Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

[boltstop]

I've been reloading without a chrono since the get-go.

Kind of makes me think I'll never get to the "superload" place of great glory (to me it's a paltry reliable 1 MOA) without.

Is there any point in reloading w/o a chrono, or should I just be shooting commercial boxed ammo instead?

 

[johndoe]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

If you made it this far with out one? I work up a load with out one
until I settle on the load that has the best accuracy and chrono to
find out the speed for a range card.

If you decide to get a chrony don't skimp and buy a cheep one
that will lead you to a whole different set of problems.

 

[LSOSGT1109]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

A chrono is definitely gonna help you out! I wouldn't know where to begin without one. If you give up handloading and just start shooting factory ammo, it's gonna cost you alot more in the long run than a chrono would!

 

[diriel]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

I reloaded without a chrony for several years. The thing is, you need to "Proof" your loads at a minimum of 300 yards, depending on cartridge you might even go out to 500 yards. What this will do for you, is help to Show You your SD / ES. What I mean is, velocity variation will not really begin to Show Up To The Party until you reach out to about 300 yards. Even so, at 300 yards you may not see much vertical stringing.

Once you get a load that does your required 1moa out to 300 yards, you are pretty much golden. That should be plenty good for most things. The range at which you decide to Proof Your Load really depends on what you are planning to do, and what your round of choice is.

Good luck,
Gary
P.S. I will say however, the competition electronics Pro-Chrono is WELL worth the money

That was one of my better reloading purchases.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

you don't neccessarily need one, BUT having one if you can afford to get one is worth it.

1. proves to you the consistancy of your loads.

2. gives you a actual FPS reading on your equipment / load to feed into ballistic calculators to give you some "close" dope.

3. gives you a rough idea how close you are to your maximum loads and the effects of bullet seating depth as far as FPS go - you can guesstimate if your pressures are going to be too much.

4. let's you know the differences in brass thickness and different components used as far as FPS is concerned.

5. if you really like a particular shelf ammo, you can tweek here and there to get an idea of the powder used, and duplicate the shelf ammo that works well for you.

for pistol competition where minimum FPS are required, a chrony comes in handy to determine that your load meets the criteria.

 

[Seawalker]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

You can use the Ladder Test method or OCW method to find your accuracy nodes and dispersion nodes if you have some reloading manuals to keep you within min/max for powder and bullet combinations.

While a chrono is certainly a definite advantage, not having one won't keep you from attaining fine accuracy. A chrono is a good addition to help you know where you are velocity wise as you look for pressure signs.

 

[vman]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

Chrony isnt needed, but its nice to have as it just confirms a few things for you.

 

[71firebird400]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

In my experience Chrono's are tempermental, and not to be trusted. It's a tool, use it as such. Don't blindly follow the numbers it's putting out.

 

[lightman]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

A chrono is a great tool to have,and can provide some very valueable info,but I would not say that it is a have to have tool.I loaded lots of very accurate ammo over the years before I got one,and my best loads have not changed much since I bought one.Opinions vary,but its kinda like,does the dog wag the tail or the tail wag the dog. Pete

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

Chrono is nice but optional. Many, many sub moa loads happen without one.
Look up what's working for other folks in your area in your caliber, and work up to around that charge. Usually if its working well for a lot of people its a load at a good accuracy node for that caliber.


I get a load that shoots, then get dope at distance with conditions notes, then tweak JBM to match, then print density altitude cards from that info. As long as my data matches real world ballistics I could give a rat's ass about the chrono numbers.
I've rarely had chrono numbers that matched real world dope with claimed BC's anyway. G7's made it better, but nothing beats actually shooting and recording your real world data.

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

And btw-the price of a good chrono equals a fair amount of reloading components.

-that statement can work for both sides of the debate, by the way

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

There's nothing you can do <span style="font-style: italic">with</span> a chrono that you can't do <span style="font-style: italic">without</span> it. It just takes a lot less time and a helluva lot less brainpower to let the chrono do it for you.

 

[uhcoog1]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

I don't have a chrono, and found my .308 load using a ladder test @100 yards. Worked great for me. Chronoed it after using a buddy's just for the ballistics programs. I used Varget, so there wasn't really many variables that needed adjusting. A chrono would not have helped me find a better load.

When I load for the 338 edge barrel I have on the way, yeah, I'll use a chrono. But, there are more variables for that cartridge.

 

[shoot4fun]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

I've had a Pact chrono for several years. It's main purpose then was to make sure my pistol loads "made major" for matches.
It is a useful tool but can confuse with all the numbers it throws at you such as SD, ES, etc.
BTW, if you decide to get one, the PACT has served me well for at least 10 years.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: Reloading without a chrono - worth it?

Chronographs are fun for us reloading geeks to play with but they only became available at rational prices in the last 15 years or so. People have been reloading metallic cartridges quite successfully since well back in the 1800s so they're obviously not required.