Im getting a shooting chrony, but I would like some advice on which model. F1, Alpha, or the Beta. Is the F1 all I need or is it worth the extra money for the others?
Range Report which shooting chrony to get?
- Thread starter kingfamous
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I cant say anything about the above mentioned chronos but I can say I have an Ohler 35P and have run several rifles through mine and three other Ohlers and all were within 2 fps. They are the most accurate chrono I have ever used.
Oehler is one of the best. Midway has a sale on Competition Electronics Chrono. for $99.99. It works fine also!
Oehler 35p
Oehler is supposed to be the best but the MagnetoSpeed is pretty slick and the one I am currently using.
Prochrono is good and cheap. If you want to eliminate setup time and the need for a tripod, get a magneto speed.
I have the Alpha. All you need is the F1. I believe you can upgrade them too. Check their website. I believe the only difference in Alpha and F1 is the ability for the Alpha to give high, low and ES. If you get one. Get the master or the printer. There is no way you can see the readout at 10ft.
I've had a couple Chrony Beta Masters, they do the job. Make sure you get a good solid tripod to mount it on and once you have it, don't do this:
King,
I had an Alpha, upgraded to the Beta Master which has the local display. This makes it much easier to use. A buddy bought one with the printer, but he never uses the printer. The Beta will store up to 70 shots for downloading to your computer, which is handy when used with more than one rifle. These are usually available for about $150 on sale at Midway.
As gstaylor demonstrates with his photo, bore sighting is a must for any screen type chronograph.
HTH,
DocB
I had an Alpha, upgraded to the Beta Master which has the local display. This makes it much easier to use. A buddy bought one with the printer, but he never uses the printer. The Beta will store up to 70 shots for downloading to your computer, which is handy when used with more than one rifle. These are usually available for about $150 on sale at Midway.
As gstaylor demonstrates with his photo, bore sighting is a must for any screen type chronograph.
HTH,
DocB
I've always loved having the beta model. It will remember 6 strings of 10 shots each in case you want to save the data for analysis later. Though in truth I've only used that feature a few times. The screen on the shooting Chrony's is large enough to read from the bench unless the light is glaring so no need for the long cable and bench monitor either. Still, beta model, no regrets.
I have a Beta model, I've had it a few years. The user interface is kinda clunky and because of the sky screens, it sometimes will fail to get a reading. Some sky conditions make the situation worse, if it's cloudy it usually works better. I've recently purchased a Magnetospeed and really like it, much better user interface and can pop the SD card out of the Magnetospeed and into the computer. I've found the Magnetospeed to be much more reliable at getting readings and no more pain-in-the-ass setting up a tripod and getting things all aligned which is especially a pain on a controlled range. The only downside to the Magnotospeed I've found is it isn't much use if you're shooting a semi-auto pistol. All in all, if you're going to be chronographing rifle loads, I'd recommend the Magnetospeed, it has done a fine job for me.
I concur with the Magneto speed. Its a quick and easy set up and can be used in any conditions. Some of the major chronos out there can turn into big paper weights when the light conditions aren't just right. I believe the Magneto speed pulls a constant reading of the projectiles magnetic field as it departs the barrel. Using the average MV from this chrony and plugging it in to one of Litz ballistic solvers aligns my predicted trajectory perfectly. So the numbers are dead on. A friend in a major R&D shop said he is getting the same read from the Magspeed as the Doppler. I'm sold on this one. I hope you get a good one, whichever one you decide on.
I have the beta and it has never missed a shot. The trick is to get the shot about 3-4 inches directly over center. I think a lot of guys having problems with missed shots are shooting too high.
My only complaint is that I need to use the instructions nearly every time I use it. It is not intuitive at all.
My only complaint is that I need to use the instructions nearly every time I use it. It is not intuitive at all.
Magnetospeed V2 and don't look back. No worries with conditions, sunlight, or big cumbersome set ups....clamp to your barrel with the right spacers and shoot. There is a small deviation from POA but your not zeroing with it on and no affects on groups. Best $360 you'll spend
D
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I like my ProChrono. It's accuracy is as adverstised +/- 1%. The only problem I see is that it has 9 different sets of data to measure with 20 shots per set, whereas, some sets measure faster than others but again all sets are within the error rate. The only way to determine this is to shoot a ton of rounds through it, which I have done. As for the sensors I put clear packing tape over them so even in the sunlight it gives off a cloudy view to the sensors. I've never had a single no measure because of light conditions. Battery life is excellent and only requires a 9v grocery store battery and has storage for an extra replacement battery. With the new trajectory validation computers it has proven to be a good chronograph. In other words, if you don't have the range for trajectory validation this chronograph will suffice. There a several accessories all of which I don't use. The base system itself calculates the statistics for each set of data for you and you can see the digital display from the shooting position. Costs about $120.
Even if you have extreme low and high spread the overall average is within the error rate of the true average.
Even if you have extreme low and high spread the overall average is within the error rate of the true average.
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