Shot 12 shots across my Pact today with out a single reading, Tried moving it up and down and made sure I was lined up.
I brought it up and took the sensors apart, washed the lenses with cleaner and checked wire continuity. Plugged it in and I can read a hand wave across it. Must have been dust.
Must have been a loose wire going to the flux capacitor...might wanna solder that connection up, or who knows what could happen.
Using diffusers???
Might have been the angle of the sunlight to the sensors.....shade vs direct light...
You may laugh , but try changing the direction you're shooting/ligh angle on the unit...
I had that very problem with my chrony a few days ago. Turned the unit a little so the sun wasn't directly on the sensors and it worked fine after that.Originally Posted by kevmc
in bright sunlight I sometimes have issues with mine picking up a boolit [especially the little ones]
I keep one of those campaign signs handy and tape it on top of the screens to diffuse the light like it's a cloudy day.
it helps the readers see the shadow of the boolit better.
if the sun is coming in at an angle and hitting the screens just so it washes everything out so sometimes I have to off-set the sign.
I like to check my Pact by firing a few shots with a .22 across it before I get serious, especially if I'm testing loads that use premium ($$) jacketed. Trying to use mine in the late evening, with the sun going horizontal across the screens, is an exercise in frustration.
Well, now. I'm glad to hear someone came up with at least one thing those are good for.
they are great target umm 'holders' too....
Guil... mmm seen a few folks use them for targets.
Lead bullets Matter
There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. - Will Rodgers
I gave up trying to use the chronograph in sunlight.....just too many issues.
I built a box with 40w incandescent bulbs spaced 24" apart to hang over the chrono. Keep the chrono shaded and it works every time.
I've considered building a permanent box to hold the chrono and two LED flash lights about 18" above the sensors with ~8" dia. holes in each end to shoot through. Could make it reasonably portable and wouldn't have to worry about wasting ammo trying to get a good reading.
Jerry
Buzzard's luck!! Can't kill nothin', nothin'll die!!
I actually used the Chrono as a target holder a couple of months ago.
Went and pinned a commercial target onto the back diffuser for an aiming point. Can use wooden clothes pins, or some plastic clips. Not sure why I never thought of doing this before.
The really professional move though, as you can see through the target paper on the bottom is the 2 pieces of duct tape holding the target to the diffuser rods.
It worked, for a while. Paper trash didn't give me bad readings or anything like that. However if it was windy at all, I would have just created a giant sail to blow the chronograph over with.
Unfortunately as the sun moved in the sky, the errors started to pop up.
I was trying to work up some loads using Alliant's Steel powder in 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum at the time. Link below with my results if you're curious.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Alliant-Steel
After I had written down most of the 357 Magnum data, I got a bunch of errors while trying to read the 44 Magnum loads. I assume that the sun, or a cloud moved in the sky or something along those lines.
I like doing my pistol chronograph work indoors better. Just put the chronograph inside the barn with a bright artificial light hanging over it. My readings are more reliable that way (fewer ERRORS) but it's more of a hassle to set the chronograph up inside.
- Bullwolf
Last edited by Bullwolf; 08-02-2014 at 12:13 AM.
I must be the true odd duck here.
I work my loads for "theoretical" speed (gleaned from as many sources as possible) for the application at hand while concentrating purely on accuracy of the paper target while working a load. When I am 100% totally happy with THAT LOAD for THAT GUN from a pure accuracy standpoint, then and only then do I run em over a chrony to see what I got. If it is close to my "theoretical FPS goal" I call it THEE LOAD. If it is too far off then I start again, all the while knowing I have a good accurate load that may simply not be where I wanted it FPS wise. I call it THE BACKUP LOAD and smile that I have a really accurate "backup". My "theoretical FPS load" has been off but just a very few times and has held a few bonus fps surprises btw. I normally start with massive amounts of compared J-word data to get my "theoretical" load for rifles.
Am I thee only one that does it this way?????? SERIOUSLY I WANNA KNOW
Whats the point of clocking an innaccurate load??
Well being you can shoot for accuracy and speed at the same time - why not do both?
Some of the loads I do I am not looking for just accuracy, some have to be at or below
a specific velocity and the extreme spread must be between certain limits.
Not always but sometime I notice that some loads with a low extreme spread show better
accuracy than one showing an erratic spread - which sometimes show unexplained flyers.
Oh, and some of the mod's I have tried
Now I see if my buddy with his new magnetospeed chronograph wants to go shootin
http://www.magnetospeed.com/
Last edited by Artful; 07-15-2014 at 01:20 AM.
je suis charlie
It is better to live one day as a LION than a dozen days as a Sheep.
Thomas Jefferson Quotations:
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
Thats fine if you have the ability. I DO NOT, my brain will not allow good groups over a chronagraph with me at the helm. You see maybe it is just me, but I found a system that works...for me. Maybe everyone else does it different because i am the one with the handicap and cannot multi-task in that particular fashion.....I can live with that, in fact have been for 40 years.
