Thinking of getting a Chronograph

[erudne]

what is the single component needed to justify the ownership of a chrono?

 

[Don H]

what is the single component needed to justify the ownership of a chrono?

Who needs justification? I have the money and I'll buy whatever I want. If you don't want one, that's good too.

 

[teflon6string]

what is the single component needed to justify the ownership of a chrono?

Curiosity regarding velocity.



Serious inquiry: Does a chrono work for bullets only? How about arrows/bolts shot from bows? BB/pellet guns? Wrist-rockets?

 

[geometro]

Magnetospeed only works for bullets: I don't know if it will work for large caliber air rifles. The projectile needs enough metal to trigger the sensors.

The optical ones work nearly on all types of projectiles: bullets, arrows/bolts, bb/pellets, wrist rockets, paint balls, rubber bands, spitballs...

 

[coyoteman5]

The Chronograph will help let you know if you're having inconsistencies in your loads. like Inconsistent primers by showing you your velocities are not Consistently the same which will throw your groups off.

 

[orygun]

If you type the word "chronograph" into a search of post titles, you'll come up with 6 or more threads that discuss this exact subject. A lot of reading I'm sure, but probably all of the info you'll need to be dangerous!

I have a Shooting Chrony Beta. For the most part I like it. It's a pain in the butt to clear the memory. I 'spose that's not entirely a bad thing, but I don't use it regularly enough to remember how to clear it. Then I gotta dig out the manual and read up on it again.... shouldn't be that hard. Shooting and retrieving the data is pretty straightforward. There are more features than I use at this time.
If I ever buy another chrono, it will have a printer. It would be nice to not have to write it all by hand. This one however, was a gift from my family. I would probably have purchased the same unit within a short time if I hadn't received this one.

If you are just reloading to plink with, a chrono is kind of an expensive toy. But if you are trying to make the bestest, fastest or more accurate rounds, it's a key tool.

 

[Hook686]

As mentioned above the differences are features. I bought a Shooting Chrono Alpha master first then bought the F-1 master on sale at midwayusa. The master designation has the display on a 15 foot cable so the results can be read at the shooting bench rather than get up and go to the unit, which is ten or more feet away. The Alpha does a statistical analysis on last ten shots. The F-1 just lists the last shot. I put a bullet in the Alpha sensor section and started using the F-1 while awaiting a replacement sensor unit. After getting the Alpha sensor I have continued using the F-1 unit. It serves my purpose very well and statistical analysis seems pointless to me when all I am looking for is the velocity of the shot at a certain distance.

Different strokes for different folks. I wonder if the folks that buy the statistical and printer attachment options actually use the features. Seems like a lot of unneeded effort to me. Good luck in your choice. They are a useful tool.