Chrony's???

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Werewolf

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I am considering buying a chronograph but before I do I've got some questions.

1. Those sky screen thingies shaped like a triangle - do you shoot over them or thru them? Do they come with stands - how does that work?

2. The various models range in price from $70 to $400. Is there that much difference in quality. Are extra features like printers, memory, remote control worth the extra price?

3. What chrony would y'all recommend for a first time chrony user?

Inquiring minds want to know...
 
You shoot through the "triangle things" (sky screens). Most do not come with stands. I have this one http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/244882 I really like the remote display. It allows you to have the display on the bench with you and the chrony 15 feet or farther away from you, helpful when using rifles. I use a cheap $20 tripod from best buy or circuit city made for cameras. It works good and is fully adjustable
 
I bought a Shooting Chrony with the remote unit. I found it to be the best compromise between price and quality/functionality.

I like the remote for several reasons, not the least of which is that the "brains" of it is in the remote which is out of the line of fire. If an errant shot hits the main unit, it would be cheaper to replace. The printer comes in handy for quickly recording a string of shots at the range, rather than copying them down.

Like cola8d8, I bought a cheap camera tripod that works great. I can adjust the height and keep it level wherever I set up the chrony. It's lightweight, and easy to carry and store.

What chrony you need and what bells and whistles you should get depends alot on what kind of a shooter/reloader you are. I do mostly handguns, and just wanted to see how consistent my reloads were, and to check loads for qualifying for IDPA type competitions. So bottom line is that it does what I need it to do, and actually more. A lesser chrony would have worked for my, except I wanted the remote unit. A more knowledgable reloader might want more from a chrony. From what I saw when I was shopping around, except for some extremes, quality was not really affected by low price. There are some good quality chronographs out there for little money, and the much higher priced ones were not that much better in quality.
 
Lemme explain those triangle thingies--called skyscreens.

The chrono works by "seeing" the shadow of the bullet passing. It has optical sensors. Those sensors would get damaged if direct sunlight hit them. So they shade the optical sensors. They also provide a nice white background that gives better contrast when the bullet flies over. Their angle also shows approximately the area that the optical sensors can 'see'.

My Chrony manual says that, under some overcast conditions, the Chrony might actually see better with the skyscreens removed. But you should always use them when sunny.

I also use the Chrony with the remote display. Paid a bit over $100 IIRC. Does what I need. I might get the remote printer for Christmas, so I don't have to take notes (or forget to...) when I'm shooting.
 
Another word of support for the shooting Chrony. I got my F1 some time back - and it did all I want. I then bought from a guy here on THR - a printer. That combination is excellent becuase the printer now acts as my math processor plus - a print-out at the end. Excellent value and inately well accurate enough for my purposes.

Only prob I had was original sky screens became embrittled and split where they fit over the rods - so I ordered some spares ... not too expensive and a small price to pay for what is otherwise a great buy.

A small suggestion .... on my rods I have electrical tape ... blue one third ways up - and red two thirds ways up. I always check that I am shooting between those tape markers by aligning barrel by eye - after sighting on target - a good way for me to avoid an ''oops'' ... so far not happened!
 
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