Best Chrono for the money?

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Ruger 15151 said:
From everything I have read and from what you guys are posting, the CE PRO seems to be the bomb
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Yes, and the Blue Tooth added with it makes it nice that you don't have to wait for the range to go cold to change the string group. :)
 
Reloadron said:
That is a nice feature. No need to wait for the range to go cold as you set it up behind the line of fire.

How well does it do with adjacent active shooters on the line? Can it distinguish between my and my neighboring shooters out to 100 yards, say shooting 168 grain BTHP bullets?

Ron
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No issues so far!
 
I've got two, one is the Shooting Chrony F-1, that I bought back in the late 80's and the newest model is the CE Chrono for obvious reasons that I bought about 5 years ago, do like the ability to hook it up to my computer. The first one I bought has always given me a false reading on the first shot but the ones after that are fairly accurate, the only problem is I have to go back to math skills in order to figure it out.
 
murf said:
mine can tell me if my load is good! a low extreme spread tells me when my powder is burning real well. a high average fps means i've a bit too much powder and need to back off. a large standard deviation means i'm not real consistent in my loading process.
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Some of those shoot awfully well though, and it isn't you, it's just the combination of things. Sure, you can tighten the ES & AD, but it might not shoot better. A low ES& SD don't guarantee anything. Low ES numbers do come into play at long distance, but it can't just be a low ES load, it also has to shoot great.
 
The week before last, I would have recommended the Competition Electronics Pro Chrono Digital.
But then my wired remote control quit talking to the chronograph. I can still get readings by walking to the chronograph and using its on-box controls.
Got my ham radio/gunsmith to check the cable, it shows continuity. I will be sending the rig off to the maker for repair.
 
Magnetto Speed V3 easy set up, no need to go down range, compatible with nearly every firearm. Neat mini-chip for downloads at home. My Chrony's are languishing in my shop since the Magnetto speed showed up. Small learning curve, but little to no chance of shooting it. No temptation for your shooting buddies to "hey, let me just run a couple rounds across the screens." Then Ka--Boom "sorry man, I owe you one!" Ask me how I know this.
 
Sigh.....I have this....two years old and still I haven't tried it out..... At the time I was told is was about the best quality for a reasonable price.....way cheaper but nearly as good as Oehler's vaunted 35P. I like it because you can't shoot the expensive parts. I know....me.o_O Case is from Harbor Freight...included in the case...the regular AND the infrared skyscreens. Free USB connected Data Collecter is available so you can connect your laptop at the bench.

IMG_2572.jpg


oehler2.jpg

Oehler Research's vaunted P35 with 3 sky screens. again the spensive part is on the bench.
 
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I use a MagnetoSpeed V3 for my rifles and a Caldwell for handguns. On a tight budget, the Caldwell is great; really like the smart phone / iPad app. I had just about retired my iPad until I bought the Caldwell.
 
Walkalong said:
Some of those shoot awfully well though, and it isn't you, it's just the combination of things. Sure, you can tighten the ES & AD, but it might not shoot better. A low ES& SD don't guarantee anything. Low ES numbers do come into play at long distance, but it can't just be a low ES load, it also has to shoot great.
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the only guarantee is the holes in the target. those things i mentioned are indications of where to look if the holes in the target are a bit off. low es numbers at long distances are no guarantee of accuracy. holes in the paper!

murf
 
True, low es numbers are no guarantee of accuracy but high es numbers guarantee inaccuracy at long range. You can calculate the vertical spread caused by velocity spread and it ain't pretty. My smokeless ammo is fair but not great, my BPCR is single digit SD and the good stuff is single digit ES. Necessary with the long flight time of a black powder driven bullet.
 
So far after about seven years, I am loving my CE Pro Digital. First Shooting Chrony F-1 bought in 1995 worked fairly well, its replacement (F-1 with remote), was a POS, and I did send it back for warranty repair/evaluation. It continued to read about 6-8% fast when it would take a reading, shooting area was still about a 3-4" circle above the sensors. To top it off, when I requested SC to trade it in under the get a new chronograph, at 1/2 off warranty pricing I had in writing, they said my green version was not eligible; only the black painted one??? That was enough for me, for life.

Put a battery in the CE Pro Digital, shoot over the eyes of the huge "good" area, and it takes a reading nearly 100% of the time... Amazing, it simply works without constant err messages, no reads, or other BS. My SC problems were not operator error; batteries were good/right kind, distance was good, lighting fine, 100% unfolded on a tripod... It was simply junk; I would have to try hard, to make my CE screw-up. Good luck OP.
 
Galil5.56 said:
So far after about seven years, I am loving my CE Pro Digital. First Shooting Chrony F-1 bought in 1995 worked fairly well, its replacement (F-1 with remote), was a POS, and I did send it back for warranty repair/evaluation. It continued to read about 6-8% fast when it would take a reading, shooting area was still about a 3-4" circle above the sensors. To top it off, when I requested SC to trade it in under the get a new chronograph, at 1/2 off warranty pricing I had in writing, they said my green version was not eligible; only the black painted one??? That was enough for me, for life.

