reviews for purchase decisions. Of the 32 ratings,not counting the average (3*) 13 (40%) were 1 or 2 stars and 17 (53%) were 4 or 5 stars. I hope they have sold more units than that. I probably wouldn't have bought the M2 either based on the splits in the Midway reviews.

 

[AveragEd]

I think the CED M2 has the POTENTIAL to be a great bang-for-the-buck chronograph as the package is very attractive and well thought out. But their operational record leaves a lot to be desired and I like to think they still have to get some bugs ironed out. However, Charles did not agree with that, insisting that he shoots over them quite frequently and has the design about perfected. If that really is the case, buying one would be a crapshoot, so perhaps JHP125's analogy is very accurate.

I will add that the rifle range I use most faces west, so morning usage is popular among club members as our targets are well lit and afternoon sessions can have the sun in your eyes. Accordingly, the sun is behind the firing line during the morning hours; perhaps my M2 would have worked if could have oriented it so the sun was beside it as 98tj's is pictured above.

Regardless, mine didn't function reliably even with every component except the display unit, which can only display what is sent to it, replaced. That suggests there are problems...

Ed

 

[824tsv]

F1 Shooting Chrony,
I have had it for several years without issue. If you are going to use this unit indoors, don't buy the expensive "indoor lighting kit" for this unit. You can get 2 LED lights from the Source and velcro them to the underside of the diffusers and the unit works perfectly indoors. Unit with LED lights for about $120. No need to spend a lot of money.