Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph

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Alaskamike said:
I'm not quite clear why you bring up that you carried the Garmin behind a line of shooters and registered their shots. You undoubtedly could've done the same with the Labradar, or any functioning similar unit with the same results.
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Have you ever used a LabRadar before? Because this statement implies you have not, otherwise you would understand how finicky the LR is for aiming towards the target and for picking up shots from distance, and especially for 1) missing shots from misalignment and 2) picking up shots from neighboring shooters… I know I have had less trouble in aiming my LR than many folks seem to have based on the numerous recurring online threads which complain about missed shots and aiming issues, but I’m at least savvy enough to recognize that RDS mounts and aiming sights exist in the market for the LR for a reason (google “LabRadar straw trick” and see how many hits you get), and experienced enough to understand that spending money for my reticle was needed to improve aiming and reliability. I also don’t use the ballhead mount with the LR because it’s not strong enough to withstand wind gusts or port blast and when the ballhead slips, I lose data…

As plainly as I can say it, I bought the aiming reticle for my LR because it needs it. If the LR isn’t well aligned to target, it doesn’t pick up shots. And by “well aligned,” I’m describing deviation tight enough to require a sight, rather than simply holding the device in hand and generally promoting it towards the target…

I have no vested interest in either company, but I’m not foolish enough to ignore the entire internet for months then draw inexperienced conclusions. I bought the Garmin because it was 60% of the cost of the alternative device I need for the application I’m pursuing (and better featured), and was pleasantly surprised that it OBJECTIVELY outperforms my other units in many ways, as I described in my first. Smaller, less finicky, and more reliable than LR, easier set up than Magnetospeed, and no downrange nonsense like conventional optical chronographs - but it is the most expensive, because they can get that price for those advantages from shooters who need them.
 
I have nothing against Labradar. It was always hard to find on the market. Large, another big item to take with me to the range so I always deferred buying. Not saying it is too large, just larger that a lot of things. With the Garmin, size is everything. Haven't had a chance to even take it out so I can't comment on how well it does or doesn't. Its a Garmin and I have many of their products, GPS, Watch, etc. Happy with all of them. The good thing is that labradar now has a competitor and so does Garmin. This will benefit those who like either brand.
 
Alaskamike said:
Hm. I want to be clear that I have no vested interest whatsoever in either one of these units.

As I took the time to review this entire 7 page thread, you are the only one who seems to have directly compared the Labradar and Garmin unit here in this thread, in an single post. You accusing me of "living under a rock" is a bit over the top. I'm trying to compare two different units with the data and experience available in this forum, which isn't squat, to be perfectly honest.

I'm not quite clear why you bring up that you carried the Garmin behind a line of shooters and registered their shots. You undoubtedly could've done the same with the Labradar, or any functioning similar unit with the same results.

With my RF background I would have to ask, did you pay any attention at all to how close you got to those people without their knowledge before you hit them with an energized radar? It may only be a 1 watt transmitter, but it has a very high gain antenna, and at 24 GHz it can actually cause tissue damage inside of about 6 ft.

Regardless, what I'm looking for is information on both of these units without a bunch of emotion.

It's clear that you favor the Garmin, and I respect that.
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There are direct comparisons to the LabRadar and others in the 49 page thread on the Garmin in the Hide:

www.snipershide.com

Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph

I created some of my own precision cut screen protectors for my Garmin Xero C1 with excellent results. I'm using some heavy duty 3M self healing TPU film. Is anyone interested in custom cut screen protectors for their Garmin? I can post some photos too if you guys find it interesting. Trying to...
www.snipershide.com www.snipershide.com

What turned me off from getting a LabRadar was all the accoutrements that folks who had them at the local long range wound up adding, battery packs, triggers, aiming devices, various stands and platforms, etc. That's a lot of junk in addition to a really bulky piece of kit, and then there were the complaints about missing suppressed shots. I wound up sticking with my Magnetospeed through a couple returns and repairs, but I'm glad to be done with that now.

I'd say give the LabRadar a try and tell us how it goes if you like the technical specs better, it does kind of seem like a partially finished product from a functional standpoint though.
 
Seems the Labradar has some features the Garmin lacks.
i would already have had a Lab if I had that backyard range that seems common on the www. A friend has a very nice private range… and a LabrAdar.
Since I don’t, a chronograph that goes in my range bag is at an advantage.
 
