The Accurate Reloading Forums
Which Chronograph
28 June 2008, 20:59
Al WestWhich Chronograph
Hello,
Want to buy a bullet speedometer. Pretty much just looking to log velocity. Never owned one before and looks like there are lots of them out there. Was thinking of something bottom end to start. Any suggestions? Anyone have any experience with the Shooting Chrony F-1 model? Thanks
28 June 2008, 21:21
bowhgs280The F-1 is what I use . Works great . No problems .
28 June 2008, 22:57
390ishi have the blue chrony. works fine.
28 June 2008, 23:14
adrookquote:
Originally posted by 390ish:
i have the blue chrony. works fine.
+1
I have the Shooting Chrony Beta (the blue one) and it works great. I never use all of its features so I would buy the cheaper one if I had it to do over.
28 June 2008, 23:20
wrongtargetThe F-1 Master which has the remote display is an excellent chrony, love mine! HINT: Replace the steel skyscreen rods with wood dowels, then when you shoot one, you won't ruin the chrony!
http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar44.htmhttp://lockstock.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CHRF1MChrony Master beta is Blue it's what I use !. Plus one more .
Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...
quote:
Replace the steel skyscreen rods with wood dowels, then when you shoot one, you won't ruin the chrony!
You don't need dowels, as God has invented duct tape!
-------------------------------
Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne.
NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R.
_________________________
"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped
“Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped.
red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com
_________________________
Hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go.
29 June 2008, 14:03
Lost Sheepquote:
Originally posted by Al West:
Hello,
Want to buy a bullet speedometer. Pretty much just looking to log velocity. Never owned one before and looks like there are lots of them out there. Was thinking of something bottom end to start. Any suggestions? Anyone have any experience with the Shooting Chrony F-1 model? Thanks
Al, welcome to the forum.
I really like my Chrony chronograph. The price was affordable and it seems to give consistent readings (of course, you know the old saying: The man with one watch is always certain what time it is. The man with two watches is never quite sure.)
My problem with Chrony is their model designations. They make no sense to me. Letters, colors, numbers and names all jumbled up. Just give me a name or model number that relates to the features of that model. Watch out when you order the Master-Beta over the phone. One gun magazine writer REALLY offended the lady in customer ordering.
Review this web forum before going any furthur. The story of my first Chrony is in there.
https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=2511043&m=446105658That's why my Chrony (second one) does NOT HAVE the LCD readout on the master unit. The master unit sits behind/under heavy channel iron and you can't hit (or read) what you can't see behind cold steel.
Happy shooting.
quote:
Originally posted by Will:
quote:
Replace the steel skyscreen rods with wood dowels, then when you shoot one, you won't ruin the chrony!
You don't need dowels, as God has invented duct tape!
OK, I'll ask the question. How do you make a dowel of duct tape? (This is a serious question. I have a Chrony, am concerned about hitting my metal rods (have considered one person's suggestion of using soda straws) and am a fan of duct tape, but cannot picture how to ust it to make my Chrony less vulnerable.)
Lost Sheep (Larry)
quote:
Originally posted by Lost Sheep:
quote:
Originally posted by Al West:
Hello,
Want to buy a bullet speedometer. Pretty much just looking to log velocity. Never owned one before and looks like there are lots of them out there. Was thinking of something bottom end to start. Any suggestions? Anyone have any experience with the Shooting Chrony F-1 model? Thanks
Al, welcome to the forum.
I really like my Chrony chronograph. The price was affordable and it seems to give consistent readings (of course, you know the old saying: The man with one watch is always certain what time it is. The man with two watches is never quite sure.)
My problem with Chrony is their model designations. They make no sense to me. Letters, colors, numbers and names all jumbled up. Just give me a name or model number that relates to the features of that model. Watch out when you order the Master-Beta over the phone. One gun magazine writer REALLY offended the lady in customer ordering.