My contest to see who has accidentally shot his crony is only open to accidental crony shots however the crony need not be killed. Wounded is ok. Shots fired in anger are not permitted but may be reported.
Closest recorded range Chrony kill (3 feet with witnesses)
My take on things 357maximum, is that accuracy and velocity are often two different and sometimes separate goals.
Do I have a few shade tree loads I worked up without the help of the chronograph? Yes, of course. While working up a load I often could care less about its velocity if it functions well.
Since I do not have access to pressure testing equipment, I tend to use a cartridge's velocity to give me an idea of where I am at pressure wise. Compare the FPS with established load data, or a base line factory load. When velocity increases, you can safely assume a corresponding increase in pressure comes along with it.
If a mild practice load shows itself to be accurate, I don't care how fast it's going. My load work up is done. Since I don't shoot in competitions that require a power factor, if the accuracy is there, (assuming the load functions, feeds, cycles etc.) my work is finished, and I'm quite happy.
Working on a load intended for a hunting application, I am more likely to go with a heavier slow boolit, or a larger caliber, than try to "hot rod" a smaller one. With cast boolits one often, but not always seems to find that happy accuracy spot at less than the maximum velocity for the caliber.
When a very mild load doesn't function or shoot well, I start to warm things up in an attempt to get it to work better. That's about the time I like to pull out the chronograph to see just where I am at. If I get a sharp unexpected increase in velocity, it's time to stop and try something different.
Sometimes it's quite educational and even fun to look at the ES, SD and watch velocity increases or decreases with changes like using a different powder, primer, seating depth, lube, case, crimp or even a different barrel length.
I am going to suggest that 357maximum is probably an extremely experienced individual when it comes to working up a load. He readily understands powder burn rates, and can predict how certain powders are likely to act with a specific cartridge from looking at a plethora of established load data, and a fair amount of personal trial and experience.
Not everyone out there has this level of expertise. Many are outright scared to death to try something other than exactly following the established recipe with the load data already printed out in a specific range in front of them.
If they have a different cartridge length, boolit weight, or design than the recipe lists, they simply don't know what to do next. Never start out with a max load. When in doubt, reduce and work up your load. You can use jacketed data to get a good starting point for cast. All things being equal a heavier weight boolit start load in the same caliber is often safe for use with a lighter one, but not the other way around. A boolit that gets seated deeper will show a corresponding increase in pressure, and so on.
I've seen this question asked so many times in different variations on the board. Is X amount of powder still safe if I seat the boolit deeper so that it will pass a plunk test in my barrel? The answer is often the same. Follow established safe reloading procedure. Reduce the load 10% and then re-work the load up to see for yourself.
Not knocking anyone in particular here, but some folks just do not extrapolate things very well on their own. I can think of a few individuals who I wouldn't want to stand next to while they try out something new. A chronograph gives you something else that you can measure, (velocity) rather than just operating on blind feel. I tend to feel somewhat lost without one.
- Bullwolf
I just wanted to see what the 30-30 boolit is doing. It was overcast out, no sun. That is usually when I get readings. Have a new battery too.
I guess I need a million micro farad flux capacitor!
Bullwolf........ A lot of good information and ideas in that post.
I spent the last 7 months working up loads for my 9mm without the benefit of a chronograph. I just recently acquired one so now I am able to test exactly where my loads are speed wise.
Before the chrono it was all accuracy and function.
The hardest part was not having standard pistol powders available, and only a very few shotgun powders. It was necessary to make a lot of assumptions about powders(remember the quote about assumptions!). Non the less, I kept at it until I got the loads working with the pistol like I felt they should be. When I got the chrono, it turned out that my loads were right where they needed to be.
I guess this experience just confirms the process for working up loads since I started low and increased until I got the function and accuracy I wanted.
I posted some of my results recently in another thread.
I guess necessity(lack of powder) can be the mother of invention.
I was not shooting for a group, just hung a target at 50 yards. Too much fiddling trying to get over the screens but all 12 shots went into 7/8".
The crazy thing was, they hit the exact same elevation as they do at 100 yards. There might be 1/4" difference.
Bullwolf
You are alot closer in that synopsis than you might guess, but accuracy is always a goal for most I hope.
I grew up handloading with my Dad and he was a mild form of wildcatter (not the full blown whackadill type). Working up to a known from an unknown just ain't that hard if you are smart about what you are doing I guess. Follow the golden rule of handloading, start low, work up everytime you make a change...seems a pretty simple rule to follow.
I did not have the internet when I started playing with cast, no cast specific books either. The golden rule of handloading got me through my ignorance. I am actually glad I did not go into cast with pre-conceived notions......them things are anchors.
The "deliar"/chronagraph is a diagnostic/measuring tool, not an artificial limb...but that is just how I see it. Others will disagree....that is fine. I am disagreed with alot...no biggie.
JIM...that elevation thing you noted is quite common, at least I see it alot more than one would think, especially in my long barreled single shot "pistols".
I can shoot for groups or I can chronograph, cannot do both at the same time....gave up trying, it is what it is and I be what I be apparently. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE..... for me.
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote
