chronograph

I’ve been using a Magnetospeed for over a year now on an EDgun Matador and a Condor SS. It’s all working well. The latest software upgrade cleared up an occasional comparator glitch. (Never lost data but needed to make extra button presses to save…)

The advantage of the Magnetospeed is that the bayonet mount is easy to use in a variety of shooting circumstances with little setup.

See this link for some pictures:

http://talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=31629&p=319895&hilit=magnetospeed#p319895

-x356b

I think I’ve been registered here for a while, but been content to lurk and learn, since the Talon has been a fun sideline for me that I knew little about. I think I can add to this chrono discussion though. I agree with much of what Gene T has said.
Here’s my thoughts on the one’s I have;
I think the Chrony fits a nice role for airgunning. It’s compact, portable, and probably accurate enough for most uses. It can be spotty on the captures, but if you use incandescent illuminators, it becomes much more reliable. For timing powder burners, it’s a PITA to set up because it’s finicky on the alignment when you set it far enough from the muzzle to avoid muzzle blast (smaller capture zone). But that’s much less of an issue for airgunning.

The CED Millenium II looks and feels like a cheap piece of Chinese junk. Lots of plastic parts, but it’s worked well for me so far. I think the control panel is busy and not intuitive, so I have to keep the manual handy. But I get more captures than I do with the Chrony. One important difference from the Chrony’s is that the “brain” is not in the line of fire. The screens (stop/start gates) are connected by phono wire/jacks to a control panel that stays with you behind the muzzle. I had errors with a screen that wouldn’t trigger, but it turned out to be a bad cord. Bought a replacement cord, soldered it in for $10 bucks instead of replacing the screen for $30 and shipping. I was tempted to get the IR illuminator, but at $80 I decided to make my own with my modest electronics/soldering knowledge and $5 bucks in parts. Just got the IR LED’s in the mail. Maybe this weekend. Just need to figure out how to tell if it’s working since I can’t find my NVG’s in the office. Overall another good fit for airgunning.

Oehler 35P. This is the gold standard. It’s a pig to pack around, carry and set up, and if you shoot in any kind of wind, you have to figure out how to anchor it. However, most folk that are serious about ballistics use the 35P as their reference standard (unless you work at Aberdeen). Mine is the initial design before they ran out of printer parts so I can’t speak to current production. Definitely my most reliable chrono and the proof channel give me confidence in what I’m seeing across the screens. No more WTF? Was that muzzle blast? Probably overkill for most airgunning.

I don’t have a PACT. Probably never will. Too much bad experiences from others in my world (Highpower Rifle Competition).

I don’t have a Magneto Speed. I believe they are a sound design. However, if you are shooting a shrouded barrel, I would question whether the sensor would be able to pick up the pellet moving down the barrel. I myself wonder if it can pick up a pellet without a shroud. Maybe GeneT knows. For my purposes it doesn’t work because I do accuracy testing and zeroing simultaneous to chronographing. A mass hanging off the end of my barrel doesn’t always give me a good read on accuracy and POI.

I also don’t have a LabRadar. I had been in contact with their engineers/developers about their product in the years before release. It needs an audible signal (a bang) to signal the device to start watching for the round going down range. Back then I had asked about the Marauder and they felt it wouldn’t work. I saw they now sell a separate trigger for bows and air rifles. Sorry to hear it doesn’t work. It’s attractive to think I can position the LabRadar on the bench without going downrange to set-up screens. It’s a bit disturbing to think that the company (Canadian) seems to be a small start-up and has had numerous promised launch dates that were missed (I was ready to buy several years before finally being released, but am no longer interested). I fear that for that price, and that level of technology (that I can’t just go in and solder a fix) might be unsupported some day. Given GeneT’s initial experiences with Air Rifles and others with problems shooting small calibers, and my concerns about support I don’t foresee getting one.

A bit of warning. I’ve put probably thousands of rounds of firearms rounds over my chrono’s without damaging any of my chrono’s. I have shot my Chrony multiple times with air rifles, finally killing it with my Talon. I’ve also shot my Millenium multiple times…with air rifles. Interestingly, the plastic Millenium shrugged off the Marauder’s 800+fps 22cal pellets with barely a mark! I think I’ve figured out that the scope height above the bore, and the closer to the muzzle positioning I use makes for a much lower POI than Aim Point that I was accustomed to. I am aiming about a foot above the sensor with the pellet just skimming over them (sometimes clipping the housing). My advice is to aim high at least a foot over the sensor.

I think CED started the advertising argument that their faster processor made their chrono more accurate. Up to a point it would, but every chronograph made in the last 25 years has had a processor that was more than fast enough to register the bullet at least as accurately as the detectors. To get better accuracy today, you need improved skyscreen technology, and then you’re going to have to exercise more precision in setting them up than most people bother with (muzzle to screen spacing, screen-to-screen spacing, orthogonality to rifle barrel…).

Don’t by the ‘more MHz’ argument – that’s just advertising.

GsT

Ioic,
Now that looks really cheap and I haven’t heard of anyone getting much use out of things hanging from the end of the muzzle.
My report is from ownership and use.
So, be sure to put that dangler through the paces and give us a first hand report when you can.
BTW, I shot my Alpha Chrrony but it still works. Knocked over my Pro Chrony and that killed it. At first I Didn’t like the narrowed middle shape of my Caldwell chronograph but It performs the best of the three so far.

I bought my 3rd chronograph recently and like it real well so far.
I got the Caldwell Ballastic Precision Premium Kit from MidWayUSA. They were out of the regular but I still saved $15 on the premium and really like the carry bag. It’s supposed to be more accurate than some others as it used a 48 MHz processor and unlike my shooting chrony light bars that use visible red LED lights, the Caldwell uses invisible IR LEDs. The regular sky screens look wider and less fragile than the 3 piece each shooting chrony screens.
It has an LCD screen BUT BETTER YET, interfaces via 15 foot audio cable to iPhones and some androids. There APPs work good but best on larger than smart phone screens. My iPad Mini is perfect.
They need to expand the APP to allow transfer of the Templates you create but the Saved Groups are easily transmitted via email or SMS (text). Hopefully they will add Comma Delinated Export & Import so things will interface across devices and to popular spread sheet programs.

I have a Shooting Chrony Alpha Master which I use mainly indoors with the new Shooting Chrony LED Lamps setup and it works great, no errors.

I also just ordered this today, I’m using it to take along with me when I go pest controlling.
It should arrive in a week or so.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331458461957?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&var=540632614396&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

~ GKU