Review this web forum before going any furthur. The story of my first Chrony is in there.
https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=2511043&m=446105658That's why my Chrony (second one) does NOT HAVE the LCD readout on the master unit. The master unit sits behind/under heavy channel iron and you can't hit (or read) what you can't see behind cold steel.
Happy shooting.
quote:
Originally posted by Will:
quote:
Replace the steel skyscreen rods with wood dowels, then when you shoot one, you won't ruin the chrony!
You don't need dowels, as God has invented duct tape!
OK, I'll ask the question. How do you make a dowel of duct tape? (This is a serious question. I have a Chrony, am concerned about hitting my metal rods (have considered one person's suggestion of using soda straws) and am a fan of duct tape, but cannot picture how to ust it to make my Chrony less vulnerable.)
Lost Sheep (Larry)
Larry, sorry for the confusion.
The duct tape comes in after you shoot one of the steel rods into two pieces. Of course it may help to reinforce the break with a dowel rod before applying the duct tape.
I have found that the steel rods, though, stand up pretty well to bullet glancing blows!
-------------------------------
Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne.
NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R.
_________________________
"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped
“Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped.
red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com
_________________________
Hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go.
Welcome to AR!
Buy the F1 -it works well and sooner or later you blow it to bits so don´t ever spend a lot on a chrony.
29 June 2008, 22:12
K20350For all that HAVE shot your chronograph. Dont Bull$^&* a BullS%%*^ER. Buy a cheap one first cause not IF but WHEN you shoot it you wont be out much. My Uncle used to rag on me on "How in the hell can you shoot your chrono?!" Well last week his chrono ate a 300gn Barnes XPB. I find that #9 fencing wire that they use to tension chain link fence is a perfect replacement for the screen rods. You can get it at home depot or any other lumber yard. I dont make it a habit of shooting mine but it has happened before on a couple occasions. By the way I and my uncle have the cheap chrony and they work well enough. Good Luck Pat
I have had a Shooting Chrony. Used it for 4 or 5 years. Had to replace the skyscreens because they cracked where they snap together. The jointed legs have a metal joint that the other leg inserts into. Those degraded until they wouldn't stay together again. The chrony itself had a small screen that was hard to see from 15' and sometimes I had to get up from the bench and move around to try and read it. There were a lot of error readings, sometimes it wouldn't work at all and sometimes the velocities would inexplicably change by 150 fps across the board.
I really just got tired of jacking with it, repairing it, trying to repair it and missing readings. I replaced it with a Pro Chono
no jointed legs, no jointed skyscreens and no missed readings in a year.
____________________________________
There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice.
- Mark Twain |
Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.
___________________________________
30 June 2008, 07:10
Al WestGentlemen,
Thanks for the truck load of info. I see a need for rumination before retail eidfication in this case. Not sure just what unit I will ultimately end up with but now have the skinny on potential pitfalls. Regards
"Hats off to Mr Heller.....An upstanding and righteous man."
30 June 2008, 07:34
wrongtargetNo rocket science is required to apply a little super glue to the joints of multi-piece screens to make them one piece. Mounted on wood dowels works fine and will spare the chrony if/when you hit one of em. The remote display of the F-1 Master and other Shooting Chronys is the cat's meow, it sits on the bench at your finger tips, no reading problems for me or the chrony in the 3yrs I've had it, works every time as long as I remember to turn it on, unfortunately
I don't work right all the time!!
quote:
Originally posted by woods:
I have had a Shooting Chrony. Used it for 4 or 5 years. Had to replace the skyscreens because they cracked where they snap together. The jointed legs have a metal joint that the other leg inserts into. Those degraded until they wouldn't stay together again. The chrony itself had a small screen that was hard to see from 15' and sometimes I had to get up from the bench and move around to try and read it. There were a lot of error readings, sometimes it wouldn't work at all and sometimes the velocities would inexplicably change by 150 fps across the board.
I really just got tired of jacking with it, repairing it, trying to repair it and missing readings. I replaced it with a Pro Chono
no jointed legs, no jointed skyscreens and no missed readings in a year.