Gtscotty said:
What turned me off from getting a LabRadar was all the accoutrements that folks who had them at the local long range wound up adding, battery packs, triggers, aiming devices, various stands and platforms, etc.
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This does bear repeating - although I think we're already seeing a lot of extra goodies being released for the Garmins.

For my LabRadar, I have:
  • Aiming Reticle - Mine's a cheap 3D printed job, small, and low profile, and it helped a lot to position the LR on target so I'd be less apt to miss picking up shots. Some guys have red dot sights mounted to their LR's, some guys tape plastic straws on top, and some guys just eyeball the V-notch on top of the unit, but this little reticle helped a lot for me, without the cost of a red-dot PLUS mount, and was a bit more robust than a McDonald's straw (and offered a little aperture magnification to more easily get alignment on target than the V-notch).

  • Battery Pack & cable - it eats batteries quickly, so I don't even keep any with the unit. I have a solar battery pack I use with mine - BUT, in fairness, I can be sure a lot of guys will eventually keep battery packs with their Garmins too. I have a ~credit card sized 3500mAh battery pack with an integral USB-C cable which I threw into the case for my Garmin - it's a much smaller unit than I used with my LR, but I suppose I could have used a smaller pack with my LR for most days. Maybe the critical difference there - I'd only be using the battery pack for recharging the internal battery for my Garmin if I arrived afield and realized the battery was dead, while instead I have used the battery pack for my LR as its only power supply.

  • Inertial trigger - for a few reasons: suppressed fire, archery, and to eliminate picking up shots from neighbors. I'm not sure the Garmin has the ability to utilize an external trigger, but so far, I've had no need for an external trigger for any of these 3 reasons, I've shot archery, suppressed, and beside other shooters without the inciting consequences which drove me to buy one for the LR.

  • LabRadar Carrying Case - Gotta carry our gear, so this is KINDA a wash, other than to acknowledge that my waterproof case I bought for my Garmin offers better protection and is half as big and cost half as much as the Labradar pack (guessing half as heavy as well?).

  • Factory Baseplate & Ballhead - I use this the most, because straps to the outside of my LR bag and it's easier to carry around. I added a QD arca clamp to my base plate and an arca plate to my LR to let me aim the unit, but still be able to set up and break down quickly and without tools. The Garmin doesn't need as much footprint to stay stable in the wind and port blast from neighbors, so the little included tripod does the same job this big baseplate did for me in the past for the LR.

  • After-market Quad Pod & weighted Legs - A lot of folks have tripods for their LR's, either the factory offered option or otherwise. I had a "Quad Pod" which is a molded unit which accepted PVC pipe legs, mine are weighted with lead shot. It's a pain in the @ss to haul around, has a huge footprint, and is heavy, BUT, it does the best out of any tool I have used to hold the LabRadar on target once aimed. This was also really nice for setting the LR directly above my rifle when shooting prone. Naturally, the Garmin isn't as large and doesn't catch wind or port blast like does the LR, so a smaller tripod can stabilize the unit, and of course, the Garmin is small enough to be firearm mounted either using a side-positioning rail or a pic mount on top of an optic mount diving-board.

For the Garmin, I have:
  • Included Tripod - no extra expense, small, adjustable, and it doubles as a handle if I want to carry the unit in hand. This fits nicely beside the Garmin in the protective case I purchased.

  • Cheap Arca rail - $20 on Amazon for an imported rail with a clamp on one end, I keep the Garmin mounted to this in the case. The 1/4-20 mount screw has a folding handle to remove without tools, and the slotted screw head will turn with the tip of a pocket knife. I haven't shot any matches yet with the Garmin mounted, but I some PRS shooters are doing so. I'll shoot ELR matches with mine mounted, and I'm sure I'll mount it to my PRS rifles for a match at some point - but it's really nice to clip on and just be able to shoot whatever target I want without re-aiming the unit.

  • Protective case - $20 on Amazon, it's waterproof and well padded. I'm going back and forth right now between using a carabiner to hook it outside of packs, carrying it in hand, slipping it into larger packs, or adding a small shoulder strap to it... For now, the carabiner and hand carry get the most play. My match packs all have carabiners and Grimlocks mounted to the exterior, so the paracord loop I'm using on my dry box can hook directly there.

