Can you strap the MagnetoSpeed to a levergun with a magazine tube ?
Can you strap the MagnetoSpeed to a levergun with a magazine tube ?
I have the old original F1 Chrony with the old cardboard shoot thru thingys.
The only thing I have used it on is air guns.
I at some point would like something like the LabRadar but if they are made of unobtainium perhaps the Magneto speed would be ok.
Last edited by FrankJD; 05-09-2022 at 06:34 PM.
Got one on AliExpress for 30$, it's in meter second but, work well for that price.
+1 on an Oehler. I've had mine for almost 20 years now. Works perfectly.
The Labradar sets up right next to your barrel and uses doppler radar to measure the velocity. It keeps measuring the velocity down range as far as it can "see" the bullet. This allows you to back calculate ballistic coefficients from the deceleration of the bullet at the different ranges. It does not require special or optimum lighting to see the bullet shadow and does not use cables, screens or other things that can be shot in front of the muzzle. I compared readings with my Ohler 35 and they correlated very closely. If you want an optical screen type chronograph, the Ohler is pretty much the industry standard for accuracy and reliability.
I like the lab radar. Wish I could buy one! They've been out of stock for how long??
All I ever hear with these fancy chrony's is people raving about them over and over, but when push comes to shove, every time it's "no it won't work for that". Labradar, great for rifle bullets. They do all the work for you there. About useless for anything else. They don't hardly work with arrows, and they won't work at all with any shotgun, no matter the load. Now there's this Magneto speed, and while they are probably do ok with rifles, they aren't great on handguns. They kind of work on shotguns if you are careful, sometimes. They obviously don't work with arrows at all.
Seriously, I don't understand why people push these things so hard. I understand the lab radar from the precision crowd. Just buy a regular old Chronograph. The ProChrono is everything except bulletproof. Rifles, handguns, shotguns, muzzleloaders, arrows, blowgun darts. Everything works over the ProChrono, or most normal skyscreen chronographs. I get maybe 1 day a year where the weather causes issues. They are so good now, clouds or sun are not a huge deal. They just plain work.
But why spend $100 on something that works perfectly for everything, when you could spend $500 on something that saves 15 seconds, and only works on a couple guns?
All good points. However, for a particular firearm I don't mind having a better chronograph and I don't mind spending money for that privilege, it's that simple. If a labradar was available I'd buy it in a heartbeat. If I needed to chrono arrow speed I'd get a screen chronograph.
I mostly need to chrony centerfire bolt and s/s long guns, so magnetospeed is perfect for that task and me. It's all good!
There are only two kinds of chronographs, those that have been shot and those that are gonna get shot. I have two that I currently use. A Oehler 35P when I’m wanting more accuracy and a Shooting Chrony Beta Master for quick setup. I have replacement parts for the Beta Master from its predecessor. The Labradar looks interesting.
Long ago I started with a Chrony, did shoot it once, still have it, got a MagnetoSpeed, like it, then got a LabRadar. I do go back and forth between the two. If you shoot at a range, consider whether setting a chonograph in front of a row of benches will be a problem. The Labradar and the MagnetoSpeed don't need to be in front of the bench. I have not had a problem with the MagnetoSpeed loosening on a Savage 99 358 or a Marlin 1895 45-70 with 'full' jacketed loads. The MagnetoSpeed is a little tricky to set up on full length magazine but can be made to work.
What is the trick to using the MagnetoSpeed on a lever with a full length mag tube ?
I have 2 Chrony's and had an old Oehler and have a Magneto speed. All have their applications where they work better than something else. Friends who have Labradar units spend as much time cussing them as shooting. Maybe they dont have it set up right, I dunno. For rifles and long barreled s/s hand guns the Magneto speed works great and I use a wooden hardwood dowel to align the clearance of the bayonet but REMEMBER THIS...use a reminder of some kind to remove the dowel!! I almost shot a brand new CZ527 with the dowel still in the barrel due to distractions. Thank goodness when I got on the gun, I did a little mental practice of asking myself if everything was safe and secure before I took the safety off. I can happen. I use a piece of bright orange weed eater line stuck in the action as a reminder.
If I am going to clock handguns, I use one of the chrony's but it takes a few minutes to set up and the bright sun plays havoc with mine. Cloudy days are good. Glad to hear that the Prochrono is not sensitive to bright sun and so many like them.
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us! The more I travel, the more I like right where I am.
There is a learning curve for Labradar. If you don't have it in the proper mode, it may not see the bullet. There are velocity range settings. As far as airguns and archery, I understand that there is a separate trigger device to be used. Actually have to read the destructions! I went through a little hair pulling learning how to run it. Once you figure it out, they are super fast to set up and run. I swage low drag long range bullets and use the deceleration readings to confirm BC data etc. That is a feature that optical chronographs can not supply unless you run one at the muzzle and one downrange, then you have to factor in the variation between the two machines. I bought mine soon after they came out. At the time, they were pretty competitively priced with higher end chronographs like Oehlers.
Here is the MagnetoSpeed on my M94 Carbine. The tube is solid in the front band with minimal space between it and the barrel. Because of the barrel taper I also put 2 thicknesses of primer tray sleeve between the barrel and front of the pad to make the bayonet parallel to the bore.
Attachment 300140
Here is the MagnetoSpeed on my M92 44-40. The barrel band is in front of the front sight so it's not in the way. Also theyre is enough space fro the strap to fit between the barrel and magazine tube.
Attachment 300141
I've found using a cleaning rod to make sure the bayonet is properly aligned saves a lot of frustration when the shooting starts. I use a cleaning rod with tape around it in two places about 6-8" apart so the rod along the bayonet gives the correct line of the bore.
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
How much does the bayonet affect the point of impact on that lever gun? It gives my 223 CZ 527 a fit. Not terrible but it goes from about a .875 grouper to 2". I don't shoot long strings anymore, 3 shots of the same load will do for my modest research. I just noticed that you have the bayonet strap around just the barrel in one pic and around the magazine tube and barrel in the other. Have you tried it both ways on target.
Last edited by murf205; 05-12-2022 at 04:50 PM.
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us! The more I travel, the more I like right where I am.
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 |