Chronograph

Chris

It really depends on what you intend to use it for. If you simply want to know the velocity, ES, SD, etc, then most all of them are good. You don't need to spend much more than $100 for that.

OTOH, if you want your own personal ballistics lab with all the bells and whistles then you'll need more than a couple of Ben Franklins.

I've gotten by for years with the simplest PACT with the screens permanently mounted at 2' spacing. It has told me everything I've needed to know, and more.

JMHO

Ray
 
Buy the CED M2 and you won't regret it. I have had the chrony's, Pact and years ago a Ohler 35 (wish I hadn't sold it) and I'm very happy with the M2.

Hovis
 
I have one called the "Shooting Chrony" as best I remember.

It was very inexpensive and seems to work fine. I used it for rated factory ammo and the chrony numbers seemed very close to what the manufacturer's rating for that ammo was stated.
 
Thanks. My only concern with the CED is that I have had other CED products (like their scales) and they seem very poorly made (no ill reference to Chinese production as they make some of the best stuff in the world but this was typical poor Chinese junk).

I will order an M2 and see what it is like. If Brownells sells it, it should be decent.

Thanks for the help.
 
Chris,

I looked long and hard and did a lot of research before I purchased the M2. I don't know about their other products but I talked to several that had these for more than a couple of years and happy. The only negative about the chrony's I've had is when a friend shoots one...their done. With the M2, you can buy the part seperate for a lot less money and keep on going. But then again, I stopped letting people use mine after the second one was shot.

Hovis
 
I have done a little more research before buying. I was told the M2 had magnetic sensors and the PACT XP had Infrared sensors. Apparently the IR is more sensitive but can cause some issues when in direct sunlight. The magnetic sensors are not as sensitive as the IR and can miss the odd shot.

Some feel that the PACT XP is better quality than the M2. So now I better go and do some more research before I buy.
 
I don't know what is 'best' but if you can find a used Oehler 35P buy it... I won't sell mine...
 
I don't know who told you the M2 had magnetic sensors but mine are IR. Generally, what I have found is that the better chrono's are a little more picky.

When I was checking into them. The pact's were breaking a lot and the warrenty was poor. But times can change.

I don't use mine a lot, just as a quick reference from time to time.

Tough decision but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Hovis
 
It Depends

On what you are going to use it for.

I use a Chronograph quite often, but what I mostly I use it for is to get direct comparisons. For instance, I might be trying a new lot of 133. I will load up some rounds from the old lot, see what they are doing, then load the new stuff by weight, and see if the velocity is within the statistical norm. This is how we find out if one lot is more dense, or what ever.

Another example is the 30BR. I know that the 112 BIB bullets I shoot like something right around 3000fps. I can set the Chrono up, load it untill I get 3000, then tune a little on either side of that.

Lots of times we will compare rifles, many of us shoot the exact same combo, if you shoot the things within 10 minutes of each other, you can get very good direct comparisons.

You don't need a super expensive Chrono to do this type of stuff. Especially if you have a basline load like I alluded too earlier.

If you are going to be doing serious ballistic work, where you need accurate ES, SD, and velocity spreads, (such as in long range shooting), you DO need a high end unit. Just knowing how fast something is going will not cut it in that game.

I do have a 35P, it stays at the Range, all of my friends are free to use it. The printer quit last year, but for what I use it for, I could care less.

In my opinion, a Chronograph is like a automobile. Some are satisfied with a low cost unit, others need to spend as much as possible. But, if all you are using it for is going to work each morning, all the more expensive item does is let you say, "look what I have". But, if you want to cruise in style down Richmond Avenue, that Corolla ain't gonna cut it.......jackie
 
Boyd: how portable is the PVM unit? I hate taking bulky items to the range.

Jackie: I intend to use it the same way I did my little Chrony unit (until it went missing) which is to test velocities and document SD from time to time. It is for 100/200 yd BR work so I do not need anything too fancy but I am not prepared to mess around with shots not being recorded. I just want it to work every time without fiddling around.

Printer would be nice as I can staple the results into my record book but it is not essential. The PACT XP seems to be nice in that it has the printer built in.
 
I've got a bottom of the line PACT and aside from customer service that seems to be, "ho-hum who cares", mine has worked well for at least 11 years now. It doesn't like light coming in from the side (shooting east-west & vice versa). It doesn't have a printer, but I do the same thing I did with my first chronograph an Oehler 12, keep a chronograph record book and record the results in it. Now it's several books though.

It's too bad Oehler quit making consumer chronographs because they were excellent and the service was topnotch.

One caution on standard deviations (SD) and average velocities is that firing a few rounds taking an SD or average and thinking it's a valuable number is misleading yourself. The more rounds you fire to obtain a number the closer you are to the truth - whatever that is.
 
I've had the cheapo Shooting Chrony for about 15 years. I've replaced the plastic diffusers once (they got brittle and cracked). Used it yesterday all afternoon, still works great.
 
Generally,

The more sensative/accurate the chrono, the more finicky the set up sometimes (light, etc). I read the links and many other reviews and it's about 95% in favor of the CED M2. Can't ask any better than that.

Hovis
 
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