How to use a chrono

[elmacgyver0]

You know,
If the gun cycles, the bullet hits where it it is supposed to.
What else do you what?
What are you trying to kill anyway?
It is fun to know how fast your bullet is travelling, I get it.
I have a Chrony F1, haven't screwed it up yet.
Do plan on getting a Lab Radar, just for the fun of it, but really?
Don't hunt T-Rex, just mainly paper.
Most every game has been taken in the 1800s with no way to clock ammo and just black powder.
I don't get the hype.
Just for knowing and hobby fun, I get it.
I do a lot of stuff for the heck of it, so I get it.
More idiots like me, I guess not, guess I'm not the only one.
When I kill paper, I want to make sure it is dead. LOL

[15meter]

You know,
If the gun cycles, the bullet hits where it it is supposed to.
What else do you what?
What are you trying to kill anyway?
It is fun to know how fast your bullet is travelling, I get it.
I have a Chrony F1, haven't screwed it up yet.
Do plan on getting a Lab Radar, just for the fun of it, but really?
Don't hunt T-Rex, just mainly paper.
Most every game has been taken in the 1800s with no way to clock ammo and just black powder.
I don't get the hype.
Just for knowing and hobby fun, I get it.
I do a lot of stuff for the heck of it, so I get it.
More idiots like me, I guess not, guess I'm not the only one.
When I kill paper, I want to make sure it is dead. LOL

My chronograph was given to me 20 plus years ago. I bring it out to the range about every 5 years just to screw with people. It is fun seeing how consistent my reloads are. If it every dies, I doubt I'll replace it.

Here it is in all it's glory:





And yes, you have to turn it off between every shot to reset it. After you go through base 8 yes/no gyrations to come up with a 4 digit number that you that use the special decoder chart to figure out the FPS.

With start and stop modules spaced 10 feet apart and connected with RCA phono plugs and long wires, it looks like a Rube Goldberg does LSD design.

[megasupermagnum]

You know,
If the gun cycles, the bullet hits where it it is supposed to.
What else do you what?
What are you trying to kill anyway?
It is fun to know how fast your bullet is travelling, I get it.
I have a Chrony F1, haven't screwed it up yet.
Do plan on getting a Lab Radar, just for the fun of it, but really?
Don't hunt T-Rex, just mainly paper.
Most every game has been taken in the 1800s with no way to clock ammo and just black powder.
I don't get the hype.
Just for knowing and hobby fun, I get it.
I do a lot of stuff for the heck of it, so I get it.
More idiots like me, I guess not, guess I'm not the only one.
When I kill paper, I want to make sure it is dead. LOL

It depends on what you need. Some people like to see how their bow does with heavier or lighter arrows. If you compete with a handgun, a lot of times you have to meet a certain power factor. You had better test that and not just trust data. If you are a long range rifle shooter, you had better be developing loads with minimum velocity spreads in mind, they matter as much as group size up close, maybe more so. Since you mention hunting, a big reason to check speed for hunting loads is to see how much speed you loose in the cold. If all you do is shoot 200 yards, then it doesn't matter, but a lot of powders will loose 50-100 fps in the cold, you had better take that into account for those 300+ yard shots.

[jmorris]

With start and stop modules spaced 10 feet apart and connected with RCA phono plugs and long wires, it looks like a Rube Goldberg does LSD design.

And probably more accurate than anything you could buy these days.

[jmorris]

You know,
If the gun cycles, the bullet hits where it it is supposed to.
What else do you what?
What are you trying to kill anyway?
It is fun to know how fast your bullet is travelling, I get it.
I have a Chrony F1, haven't screwed it up yet.
Do plan on getting a Lab Radar, just for the fun of it, but really?
Don't hunt T-Rex, just mainly paper.
Most every game has been taken in the 1800s with no way to clock ammo and just black powder.
I don't get the hype.
Just for knowing and hobby fun, I get it.
I do a lot of stuff for the heck of it, so I get it.
More idiots like me, I guess not, guess I'm not the only one.
When I kill paper, I want to make sure it is dead. LOL

It’s not magic, just more information you don’t know unless you measure it.

