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MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Trovan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
5. With roughly 150 rounds fired across Magneto, no shots failed to record a speed.

</div></div>

This is the biggest plus with its ease of setup. Not having to have it setup just right with the right light and still get accurate consistent reads is huge. Also it seems from early test that group size is not changed but just a poi shift. While doing initial load development it may not be best, I'm not really worried about velocity at that point and can get that data later and play with ES.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Former Chief</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Muzzle blast deflects upward into the base of the bullet which would lower the POI, </div></div>

Force applied upward to the base of the bullet could change it's attitude in relation to the line of flight but would not change its direction. When an object is in motion, a change in it's orientation does not automatically drive a change in direction. Physical attributes of the object such as fins, wings, etc. could be included to tie attitude with direction.

If the shock wave is effecting the bullet, it is doing so as a whole, similar to "ground effect" when an aerodynamic body is close to the ground/water surface.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I shot mine yesterday both with and w/o and and saw no difference in POI. Kinda skews what others have seen. I was only shooting at 100 yards and only shooting a 150g bullet in my 7RM. No muzzle brake.

I'll test again this coming weekend with my 30-06 both with and w/o for sh''s and grins.

L
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Terry Cross</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Former Chief</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Muzzle blast deflects upward into the base of the bullet which would lower the POI, </div></div>

Force applied upward to the base of the bullet could change it's attitude in relation to the line of flight but would not change its direction. When an object is in motion, a change in it's orientation does not automatically drive a change in direction. Physical attributes of the object such as fins, wings, etc. could be included to tie attitude with direction.

If the shock wave is effecting the bullet, it is doing so as a whole, similar to "ground effect" when an aerodynamic body is close to the ground/water surface.

</div></div>

So why doesn't someone go out and mount the thing to the top of the barrel so the bullet passes underneath and see how it affects the shift. Hell, mount it to either side and try it also.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Strickland</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Terry Cross</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Former Chief</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Muzzle blast deflects upward into the base of the bullet which would lower the POI, </div></div>

Force applied upward to the base of the bullet could change it's attitude in relation to the line of flight but would not change its direction. When an object is in motion, a change in it's orientation does not automatically drive a change in direction. Physical attributes of the object such as fins, wings, etc. could be included to tie attitude with direction.

If the shock wave is effecting the bullet, it is doing so as a whole, similar to "ground effect" when an aerodynamic body is close to the ground/water surface.

</div></div>

So why doesn't someone go out and mount the thing to the top of the barrel so the bullet passes underneath and see how it affects the shift. Hell, mount it to either side and try it also.

</div></div>

they did....look up at Trovan's post. put chrono at 12 and poi went down. small test group but followed as expected.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I used one Saturday (I bit the bullet--- did I just say that???, and bought one)
Very pleased So easy to use.
I had weighed every charge in my loads for testing, and with my best load, minor influence on group size I should add, but not my objective that day) I had a SD of 5'/sec.. 6BR's at 3358ft/sec. 68 gr Fowler,N133 VV powder 30.5 gr).again very pleased.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Trovan,
Thanks for reporting about the 6:00 and 12:00 position test and change in POI. Your result is very interesting and supports the idea that the shift in POI is a muzzle blast effect as Lowlight and others predicted earlier in this thread.

A question though...did the POI shift downward by as much with the MS at 12:00 as it did upwards with the device attached at 6:00? Even if not exactly the same, were the POI shifts in the same ballpark? Or was there a large difference in the magnitude of the upward vs downward shift?

Thanks!
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I didn't measure it exactly but:

With the Magneto at the 6 o'clock position, the rifles (several of them) all seem to shoot about an inch higher at 100 yards.

With one 5 shot group, I put the Magneto at 12 o'clock my rifle shot about an inch low.

(of course when I say high or low, I am referencing the change from the shot groups fired without the Magneto attached. Same distance, same load, same rifles, all fired from mechanical rest.

Not very scientific but there is no need to get scientific. The Magneto gives me speeds that are very close to two other reliable, reputable chronographs and it measures on every round I have fired. Between the price, ease of use and reliability, I am thrilled with it. With what I want from this chronograph, I don't care about any POI shift.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

175.00 in addition to the cost of the unit presently. However, the
Mountt will only work with muzzle diameters or other suppresses very close to the designated suppressor dimension that you specify when you order.

