PROTECT the Chrony!

[mold maker]

Just as I squeezed off a shot, the wind turned the crony. I lightly nicked the aluminum screen rod. I straitened the rod and returned the unit to it's owner with a really embarrassed explanation. Next day I made him a half doz. dowel replacements.
Just like getting lead burns, or a visits from the fairy, it's not if, but when.

[303Guy]

Learning to aim? That's too easy! I've never shot my chrony (hardly used it) but the fact that it happens tells me it can happen.

Why not a steel plate hung in front?

I was thinking of deflecting a stray upward and landing it on someone's head. Why not deflect it down? Of course, the boolit could still nick the edge ..... Ok, I'm beginning to like the learning to aim idea!

Nah! I'm going to use the sand bag idea. (Mud bag in my parts).

[405]

Yep, it probably happens more that many will admit. Knock on wood, the only thing I've done is plaster the face of the chrony with gobs of lube- clean off and keep shooting. Of course all sorts of things are known to hit these machines. Besides bullet hits, gas check hits are common.

Funny, I just re-visited this thread today and jogged my memory. Last week was at my local components wholesaler and he had just bought a very large lot from an individual's estate. In one of the boxes were 3 destroyed chronies. One hit by a small cal, high power bullet well off center in the face. One hit by what appeared to be a larger caliber handgun bullet dead center but a little high on the face. And one hit dead center by something much larger that gave a deep, elongated imprint but didn't penetrate all the way through the face plate. Hard to tell what it was but could have been a big, heavy wad of some kind.

Knock on wood... so far

[**oneshot**]

I'm thinking a wedge in front of the chrony. Keeping 90ish% of the strays kicking left or right instead of up into the sky or into the tripod. I even thought of setting the chrony up behind my swinging steel plate.
I know I will end up shooting mine someday.

[AkMike]

Gentlemen,
There was a thread about this subject several years ago where someone posted about nestleing a chrony in a piece of channel iron with a 45 degree bevel on one end and a piece of 3/4 or 1" steel welded on that bevel. It was drilled and tapped for the stand and to hold the chrony IIRC. About the only other thing I remember about it is that he's put a small mirror on the thing to see the readout and he's painted it blue.

Do a search and see if you can find that thread.

[ROGER4314]

I set up my Oehler 33 skyscreens in a fixture made of two 2x4's. I made a "U" shaped channel out of the wood with a base piece to hold them together. I mounted the screens 3 feet apart in that channel. On the forward end of the fixture, I mounted a 45 degree slanted plate of 1/4" steel. On the rear of the fixture, I mounted a large clasp to hold a target. The target provides an aim point to reduce the chance of blasting a screen. The 1/4" plate has several impact marks which deflected rounds, so it worked perfectly!

I clamped two sturdy folding saw horses to the fixture. They had jaws which clamped to the sky screen channel base. It worked very well!

Flash

[markshere2]

Methinks a steel plate in front of the important bits and a sandbag in front of the plate is the low cost safe way to go.

[Hal]

My first chrony was taking a beating from LBT lube spatter. Finnaly put a piece of plexy glass on it ...cured the problem... Wooden dowels... Good idea!

[Dolomite_supafly]

I rarely use my sky screens. As a matter of fact the bullet generally passes at least a foot above the chrony (if not more) and gives me consistent numbers that are the same as when I did use my sky screens.

When I do have to use the sky screens I take a piece of masking tape and put it about 1" below the sky screen between the supports. I make sure my cross hairs never get below that piece of tape. And if I am not shooting for groups and need the sky screens I just aim my scope level with the sky screen that way the bullet passes below the sky screen but well above the unit.

Dolomite

[uscra112]

I don't use the Chrony sky screens anymore either. They got so old that they cracked and split, so I just threw 'em away one day. As long as the day is cloudy, the contrast seems to be just fine. Bright sun is another matter. Living in Western West Virginia, (and being retired), it's not hard to just pick a cloudy day to chrony loads.

Have used bamboo skewers to form the alignment vee for umpteen years. 14 or 15 years with it and I have never even hit a stick, much less the brainbox. (Scout's honor!) Seems to me that it would take some extravagant carelessness to do so. But then I don't shoot rifles with giant, high-mounted scopes. Nor wads. Nor do I chrony pistol loads very much.

[Gliden07]

If you can get your hands on some Lexgaurd that would be the way to go!! If you have any Armour car builders you maybe able to get some scraps?

[o6Patient]

I think PETA ought to come up with a bill of rights for the poor chronies of this world.
(People Eating Tasty Animals)

[xs11jack]

Yea, I shot mine too. The front senser is ok but the back is toast. Do any of you have a good rear senser left, I would buy it from you.
Jack

[gcollins]

Howdy All,
That is one of my fears!! I try to set up on the flatest ground I can find. I have a nice 25 foot tape measure and do my best to set everything up right, I set the end of the barrel so that it was 6" above the top of the Chrony. Fingers crossed I havn't shot it yet.
Later
G

[kavemankel]

Hope I never do it. Reading all of the posts for chrony's DOA after a trip to the range I only saw one partial mention to the best solution out there.
Sand bags. They are cheap and wont let bullets stray from your range like steel will.

[jethunter]

I find the best way to avoid damaging the chrony is to not shoot where the chrony is.
Think of it as trying not to shoot the hostage.
LOL

[mold maker]

Shooting your crony shouldn't be possible, but it happens. I think everyone needs more practice than knowing the exact velocity. I know it would have helped in my case. Thank goodness it was only the wire support.