which chrony

[bigted]

ok i know that i should be beat with a limp noodle !!! i have been shooting home rolled for a lifetime and never chrony'ed any of my home made shells.

this is a shamefull thing but im fixin to fix this oversight as they are not a expensive as i thought for all these years.

problem is...which one to buy??? i know that im prolly opening up pandora's box here but...really....there seems to be a bunch on the market and im just starting with this so...HELP PLEASE
ted

[454PB]

I've owned 5 of them now, started with Oehler and last one was a Chrony. None of them has ever given me a problem, as long as directions were followed. Shoot high!

I've never shot any of mine, but a friend did one of them in with a low shot. I don't let anyone else shoot over my chronographs anymore.

Considering that you can get a Chrony for around $100, that's what I'd recommend. If you find you need more or better, you can easily resell it and recover most of your investment.

[Dark Helmet]

Chrony Master Beta. Aim High .

[Shiloh]

Beta model. The blue one. Got it with the trade in program. Shot the Red, basic model
with a 220 gr. Round nose from a .30-40 Krag.

Shiloh

[Shiloh]

Beta model. The blue one. Got it with the trade in program. Shot the Red, basic model
with a 220 gr. Round nose from a .30-40 Krag.

Shiloh

[looseprojectile]

since 1953. I have owned several, three I think, chronographs. None worked.
I just got the Chrony, Beta Master with the remote readout in the last six months. It works.
Finally.
The first chronograph I got was a system of carbon paper discs that turned and had metal screens that you shot through. This made sparks that made holes in the papers and you measured the distance between them to determine the velocity. I never was good at math.:groner:
Ain't electrons great?

Life is good

[Shooter6br]

Pact Model 1 does everything most of us need. Had mine since 1992 Easy to use .Great company Pact

[Heavy]

Heed the advice. Just killed my last thursday. Wounded it with a 45 colt acouple of months back. Finally finished her off with a 357 mag group buy bullit opps! boolit.

[wiljen]

Yep - I put a .458 through my chrony - bought a Pact to replace it. Both good.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

I have been putting off buying a chrony for a long time.

I just know that I'd kill it on the first outing. [smilie=b:

I've been trying to think of some way of protecting one from what seems to be a near-inevitable event. A thick and soaking wet phone book between the chrony and muzzle might just work for pistol and mild rifle. For hi-power stuff, I'm thinking a scrapped section of battleship waterline - but they're kind of hard to lug around.

Sandbags, or a section of PVC pipe filled with wet sand.

[Houndog]

I've got 2, a basic model chrony and an Ohler ballistics lab. Both give satisfactory results. If all you want to do is check velocity and will write down your shot string numbers, the basic Chrony will serve you well, and it's a one piece deal. The balistics lab is a chronograph and a strain guage setup to actually check velocity and chamber pressure. It is complicated, has a separate screen setup, and requires all kinds of backyard engineering to get the strain guage over the actual chamber of the barrell. It's expensive, but if you REALLY want to know what's going on, it's the best thing going. For most folks, it's WAY overkill. My advice is to buy the cheap chrony. It's dirt simple, gets the job done, and if you shoot it you are not out a bunch of money.

[Lead Fred]

Ive only owned one, the Master Chrony green one.

[Gee_Wizz01]

About 10 years ago I bought the Beta Master (Blue one) and I have been very happy with it. I bought the Beta Master to get the 6 ten shot strings and the control unit that sits on the bench. The master models are also a lot cheaper to get repaired if you happen to hit the unit. I am getting old and lazy and would like to get a printer for mine, but I can't justify the cost.

G

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have been putting off buying a chrony for a long time.

I just know that I'd kill it on the first outing. [smilie=b:

I've been trying to think of some way of protecting one from what seems to be a near-inevitable event. A thick and soaking wet phone book between the chrony and muzzle might just work for pistol and mild rifle. For hi-power stuff, I'm thinking a scrapped section of battleship waterline - but they're kind of hard to lug around.

Sandbags, or a section of PVC pipe filled with wet sand.

I had an old plow share, and I figured it would do a great job because of the shape and heavy steel; but, at 50 yds a 243 Win 80 gr bullet went right through it and created secondary damage from the spalling of the steel. A 220 Swift 50 gr created even more damage ( I shot the the plow share with just a 2X6 behind the share to hold it up as a test). I gave up on the protection idea and have been very careful.

