I am looking to get my first chronograph. Not sure how much differance there will be between various makes and models and what i really need. I will be using it for handgun and rifle cartridges. Don't want to spend a fortune but want one that I can use for years without feeling like i need to upgrade. Any suggestions?

I 've had a Shooting Chrony F1 for quite a few years and it has always done what it's supposed to do. No complaints

Curtis,

I purchased a Chrony Beta from Midsouth and it was a good value IIRC; $89.00. If you read the directions and set it up correctly & the same EVERY time you'll get consistant readings.

The part I really like about the Chrony's is that they pretty much stand behind their warranty; regardless of the Shoe-Box full of Bits & Pieces you return to them.

The forearm sandbag sagged when shooting my Drilling and in combination with shooting the under rifle barrel resulted in me planting a .366" 250 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip right into the display - Wow! Spectacular! It wasn't charging but the Tripod & the remaining component parts were strewn all the way to the 50 meter line on the range. Speaks volumes for chronographing a relatively high power cartridge.

Anyway, a Chrony really opens up a new world of assessing projectiles & ammunition; we've measured, arrows, from bows & crossbows, air rifle pellets, pistol & rifle ammo & shotgun shells, too.

Have fun with your decision & your new Chrony (shoot high(er))!

Pro Chronograph -- 100 bucks.

quote:

Originally posted by BNagel:
Pro Chronograph -- 100 bucks.

I've got one of these too. So far, so good!

I bought one of the first Chronys when they decided a chronograh didn't need to cost an arm and a leg. That would be a lot of years ago and it's still ticking.
When I first got it, I proofed it against a couple of the high dollar chronies and it was close enough for my sloppy style of reloading. (the short sight window between sensors can cause day to day variations unless it is set up exactly square and in the exact same spot. But they'll all do that to an extent so the fps or two variance meant little to me)
Beyond telling you how fast your bullet is going, everything else is a whistle or bell. If I were just starting out, I'd probably get the basic unit that I could up-grade when I decided I couldn't write the numbers down and average them with a calulator.
As posted, a chrony will open new windows of knowledge and fun, and broaden your reloading skills. They are well worth the money. IMO

Make sure you set it up with plenty of clearance when it is used in the field. Although the openings for the bullets to pass through are usually generous, I've seen two chronographs shot up and the results are final on the machine.

I had a buddy nick one of the metal arms in mine that supports the sky screen. Took about 35% of the arms off!!!!

All of them available these days are a pretty good value. The internal "clock" is the same in all of them and is virtually infallible. The screen detectors are what vary. The Chrony is famous for having a very tight window where it will actually read the passage of the bullet, which is why so many of them are accidentally "executed" by the "firing squad".

Like wasbeeman, I find the extra bells and whistles of the "upgraded" models to be pretty useless. Just get the cheapest model and write down your velocities on a 1/2 cent piece of paper that makes a permanent record.

Some of the other makes now available probably have screen detectors that are better than the Chrony, so you might want to consider them. But the Chrony works; it will just sometimes cause you to spend extra ammunition due to missed shots and raises your level of frustration.

all are a state 0.5% error
get the cheapest one you can, with a remote reset .. you are going to shoot it

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
all are a state 0.5% error
get the cheapest one you can, with a remote reset .. you are going to shoot it

That is what I have. It works fantastic.

I had an old F-1 Chrony (Red w/cardboard screens) back in the 80's and it displayed so many errors it was a pain! If it wasn't a partially overcast day you could forget it.

Then I had a large credit at Midway or somewhere for something, possibly even locally, and bought the top Shooting Chrony (Blue). It was such a pain in the butt that I traded it off at a local sporting goods store even up for a new F-1 (Green).

This F-1 had one less button on it than my old F-1 and worked fantastic as far as getting readings, but was not too convenient as it didn't have that other reset button that my old one had. The remote push button solved that problem.

I have an oportunity for a F1 at cost. Seems pretty basic, but i might give it a try after i look at a Pro Chronograph. Thanks for all the advice. It's good to know that so many others have shot thier chrony's that way it i do it i wont feel so bad!

