Chronograph - worth the cost?

[Double-O-Dave]

Good morning:

I've been reloading for over 30 years now, almost exclusively for handguns, and never with the use of a chronograph. When I was younger, I wanted one, but just couldn't afford one. I now have the opportunity to buy a new-in-the box Chrony Beta Master chronograph for $105.00. Are chronographs worth the expense? Are they more fun/informative than a hassle? Is the Chrony Beta Master a good chronograph, and is this a fair price?

I greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions to the above questions.

Thank you,

Dave

 

[OKFC05]

I first bought a chronograph after using them at matches to check power factors. I wanted my own mostly for convenience, since I could wait until I could use the club chrono.

How useful it would be to you depends on what you want it for. It is important if you are trying to make a PF, working with hot loads, or just curious why a load is all over the place on the paper (sometimes it is a powder problem, often not). If you don't care what the speed of your load is as long as it shoots OK, a chronograph is of little use.

I personally do not care for the Chrony beta master , or for any chronograph that puts all the electronics out there for my buddies to shoot---and they will, eventually.

 

[Warren Sear]

There is no excuse to not own one. Do not allow anyone at the range to "try out" their ammo on it!

 

[11e40]

i have one & i really like it. just don't let anyone use it . it's easy to hit the unit if your not careful. also don't put it too close to the muzzle, you will get powder burns on it. hth.

 

[M29since14]

Dave, I think if you are a fairly meticulous handloader you will get a LOT of good from one. Like yourself I loaded for many years without one. About the time my metallic silhouette shooting days were over, I got one. One of the first things I was amazed to learn was the difference that various types of primers made in my 44 Magnum loads. That is just one thing a chronograph can point out to you that shooting probably won't. Another thing I use my chronograph for it to adjust my .45 loads to the speed I want when I get a new can of powder. My 200 LSWCs are run at 775-800 FPS and my 230s are loaded to 850. Maybe not necessary, but I like to keep tabs on things.

I would recommend you get one and experiment with it. I think you will find enough uses for it that you won't regret having it.

Going along with the comment about not letting others shoot over your chronograph, which is probably wise, I remember talking to the ramrod at PACT about guys shooting their chronographs. He told me there were two types. The guys who have already shot their chronograph... and the guys who are going to shoot it.

 

[boatbum101]

I'd say the Chrony brand is an excellent bargin buy . Sometimes a chronograph will show a higher velocity for a given load & that can sometimes be a warning of higher pressure than one wants . Sometimes this is before one has sticky extraction &/or flattened / blown primers . So IMHO it's a prudent tool to use . It can also give you the velocity envelope that an accurate load performs at . I still shoot Bullseye so that's important to me . That way it's easier for me to duplicate when switching powder lots or brands etc . I'm sure others will chime in here with other valid points .

 

[*chris*]

Honestly I couldn't imagine developing loads (speed, accuracy, consistency) without one.

Chris

 

[MichiganScott]

Without knowing the velocity of your rifle loads you are really clueless as to trajectory. Also as mentioned, if your handload's velocity is much higher than factory, you better believe so is the pressure.

 

[Nevada Ed]

For about 30 years I just reloaded for accuracy...........
If it hit the bullseye or killed game, it was good to go.

When I started picking up snub nose revolvers, I wanted to know what my loads were doing and finally got a chrony.

It was an eye opener to say the least, when I finally saw what all my lead and steel shotgun loads were doing and what I thought I was getting out of my large rifles.'
Only way to fly when trying to develop maximum loads, that looking at the primer is not always the best way to "Guess" if you are at or near maximum.

Just another "Toy".................. but a good one to have.

 

[Hansli]

I have a Pro Chrono which still costs a hundred bucks. It's indispensable to determining what any particular load is doing in any gun.

 

[TAROMAN]

After 30 years of handloading I purchased my first chrono.
Only question is why did I wait so long.
Its a real truth teller. Published load data is very rarely accurate.

