Chronocide

[zardoz]

Well, I suppose it happens to all of us sooner or later. Just glad I am not the first one in the world this has happened to.

I finally, got my new MIHEC mold fired up a few weeks ago, and cast some really fine .380 ACP boolits from ACWW. Really nice mould that is, and makes the nicest looking boolits, and they just fell from the mould. That is the one with the hollow points (Cramer type).

They've been working me half to death as of late, and with everything else, casting, loading, and shooting is something I feel very lucky to get time to do. Lucky to have my job in my business as well, so....anyway. Finally got some rounds made up, with these fine boolits. They were dropping about 93 grains very consistent. Bases on them very nice. Those brass moulds are really great. Put them over 3.0 grains W231 to try 'em out.

Of course I had to take my chronograph out, to see what was what. First fired some older rounds, from my Kel-Tec P3AT, with 105 grain Lee SWC sized down to .356. Then, those very fine looking rounds were next. 7 shots without a hitch, and getting good readings. Too bad I can't remember what I was getting now, as the 8th shot hit the "delete chronograph" button on the front.

Shock. Good grief. This only happens to others. But that Kel-Tec has that trigger, that I SQUEEZE and SQUEEZE right to the break point. Had it tilted down just a degree or so when the thing let loose with the shot.

So, here for your amusement....much to my chagrin. The beauty rounds, the recovered boolit from the innards on the chronograph, and the once proud face plate that has that final "delete chronograph" button pushed.

http://myfiero.com/uploads/23685_.jpg

[sargenv]

I guess you really didn't like that last string? ;)

[101VooDoo]

Well, if nothing else you cast some mean looking (shooting) boolits!

Jim

[uncle joe]

I'm assumin you ain't sposed to push that button with a boolit
;-}

[sagacious]

Sore chagrined indeed! I managed to cut a steel skyscreen support rod with a swaged 223 bullet. It gave the unit a real yank, so I replaced the steel rods with wooden dowels. Just one of those luck of the draw things.

[lwknight]

Does that mean that I'm suposed to actually walk around the table and press the "delete " key with my finger? LOL!

I guess that you have read the thread " shot my chrony" It has several dozen confessions in it. Its hilarious to boot.
Actually there were 2 of them
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=72049&highlight=%22shot+chrony%22
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=58548&highlight=%22shot+chrony%22

I think that we all can relate to the shot my chrony threads .

[cbrick]

Well, doesn't look like the bullet was tumbling . . . :coffeecom

Rick

[dromia]

Been there done that and believe me if your going to do it, do it when no one is around as your pals(?) will never let you forget it. [smilie=l:

[x101airborne]

dromia is right. My buddy shot my Chrony support rod the other day wth a 44 mag 240 swc. I told him not to shoot my Chrony, and what happens on the 1st shot? You got it. Cant lie, though, I shot it with a 22, another buddy shot it with a 223 sub sonic, and now he with a 44. Guess im gona have to build some reactive armor plating to set it in.

BTW...... The use of hollow points indicates the use for personal defense. if it will not fully penetrate a chrony, u sure you want to carry it? I have one I use for pliinking, and have carried it as a backup on the job, but Im just not sold on it for a primary defense gun. Would rather see someone stay safe than create a bad situation, but I guess it is already bad if you have to pull it.

[oldhickory]

Yeah, I shot one of my sky screen rods with a .38 wadcutter once. I know whay you mean by shock, seeing the chrony twist and jump on the tripod then running to it like a wounded buddy, (lucky I was the only one on the range). It still works like new, but there's a little superficial damage to the read-out face.

[acl864]

I'm guilty of chronocide as well. M642 S&W with a hot loaded DEWC dispatched it cleanly with one shot. I fabricated a guard at work for the replacement chrono. A piece of heavy angle iron (5" x 5" x 3/8" IIRC) turned upside down and welded solid across the end of a piece of 1/4" x 6" flat steel. It works because I tested it again... with the same gun and load. :oops:

[thehouseproduct]

I shot mine for the second time last weekend. It has survived both shots. First went through the back corner about 2 years ago. This last one was a 200gr Lee 30 cal right through the front shade. I have new shades on the way, still using the chrony.

[zardoz]

I figured I would go into chrono withdrawal fast, so I ordered a new one immediately. Given the number of calibers I load for, and all the different combinations, I need to KNOW what is going on with any one batch.

This time, it will be Shooting Chrony Gamma Master, with the detached electronics and such. I may be fabricating some sort of steel plate deflector shields as well.

Yea, when that tripod and chrono jerked back, and fell over in slow motion, I was completely discombobulated. Like Homer Simpson "It's still OK, it's still OK!!"

Nope, all vital signs flatline before it hit the ground. Arrggghhh.

[Bwana]

Long ago, when I was designing my chrono box I placed a hinged piece of 3/8" stainless steel in front to deflect gaschecks, primers (my Hybrid bullets), sabots, etc. Works pretty well and yet even it was not up to the chore when hit by a 55gr .224 fired in a sabot out of a 30-06 at 4400fps. I don't shoot those these days, still have a bunch of sabot for future projects.