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
all are a state 0.5% error
get the cheapest one you can, with a remote reset .. you are going to shoot it

Having been shooting w/ a chonograph since paper screens, I disagree. While they are all decently accurate, some have better screens than others. Better screens mean they are more user friendly & give fewer errors. Worst, the Chrony line. Terrible screens, too small, too narrow a reading range. One reason so many shooters shoot their Chrony. You have to put the bullet directly over the center, no more than 8" high, to get 100% reliable readings (yes I have shot o/ one extensively).
The Oehler by far the best, but no longer available. The CED, pretty good, it would be what I would buy if I didn't have an Oehler. I have shot through all three, back to back to back & the Chrony misses far more shots. My time is worth more than the $100 diff between the Chrony & CED.

2nd for the CED.

It's a top quality unit

Total agreement with fredj338.
I have had an Oehler 35P for over 15 years. Only trouble I have had is when the battery went dead. (I thought those things went on for ever!)
I have shot over a Chrony. Too many "wasted" shots where the screens did not pickup the bullet. At least that is what I think is the reason the machine failed to record the shots.
The screens is where the Oehler was miles a head of the other makes IMHO.

muck

Ditto to what fred wrote. Time and components are money.

The pick of the litter is now the CED, IMO.

And it's not a question of "if", but "when" you will shoot your chrono.

Eric

I did notice the F1 seems to have a narrow window to shoot through. I could be wrong, the one i used some years ago (for one range session) seemed to be much wider. I believe it was an Oehler, but cant remember. Does the CED give a more open window to shoot through?

My 2 cents. I have been using the Gamma w/printer for a long time. But this thing below) is the best especially in low lite with IR & remote. Comes with software to record and library your loads/guns and combos.

WhatThe, where can you get the sky screen? How much do they cost?

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
all are a state 0.5% error
get the cheapest one you can, with a remote reset .. you are going to shoot it

Having been shooting w/ a chonograph since paper screens, I disagree. While they are all decently accurate, some have better screens than others. Better screens mean they are more user friendly & give fewer errors. Worst, the Chrony line. Terrible screens, too small, too narrow a reading range. One reason so many shooters shoot their Chrony. You have to put the bullet directly over the center, no more than 8" high, to get 100% reliable readings (yes I have shot o/ one extensively).
The Oehler by far the best, but no longer available. The CED, pretty good, it would be what I would buy if I didn't have an Oehler. I have shot through all three, back to back to back & the Chrony misses far more shots. My time is worth more than the $100 diff between the Chrony & CED.

JMHO, but I had issues with Shooting Chrony reading too many times ERR, call it bad lighting, too late whatever. It is a PIA to drag a bunch of equipment out, set up, and not get the consist readings.

So, depending on your circumstances, maybe you shoot only 12 noon daylight so take it for what it's worth . . . I got a CED2 with infrared, can shoot in the dark or indoors with that sucker. I'm still checking it out but it has as of yet read every single shot I've put through it, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

Would the people having the error issues with their F-1 Chrony please state how current your data or model is?

My old Red colored one with cardboard sunshades was error prone.

My newer one (Green color) with translucent sun shades hardly ever shows an error.

ETA: I use the sunshades 99% of the time.

Yes the window is small, but they say that the slightest change in the angle of the shot (minor increase in distance) wildly affects the accuracy.

ETA: This forces you to shoot straight for consistant accuracy. Would you rather read all of the shots or just all of the straight shots?

I usually shoot groups simultaneous with chronying with the gun on bags. I also position the Chrony as close as the gun's blast will permit. Some gun's muzzle blast will spray the chrony with powder, some knock it over if too close. I will also at times just hold the gun inline with the Chrony for a few shots without a target in the picture to get some quick velocities.

Again are people having issues with the newer Green colored F-1 from within the past 6 years or the older Red colored F-1? I am curious.

