Budget chrono with a difference...

[TassieTiger]

So after borrowing my mates caldwell chrono for some time, I decided to buy one myself. After looking around, I came across an apparent US made unit on eBay called pro chrono.
It was cheap and I guess looked a little nasty, at a couple hundred dips, but what intrigued me was the direct link blue tooth option.

The direct link remote option, came with an app that looked to be quite useful, so I pulled the trigger - $270 delivered for chrono and linking tool.

So 2nd shot - face plate came off and I’m thinking...oh great...what a piece of crap...but then I linked up and wow.

Not only does it now voice call the shot and feet per second, it references different data from various strings, charts ballistics if you enter the data properly, etc...
It literally has your phone saying via Siri’s voice - that shot 2980 feet per second”.

150 shots later - hasn’t missed a beat. Does need additional batteries for direct link unit.

Saves taking pad / pen and for the price, half decent with app. Seller is a farmer in WA and has limited no’s.

Pic is a friend shooting 168’s in 300wm tika.

[GQshayne]

Have you compared it to the other unit to see how accurate it is?

[TassieTiger]

No, I haven’t - but good idea.
I have compared load results with 300 and 06 and they are with upper / lower results from previously used Caldwell.

[bladeracer]

I bought the Digital unit with mine, but have never used it. I'll have to remember to try it out.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Darn.i got my magnetospeed sporter new for $250.

[Stix]

Have you been shooting apples off of your mates head...

[Sergeant Hartman]

Its not legal to shoot apples off a mates head in Australia. I don't have friends... who are alive.. anymore j/k

[TassieTiger]

Have you been shooting apples off of your mates head...

Ole mate has a good history re shooting - military background, medals from comps, etc.
Unfortunately , when the time came to choose between his two heads, he had to take beauty over hair

[marksman]

l use a pro chrono myself, very good units

perhaps you could post up about your $250 magnetospeed sporter zaid to do a comparison

[Sergeant Hartman]

Got it from reloaders heaven. Very easy to setup and works, can get the cable to download the data to a phone which i should get.

1) You don't have to hope it's not too sunny, or set it up to find ohh the sun is in the wrong position in the sky and it gives wrong readings.
2) Or adjust placement, until you actually get it right in the middle of the barrel and where you are aiming.
3) Can point and shoot anywhere, its attached to the barrel so moves with your moving the barrel.
4) calculate sd, es, min/max/average
5) can even fit in your pockets, if you have large pockets, very small and extremely light.

Once you go magnetospeed you don't go back to the optical ones.

[marksman]

thanks ziad
how does it go as far as the strap getting loose after a few shots
l know the early ones had a problem with that but l'm sure they use a different latch on the strap now to try and fix that
it is a benefit being able to just shoot where you want, l like the idea

my pro chrono is an old one and cost $120 with a cable and disc to setup with a laptop to do all the calculations ect but l do them manually
it was a real bargain at the time, they were not long on the market at that time
https://www.competitionelectronics.com/ ... o-digital/

[Stix]

The strap you ask marksman...

Sheesh...

Im so lucky mine hasnt exploded a couple of times now...i always use an extra spacer because of this...

[SCJ429]

Got it from reloaders heaven. Very easy to setup and works, can get the cable to download the data to a phone which i should get.

1) You don't have to hope it's not too sunny, or set it up to find ohh the sun is in the wrong position in the sky and it gives wrong readings.
2) Or adjust placement, until you actually get it right in the middle of the barrel and where you are aiming.
3) Can point and shoot anywhere, its attached to the barrel so moves with your moving the barrel.
4) calculate sd, es, min/max/average
5) can even fit in your pockets, if you have large pockets, very small and extremely light.

Once you go magnetospeed you don't go back to the optical ones.

But you get speeds only and the group you shoot is not the same as when the device is not attached to your barrel. I prefer Lab Radar.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Scj mate i know what you saying, but comparing a roles royce to a bmw. The labradar is well over 1k even used compared to huntsman seeking for 350ish and 250 for used of the sporter.

The poi change, but i believe groups don't.

The straps can be tightened with a screw and the rubber spacers hold it in as well. I have muzzle breaks on most of my bigger rifles. Just gotta make sure you don't have the bayonet pointing in the line of the barrel or you will shoot it... probably similar to the optical ones.

[SCJ429]

I am not knocking the Magnetospeed, I have used one and they work well. I believe they do effect your group and I had to reshoot them. I know the Lab Radar is five times the price but I sit it next to me and record data on every shot fired.

[Bill]

'Im using a magneto speed sporter and the thing is so darn easy to set and use, certainly doesnt clock off like the labradar does if you wait to long and I'm yet to miss a speed which can happen with the Labradar.

Can you shoot accurate groups with it ?? some loads i put thru my martini 256 recently with the magnetospeed attached were my most accurate to date.

And no if you set the strap up right on a clean dry barrel and tighten with the knob it doesnt slide on the barrel under recoil.