G

[HamGunner]

My third one will be a Beta Master by Chrony. I can not see the readouts at a distance anymore and resetting at the bench would be great. Also, less to mess up if slightly damaged.

I will offer advice on chrony protection. Mount a heavy piece of plexiglass with an upward angle in front of the thing to catch wads, powder granuales, and especially stray gas checks. Gas checks got my last one, the Yellow model two days ago. Smacked the readout hard enough to put it out of commission. I read that it could happen, but failed to listen to others. Got carried away with a K-Hornet and the velocity was too high. Gas check came off.

I killed my very early Red model that had the cardboard cutouts to shoot through, with a rifle that I remounted a scope on and then months later forgot that it was not sighted in. Just a slight nick was all it took to knock out the display screen.
Don't set them up close enough for muzzle blast to knock them down and unless you get careless and actually shoot it, it will last a long time. Cloudy or gray sky conditions are best, avoid bright sunshine or bright blue sky unless you have something opaque on top to filter the sun just a bit. Always carry a spare battery, although I have never needed one.

Last time Chrony gave me $25 dollars for my distroyed leftovers. I think they can actually fix this one with just a new read out. I will upgrade once more and I will be a bit more protective of the new one. I shot for years and years guessing the velocity, but I certainly think that knowing what is happening is worth the small amount of money that they cost.

[Wally]

Rick,
Get one with the readout that is on a long cable. Place a piece of heavy wood on the front of the Crony to help (prevent damaging the senor--(however this will not stop a bullet).

[HamGunner]

Thanks Wally,
I think the Beta Master is the one you are referring to, at least the one with the remote readout is what I want for sure. Thanks for the thought about the wood. I certainly never thought that my gas checks would come off. And probably would not have if I had not over reved the darn things.

Oh, and I always stuck some wooden chopsticks in the guide holes so that if I accidentally shot one of the quides, it would no tear up anything else. Oh, well, I still have the chop sticks for the next one.

[Wally]

BTW--I can give you one better---in lieu of chopsticks for the guiedes---use a 1/8"x 2" wooden dowel--build up with tape so thata 1/4" drinkig straw can fit onto it--insert in the Chrony---should it fall over the straws will bend and never damage the plastic sensors like it with wood or wire...I prefer colored straws over white--easer to see---my favorite are furnsihed by a Ciuvers restaurant--in beautiful royal blue..

I have the Alpha Chrony master (has the remote)... a msot wonderful instrument!

[StarMetal]

Competition Electronics is the only one I'd buy besides Oehler, but the Oehler isn't available anymore is it? My CE works great and gives lots of options.

Joe

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

I started out with the entry level model in 1990 or so. Worked great. Cardboard aiming points and all. Was really rugged. Took being knocked over backward by muzzle blast from 30.06 following handgun testing, and showed no ill effects. Now, I have a Alpha Master (has long cord for remote readout so I don't have to use binoculars for data). I've nicked the top right back case with 10mm when deer fly bit my nick. Rear left of back end of case recently took nick from .357 as it was blowing over. Two rods have been blown away by firearms that "couldn't possibly be that far off". The thing still works. I always "calibrate" with a few shots of .22 LR to begin with. Hard to go wrong with Shooting Chrony. Between the two, they have several thousand documented rounds across (or through) them.

[Bucks Owin]

I've been using a "Shooting Chrony" for about 4 years now. I normally set it up 3 feet in front of the muzzle on a tripod. It's face is splattered with bullet lube and pockmarked with unburned powder to the point it's hard to read. It's withstood thousands of muzzle blasts from magnum handgun loads. It still works fine. I think I'll splurge for a ballistic printer to go with it one of these days........FWIW, Dennis

[HamGunner]

Dennis,
I really believe that 3 ft. is way too close for the sensors to be set up. They certainly will be affected by the muzzle blast at that range, one way or the other. I don't have the data in front of me, but I know that Chrony recommends a good deal more distance from the muzzle. More like 10-15 ft. would certainly not be too far away. Even at that distance, some muzzle blasts can knock a tripod over and powder residue will get into the sensors and hender proper readings.

From experience, I can certainly tell you that the face of the Chrony needs more protection even when placed at a proper safe distance. I will certainly take extra precautions for muzzle blast and gas check protection on my next one.