Just to be clear, ERR issues I have are with a Shooting Chrony Beta Master Chronograph less than 2 yrs old. I'm pretty sure it was lighting issues that caused my aggravation with it. On nice days, in the middle of the day was better, however, I still have to work for a living and it's usually evening when I get out to the range

ProChrono

quote:

Originally posted by guncurtis2:
WhatThe, where can you get the sky screen? How much do they cost?

Here's the url: http://pact.com/index.php?page...=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
all are a state 0.5% error
get the cheapest one you can, with a remote reset .. you are going to shoot it

I love that comment about shooting it!!! I did see a guy pop his chrono dead center with a 45/70. I tried not to laugh but it was very hard to hold it in and I went over to his area to help him pick up the pieces. In the end he did laugh a little.

My CED has a generous ballistic window and is also pretty tolerant of sun angle.

In the end, buy what you will be happy with, whether bells and whistles or bare bones.

quote:

Would the people having the error issues with their F-1 Chrony please state how current your data or model is?

My old Red colored one with cardboard sunshades was error prone.

My newer one (Green color) with translucent sun shades hardly ever shows an error.

The one I had tested was a newer green one, POS IMO, it just misses too many shots unless yo ucan put them precisely dead center of the screens & no mor ethan 8" high. Go higher, you'll get an error, go wide, you get an error. Really, for $100 more, the CED is a no brainer.

What about this one. From the reviews there are a lot fewer problems due to the light conditions.


Using this lamp, all Shooting Chrony chronographs will work indoors and outdoors on overcast days or in the shade
This lamp is assembled to 14" diffusers and comes with 16" wire rods
Includes a 120 volt AC adapter with a 4 foot power connection cable (light itself uses 12 volt DC)

Good review.

Matthew Turner of Santa teresa, NMDate posted: 12/6/2008I have had a Gamma Master Chrony for many years, and I hated one aspect- you had to shoot at mid-day for perfect results. If you shot in poor light, you are going to miss velocities no matter what chronograph you are using. You go to all the work of assembling your handloads, set up the chronograph, and then shoot at the target through the detectors... only to get "Err 2" or "Err 9" and use up most or all of the carefully assembled handloads without getting any velocity data. I used to bring a 22 rimfire with me to check the chronograph rather than waste my handloads. This was a frequent problem for me since the awnings on my East-facing shooting range cast long shadows in the late afternoon. NO MORE! The Chrony LED Lamp assembly has been perfect! Bright sun/no clouds, hazy/cloudy, or shadows/shade makes no difference; all the readings come through without a single "Err X" code. Current draw is also surprisingly low; I have a battery booster (jump start) pack and use the car adapter with it. With the C.L.L. on for five straight hours, the battery pack still shows a full charge (over 12.6 Volts). If you have a Chrony, the LED lamp assembly will make it the most dependable chronograph sold anywhere. And I'm not kidding!Was this review helpful?Yes | No21 found it helpful | 0 did not

quote:

If you shot in poor light, you are going to miss velocities no matter what chronograph you are using. You go to all the work of assembling your handloads, set up the chronograph, and then shoot at the target through the detectors... only to get "Err 2" or

Well there is poor light & poor light. The most important aspect of any chronopgraph are the screens. The better quality, the better reults regarldess of light. I can run my Oehler from sunrise to about 1hr befor sunset on sunny days. It works fine on cloudy days too, even full sun. The Chrony won't do that. Almost everyone I knwo that went cheap ended up buying better anyway. Just sepnd your money once & bypass the Chrony.

quote:

I love that comment about shooting it!!! I did see a guy pop his chrono dead center with a 45/70. I tried not to laugh but it was very hard to hold it in and I went over to his area to help him pick up the pieces. In the end he did laugh a little.

"Tried not to laugh", I too a long with several others witnessed a guy blow his crony into about 10 or 15 pieces. I laughed so hard I damn near passed out! This genius set his chrony out about 20 feet thinking it was safe from the fierce muzzle blast of his 30-30. The funny part came later when he said "I'm sure they will replace it under the warranty". I hope this guy doesn't reload!

The truth of the matter is Shooting Chrony repairs shot up Chrony's for a fairly cheap flat rate the last I knew. I haven't had to find out personally, knock on wood.