Bingo, simple, accurate and easy to use. Never had a missed reading or any issue with mine.
Ken....
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so. " - Ronald Reagan
01 July 2008, 06:32
33806whelenI still to this day have a PACT that has never let me down. The XP here is a nice unit:
http://www.pact.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=67Mine is the ancestor to this one:
http://pact.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=34It also has a timer on it for start stop last shot etc. Its great for competition pistol shooting.
Made in USA, lifetime warranty. And the best thing is the unit sits on the bench next to me. Worst case scenario is I blow a screen up. It has the new infrared pick ups which I haven't tried, but look good. The Xp now can down load right to your computer. Mine is the older unit with the infrared printer. I shoot a string and it gives a read/print out of fastest shot slowest shot standard deviation etc.
When I buy a new one it will be the XP by pact.
01 July 2008, 13:41
RikkieAnother vote for the Pro Chrono. AND for the wooden dowels. If you happen to hit one of those steel rods, it will break it out of the machine, ruining it. Wooden dowels will simply snap.
01 July 2008, 14:39
b.martinsquote:
Originally posted by woods:
I have had a Shooting Chrony. Used it for 4 or 5 years. Had to replace the skyscreens because they cracked where they snap together. The jointed legs have a metal joint that the other leg inserts into. Those degraded until they wouldn't stay together again. The chrony itself had a small screen that was hard to see from 15' and sometimes I had to get up from the bench and move around to try and read it. There were a lot of error readings, sometimes it wouldn't work at all and sometimes the velocities would inexplicably change by 150 fps across the board.
I really just got tired of jacking with it, repairing it, trying to repair it and missing readings. I replaced it with a Pro Chono
no jointed legs, no jointed skyscreens and no missed readings in a year.
Had a ProChrono like yours. Got tired of geting all sort of errors and missed readings.
Replaced it by a Chrony, two weeks ago. So far so good.
B.Martins
What every gun needs, apart from calibre, is a good shot and hunter behind it. - José Pardal
Still using the same Model F Shooting Chrony(the green one)I bought back in the mid 80s and it's NEVER missed a lick.
til later
My Shooting Chrony does not work when it is in direct sun, even with sky screens. It has to be a cloudy day or has to be in the shade before it will read. The other day it was partially cloudy, every time the sun would pop out from behind a cloud the screen would go blank and would not pick up the bullet as it crossed over.
01 July 2008, 23:24
ReloaderMy Shooting Chrony doesn't work worth a flip most of the time. It gives errors often and reads ridiculous velocities at times. Not to mention, it's like assembling a jigsaw puzzle.
I picked up a ProChrono like woods has in the pic. The thing works flawlessly and has more features than the SC I have. It only has 7 pieces hardly ever gives an error and reads consistently.
I see them for less than 100 bucks on ebay from time to time. Mine was purchased at Cabelas.
Good Luck
Reloader
01 July 2008, 23:31
Alberta CanuckI've been carrying an F-1 Chrony in the back of my pickup for 14 years now. Still works just as well as my Oehler (which I keep in my shop), so I have no problem with the F-1. For some reason, mine doesn't miss readings when out in the direct sun, or anywhere else so long as I am not shooting in the dark.
Further, I bought it as a "refurbed" version direct from chrony, for just $40. Now I think the refurbs are about $55. So far that works out to what....$2.86 per year?
A guy could do worse. If I wanted to go just a little better, I would buy a CED Millenium. There are a LOT of those at our club, and they all seem to work very well too, as well as caclulate everything from your rate of hair loss to your both your wife's & your girlfriend's Catholic Birth Control cycles.
02 July 2008, 21:24
leoparddogDepending on where you shoot - private range or public makes a difference. If you're shooting at a public range where you can't go down range as often as you want to, you REALLY REALLY need a Chrono with the remote display and buttons.
I have one that does not have this feature. Its a good Chrono, but if I go to the public range, reseting it for the next load - forget it. Range goes cold maybe once every 15 minutes.
Spend the extra $$ for the versatility of the remote data readout and controls.