[AZ-Stew]

Use a rest. Don't shoot off-hand, or even with your elbows rested on the bench. Look along the top of the firearm to check lateral alignment. Look along the side of the barrel to check vertical alignment.

At the risk of offending some sensitive soul, I'll add a little Biblical humor to back this up:

Genesis 2:2 ...on the seventh day, he rested...

Luke 10:37 Then said Jesus unto him, "Go, and do thou likewise".

There you have it.

Regards,

Stew

[qajaq59]

From the amount of them I've seen blown away over the years I thought maybe you were supposed to shoot them. [smilie=l:

[HangFireW8]

This time, it will be Shooting Chrony Gamma Master, with the detached electronics and such. I may be fabricating some sort of steel plate deflector shields as well.

Does Shooting Crony still offer a generous trade-in for their shot-up Chronographs?

Not that I would know anything about that. :oops:

-HF

[kawalekm]

Looks quite a bit off-center. Here's a pic of my chronograph that was shot more accurately.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/kawalekm/chronograph.jpg

[ghh3rd]

Park your car in front of it, that way you'll only loose your car, not your chrony :)

[qajaq59]

Pictures just make it a little sadder........

[Tedak]

I've killed two of them in my adventures. The first was a poorly-operating unit that had it coming (I'll leave the brand out because some guys love 'em). The second was taken out with an errant gascheck that had enough horsepower to penetrate the LCD display. I'm on my third one now and I fabricated an easy on/off piece of Lexan to protect the vitals from damage.

"Delete chronograph button," now that's funny! Best wishes on your new chrony zardoz!

[xr650]

That's odd.
When I shot mine with a 500 SW, I wasn't able to recover the boolit.
Hum, odd.

[Tazman1602]

You are in good company my friend! Anyone who hasn't done this doesn't use their chronograph too much...............

I guess you really DID want to delete that string, eh?

LMAO (not AT you, WITH you...)

Art

[tommygirlMT]

My current chrony has some very heavy duty armor surrounding it --- An over hundred pound contraptin that sits in an old kids radio flyer wagon --- composit armor front protection --- six layers of 1/4 steel plate with five 3 inch wide gravel pockets inbetween filled with 3/4 crush gravel with really runny "Fix-All" pored in on top of the gravel --- Screens are paper strips stapled to the top of 2x4s that stick up on each side and ar not attached to the chrony but attached to the armor frame surrounding it.

For those that think I'm nuts --- I have a habit of placing my chrony at various distances down range when testing a lod to get multipel difrent velocity readings at multiple different range distances to calculate the true BC --- and --- I shoot cast boolit loads in big, big wheel guns (460Mag - 454Casull - 50SW - etc) and I shoot big, big rifles (45/120 - 416WM - 460WM - 50BMG - etc) and I shoot big, big 12GAFH type full bore solid slug loads in rifled shotgun.

I'm not going to admit how many chrony I have already killed while perfecting my armor system --- lets just say I was known to order more then one at a time in the same order from Midway :-?

[cbrick]

Anyone who hasn't done this doesn't use their chronograph too much....... Art

Not true, I've used mine far more than anyone I know. The only damage it's ever suffered is when loaned to someone else and they shot the sky screens, not one of them yet has offered to replace the damaged screens. :cry:

I have the Ohler and the electronics stay on the bench, only the screens are down range but still, I've never shot them with many thousands of rounds sent over them.

Rick

[lwknight]

I don't think that I ever even almost shot my chrony. After reading some of the threads , I'm very conscientious about it.
I can see how it goes down. You may be in a hurry and got a million things to do.
Cranial rectitis sets in and bing, no mo chrony.

[Mal Paso]

The Chrony, shot twice with a 22, and subject of a previous thread has been rebuilt and fitted with a chunk of 1/4" steel in front. I took it to the range a couple weeks ago with modified sky screens. I shot 44 Mag all morning, +/- 1180fps with no errors. BLT showed up and hadn't gotten a new chronograph yet so I gave him that one (his old shooting chrony) to use. He was shooting 357something and couldn't get through 3 shots without an error message. I got it right back again. I'm working on a Mod to make those Little boolits more visable to the chrony.

[cbrick]

Cranial rectitis sets in and bing, no mo chrony.

Is Cranial rectitis the same as optic rectosis? Where the optic nerve is connected to the rectum and you have a sh*ty outlook.

Rick

[x101airborne]

A buddy of mine gave me a tip, and since i have not shot my chrony. I forgot to include it with my post the other day. He told me to take blue painters tape and "mark" the rods to give me a do not shoot below point. Like I said, it has worked for me, and even my buddy did not shoot low on the box, only the rod.

[qajaq59]

My current chrony has some very heavy duty armor surrounding it --- Would ricochets off that armor be a problem?

[376Steyr]

Pact.com That is all.

