Anyone use a Chrony chronograph?

R

Rob01

New member
I would like to hear from people that have these to see how they like them. I'm thinking about getting one but would like to hear first hand if they are worth the money. Also let me know if you have the alpha, beta or gamma. And what do you use for a tripod? Thanks.
 
I have one,works great. A little sensitive to muzzle blast if it is set too close to a muzzle,and WAY too sensitive to being hit by a bullet:D . Other than that I'd buy a fourth one. The first one lasted 1 shot. I didn't take into account the hieght of my AR's sights.....right through the digital readout.:o Second one lasted a couple years 'til my little brother hit one of the support rods with a bad flinch out of his .44:mad:

What I use for a tripod: a tripod from the camera section at walmart.
 
Thanks Rott. So I guess what you're saying is that if I don't attach it to the muzzle or shoot the display I should be fine?;) I'll probably pick one up then because I really need it.
 
They work well for me, my first was a basic model that I had for years until I shot it. I now have a Beta Master, lots more bells and whistles, very convenient for statistical analysis. Avoid bright sun if possible and a camera tripod works well.
 
Chronograph........

Rob01,
get a 35P Oehler, and don't look back....around $350.00 direct from Oehler,
Printer built in, sky screens, and all hardware....best one on the market for the $$$$..

"I'm too poor to buy cheap things".

Get the Oehler, and you'll never be sorry.;)
 
I have a Beta Master Crhony and have been very happy with it - at least until my shooting buddy shot both skyscreens off with his .44 Magnum.:cool:
 
I had a Chrony Delta (no longer made). My experiences are frighteningly close to Rottweilers. Substitute me for his brother and .45 for .44 and duplicate all of his other chrono experience and you have my story. You will probably shoot your chronograph at some point. Check posts in the reloading forum for how many shooters have destroyed chronos. Everyone does it; it's a matter of time. You'll think that you won't. "I'm too good of a shot". One second of inattention, or more likely, one unanticipated flinch and "Poof"! Till you decide how not to do that, I'd stick with a cheap model. It's not that the Oehler isn't worth it-it is. It's just that after you shoot your first one, whether it is a Chrony or Oehler, it will be worth the same-almost nothing. As for the tripod-Jeez! I even use the same tripod as Rottweiler. $20 at Walmart.
 
I had an early version of the "shooting chrony". It worked quite well on a camera tripod. It was a little touchy about light and it read velocities higher than I expected. I later got a better chrono and found that the velocities were accurate. I always expected to shoot the thing but somehow did not.
 
I have a shooting chrony F-1 and it works well. It will do BB's at 400 FPS on up to hot 22-250's over 4000 fps. Haven't shot it ........... yet! I have been wondring if it would be worth the time and effort to take a piece of say 1/2 steel plate, cover it with wood to prevent splatter, and put that just in front of the chrony to protect the electronics and let the bullet pass right over that to activitate the sky screens? Anyone ever try this or anything like it?
 
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Shooting Chrony's are good stuff. I've got a Master F1. It's a basic chrono with a remote readout. I have a reloading program at home and input the numbers manually.

Works for me.

Ditto the $20 camera tripod.

Kilgor
 
I have a Shooting Chrony, and it's already been shot twice. A friend nicked the back of the case, and I shot one of the skyscreen rods. Still makes accurate measurements, and it's still in service. For less then $100, it's a worthwhile tool.
 
Two thumbs up for the Chrony, I've got a Gamma Master. I like the fact that all the electronics and controls are in the remote that stays with me at the bench. It's a real plus being able to download all the number to my PC - from there I import to EXCEL and can crunch, graph, and print the numbers three ways to Sunday. GUN TEST magazine reviewed chronographs a few years ago, they determined the cheapest Chrony F1 was just as accurate and repeatable as the most expensive Oehler. I'm on my 3rd Gamma body but since all the expensive stuff is in the remote it only cost around $35 to replace a body. It would bite if I had to pony up three-fifty every time a bullet flew a few inches low, I'd rather send the money on G&A. -- Kernel
 
I've been using a friend's Master Beta for several months, and finally bought a chrony of my own. I chose the Alpha Beta, as I always clear the memory after each screeen anyway. They work very well.
 
Thanks to all for your help. I think I'm going to go with the Gamma Master. It seems to have everything I need and for about $165 that's not bad. Again thanks.

Rob
 
Rob, Good choice. If you have any questions about exporting CHRONY files to EXCEL send me an email. The steps I use:

- First save the CHRONY file as ASCII text.
- Open that text file with EXCEL using a comma delimiter.
- Save as a XLS file.

I then insert a title block above each string with information like: date, temp, location, bullet, load, powder, primer, case, OAL, firearm, comments, etc.

I also do some additional number crunching - dividing the Standard Deviation by the Average Velocity to determine the Coefficient of Variation (CV). SD and AV alone are only half the picture. CV combines the two. Conventional Wisdom says a CV of 1% or less has a high potential for accuracy. When I do load development, before I shoot paper, I first preselect loads with a low CV. -- Kernel
 
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