I really like the fact that I have a chronograph

[The Heretic]

We had a saying in engineering; "you don't know for sure, if you don't measure".

It is actually a good axiom for almost any domain.

If you really want to know how/what your ammunition is doing in your guns, don't go by what others have reported (especially ammo manufacturers), go by what is actually happening, and one aspect of that to measure the velocity (the other is a gel test for the projectile, but that is expensive and there are youtubers out there that are specializing in that - with the exception of some specialty ammo/projectiles, and even there some people are targeting that domain).

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[Certaindeaf]

See how fast a 180gr .44 special Silvertip is going out of a 3".. I think it's like 600fps.









It is pretty slow though.

 

[The Heretic]

See how fast a 180gr .44 special Silvertip is going out of a 3".. I think it's like 600fps.









It is pretty slow though.

I don't have 180gr ST - the few .44 Spc ST I have are 200 gr and clock at 716 fps from my S&W 329 PD with a 4" barrel

Advertised velocity is 900 fps.

So my bet is that given a lighter projectile, it would do that or better, even from a shorter barrel.

Also, FYI - these felt very tame from my 329PD which is usually a beast with regards to recoil.

 

[thorborg]

Same with Energy, you can calculate all day long but if you don't know the actual velocity your still just guessing.
One of the most useful and important chronograph benefit for me was knowing the standard deviation. Before Chrono, hunting Loads I thought were pretty good could be 100 fps (or more) apart. Knowing this, encouraged careful sorting, and measurement, Not to difficult to achieve well under 20 now. Comforting to know I actually have that reliable aspect when hunting.
My close range of shooting while hunting today, a low SD likely not such a big deal, but were I to look for precision long range, it is considerable if you are looking for the one hole group.

 

[The Heretic]

Same with Energy, you can calculate all day long but if you don't know the actual velocity your still just guessing.
One of the most useful and important chronograph benefit for me was knowing the standard deviation. Before Chrono, hunting Loads I thought were pretty good could be 100 fps (or more) apart. Knowing this, encouraged careful sorting, and measurement, Not to difficult to achieve well under 20 now. Comforting to know I actually have that reliable aspect when hunting.
My close range of shooting while hunting today, a low SD likely not such a big deal, but were I to look for precision long range, it is considerable if you are looking for the one hole group.

Or at least knowing the high & low numbers. It only takes one flyer to miss when hunting.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Same with Energy, you can calculate all day long but if you don't know the actual velocity your still just guessing.
One of the most useful and important chronograph benefit for me was knowing the standard deviation. Before Chrono, hunting Loads I thought were pretty good could be 100 fps (or more) apart. Knowing this, encouraged careful sorting, and measurement, Not to difficult to achieve well under 20 now. Comforting to know I actually have that reliable aspect when hunting.
My close range of shooting while hunting today, a low SD likely not such a big deal, but were I to look for precision long range, it is considerable if you are looking for the one hole group.

Us poors just put in just enough powder to flatten the hell out of the primers yet not have them fall out after firing.





lol

 

[The Heretic]

I don't have 180gr ST - the few .44 Spc ST I have are 200 gr and clock at 716 fps from my S&W 329 PD with a 4" barrel

Advertised velocity is 900 fps.

Right there, I expected the velocity to be 800 fps or better, not almost 200 fps slower than the advertised velocity.

 

[DizzyJ]

You'll want to be aware of possible error in reading too depending on the type of chronograph.

 

[The Heretic]

You'll want to be aware of possible error in reading too depending on the type of chronograph.

If it is consistent, and I am consistent in my methodology, I am not too worried about significant errors.

That said, due to variances, sample size is important.

 

[kmk1012]

Chronographs make expensive targets too!

 

[TTSX]

I figure out velocity by counting potatoes. BANG! One potato... Two potato... Three potato... Ping! That's a three potato bullet.

 

[The Heretic]

Chronographs make expensive targets too!

I shot my Chrony, putting it out of commission, and I shot one of the diffuser stands on my ProChrono, but I still find chronographs informative, and the information useful when choosing ammunition and for reloading.

 

[gmerkt]

I was wondering how many times the cartridge case had been reloaded previously. Probably only a minor issue if at all, considering the pierced primer.

If you really want to know how/what your ammunition is doing in your guns, don't go by what others have reported

Yes, book values don't always pan out. I've read one quote on the subject, "I don't know how I ever got by in reloading before I got a chronograph." I don't know as how I'd go so far as to make that statement. What I will say is, from the standpoint of safety, you're probably okay using low end published / book values without one. But if you are going to challenge the upper end, for me a chrono is a must.

Re. reading "hot" loads by primer condition. A pierced primer is pretty telling. But short of that, reading primers is akin to voodoo or alchemy. Not always a reliable science.

You'll want to be aware of possible error in reading too depending on the type of chronograph.

This. If you visit a range regularly, keep one of your "standard," known value loads handy for when another shooter has a chrono set up. Politely ask if you may fire one round across his chrono. It's a crude check (not enough representative shots, don't know if his device is in calibration) but it might be an indicator.

 

[Hemlock]

If you're going to do any amount of reloading or reloading for multipliable calibers over your lifetime, be smart, get a chronograph.

 

[oremike]

I've had a chronograph for at least 10 years. Before that I was more concerned with accuracy, reliability and the mystical how they felt factor. I do see their value if you need to load to a power factor or are needing the data to plug into a ballistic calculator. One problem is that there is no standard way to harvest it, sure I shoot my ammo over my chronograph on this day out of my guns and get these results. But someone else on a different day with a different gun will get different results. I did find that the loads that shot the best tended to be the ones with the lowest extreme spread but I developed the load I liked and then out of curiosity ran them over the crony. Not the other way around. I would rate a chronograph as a handy tool but not the end all, be all for load development.

 

[ferret427]

The farther you shoot, the more important knowing your muzzle velocity and SD becomes. You need a chrony for that.

 

[Certaindeaf]

The farther you shoot, the more important knowing your muzzle velocity and SD becomes. You need a chrony for that.

I thought you needed target.

 

[ARFrog]

I thought about getting a chronograph but kept having a problem with wood peckers. I would carry the silly thing out the full 1,768 yards and then walk back 1,768 yards to the shooting platform. After shooting, I would walk back out another 1,768 yards to pick it up only to find that the wood peckers apparently just won't leave it alone. Then 1,768 yards back again.

The only plus that I can see about using the chronograph is all the exercise...

 

[Spitpatch]

Just as a chronograph is essential equipment to any serious handloader (as opposed to a reloader), the documentation and retention of the data it produces is required in order to realize the full benefit.

This is not accomplished with "cash register receipt" chronograph printouts (though they can be a supplement). It is done with all notable observations recorded along with the hard velocity data.

This done in its entirety becomes priceless at a later date (which could be tomorrow or ten years from now).

 

[kmk1012]

I thought about getting a chronograph but kept having a problem with wood peckers. I would carry the silly thing out the full 1,768 yards and then walk back 1,768 yards to the shooting platform. After shooting, I would walk back out another 1,768 yards to pick it up only to find that the wood peckers apparently just won't leave it alone. Then 1,768 yards back again.

The only plus that I can see about using the chronograph is all the exercise...

You can shoot through your chrony at 1768 yards?