Put a battery in the CE Pro Digital, shoot over the eyes of the huge "good" area, and it takes a reading nearly 100% of the time... Amazing, it simply works without constant err messages, no reads, or other BS. My SC problems were not operator error; batteries were good/right kind, distance was good, lighting fine, 100% unfolded on a tripod... It was simply junk; I would have to try hard, to make my CE screw-up. Good uck OP.
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Reviews like yours is why I went with CE Pro Digital. It seemed quite common for the Shooters Chrony to produce the Err if lighting and shades (defusors) weren't near perfect. But some swear by them too.
 
jmorris said:
You can't shoot any of them if you don't use them ;)

It looks like new sky screens for it could cost more than another entire chronograph though.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/8...t-for-millennium-and-millennium-2-chronograph

http://www.shootingchrony.com/products_ttiyc.htm
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Yeah, I know. When you get as old as I am, you'll understand. The first year I had no excuse except too much work and not enough free time....this year....rotator cuff surgery and now carpel tunnel surgery next month. Not been doing much shooting or reloading lately.....my wife says I'm getting grouchy......gotta watch that. Maybe I need to sell my guns and reloading and take up hiking.....at least my legs still work.

Their IR skyscreens are too pricey, but you can make your own....not that hard with some Amazon-bought IR leds and some plastic sheet or plywood......but shooting up the circuit board is another matter.

@ the sky screen location,
sensors are $37 each.
sidearms are $15 a set
regular sky screen set is $22
IR sky screen set is $90
IR Led strip $10
 
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It obviously depends on your budget, what features you will need and where you are going to use the chrono.

I have the ProChrono digital and it works great for me. They have a 2 year warranty, which I have used. They replaced the unit for me within the 2 year warranty period. This issue I had was some erratic reading, but I think it was due to the wind once blowing over my chrono, so I don't attribute the malfunction to the quality or durability of the ProChrono.

I use the chrono out in the desert, so their is no need for any digital remotes or anything like that. I shoot, write down the numbers and it works great for me. Like any chrono, the ProChrono can also be affected by light conditions. It only happened to me once, but it does happen.

.
 
How sensitive are the competition electronics pro digitals to light conditions? I have the caldwell ballistic precision and if the sun light is at the wrong angle it either will not read at all or sometimes give you crazy high false readings. When I first bought it I set it up in the yard and shot some pistols through it and the last one was a 4" 357 magnum with 140 gr XTP's. My eyes nearly came out of my head when it read 1700+ fps on all 5 shots! I was wracking my brain all night trying to figure out if the chronograph was broken or if my gun was breaking the laws of physics. Retesting the next day in better sunlight gave me a more realistic 1250 fps. I have also had a couple overcast days where I could not get it to read reliably at all even in mid day with the screens off.
 
Varminterror said:
Best overall, I'm finding quickly to be a lab radar.
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I'm increasingly disenchanted with the LabRadar. It was fun to tinker with at first, but it's now pretty obvious that anyone inclined to buy one will be wise to wait until versions .02 or .03 are available. For anyone willing to pay that much for a chrono they will be better advised to buy the old reliable Oehler 35P.
 
I've had great luck with my Caldwell. The couple of times I had an issue with the angle of the sun, I just tilted the chrono to the left, away from the sun, and it worked fine.

I started out with an F1 Chrony, along with the remote printer. It just isn't as easy to use as the Caldwell, though.

And, no, I did NOT buy the Caldwell because I shot my F1. :p
 
someguy2800 said:
How sensitive are the competition electronics pro digitals to light conditions?
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My experience is the following:
  • No problems so far with overcast days
  • No problems so far with clear days when chrono is in the shade
  • On sunny days with chrono in the sun, the only issue I had was one day when the sun was lower on the horizon and to the back of me. I think I got a consistent reading of around 2000fps (pistol only). It was probably due to a bullet shade or reflection or something.
My preferred chrono setup is in the afternoon, clear skies, placed next to my truck so that the shade of the truck covers the chrono, about 9 feet from the gun, with the diffuser hoods mounted.
 
murf said:
the only guarantee is the holes in the target. those things i mentioned are indications of where to look if the holes in the target are a bit off. low es numbers at long distances are no guarantee of accuracy. holes in the paper!

murf
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Gotcha. :)
 
someguy2800 said:
How sensitive are the competition electronics pro digitals to light conditions? I have the caldwell ballistic precision and if the sun light is at the wrong angle it either will not read at all or sometimes give you crazy high false readings.
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All chronos can do this. My Comp El chrono will sometimes give bad readings, or no readings. It struggles in low light (Heavy cloud cover) or when the sun is down low close to the horizon. It's a great little unit though, and inexpensive.
 
I thank ya Reloadron, that is basically what my instructions stated in my CE Chrono and the F-1 Shooting Chrony, but it is nice to see the instructions to keep from getting complacent in setting up the machines for shooting, especially where I go out in the desert. Thank God for portable shooting benches.
 
Offfhand said:
I'm increasingly disenchanted with the LabRadar. It was fun to tinker with at first, but it's now pretty obvious that anyone inclined to buy one will be wise to wait until versions .02 or .03 are available. For anyone willing to pay that much for a chrono they will be better advised to buy the old reliable Oehler 35P.
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First negative I have heard. Mine is a newer model, I have downloaded the revisions to it, it ran perfect before, it runs perfect now.

I'm very happy with it. It was a lot of money but I feel it was well spent.
 
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