[Stix]

Well mine certainly slides...bloody thing...!!

[Sergeant Hartman]

You gotta tighten the strap itself and then use the knob to tighten it even more. Pretty easy to tighten it enough that you cannot budge it even if you use full force

[Stix]

No...
I know how to tighten it..

It slides when it is as tight as you can get it...

Its a pain...i regret buying it to be honest...!!

[Bill]

You gotta tighten the strap itself and then use the knob to tighten it even more. Pretty easy to tighten it enough that you cannot budge it even if you use full force

this ^ you must back the tightening knob off completetly then tighten the strap, then knob away even tighter. Bloody fool proof, havent tried with a cerakoted barrel or stainless yet but I doubt coating would make stuff all difference.

[Bill]

No...
I know how to tighten it..

It slides when it is as tight as you can get it...

Its a pain...i regret buying it to be honest...!!

you didnt get gun oil off the barrel impregnated into the rubber block by chance ?

[Sergeant Hartman]

Idd put a bit of tape before and after the strap and see The movement then.

I have it on smaller calibres like 223 upto 338 and no movemento

[Stix]

I know i look stupid...but i dont lube the barrel...it slides regardless of how tight or how much oil...

Ive built a couple of cars in my time, & was the go to mechanic for all friends & family in my 20's, so i know how to, & when to tighten a nut...

I strap various things like timber down on my roof for the last 20 years with those straps, so i know how they work...

Also the strap has a memory which doesnt help...

It slides regardless & needs to be monitored...

You will not fire 6 shots out of my 7-08 & not have it move atleast half inch...not to mention the load that groups .25" with single figere SD with the Magneto strapped to the barrel, opens up to an inch with a different POI when the Magneto is removed...

Its an obvious, but inefficient system for securing to a barrel....period...if you dont believe me...ill happily swap you...

[Bill]

fair enough stix, sounds like you need to go hunting with it on

Chrronographs are for load development, obviously you should be checking group point of impact afterwards.

Not sure why groups would quadruple in size ?? that make zero sense for a huntng rifle

[TassieTiger]

fair enough stix, sounds like you need to go hunting with it on

Chrronographs are for load development, obviously you should be checking group point of impact afterwards.

Not sure why groups would quadruple in size ?? that make zero sense for a huntng rifle

Don’t some rifles benefit from various additional weights / add ons, added to various pArts of the barrel, as they can reduce harmonics and improve accuracy ?

[Bill]

no idea TassieTiger, but if you could grab a rubber thingo and slap it on ya Hunting rifle barrel and it actually reduced groups size by 75%......

Well gunshops would be selling heaps of them .....

[Stix]

Ofcourse there are things that do that...barrel tuners..

There is a mob that makes rubber type doova thingam'jiggo's, but no one wants them on a hunting rifle...
So its just about finding another load & only use the magneto for velocity of that load, rather than use it to find a load...

But im not going to bother with an argument about barrel harmonics as im no expert...i just made a factual statement from my experience...that obviously aligns with others' experience with the magneto...that it can, & does often change the POI & have an influence on barrel harmonics...

I dont see how this is so hard a point to grasp...

Anyway...moving on...

[marksman]

its not really that hard to understand that if you have weight on a barrel especially a thinner barrel your harmonics will change when the weight is taken off, the barrel cant ring at it's natural frequency which you take advantage of when you are "working up a load"

nobody would expect a barrel to perform the same if it was touching somewhere along the barrel and IMO its the same principle
who says that the magnetospeed is put on perfectly at 6 o'clock every time or that your barrel was clocked properly when fitted
it make sence to me that there could be changes

the straps l am talking about are the original straps that didn't have the nut ect.. it was just a clamp and they all slipped to the point that some of the guys who had them were sending them back for a refund that why they made the change
IMO a clamp would be better but they would have fun trying to produce one size fits all and it is more weight

since l have been using the satterlee technique l do use a pro chrono for load development before doing OCW testing
but before it was after l did load development with OCW testing that l checked speeds, es ect... this always worked out for me
if l were to use the magnetospeed l would be checking for flat spots then taking it off to do OCW group tests then check speed ect after
just how l would use it

[Stix]

Marksman...ive never understood the "flat spot" theory...makes no sense to me...
I think i saw it explained how i understand it to not be useful somewhere in one of the links you once posted...

If you fire a string of shots at steadily increasing charges & look for a flat spot, you will find one, or 2, or 3......but who is to say that is an actual flat spot, & not the extreme ends of say a velocity scatter node...??...(not sure if thats a term, but hopefully you know what i mean)...

Ive tried it once before & chased my tail pointlessly...wasted a heap of time & money chasing a load where there wasnt one, well i dont think there was one, lost all confidence in what i was doing, so just went back to what printed at 100 & shot things...

[Sergeant Hartman]

Good point marksman, i didn't think about thin barrels, probably could case more issues.

When it moves what effect does it have on the speeds