Shoot paper past 300 yards and it’s a much more useful tool than if your a pistol guy at 15 ft though.

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve had GCs come off and take the shades off. Mine has to be in bright open sun or it won’t read. Also if I’m too close it will give readings of 3000fps on 45 Colt trail boss loads…or just don’t read them. I have the Beta. Bought new 20 years ago. Still works fine but just finicky.

[jsizemore]

I don't have a way to read pressures of my loads. I don't necessarily use the same components as the published data used. Cases could be different for instance. I've had 7.62 x 51 cases that had start loads from manufacturers that were at the neck shoulder junction. The chrony gives a chance to see if there is something different with my results and published data and adjust accordingly that fits my budget. Of course you also have to adjust for the barrel length too. Just another tool to keep from tearing up equipment and me.

[huntinlever]

Hope it's not hijacking, but as I mentioned the Magneto didn't work for me - wild readings that didn't make sense. On the guide gun it fit fine in the normal position and I adjusted the sensitivity but nothing was working. Wish it did because if I get a diffuser type I know the day would come I either lose a GC to the unit or just shoot it outright. Any thoughts on the Magneto issue?

[megasupermagnum]

Hope it's not hijacking, but as I mentioned the Magneto didn't work for me - wild readings that didn't make sense. On the guide gun it fit fine in the normal position and I adjusted the sensitivity but nothing was working. Wish it did because if I get a diffuser type I know the day would come I either lose a GC to the unit or just shoot it outright. Any thoughts on the Magneto issue?

I assume this is on some kind of firearm. You would be wasting time trying to get one to read an arrow. I don't own one, so I can't help you.

[uscra112]

I'm still using my original red Chrony, purchased second-hand late '90s. Haven't had the troubles the O.P. reported, but then I don't use it for archery. The metal skyscreen rods were long ago replaced with bamboo skewers, in case I hit one. I never have. It's confusing to use, but it at least it works every time.*

I've been given a blue one with the remote readout, which is my backup. At the rate I'm going it may become an "estate sale" heirloom.

*My expensive Labradar doesn't. Despite hours of fiddling with it and $$$ expended on special batteries, table mounts, sighting gadget, etc. I have never gotten a single plausible reading from it.

[Tripplebeards]

Thanks for the tip on bamboo skewers! To be honest I really don’t use mine that much and probably can count on both hands how many times it’s been used. I normally never pull it out until I find an accurate load. That way I can figure out the drops at long range shooting.

[ukrifleman]

I have white tape markers on the front rods of my Chroney F1 about 6" above the sensors as an aiming point, so that I can get consistent shots over them.

I tested it against my club's lab radar using some 7.5 Swiss cast loads and the readings were within 5fps.
Happy with that.
ukrifleman

[OS OK]

I don't understand all this controversy over what aiming through a chrony is all about...this is worse than lame!

Think about it for a moment. If you shoot off a bench or stand freestyle, all you must do is place a 'target' or a spot or an 'X' made with a marker on a paper or cardboard and then stand back to where you intend to fire from and see that the target is centered within the uprights & between the skyscreens and the body of the chrony.
This will keep even the tallest scope from lowering your barrel so much that you hit the chrony.

[jmorris]

I don't understand all this controversy over what aiming through a chrony is all about...this is worse than lame!

Think about it for a moment.

I always try and aim OVER mine but yes it’s not hard to avoid hitting one if you give any thought towards the goal.

If you can line up targets to hit them, you can line things up to avoid hitting everything else…

[OS OK]

I always try and aim OVER mine but yes it’s not hard to avoid hitting one if you give any thought towards the goal.

If you can line up targets to hit them, you can line things up to avoid hitting everything else…

That's pretty slick with the wind and all...I kept looking for a chrony doing something, then about the second time watching, I started to get what you did.
Us Old'Farts are slow but eventually we catch on!