They have stated that in the future they might make an adjustable mount but there is nothing solid to that effect at the present time.

I have requested to have one made for my suppressor. Once I receive it and put it through a trial I'll report.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Here are a couple of tips I got from a reliable source.

For thicker barrels or suppressors, try putting the MagnetoSpeed into shot/slug mode. That will increase the sensitivity of the unit.

For those concerned with potential accuracy/POI changes caused by the sensor deck, try using the thicker V-block to mount and put the MagnetoSpeed in shot/slug mode. If the barrel isn't too thick, the unit should still measure velocities ok while minimizing or eliminating the shockwave reflections from the sensor deck.

As for me, minor affects on accuracy/POI seem to be consistent and predictable with virtually no change in barrel harmonics. My rig appears to stay on the same powder charge ladder that it did before. I'm just thrilled to shed 10 pounds of gear and save up to an hour per trip to the public range in exchange for 100 percent reliable velocity measurement.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Alot of talk about changing of poi, but I'm just interested about accurate reading of velocity reading. I do shoot pistols more often and have a need to know the loads for making major or minor. Seems their not set up for pistols at this time so I'll keep watching. Great reviews.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I am not worried about poi either. It still groups. For long range first round hits I am alot more interested in ES than SD or groups anyway, but it does seem to group normally with a small poi shift.

I did have something interesting happen. I had the magnetospeed hooked up to the 308 Sass yesterday, and recorded three rounds in a row between 3300and 3350. Since I didnt have parts of the bolt stuck in my face I knew it was an error since this is about 7-800fps faster than expected. I took off the v block to get the bullet closer to the blade, and moved the blade forward to get the muzzle blast as far away as possible from the measuring portion. It then started recording normally.

I can only assume it was measuring muzzle blast somehow.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I've been in contact with them and am working on a group buy for a longer one designed for use with the M14/M1a and it's long flash suppressor. It would also be handy for other rifles with longer muzzle brakes. They say they need 10 units for a discount, 20 to get it close (but still more expensive) than a standard unit.

I'm sure they can do the same for a chrono that works with a suppressor as well.

If anyone is interested, please shoot me a PM. Right now I'm just gathering interest to see if I can get enough people.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I've got one for a .308 suppressor coming in shortly.
I'm moving soon so I hope I'll get the chance to give it a run before the movers come....
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

It is a great chrono. The numbers match close with what I get in the shooter app after backing in with real world numbers. I did break mine the first day I used it. I guess I got it to tight and the latch broke when I moved it to the second rifle. What was weird is the second rifle had a smaller barrel diameter than the first one. I guess I stressed it when setting it up on the first rifle and it just gave when setting it up on the second.They sent me a replacement latch for $10. This thing is great for how fast it sets up. Make sure you don't pull the strap to tight before you latch it down.

If there was one thing that I wish was different is how it attaches to the barrel. I know it was my fault for over tightening it, but I wish the latch was a little more robust. If you can stress it enough to break when attached for only the second time, I would consider that weakness in the material.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I haven't found any notable difference from the Magneto to my buddy's Oehler 35 after factoring in the distance from the muzzle on the Oehler. Only problem I have had is trying to chrono Wolf 22 LR ammo and after an e-mail to them they got me squared away.

Another thing is my POI hardly changes on my 6.5x47L maybe .2 Mils @ 100 at most.

I've had it about a month now and couldn't be happier.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JSF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It is a great chrono. The numbers match close with what I get in the shooter app after backing in with real world numbers. I did break mine the first day I used it. <span style="color: #FF0000">I guess I got it to tight and the latch broke when I moved it to the second rifle.</span> What was weird is the second rifle had a smaller barrel diameter than the first one. I guess I stressed it when setting it up on the first rifle and it just gave when setting it up on the second.They sent me a replacement latch for $10. This thing is great for how fast it sets up. <span style="color: #FF0000">Make sure you don't pull the strap to tight before you latch it down.</span>

If there was one thing that I wish was different is how it attaches to the barrel. I know it was my fault for over tightening it, but I wish the latch was a little more robust. If you can stress it enough to break when attached for only the second time, I would consider that weakness in the material. </div></div>


Early on in this thread, I suggested that the latch would likely be the first thing to break. I'm not glad that it happened to someone else, but it's good to know that replacements can be purchased for a reasonable fee. I'll probably get one as a backup because I'm sure that sooner or later, the original will probably crack. Other than the latch, the unit seems pretty immune to general wear and tear, so I expect it to last.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

This was my biggest concern as well after finally getting my hands on one. The latch design, IMO, needs to be redesigned to last for a lifetime. The way it is currently built, it is just a matter of time before the plastic breaks.

