Importance of a Chronograph

[Tim the student]

So, I will get some money for Christmas, and I am thinking about buying a chronograph - but of course there are other things I want. How much importance do you guys place on them?

I shoot for my own enjoyment, not competitively, nor do I hunt anything other than prairie dogs with centerfires, so velocity is not paramount to me. Not to say I would never hunt with a centerfire, but I don't now.

Would you guys get one?

 

[Snowdog]

I bought about the most inexpensive model there was, the F1 Chrony. It's helped me figure out what my reloads are doing and I admit using it to discover the velocity for my airsoft, pellet and paintball guns.

 

[Steve C]

Chrono's are helpful and take away the guessing on "how fast" your bullets are realy going. They dispell a lot of myths but for just developing good accurate handloads they're not a necessity IMO. I take mine out once or twice a year to develop some information. Most of my loads where developed a long time ago and they still work well. Anyone who has been reloading more than 10 to 15 years put together a lot of ammunition before affordable chrono's where available.

 

[USSR]

I shoot for my own enjoyment, not competitively, nor do I hunt anything other than prairie dogs with centerfires, so velocity is not paramount to me.

Ah, but knowing what velocity you are getting out of your reloads will tell you how much your bullet is dropping at various ranges. I would think this would be very important when hunting prairie dogs.

Don

 

[Tim the student]

Great point Don, thanks.

 

[45ACPUSER]

Get one that has the guts at the bench rather then in front of the muzzle.....not that I know anything about that.....I have shot the uprights of upright support diffuser for my PACT....but they are cheap. I have seen a few Chrony's eat a bullet.....

 

[Roccobro]

I don't load for competition or anything other than myself and immediate family. But I confess, I just can't stand NOT knowing what the loads I make actually do. Sure the brass says "Great shot! load me again!" but that just doesn't make me feel as warm and fuzzy as I'd like.

Justin

 

[twofifty]

Tim, in Iowa, do you have both western prairie dogs/gophers as well as the groundhogs that live out East?

 

[Tim the student]

Tim, in Iowa, do you have both western prairie dogs/gophers as well as the groundhogs that live out East?

We really don't have them here, we drive a couple hours to SD to shoot them.

 

[1SOW]

I shoot and load for pistols.

I borrowed a friends Chrony (that he doesn't use) and it gave me incorrect data.
I don't have a chronograph, but plan to order a Pro-chrony Digital for my Christmas present to myself

If you are loading middle of the road charges for range/plinking use, then I don't believe they are required. If you want very light or heavy loads for comp/range or SD/hunting then I believe the chrony will save a lot of time and guesswork that can easily be wrong.

It's really the only way you can 'practically' tune your ammo to meet your requirements: Speed x bullet weight /1000 = 128-130 Power factor. A 124 gr Gold Dot hp expands best at XXYZ speed. At 50 yards I'll have X" drop.

 

[Sunray]

"...there are other things I want..." "I want one" is reason enough to buy anything. However, you don't need a chronograph for reloading. Especially if you're a casual shooter/hunter.
Chronographs are all the rage because the price of 'em is relatively low/reasonable. You want one more than you want the other things? Been reloading for 30 years plus without one with no fuss.
How much money you're expecting has some to do with it too. A Shooting Chrony's Beta Master runs $139.99 from Cabelas. Shooting Chrony makes an an integrated LCD display model too. $119.99 from Cabela's. A Pact Chronograph runs $229.99. The difference is that the latter has a printer, a memory chip, a 100 yard ballistic calculator plus a computer connection. The former is an LCD display only but it goes up to 7,000fps so you can check the velocity of the ballistic missiles you're building. Exactly.
"...can't stand NOT knowing what the loads I make actually do..." How's the accuracy? Accuracy is far more important the the velocity. A one hole group at 100 yards will keep you warm and fuzzy all winter.
"...it gave me incorrect data..." How do you know? Read this posting.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=488976
"...chrony will save a lot of..." Nope. They just tell you the average velocity. They won't tell you what load shoots best out of your firearm.
If you're not reloading now, spend your Christmas money on reloading equipment. Think an RCBS Beginner's Kit. Gives you everything you need less dies and shell holder. Plus their legendary customer service. They'll fix any problems with a phone call, even if you caused it.

 

[1SOW]

Sunray: You are mostly correct, but there are benefits to having a chrono for some.

I n competition (USPSA & IPSC) ammo is chronographed before matches to insure a minimum power factor is reached depending on the class you shoot. "Production"/minor class requires a minimum PF of 125----a 9mm 124gr bullet x 1000fps = 124 pf---too low. Most will load to get about 130PF to allow for variances and temperature change.

Also I can load an accurate 124gr pistol round at 145 pf (about like 115gr Win White Box) that causes more flip than an accurate round at 130pf. Yes, it's not that much difference; but some are dealing in tenths of second score differences.

When you're working a load up, the chrono gives you good feedback about what your next try should be, how one powders burn rate vs another affects speed, pressure and accuracy.

Not only that but it's fun for some to tune the gun and ammo to fit a specific need.

Yes chronos CAN be wrong: Sunny day outdoors, correct distance etc etc, and some of the less expensive ones are much more finicky/sensitive about lighting or can have a malfunction of some sort. The ones used at major matches cost more than some of the used cars I've had, but they are very accurate. That intermittent bad connection to the 9v battery did cause grief.

