About Chronographs

[ryan richards]

Dear CBOs,

During my research about casting and handloading and making up my equipment list, I have now reached the chronograph.

This piece of equipment will give me the velocity, which is necessary for me to calculate kilogrametros. Peruvian law limits the power of a cartridge, for personal defence, to 50 kilogrametros.

I am located 2000 miles up the Amazon river. If it isn't user friendly or something goes wrong, my guarantee is, "I'll throw it in the river and I buy another brand".

There is the "CED Millennium" at $200, with the "Shooting Chrony F-1, Beta-Chrony" at $100 and the "Pro Chrono Digital" at $100.

Let's hear your thoughts on this subject.

Sincerely,

Ryan

[James C. Snodgrass]

the cheap chrony's are as good as any . And like you said if you goof it up you toss it and buy another. I don't like the one with the cable and such it's just more junk to pack and or misplace . IMO. Plus if you shoot it you don't feel near as bad as killing a Oehler 43.[smilie=1:

[mike in co]

the ced is now on version two and maybe more than 200...sorta like 300 i think. having said that buy it!
spend your money wisely, once and dont worry about throwing anything but rocks in the river.
dont worry about shooting the "works", as good chrono's only put the scrreens in the bulets path not the whole tool.

the best was the ohler three screen with a printer, they are no longer available.

mike in co

[kir_kenix]

I have the plain jain Chrony mounted on a camera tripod. I'm very happy with it. I think I paid $85 for it a few years ago, and it has never failed me. I think a GC came off and put a good smack on the LCD screen, but it still works fine.

[454PB]

I've owned a bunch of them, starting 36 years ago when they still used printed screens. All of them have been good, the latest is a Chrony and compares well with the most expensive Oehlers I've had. The secret is #1.....don't shoot it, #2......keep the gun as far as possible from the chronograph.

[Southern Son]

Ryan, I bought a Chrony Master Alfa. I wanted the remote LCD screen because I use alot of BPCR loads over it and a grease cookie at 1100fps would not do the LCD alot of good. I love it, it has opened my eyes to what my reloads are really doing. The only thing is you have to keep the battery in good shape. If the weather is a little chilly, then you should probably use a new battery, or if you have not used the chrony for a few months, then a fresh battery before you go all the way to the range will help save disappointment. Don't ask me how I know.

[NoDakJak]

I have oth a ProCrono and a Chrony Master Alpha and they seem to work equally well. I do prefer the Chrony master Alpha as I am somewhat disabled and it relieves me of the pain and labor of constantly walking up to check the readings. And as stated above, don't shoot the machine. I did when testing a Russian Tokarev, revolver. I found out the hard way that it had a cylinder that had alingment so bad that it shot about eight feet to the side at twenty five yards. Replacing parts is much cheaper than replacing the complete unit. Good machines. In your location the biggest probem might be keeping the dampness and mold out of the equipment Neil

[Bret4207]

Cheap Chrony is fine.

[Down South]

I have a cheap Chrony that I've used for years and it does very well. It has one bullet nick across the top where someone almost got it.

[ryan richards]

Thanks Guys,

Now, it's time for a real dumb question. To the guy on the street, it appears that you shoot through the V. I suspect this isn't the case. So, how is it used? How many feet should it be from the end of your barrel? How high should your bullet pass over the V?

Ryan

[mtgrs737]

Yep through the V is it alright, and the more feet from it the better up to 20" IMO.

[mike in co]

Thanks Guys,

Now, it's time for a real dumb question. To the guy on the street, it appears that you shoot through the V. I suspect this isn't the case. So, how is it used? How many feet should it be from the end of your barrel? How high should your bullet pass over the V?

Ryan

10-15 feet is standard...its important to use the same distance so your data is consistant. muzzle blast can cause false readings so consider the round you are shooting to establish a distance. measure it...do not guess or your data is useless.
i put markers on my cables at 10/12/14 ft.
since most of you do not have a three screen chronograph, velocity decrease is easily seen in the 4 ft spread of the screens....so if you miss your distance by 6-12 inches your data will be off.

mike in co

[mingol]

On the Chrony, there are two pairs of holes into which one inserts the rods or sticks that form the "V".
I always use the outside holes for the V rods. That leaves the inner pair of holes to accept the bent clothes hanger wire supports that are bolted to a piece of quarter-inch Lexan that extends an inch beyond all sides of the front of the Chrony. The first piece of Lexan gathered around twenty dings from gas checks and the second one now has about five. A 30 caliber gas check will definitely kill the LED readouts or cleanly cut a 1/8 inch wood dowel. Lexan is the only plastic worth using - the other kinds are all far too weak to handle the job. I got mine from a window glass shop where they used it in storm doors.
John

[Lloyd Smale]

Ill go another route here. Ive had two chrornys and they work but both have been in for repair. One of them more then once. If your looking for something cheap go for it but id about bet it will see the river eventualy. I just bought a new pact and it seems like a nice unit. It was about 200 bucks. Nice thing is it has a printer which makes it nice for keeping track of you data. Ive also heard good things about the CED. As tough as its going to be to send one in for repairs for you id buck up and buy a better unit.

[pearson1662]

One of the nice things about the CED is that you can get illuminated screens for it (as a $90 upgrade). I own a ProChrono Digital and when the sun gets lower on the horizon or a shadow falls across the screens the data can be either inconsistent or absent. Having said that I would be remiss if I didn't mention that last year a gust of wind caught my tripod mounted chrono and sent it to the ground. I returned it to Competition Electronics who checked the calibration, replaced a screen and a rod and returned it at no charge. I don't remember but I think they even picked up the freight sending it back. Another advantage to the ProChrono is the large shooting area between the "V's".

I thought this exchange was interesting: http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/ced-chrono-how-accurate-24596/#post168529

[HORNET]

FWIW, the folks at Chrony sell rebuilt units (and give a fairly good trade-in on damaged units- don't ask me how I know) for about half the price of new units. That'll let you do a significant upgrade for the same amount of cash outlay. And, a lexan shield is nice to have, make it very heavy-duty..