Make this out of spring steel or redesign the mechanism altogether to improve the product. Having to replace latches every so often is a non-starter IMO.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

+1 on the latch. First time I used mine I figured that's going to be the first thing to give.

L
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Guys, I wonder why a lot of discussions about POI? Can someone please explain this?
To my mind chronograph using only during load development, to test cartridge speeds between several loads and then use these data in ballistic calculator for example. Or any other useful reasons? So, when you found your load it does not matter which shift of POI with chrono, you just measure your speed and place your chrono back to box. There is no reason to shoot one-hole or bullseye targets with chrono installed.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Can anyone tell me if it would be possible to mount one of these on a MK12 with the Ops Inc brake and collar? Thanks.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dallas320i</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Guys, I wonder why a lot of discussions about POI? Can someone please explain this?
To my mind chronograph using only during load development, to test cartridge speeds between several loads and then use these data in ballistic calculator for example. Or any other useful reasons? So, when you found your load it does not matter which shift of POI with chrono, you just measure your speed and place your chrono back to box. There is no reason to shoot one-hole or bullseye targets with chrono installed. </div></div>

LOL. +1 there too. Don't really understand the overall concern.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Layton</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dallas320i</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Guys, I wonder why a lot of discussions about POI? Can someone please explain this?
To my mind chronograph using only during load development, to test cartridge speeds between several loads and then use these data in ballistic calculator for example. Or any other useful reasons? So, when you found your load it does not matter which shift of POI with chrono, you just measure your speed and place your chrono back to box. There is no reason to shoot one-hole or bullseye targets with chrono installed. </div></div>

LOL. +1 there too. Don't really understand the overall concern. </div></div>

Watching the SD and ES while doing ladder testing load testing WOULD be an advantage.

Jim G
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I will not argue but I beleive these speed params are not needed for load development, I am pretty sure. I still not using classic-type chrono for inaccurate results depending on light conditions, but I tuned several rifles for less 0.2moa quite fast and without any problems and I really can't understand how it may help. But definitely you need exact speed for calc, so now I can take exact speed only by drops, shooting diff-t ranges 100,200,300m... up to caliber limit, but it takes time and you need long shooting range, early morning with no wind for known reasons. I've placed pre-order for Magneto to try and save time if acceptable results.

But anyway I really just realized one reason such shooting -- you can sort your brass, especially if you need extreme accuracy (one hole) even with already developed load, before BR competition for example. Sometimes there are can be rare and unexpected out-of-group-holes (sorry can't get correct word) for nonuniformity brass reason, even completely prepared and neck turned, so you may see wrong speed value for this shot. But this is very specific case and 99.9% of shooters do not need this.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

It is very simple. Some prefer to shoot a few rounds across the chrono to estimate the velocity, and are happy with that. Fine.

Others prefer to collect as many data points as practically possible to make the velocity bounds tighter. Without incuring undue waste, it means chrono'ing every round that you can (won't work with a conventional chrono for movers, unlikely to work during actual shoots - hunting, competition, combat; but works wonders when you're polishing your skills on a set of targets). Those who don't do that, find it difficult to understand why people may want it. I guess it's for the same reasons that some are happy with 2MOA, 1MOA, 0.2MOA (etc) rifles and loads, and others are not and trying to improve them, and among those "improvers" the methods tend to differ widely.

To each his own. I've my way of load development and use, you've yours. They aren't (and don't have to be) the same.

P.S. Some don't even use chrono, and compute load velocity from the bullet drop. Fine. Suffices to say I'm not one of them, nor do I have a convenient access to a range with shooting distances long enough to allow this method - even if I wanted to use it, which I don't.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I was just asking as I'm new to reloading for precision so all the info I have the better. Never ran through a chrono till I got this one. Thanks much!!