 

[loc n load]

Chrono's

I have used an Oheler for years....I use it for several reasons:
A. To ascertain if factory ammo spec's are "honest".
B. That loading manual recipes actually deliver what is published.
C. To tailor loads for specific "mission specific" laods such as the 7mm TCU that I shot for years in ISHMA, this rd was a wildcat, made from 223 brass.
D. To develop accurate rifle loads for my long range interests in rifles ranging from 200 to 1500 yds......this is where the chrono really is an asset, as it allows me to monitor consistency of velocity spreads thru a string of rounds....at 50 yds, it doesn't matter much....at 200 - 500 yds it will and at 1000yds it will most definitely make a HUGE difference.
THis ability to monitor this aspect of my loads allows me to save a lot of cost when shooting & to develop some serious sub moa loads.....and when I am banging away with a 338 lapua or a 50 bmg, that adds up pretty quickly.
Could I get by without one? If I had too, but I really would not want to.

 

[JohnK]

All of the above, plus:

I use the crono, when I have a new lot of powder, and plan on continuing a favorite load.

If the new lot, for instance, has a velocity of 3525 fps, and the old one was 3250 fps, I KNOW we have had a major change in burning rate, with the new lot. A 10% change in burning rate, is NOT unusual, (with the attendant change in pressure).

Had a few old boxes of .38 Special loads, with a then recommended load of 2400 powder. It was a popular load at the time, and was supposed to give near 1100 fps, with a 158 gr. LSWC.

It clocked 1467 fps (gasp) with a 4" Smith revolver. I durn near threw up, when I saw the results. Tore down the loads, all correct powder, and charge.

I was shooting these out of a Model 15 , Smith, .38 Special revolver. Makes me laugh, at the question about +P loads now.

Still shoot the unharmed Model 15, but NOT with these loads.

A new lot of 2400, gave the expected velocity range. Go figure.

Another more recent instance, I used a recommended load of Lil-Gun, in a .221 Fireball CZ rifle. It was THE load, from all the "experts". Good velocity, and low pressure. One man, even pressure tested it, and it showed normal pressures.

The velocity in my rifle, was well over 350 fps faster than the expected results. Lord, have never seen flattened, cratered primers like that.

The Lil-Gun is now fertilizing my yard, and I am back to a 4227 load, that performs as expected.

Be careful out there.

 

[hotrod150]

I bought a "Shooting Chrony" years ago when I was doing a lot of rifle loads. I always got close to what the loading manuals said since I was using a standard length barrel. Even loading my 250-3000 Aclkley wildcat, I got about what was shown for the same load in a 257 Roberts. What I find now, loading for my 2" 38 spls, is that the loading manuals use either 4" barrels (Hornady) or 6" barrels (Speer, my favorite) to test loads, so you need to do some extrapolation to calculate the velocity out of a 2-incher. I'm loading up near the maximum loads shown in both books, and it'd be nice if I knew what I was actually getting. I dusted off the old Chrony & shot over it, but it seems to be on the fritz-- only getting about one appropriate velocity reading in about every 4 or 5 shots.

 

[Aticus]

To answer your questions, Dave: YES.

 

[Rule3]

As with anything, Ford or Chevy. Ginger or Maryann

I do not recommend the Chrony brand. Had problems with two of them. They do not deal well with sunlight.

Bought this one and very happy. Never missed a beat yet. On sale. Read the reviews. 4.6 from 156 buyers.

There are many threads on Chronographs. For the price I find this one hard to beat. Not you are not gonna shoot it, Get the shot through the uprights at 10 feet. Use a rest.

The end

Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph

 

[Engineer1911]

Yes a chronograph is a good investment, but don't become obsessive about velocity compared to your reloading manual. A chrono gives data, it does not give answers, make decisions, or make comparisons to the other guy.

Good luck.

 

[H Richard]

I have been reloading for over 30 years, and I find the Chronograph very handy and quite informative for handgun loads and "Imperative" for rifle loads. I use a Beta Chrony and have no problems with it, is is sensitive to the light source, and if you have a real cloudy day don't shoot while the sun is behind the clouds.

 

[rockquarry]

For occasional use, a Chrony may be fine. For regular or heavy duty use, get an Oehler. You won't find it lacking in any way and your future chronographing needs won't outgrow it.

 

[growr]

I too had been a reloader for 30 some od years without a chronograph and received one as gift from my daughters for Christmas. Not a Chrony but a Competition Electronics.....

Don't know how I did without one for so long!!! A great tool for confirming that the loads I had been using for years really were what I thought they were.....helped validate consistency, helped reject problem loads that the manuals indicated should be good to go and weren't....etc.
I am NOT obsessed with velocity....accuracy is far more important to me..
Get one and use it for a while and you will see that is is just as important as a good caliper..

Randy