IN SEARCH OF A NEW CHRONOGRAPH

[chief38]

I was at the Range yesterday and my 30+ year old Chrony Alpha Master gave up the ghost. I tried calling customer service and found out that they are out of business. So..... that puts me back in the market for a new Chronograph.

The two brands I see advertised most are the Caldwell and the Competition Electronics brands. I am not really interested in the high tech brands because it is a rarely used accessory for me but do demand accuracy and reliability when I do use it.

I'd like some feedback on which brand you have, use and thing is more reliable. Thanks!

 

[smithra_66]

Of the conventional types, the Oehler 35P is the gold standard. It's a fantastic machine with fantastic support. You simply cannot go wrong.

If you don't want to use the standard "down range" type of systems, like the 35 is, I've found good success with the Labradar doppler unit as well.

The Labradar sits on the bench...no connections to fiddle with on the gun, nothing to set up down range. I've found myself using it even more than the 35P now, and it even has a handy app that allow me to connect with it via bluetooth so that I can control it with my phone and all the data is stored in the phone.

The LR doesn't work well with shotguns or muzzleloaders, and sometimes has a hard time with very quiet calibers....for those things I still use the 35P.

Pick one (or both) of these units and you're covered.

 

[dave1918a2]

We use the Labradar to check muzzle loaders a lot and have no complaints.

 

[Gaffer]

I have had an Oehler 35 P since the first year they came out. Still works but I no longer use it as much as I have gotten old and unable to experiment as much.

 

[ike1518]

I have the Competition Electronic chrony and think it’s great. Mine has the Bluetooth that I didn’t think I would need but wouldn’t have a chrony now without it. I can test loads and get performance statistics automatically. I upload data to my Dropbox so have a permanent record of my testing as well.

 

[rockquarry]

I've had an Oehler 35P for about thirty years and LabRadar for less than five years. You won't outgrow either of these even if you chronograph a lot. Other than ease of setup, the LabRadar offers nothing for me over the Oehler.

I've had several other chronographs over many years including a Chrony and a PACT. I don't know if the PACT is still available, but it's a very good basic unit and few need anything more than basic.

If you don't chronograph often, a Chrony is okay, but it has a small window and can't be termed a heavy duty unit. Don't get caught up in features that are of questionable worth. I still record all necessary data with pen and paper in a notebook.

I don't care for Caldwell or most of the other Midway brands but some of it may be decent equipment. Buy the best chronograph you can afford so that later you won't wish you had done better.

 

[prairieviper]

I also have the Competition Electronics chronograph. It's reliable and I have never had any problems with it. It's pretty basic and does exactly what I bought it for. No other frills needed or wanted.

 

[HorizontalMike]

LAB RADAR, after two "other" chronies, THIS time I don't have to shoot AT the chrony...

 

[jkallner]

Plus one on the Labradar mostly because you can use it inside without any problem. Besides easy set up I don't have to wait for a nice day to chronograph loads, just head to my indoor range and check away.

 

[chief38]

Well thanks for the replies! It's been quite a while since I've been in the market for one so I'm a bit out of the loop on Chronographs!

If I was 35, and in this for the long haul or was just getting into reloading, I'd definitely get either the Labradar or the Oehler35P. I am 67, been reloading for over 40 years and have most of all the loads I'll ever need worked up already. The only reason I am chronographing more again is because I just started loading 9mm (never thought I'd be doing them) and also might need to use different powders from time to time (for the calibers I already load for) given I might not be able to get my fav's these days.

That said, I think I will go with the Competition Electronics DLX which should fit my needs. For years I used the Chrony Alpha Master and it did have some quirks with lighting and did not work well indoors - even with the light attachment. Outdoors it worked decently enough for my needs. Once I got the light right, it was accurate and consistent. I would think that the Comp. Elec. DLX would be as good or better (than the old Chrony) for my needs at this point.

Note: When I was buying 9mm factory target loads for $$6.5- 7.00 bucks a box 50 (in bulk), I saw no reason to reload them. Now that things have drastically changed and one of my friends happen to give me a set of Dies a while back, it's a no brainer! All I had to buy were the bullets themselves. I would like to Chrono them - currently using 3.6 gr. of Titegroup and a 125 gr. LRN Polymer coated bullet set to 1.130" col.

I have also recently started converting all my bullets from raw lead alloy to the Polymer coated versions. So far very happy. Less smoke, no wax to jam up Dies, accurate and cleaner to handle. Not much more expensive either. Still, I'd like to chrono them too.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

I used a competition electronics pro chrono until I made the step up to the Labradar unit. It works really well if you can set it up in the shade or shoot on cloudy days. It can be a little picky about how far from the muzzle it is, depending on how stout your load is.

I've still got the unit if you don't want to pay for a new one, PM me. Mine does not have bluetooth capability.

I shoot 9mm 120 gr polymer coated truncated cone bullets and chronographed those with 3.7gr Titegroup and got 1017 ft/sec out of a 4" barrel. Your load should be pretty close to that.

 

[Cdog]

I purchased a new Competition Electronics with blue tooth about a month ago. I still use a chronograph for archery too, so I wanted to stay with a conventional type. (Maybe I just don't like change?)

My previous one went missing from my truck.

The new one seems quite reliable. I've used it in some less than ideal lighting and it hasn't balked yet.

My only complaint, the op panel could be a bit beefier. So far so good though.

 

[fordson]

Another vote for the CEC Digital with blue tooth. It’s a dependable and reliable unit, however it can be finicky in bright sun. Know that and adjust for it. The digital blue tooth is good. I have mine hooked up to my iPad which come to the range. It saves all my data so I can download it to my desktop and/or just print out the charts and test results. The other thing I like, it’s affordable.

 

[chief38]

I used a competition electronics pro chrono until I made the step up to the Labradar unit. It works really well if you can set it up in the shade or shoot on cloudy days. It can be a little picky about how far from the muzzle it is, depending on how stout your load is.

I've still got the unit if you don't want to pay for a new one, PM me. Mine does not have bluetooth capability.

I shoot 9mm 120 gr polymer coated truncated cone bullets and chronographed those with 3.7gr Titegroup and got 1017 ft/sec out of a 4" barrel. Your load should be pretty close to that.

Thank you and if I did not want the Bluetooth I'd PM you. I am planning on the DLX model with Bluetooth & the light kit for indoor use which I saw for $120 on Graf & Sons + free freight.
While my old Chrony does not have Bluetooth, it does have a 30 foot extension wire and the display plugs into that so even when the unit is down range, the display is right in from of me with the controls.

I am certainly NOT a "techie" but I do have a new iphone 12 and have actually been learning just how much it can do! I like the fact that all the results go to and are saved right on your phone and when I get home I can just print them.