L
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Mouse,
sure I do understand this, no any problems and I appreciate other's methods, I never said that it is useless (for someone), but I was asked HOW these data can be helpful, even if just polishing your skills. Maybe I was no so specific but English is not my native language. If you have ideal cartridge your speed difference between shots should be less than 10-12 ft I believe, if it is differ -- something wrong, different brass, neck tension, powder load, COAL etc -- a lot of reasons!

I see member target 1.143" /100yd (Former Chief) in this topic with measured speeds, there is up to 40ft difference, even you know what shot number what speed, how it helps? There is maybe problems exist, sure chrono helps to determine this, but this is clear only by speeds, not by target holes. Please note, I never said it is bad target, if this is ok to Former Chief -- it is good target and accuracy, just an example.

And because of this chrono with barrel contact sure it will not add accuracy, but can reduce this because of direct barrel contact and some movement (you will not see but it is), harmonics etc. So you may not undestand correctly actual out-of-group-holes reasons. But again, this is important with extreme accuracy shooting, many shooters do not need this.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dallas320i</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Mouse,
... but I was asked HOW these data can be helpful, even if just polishing your skills</div></div>
How it can be helpful? Like I said - by allowing to combine activities such as load development and (some) target practice with the actual chronographing of the rounds being fired.

The alternative is to dedicate some number of rounds specifically for velocity measurement, resigning to the fact that those shots won't be useful for anything else. And then the laws of statistics raise their ugly heads, and say that if you allocate too few rounds for that measurement, the resulting numbers won't be mathematically trustworthy. (<span style="font-style: italic">If somebody pops up and says "But I've been always chrono'ing only 3 rounds, and got my speeds perfect, and shot a rabbit at 1000 yards with it!" - my answer would be "Fine, good for you. But I can't rely on luck.</span>
wink.gif
) That means - to <span style="text-decoration: underline">really</span> get a handle on your velocity bounds, you'd have to shoot at least 25 rounds across the chrono. The more the better.

One advantage of this MagmetoSpeed is the convenience of carrying and attaching it, another one - you don't have to get in front of the firing line to adjust it. So if it affects the accuracy in a <span style="text-decoration: underline">predictable</span> way - and it appears so based on the experience posted by others here - one can do target practice while adding data samples to the velocity measurements. (<span style="font-style: italic">Sure, with MagnetoSpeed the POI will move. OK, fine. As long as I know that, and it's consistent - I'd just account for that shift.</span>)


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dallas320i</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And because of this chrono with barrel contact sure it will not add accuracy, but can reduce this because of direct barrel contact and some movement (you will not see but it is), harmonics etc. So you may not undestand correctly actual out-of-group-holes reasons. But again, this is important with extreme accuracy shooting, many shooters do not need this.</div></div>
I would not try to make a 1200m hit with this thing strapped to my barrel
smile.gif
. On the other hand, I see no problem shooting all the targets between 100 and 300m with MagnetoSpeed on - because it looks like (again, from the others' experience) that it doesn't impact the group size much, just shifts the POI somewhat.

Correlating vertical stringing with velocity differences of those rounds might be useful too, but that's for later.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Thanks for your opinion. Sure I see MagnetoSpeed advantages, question was just about practical handling of these intermediate results. I can measure but guess I can't handle these -- but I glad if someone can, if this not self-deception
smile.gif


Too many external factors influence on bullet speed so I (personally) can't rely on these result during load development, I can rely only on my target. It is good to understand speed difference between 2 accurate loads to predict next one and save some time, sometimes it can be very helpful. Regards!
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

To clarify: during the load development I want to keep track of the velocities, but they don't really influence my load-related decisions as I don't want to cook the hottest/fastest load.