 

[Galil5.56]

I use one because I am interested and curious in seeing how barrel length/condition/specs affect the same ammo fired from different barrels, propellant burning curve relationship to bullet weight/length, and knowing how the same bullet expands in different calibers due to velocity. For example, Hornady .357" 125 grain XTP HP used and chronographed from a 3" .38 Special @ 965 fps vs a Beretta M9 9mm driven to 1225 fps. I know reasonably well where jackets are going to shed, actual min velocity for reliable expansion, correlation of speed to obturation, bullet diameter/bearing surface area vs velocity...

Also enjoy loading military rifles with made to military spec ammo, and w/o a chronograph how are you going to do this? Lastly, I like to see what loading manuals produce ammo that compares well to my own results. Some real eye popping results out there, and surprises along the way. Yep, I loaded 15 years w/o one and made extremely accurate ammo, but the 15 years since have been more enjoyable, informative, and made me a better reloader. As far as buying advice, I personally would steer very clear of Shooting Chrony products, and go with a ProChrono Digital as an accurate, reliable choice on the low end. Is a chronograph absolutely needed in many cases, nope, but I sure am glad I own and use one if not for any other reason than it adds a level of nuance and information to the process.

 

[mongoose33]

I personally would have concern if I were reloading without a chronograph.

And, yes, others are right in that if you're not pushing the envelope you're likely fine.

But I want to know how my handloads compare to factory ammo as a baseline, as well as using it to figure out new loads with powders and bullets for which load information doesn't exist. And depending on often-inconclusive "pressure signs" as a way of identifying a too-hot load doesn't excite me much.

I'm trained as a scientist; measurement is paramount for doing science well. If I can't measure how well or poorly my loads are doing, both in terms of velocity as well as consistency, well, I'm not comfortable.

Here's a good example of why I use one. I've been trying to work up a load for 147gr XTP rounds for my 9mm. I found some loads for Universal (one powder I have on hand), that max at 3.4 grains. Worked up to that load and shot them through the chronograph.

I was trying to achieve something similar to commercial SD ammo using that bullet, which is advertised at 975fps and with which I've seen people get over 1000fps.

I averaged about 870 fps with my loads, which doesn't even come close. If I just loaded them and shot w/o a chrono, what would I know? Accuracy, sure, but if it's a mouse-fart load, it's not an effective load, and you can't tell without being able to measure accurately.


Chronos are cheap; I have the Competition Electronics ProChono; cost me under $100. If I had to do it over again, I'd get one with a printer and remote control, but the budget at the time could afford $100.


A tip I can't take credit for:

I read this elsewhere on THR, but someone suggested using wooden dowels instead of the metal rods for holding up the diffuser screens--just in case one missed and shot a rod, wrecking the chrono. I bought a couple of 3/16" hardwood dowels, and with just a bit of sanding of the ends after I cut them, have wooden diffuser rods instead of metal ones. Very clever and congrats to whomever though of it first.

 

[Eaglecreekbrewer]

Personally, I think every piece of information you can acquire when reloading has value in it. These things are cheap these days and I couldn't imagine not knowing what they tell me.

 

[1SOW]

SteveC and Sunray do make good points.

If you only have one or two loads that don't change much, a chronograph is an expensive way to fill a garage shelf. (I wish my buddy had a good one on his shelf.)

My new bullets should be here next week, and are going to give me "The Perfect Round". I want to chrono the loads, but if the round is perfect, I'll never need to chrono another one---- Well, maybe the new SD round.

 

[Roccobro]

"...can't stand NOT knowing what the loads I make actually do..." How's the accuracy? Accuracy is far more important the the velocity. A one hole group at 100 yards will keep you warm and fuzzy all winter.

No, no it doesn't. Had that weeks ago with this load. Still doesn't tell me what I'm looking for.

Justin

 

[Bailey Boat]

Let me try to explain ONE instance where a chrono is invaluable.

I was working up a load to be used in a J frame 60, 3" AND a K frame 19, 4". I needed 2" or better groups @ 25 yards from both guns yet have recoil that could be handled in the J frame, and achieve expansion of the bullet. A sort of "38 Magnum" or 357 "Lite" whichever term you prefer. I sectioned a bullet and based on observations I determined that 1000 was going to be minimum for expansion.

Things I learned:

I discovered no difference in velocities between the 3 and 4" barrels (J frame is newer and the K frame was brought over by Moses) I eventually reached 1100 fps with a 125 grain JHP, had my 2-2.5" groups, manageable recoil in both guns and achieved reliable expansion in wet phone books. If I pushed the 1100 fps the groups went to hell and the recoil was terrible in the 60, and "stiff" in the 19.

Without a chrono I would still be working toward the goal, maybe there and maybe not, but a LOT of powder, primers and bullets would have been wasted in the effort without knowing the stats........

 

[Blakenzy]

It's the only way to evidence the external ballistics of your loads from your gun, unless you are using tracers and a stopwatch...

 

[skidooman603]

Great tool to have..If you are like me you will check your pet loads then kinda forget you've got it. Does help to settle the occasional arguement over load speeds