New Chrony

[Sprue]

Received this Chrony from Midway today, stuck a battery in it and headed off to the range today. The skies were partly cloudy but I don't think the lighting to have been any factor.

New Chrony (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productnumber=852429)

Be it that I have never owned or used one of these before, the end result was that the unit seems to be defective out of the box.

In reading some of the Product Reviews I see one guy stating that he had the very same symptoms as I'm having.

I turn it on, it goes thru its bootup sequence, then says ready. I might add that all of the buttons seem to fuction correctly. Thing is, I must of fired twenty rounds through it, I never got a single reading. Looks like its going back.

To top it all off (LOL), I also took with me a new to me Vaquero 45 Cal to fire for the first time. Huh, I only had two rounds with me........ not the best of range trips :roll:

[Heavy lead]

Received this Chrony from Midway today, stuck a battery in it and headed off to the range today. The skies were partly cloudy but I don't think the lighting to have been any factor.

New Chrony (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productnumber=852429)

Be it that I have never owned or used one of these before, the end result was that the unit seems to be defective out of the box.

In reading some of the Product Reviews I see one guy stating that he had the very same symptoms as I'm having.

I turn it on, it goes thru its bootup sequence, then says ready. I might add that all of the buttons seem to fuction correctly. Thing is, I must of fired twenty rounds through it, I never got a single reading. Looks like its going back.

To top it all off (LOL), I also took with me a new to me Vaquero 45 Cal to fire for the first time. Huh, I forgot the ammo........ not the best of range trips :roll:
First chrono I ever had was a Prochrono, very much, liked it well. Of course I shot it, and whatdoyaknow, it lived, used it for some seven or eight years, then a big gust of wind took it to the great rifle range in the sky. Bought a chrony, still have it, compared to the Prochrono it's junk, it's accurate enough, but has a very, very small window where it will actually read. Try shooting closer to the screens, bet it will start working, what I had to do with mine. Myself I'm going to get another Prochrono, or a better more expensive one when they go on sale.
BTW, don't feel bad about the ammunition thing, my classic one is to forget 1911 mags, seems like a once a month occurance.

[LarryM]

I got a Chrony in January and have not had any problems with it. Are you getting any kind of errors or just no reading at all?
It took me a while to figure out how to make sure I was lined up over the sensors or I would get an error telling me it did not get a read on either the front or back sensor.
I seem to remember some kind of protective cover over the sensors on mine, did you remove them?

[Lloyd Smale]

ive had two of them and had problems with both and now have a pact and really like that one.

[dragonrider]

+1 for a Pact.

[lurch]

Can't argue with m Pact. I've had one since the late 80's and it's still going strong. A buddy did borrow it and managed to put a couple of shotgun pellets through the front sky screen housing. That was fixed easily enough by simply getting a new piece of plastic from Pact. The nice thing about mine is that alll that is down range is a simple plastic housing with a photo sensitive LED in it. If you ever manage to shoot it and kill the LED, it's a very simple, cheap fix - if you can handle a soldering iron with even the slightest modicum of proficiency.

[zardoz]

I've had the ProChrono for a few months now, and it has worked very well.

I tested it out with a pump BB gun on the back deck, and learned to shoot over both sensors. Since then, I have only had a couple of missed readings out of hundreds of shots.

I did notice on 44 magnum hot loads, that I needed to stand a bit further back than when using for smaller calibers, but that is the only quirk I found.

[Lead Fred]

I have been using this fine jewel

http://www.eabco.com/chronyshooting.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Chrony-F-1-Chronograph-green/dp/B001BR3364?tag=dogpile-20

For several years now. Dead heat of winter, last Feburarys blidning snow.

Has made lairs out of a few guys on the range.

[Sprue]

I got a Chrony in January and have not had any problems with it. Are you getting any kind of errors or just no reading at all?
It took me a while to figure out how to make sure I was lined up over the sensors or I would get an error telling me it did not get a read on either the front or back sensor.
I seem to remember some kind of protective cover over the sensors on mine, did you remove them?

No I don't get an error message at all. By looking and playing around with all the buttons you would not think that it was defective.

As for any protective protective covers........ I see nothing at all. I sure wish that I was overlooking something like that but I don't think so.:neutral:

...but again, when I turn it on it goes through its little routine, then says "rdy" before going to "0" which idicates to me that its ready/good to go.

I shot thru it several times and never did get the first reading. It was a bright but overcast day and I tried it with and without the screens on.

I sure hate to send it back. And I think that I'm going to have issues with just that. From the vibes I'm getting, looks like Midway wants me to ship it back on my nickle.

[BCB]

Sprue,

I have one of the original Chrony’s and it was an e-cheapo to say the least! I have the screens all shot to heck and it still works…

Does Chrony have a tech help line or an e-mail help line? I would sure try to solve the problem before I sent it back…

I like the looks of the new ones—maybe I will get one. For the price—if they work!—you can’t beat them. Mine has give nearly the same velocity as was listed in reloading manuals for specific loads—I think for the price, they are hard to beat…

Keep us informed as to what the problem might be with yours as I would like to get a newer one with a bigger area to shoot through the screens…

Good-luck…BCB

[Sprue]

I actually called the manufacturer even though I bought it at Midway. I thought that they might have a quick fix so yeah, that was my thinking too.. When I called a lady picked up on about the second ring ( I thought it was a recording). I told her my story. She said that her tech was on the phone at the time but she asked me to describe the issue. Afterwards she told me that I ought to just return it to Midway for another or, send it to them, which ever.

That said, I'll just send it to Midway. One things for sure, it looks as though I'll have to foot the bill just to return it. If thats the case I'll be one-very-unhapppy camper. We'll have to see what unfolds.

Thanks for the reply

[454PB]

Over the years and many different chronographs (including a Chrony), I've learned three things that are very important:

1. Set the screens (or the whole unit) as far as possible from the muzzle. Muzzle blast can prevent or confuse any reading.

2. The boolit does not need to be fired close (vertically) to the sensors. In the case of a .452" boolit, it can be 6" above them.

3. Always use the "glint" shields, even on cloudy days.

[archmaker]

Guys might want to check the image before talking about "Chrony".

The model pictured is a "ProChrono", not a "Chrony" model.

As far as I know there is one "Chrony" company, but several companies that make Chronographs.

:)

[Sprue]

Midway sent another Pro Chrono Digital and I finally got the time to try it last weekend.

Although I have only used it for one outing, its worked flawlessly. I used it all evening last saturday and its never missed a fired shot yet. [smilie=w:

I like the idea of not having any cord to deal with. Its pretty simple to use, just turn it on - then go shoot.

I shot 45/70, 45C, 44mag 357, 38 and 30/30 and it read every shot.

As I stated before, I have NO experience with a chronograph what so ever so, I'm only presenting my initial experiences. But so far so good...........

Lastly, the actual reason that I chose the Prochrony is because I met some guys at the range one day (never had seen/met them before). These guys we into "air rifles" and they had some expensive toys to say the least.

To make a longer story short, they had the ProChrony and highly recommended them. They went on to say that they had tried them all and this one was favored most. So thats where I got the idea to purchase this one.

Cheers!

[Rocky Raab]

One trick that owners of cheaper chronographs use is to always begin shooting with a .22LR. You'll not only be able to "dial in" your best path through the sensors without wasting test ammo, but you'll also reassure yourself that the unit is not giving you odd readings. If it says your .22LR is going 2000 fps or 775, you know there's a problem somewhere!

[Bret4207]

The one big problem with a chronograph is the "reality factor". The first time I shot across a friends cronograph I said it was wrong, had to be! These super whiz bang tactical extreme 9mm loads from Remchester were supposed to go near 1350FPS, not a measly 1100!!!! It wasn't wrong, and I got a dose of reality. My super deadly killer 9mm was just a 38 by a different name.

Live and learn.

[Wayne Smith]

I got one for Christmas a number of years ago. Couldn't go to the range, I tested it by snapping rubber bands through it and shooting paper wads. Learned how to use it that way - in the house. Kids had a lot of fun with it.

[SmuvBoGa]

I have a ProChrono & it is simple to use; plug in the 9v battery & turn on. :razz:The muzzle NEEDs to be approx 10 - 12 feet behind the 1st screen - if you change this distance your results may change also - NOTE if you shoot thru the 2 screens & you see the screens wiggle from the muzzle blast, BACK UP - you are too close & your readings won't be worth poop - esp shooting black powder. [smilie=b:

[454PB]

One of my chronographs has the "cordless" feature. The trouble is, at the range I use, you can't step forward of the firing line to reset the chronograph until it's all clear. Also, it can be hard to read the display when the lighting is wrong.

So, I use the "corded" Chrony to control everything from the bench.