True, many factors can influence the velocity, and that's ok. I don't think it's self-deception, as I happen to have a degree in Math (and consult with ballisticians ) so hopefully I'd do the right thing with the numbers.
wink.gif
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Dear Sir, that's great
smile.gif
I was not talking about you personally. The most important thing here -- person should clearly understand what he doing and for what reason. Otherwise these measurements can turn load development into full mess and delusion
smile.gif
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

They've been pretty good for me so far. I chrono'd Applied Ballistics 175 Tactical at an avg of 2726 fps for 20 rounds out of my 24" GAP Hospitaller using the MagnetoSpeed. In a 1000 yd match a week ago, it took me 34.0-34.250 MOA to be dead center elevation over the three rounds. JBM predicted 33.9 for that MV and the atmospheric conditions for that day, which matches pretty well with what I shot. So far, the numbers from the MS unit have been very good for me. And I should add, it has yet to fail giving me a read on every shot, something I cannot say for my Shooting Chrony.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Do you think this would last twice as long as a regular chrony? Will muzzle flash eat away at the tube or is the cut out deep enough not to bother it?
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I have probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple hundred rounds across mine. The bayonet still looks like it's new from the box. My feeling is that the muzzle blast is not going to bother the bayonet/sensor in any way. As mentioned previously however, the plastic clip that locks down the barrel clamping mechanism is pretty weak. Just make sure you don't overtighten the strap and put excessive strain on the clip and it will probably be ok.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

after reading all the posts/reviews on the magnetospeed I just put in an order in for one, it looks like the second run should soon be ready to ship in a week or 2 so I want to get in on it. thats about the time frame im looking at to start testing some of my loads, and I have my crony for a back up and if I want to use it on my semiauto hand guns. hopefully thell make a mount that will fit on a rail in time so you can use it on semiauto hand guns down the line.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Well, my plastic clip broke today. Had 312 rounds over it. Hope they have replacements readily available. I'm rather disappointed that for $250 they could't do something just a little better.

edt: And I was being careful.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

I just sent them an Email asking if I could buy a spare or 2 and have them shipped with the magneto when there ready.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lethal93ta</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just sent them an Email asking if I could buy a spare or 2 and have them shipped with the magneto when there ready. </div></div>

I've been thinking about ordering a few myself. Alternatively, I'm betting that I can find something similar with a small strap/locking lever at Home Depot or Lowe's that will work just as well and be a little more robust, I just haven't gotten around to looking yet. If I find a decent (dependable) solution, I'll post it here.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Dunno. I don't get a real touchy-feely kind of vibe from this one so far.

Seems like a really good idea, and it's truly a time wasting PITA to set up my CED M2, but I'll wait for them to work out the bugs. Whenever I read about people suggesting how something can be fixed, made better, improved upon from out of the box, it tells me something. It says "don't buy one." That broken strap would have me almost homicidal.

But I like simple. This is on my watch list.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

BTW, mine broke while I was shooting. Not clipping it on.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

Here was my email to them and their response.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Attachment clip
From: Stephen
Date: Thu, May 24, 2012 10:08 pm
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

I really like this chrono and the reviews have been good on
snipershide.com about it except for the attachment clip. A couple
people have broken it already and other state that it is a matter of
time before it does. Any plans on upgrading this to metal to alleviate
the problem and make this a perfect product?

Stephen

Sent from my iPhone
--------------------------------------

Hi Stephen,

I'm not sure if you have used the product or not but it's actually a pretty tough part. True it is plastic and it will break if you put too much force on it but that could be said about anything made from plastic. We've had I think 1 or 2 people out of our first production run break a clip and this was just due to having the strap too tight and then trying to cam it over. It doesn't need to be this tight in order for the bayonet to stay in place on the gun. With a short learning curve it's pretty easy to fine tune the cam mechanism and never have a problem with it.

It's possible on our next design iteration we may change the molds to allow more material on the top side of the cam to give it a little extra strength. Making it from metal would probably be cost prohibitive and wouldn't allow the flex it needs to click into place without at least a couple more pieces and a spring hinge.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Weston Petersen
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

That reply is pretty disappointing. Engineer it with a spring steel and you'll solve this problem for good.

I'm definitely not interested in having to buy spare parts awaiting breakage at some point.
 
Re: MagnetoSpeed Chronograph Review

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mattmcg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That reply is pretty disappointing. Engineer it with a spring steel and you'll solve this problem for good.

I'm definitely not interested in having to buy spare parts awaiting breakage at some point. </div></div>

Second that. Sounds like an engineer's answer. "It's how it's made, work with it."

I think the Lada designers said something like that.