[thehouseproduct]

Is Cranial rectitis the same as optic rectosis? Where the optic nerve is connected to the rectum and you have a sh*ty outlook.

Rick

I believe the condition is known as rectal cranial inversion. Otherwise known as having your head up your .........

optic rectosis is a totally different condition. :groner:

[cbrick]

See what a great this site is? Even medical lesson. :coffeecom :roll:

Rick

[cbunt1]

From the amount of them I've seen blown away over the years I thought maybe you were supposed to shoot them. [smilie=l:

I thought that's why it's called a "SHOOTING" chrony....

[zardoz]

Another before dawn till well past dusk work day.....BUT the Gamma Master Chrony came in shortly before noon. What a neat little compact package. Just took it out of the package, and this will be a bit more complicated than that simple system on the ProChrono.

If lucky, I may get a chance to try it out this weekend. That printer that came with it looks pretty cool. I always enter my data into an Excel spreadsheet with tabs for different caliber cartridges. This may make that a bit easier. I like to calculate momentum, energy, Taylor K.O., and recoil energy all in columns, with averages and other stats of the string on the bottom. I color code a lot of things on the Excel sheet, with notes on a particular loading in another large merged cell. I figure others may have something similar. Then, I get the sheet imported into an iPod Touch, and can carry around all my data in my shirt pocket. Makes it quick and easy to compare my notes with other shooting buddies.

Someone asked about trading in old chronographs earlier, and the package docs show a schedule of some very good trade-ins, even if you have shot up a previous and different brand. Didn't know that, as I bought mine direct from Midway.

I will take a lot of the suggestions from this thread, on avoiding un-premeditated 3rd degree chronocide. ;)

[lwknight]

Shooting with a scope is probably where the chrony gets nightmares from. It is hard to tell what you are really doing. If you are alone , it would be best if you can sandbag your rifle so that you can step back and look at the situation.
Its easier to tell where the barrel is pointed from the side than from directly behind it.

Most people are concentrating on the target more than the chrony. Thats why its best to have a buddy line you up and help adjust the chrony while you hold on target and naturally with the rifle in a disabled condition like the bolt removed or whatever it takes.

Handguns are a little easier. You can see the top of the chrony and the sides of the skyschreen area at the same time that you are sighting the target.

I guess some folks can just shoot to chrono the boolit but , most cannot launch a boolit without a target to put a hole in. Human nature I guess.

Just remember that hitting the target is not as important as missing your chronograph is. LOL!

[alamogunr]

I've got a CED chronograph and the electronics are back on the bench. A couple of weeks ago I was checking some .45 ACP loads and had to do it standing so the screens had to be elevated to get them up to my height. I thought everything went well until I got home and was repacking everything. One of the sidearms had been "winged" with an errant shot. Barely damaged but I'm going to order a set of replacements before I do a real number on it.

John
W.TN

[lwknight]

Wooden guide rods won't damage anything else when they get shot.
And they are cheap too. You might have to whittle the ends if you cant find the exact right size.

[alamogunr]

Wooden guide rods won't damage anything else when they get shot.
And they are cheap too. You might have to whittle the ends if you cant find the exact right size.

I don't think my "whittling skills are up to making a wood replacement. The CED sidearms are plastic and fit in a very thin receptor in the sensor. The sidearms are ribbed for strength. Yes, it would be nice if they could be replaced with a wood dowel rod. Actually the plastic arms shouldn't damage anything if hit.

John
W.TN

[tommygirlMT]

My current chrony has some very heavy duty armor surrounding it ---

Would ricochets off that armor be a problem?

I suppose if you were shooting something light enough not to penetrate at least the first layer of outside metal --- then yes it could be a problem

Never been a problem for me though --- so far --- because every time I've shot it so far it went through the first layer of metal and into the first gravel pocket at least if not deeper --- once the boolit is inside one of the gravel pockets it becomes part of the armor and is just like another pebal of gravel --- I think it was the germans who first invented that kind of armor --- multiple layers of thin metal with cavities inbetween filled with loose pebals (mainly man made ceramic composits with todays professionaly maded armor following the same principle) So long as you don't blow a big enough hole in the armor pockets for all the filling to leak out it is basically regenerative armor since the boolits fired at it become part of the armor --- very effective against conventional projectiles.

Normally a soft flexible binder is also used to increase the effectiveness and help control the potential "leak" problem with loosing all the filling of the armor --- that is what the "really runny fix-all" is all about. Mix it thinnned with sand and plenty of water and it dries soft enough you can scrape it away with your fingernail but still works well as a binder.

For lighter caliber use you could probably do the same thing in a lighter design --- use rolled flashing sheet metal --- and Pee gravel instead of 3/4 crush --- same fix-all thinned with sand and mixed runny. Would work for stuff like 45 auto without the ricochay danger of the much heavier design I use that is tough enough to protect my chrony from a direct hit with the AP 50BMG round --- (although the whole contraption in the wagon does tend to get nocked around and or rolled over with such a heavy hit)