WTB Chronograph but unsure which I want, so far

[Shopdog]

Old Pact pro here.Have been loading (and building/shooting bows) for so long it only comes out occasionally.Verification when working up a CB load for rifles....sort of like,still batching charged cases,look down each with a maglight.So once a load is settled in on the mechanical side,it's getting groups that were the goal....it's chrono'd.My be backwards,and that's not always how I do it.If there's a hitch anywhere along the process,chrono may come out.

Last couple of rigs saw some pretty impressive ES's.But it was after the fact and the only reason to even check was for load documentation really.More often than not,am loading CB rifle loads to a higher node.Getting there with prescribed acc is the goal,the chrono numbers confirm certain statistical ? as well.
Handguns get "classic" loads that are generally,very well documented.Once you know "wus up" with a particular handgun....is it a fast brrl or slow?.... that generally holds true for most loads.Chronos come in handy when loading hot revolver loads(gave that up years ago) though.

[country gent]

I would recommend having an idea First what do you want from a chronograph, velocity, standard deviation, extreme spread, average velocity, more than one range for each shot. printing abilities...... Some have a ballistics computer built into them giving drop tables and wind drift tables for the actual loads tested. Look at the different units on the internet pages of the manufacturers and venders ( for reviews ). I would recommend Chrony, Pact, Ohler, Invotech/Lab Radar, and magneto Speed. Along with this a search for chronographs may bring up some others with features that differ some. I have used Ohler 33 ( a friends), Pact professional with the ballistic computer, and Lab Radar ( my current unit). A friend has a magneto speed and we have tested Lab Radar and it against each other once firing thru both with each shot.
Another is to ask shooters at the range using one what they like or don't like with the units they have and are using. Ask about set up and light sensitivity ( for those that have sky screens. I made a one piece light shield diffusor for my Pact from 1/8" lexan Lightly sand blasted one side. 5' long 1' wide or so with 4" edges bent down 45* this helped a lot with different sun angles and false readings. Watch the shooters setting up and see what they use for holding the unit and or sky screens and how it works. I used a tri pod but with the above diffusor I had to stake it down with tent stakes so heavy breezes wouldn't blow it around or over. On units that have cables out to the sky screens a means of holding them is handy.

[fabricator21]

The magneto speed is amazing