lab radar feedback please

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brutus51

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Thinking about getting one but is it worth the price?
Does it really measure velocities at different ranges?
Expensive investment so I'd like feedback on reliability, ease of setup and overall views.
 
I have one and really like it. Is it worth the cost, that is a tough one. To me it is but I have no experience with other types of chronos. I have only used mine at an indoor pistol range and it works fine. It gives different velocities at the ranges you select but I am only concerned with muzzle velocity. It is just so darn easy to set up and use. I have a small camera tripod and it works fine.

I had issues with the smartphone app but it was my phone and not the app. Some sort of conflict between the lab and my F-150 and my Fitbit watch. Had to clear the settings on my Samsung phone and start over adding the lab then the F-150 then the Fitibit. It is much easier to use with the free app.

It seems to be very well made. I bought one of those external USB battery packs and it works just fine but I never tried the batteries. The fact that you can set if up on the firing line with no cease fire adds a lot of value. I did add a memory card so I can remove it and plug it in to the PC.

I cannot speak about ranges greater than 25 yards. I suspect it would probably work out to a 100 with 22 caliber and possibly longer with a larger caliber. Being outside should make absolutely no difference. Sunny or cloudy should make no difference. Others have commented that aiming the unit is critical at longer ranges.
 
I have one. It will measure velocity at 5 (?) User selected ranges to 100 yds. The only quirk with mine is I have to have the barrel very close to the unit for it to trigger. I probably just need to play with the settings a little more.
It will drain batteries pretty fast. I bought the Labradar rechargeable battery pack but have read it is cheaper to buy a 3rd party battery pack. I also bought the bench mount plate. It is of good quality.
 
I've run Chronys "back in the day," and then an Oehler for 18 years.
I would NOT be w/o a Chrono/Quickload combination these days when working in strange/unpublished territories.

Got a LABRADAR last year and it's the greatest thing since sliced bread -- rain, shine, dark or snow -- once you pay the learning-curves dues of how it likes to be fed.
High-speed/low speed, smokeless or black using the blast wave trigger. Even surpressed/airgun using the doppler trigger

Yes, it does record multiple velocities at selectable ranges -- even downrange after passing through the target/cardboard backer.
Great for then going online and plugging into BC calculators and getting real coefficients.

Other than this, I have no strong opinion.
 
I've got one a couple years ago after owning an Oehler 35P for close to 30 years.

The LabRadar really is "all that".

Due to the ease of set up I now chronograph about 4 times as much as I use to. Very helpful when your playing with ballistic software to get multiple velocities at varying temps. Due to the setup ease, we use it while practicing as well as load development. I've got the LabRadar app on my tablet along with Strelok Pro. I have new shooters come out and it a few rounds can have a "ballistic solution" for them without having to have a "chronograph session". The reports are simple .CSV spreadsheets which are easily converted to Excel and I email it to them later.

Really the only downside is the cost, but honestly I think it's one of those cry once things. Something I couldn't do well with the Oehler, chrongraphing during a 760 yard practice session:

p0Lbaql.jpg
 
Ditto what every one is saying. If I want to try a new load, I just run over to the closest indoor range, set it on the bench and get readings. Easy peasy. 5 minutes and I'm done.

I too probably now chrono 4+ times than I did before.

I too use a generic USB battery pack and a short, cheap table top tripod.
 
The problem with the Labradars is that they have trouble working properly in enclosed areas, such as narrow shooting lanes or indoor ranges.

If you are shooting in an open area like Chuck, you should be GTG.
 
Interesting, Spade5 uses his only at an indoor range without problems, while Double Naught Spy claims they are problematic at an indoor range.
Using it at an indoor range is one aspect that makes the unit appealing to me, could anyone please elaborate on the indoor range issue?
The bays at my closest range are about 3ft. wide.
 
The problem with the Labradars is that they have trouble working properly in enclosed areas, such as narrow shooting lanes or indoor ranges.
The User can dial in LABRADAR trigger sensitivity from 1-to-5(lowest).
That should accommodate most multiple/close shooter situations.

You're going to be pretty squeezed together at indoor ranges, so barrel being close to unit is gonna be default anyway.
That said, if you have multiple shooters blasting away -- close in/same angular arc downrange/ literally exact same time -- LABRADAR will say "Huh?"

postscript: Don't fool around when buying,
Get . . .
- The LABRADAR
- The Carrying Case
- The Bench-Rest/mounting plate
- An External Battery Pack
- A Medium Combination Square

Carry all of it in the Carrying case/one fell swoop.


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The User can dial in LABRADAR trigger sensitivity from 1-to-5(lowest).
That should accommodate most multiple/close shooter situations.

You're going to be pretty squeezed together at indoor ranges, so barrel being close to unit is gonna be default anyway.
That said, if you have multiple shooters blasting away -- close in/same angular arc downrange/ literally exact same time -- LABRADAR will say "Huh?"

postscript: Don't fool around when buying,
Get . . .
- The LABRADAR
- The Carrying Case
- The Bench-Rest/mounting plate
- An External Battery Pack
- A Medium Combination Square

Carry all of it in the Carrying case/one fell swoop.
.

I'll second the list and add an additional tripod. Depending on your bench length, some of my longer barrels are too long for the bench plate.

TN0JoUc.jpg

The bench-plate works great for the hunting rifles, but not to much for the 26" target guns with brakes. Also the way I use it a small tripod could serve double duty for prone & off the bench. The external battery pack works so well I've never screwed around with batteries either. Good for multiple long chrono sessions. Don't remember where I 1st heard about the combination square for a sight, but it works extremely well, even well past 700 yards. It also comes in handy for zeroing as you'll always have a ruler with you.
 
The problem with the Labradars is that they have trouble working properly in enclosed areas, such as narrow shooting lanes or indoor ranges.

Use mine all the time at indoor ranges. 3' lanes, 8 lanes per bay. Never had any problem. Also used it in a 6' wide indoor rifle bay, no problem.


Though I've never used it in those 100 yd tubes some ranges have. That might be an experiment to try.
 
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The only issue I have had at an indoor range was when a guy was shooting a Shockwave a couple of lanes over. Once or twice the Lab would say failure to acquire so it really didn't hurt anything. I have used it with the concrete wall directly on the left and on the right and saw no difference versus using an inner lane. Set the sensitivity and have the muzzle about even with the side of the lab if shooting a hand gun. I have had a couple of times where the shot was not registered so no data which to me is no big deal and was my fault for creeping forward so I guess that is two issues. Most of the time, it works as advertised.
 
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