  • Battery Pack - As mentioned above, I have a 3500mAh battery pack, about the size of a credit card, and ~1/8" thick with an integral cable that I shoved into my protective case with my Garmin. I carry one like it every day in my pocket, and have extras in my computer bag, in my wife's purse, glove box, etc - they're cheap and small. I haven't found myself needing it for my Garmin yet, but if I find myself afield with a dead Garmin, I'll have this.

For the Magnetospeed V3, I have:
  • Carrying Case - Same deal, gotta haul it around. It's padded and hardshell, great protection, just bigger than my Garmin box, but it does have an integral handle, so it's kinda nice.

  • Angled Shim Kit - most of my barrels are tapered, so I bought the angled shim kit. Cheap, but it's something else to buy. It's a little finicky to try to remember which shims go with which barrels, so eliminating that shim-dependent alignment requirement with the LR and Garmin is kinda nice.

  • Spare 9V battery - Fits in the carry case, cheap, kinda nice that the unit takes replaceable batteries, and even nicer that it doesn't eat an entire set of batteries in only a couple of range sessions.

  • Communication cord - I only acknowledge this because the unit requires it, and it's kind of ungainly to string it out and wind it back up for set up.

  • MKM Spigot mount - In fairness, I HAD this, but sold it. I hated this thing. It's expensive, it's huge, and it's a pain to set up and tear down, and it meant I needed another pack to carry it with the Magnetospeed box, so for the small benefit of being able to confirm zero with the same rounds as the velocity check, it just wasn't worth the hassle to me.

  • Something I do NOT have - Alignment rod... I've dropped two of the Magnetospeed Alignment rods in front of the enclosed firing line wall at an indoor range, and I blew up a 3rd by forgetting to remove it from my suppressor after attaching the bayonet... So I'll never have another in my life, unless I get a plastic model that actually clips to the bayonet, or a magnetic model that would stick to it - better to blow it off of the bayonet than to blow up a barrel or another suppressor; but most likely, I just won't ever have one again.

For the Pro-Chrono Digital, I have:
  • Cheap Tripod and QD mount plate - I've used several different tripods with this unit over the 20yrs I've had it, but the one I have now I think was included with a cheap spotting scope I bought a long, long time ago (or maybe that's the cheap, junky tripod I use for my target flashers?). Super pain in the butt to haul this thing around, super slow to set up and tear down... It's not the same class of product as the others.

  • Illuminated skyscreens - cloudy day, evening, or indoor use, optical chronographs don't work without these. Requires external electricity, either 120V AC power, or 12V battery power, so it's not terribly field friendly. Can't use this kind of chrono at most indoor shooting ranges anyway, but when using rifles out of my private shelters or shooting indoor archery, it's a must. Stupid, but it's a must.
 
Varmiterror,
Great writeup! I really appreciate your attention to detail. Especially your notes on why you purchased specific accessories, the purpose you had in mind and your ideas on what is needed going forward.
Again, nice job!
s
 
May have missed market entry window....
www.snipershide.com

New Labradar LX

While it looks nice, how it works is another story and if you ask me, they missed the boat by years. Too little too late. We shall see..... Labradar LX Labradar was the first to introduce Doppler Radar to the shooting sports at an affordable price. Continuing with its innovation we...
www.snipershide.com www.snipershide.com
 
Curious if anyone has tried using their Garmin in the rain/snow. I just got mine and we're suppose have bad weather all weekend.
 
MEHavey said:
May have missed market entry window....
www.snipershide.com

New Labradar LX

While it looks nice, how it works is another story and if you ask me, they missed the boat by years. Too little too late. We shall see..... Labradar LX Labradar was the first to introduce Doppler Radar to the shooting sports at an affordable price. Continuing with its innovation we...
www.snipershide.com www.snipershide.com
Click to expand...

I'm curious as to why they are releasing it now? Was this in development for a while but got pushed to the forefront because Garmin is stealing sales away from them? I may now wait a few months to see product reviews on the LR LX.
 
Getting mine tomorrow. Cabela's had them in stock. I sold my magnetospeed last week and ordered immediately. Looking forward to testing my pistol loads.
 
bummer7 said:
I'm curious as to why they are releasing it now? Was this in development for a while but got pushed to the forefront because Garmin is stealing sales away from them? I may now wait a few months to see product reviews on the LR LX.
Click to expand...

It’s SHOT. Everything is being released now…
 
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