I figure the more I get into reloading I outta really know what kind of performance I’m getting before I crank out hundreds of a certain recipe.

Is the newer Garmin the most recommended?

It certainly looks like the simplest and easiest to use.

I have this one, Competition Electronics, about $150 now.

https://ads.midwayusa.com/prod...5tjX-l9VM0fR_OlFtxkM

For what I do, it’s fine. It did go back to the factory years ago for an issue. I use it periodically, don’t run every load through. I mostly use it in my back yard, walking up to it for the readings, no biggie.

Like anything, one’s budget factors in.

Any of the ProChronos will do. I think mine is the LTD as well. No complaints and pretty reasonably priced. I use it for arrows too. As far as I know, it'll measure just about anything.

Otto - I have the CE referenced above and have had it for 5+ years with zero issues BUT I do not use it like I used to when I was developing 300 B/O rounds (making sure my loads were sub-sonic).

I will tell you this - If you think you are going to use one a lot, you might want to look at the new Garmin unit. There are a lot of reviews on line about the unit and most are very positive, but the unit will set you back over $400.00. Never have to worry about “shooting” the Garmin because it is not down range like the older models (like mine).

quote:

Originally posted by sigarmsp226:
Otto - I have the CE referenced above and have had it for 5+ years with zero issues BUT I do not use it like I used to when I was developing 300 B/O rounds (making sure my loads were sub-sonic).

I will tell you this - If you think you are going to use one a lot, you might want to look at the new Garmin unit. There are a lot of reviews on line about the unit and most are very positive, but the unit will set you back over $400.00. Never have to worry about “shooting” the Garmin because it is not down range like the older models (like mine).

Sir, sent you an email regarding the 300 BLK jig.

My old RCBS chrono bit the dust (electronics quit).
I purchased the new Garmin chrono about a month ago. $585 at local store.

Highly recommended for someone who would use it developing loads for different rifles/pistols.
For someone who would only use/need one once in a while, the cost would not justify it.

It is easy to use and, as mentioned no chance of it getting shot or needing to adjust screens or going downrange to set it up.

PC

I looked a little recently, that Garmin unit does look nice.

Primary Arms had the CE yall showed for 130$ so I grabbed one. If I wind up using it a lot I’ll look at the Garmin, but I’ll likely use it once or twice for each caliber then shelve it.

I have a Caldwell Ballistic Precision chronograph, it uses a wire connection to my iPad to show and store results. This new model uses blue tooth.

https://www.midwayusa.com/prod...025855351?pid=718063

What are you shooting, and at what distances?

I shoot mostly pistol in the .22 to .45 caliber plus rifles in .22-9mm. Out to around 25 yards for pistol and 200 yards for rifle.

The Garmin can chrono .22lr and .223. I've gotten data from a S&W 617, Glock 44 and M92 with .22 adapter and an AR-15 with 16 inch barrel. I haven't compared the reading with other chronos, but you can see a difference between the 3 pistols as I would expect. I've been told that some radar based chronos have difficulty with .22 projectiles.

The Garmin is supposed to have a minimum distance to target. It varies by projectile. I've had this become an issue once or twice.

There is an annoying positioning screen you have to click through to start recording your sting. If you don't, mine dosen't record. Ask me how I know.

Also, you need to make sure that the pistol or rifle is properly positioned. Otherwise it won't record the shot. Found that out the hard way too.

I haven't cross checked it with a different make of chrono to determine how accurate it is.

Overall I like it.

I already bought the CE, the farming may need to be a later addition if needs warrant.

quote:

Is the newer Garmin the most recommended?

I would say so.
Although I have the Magnetospeed purchased before the Garmin and it may be a bit more accurate, the Garmin is so easy to use and very versatile on multiple of firearms or weapons.
Other similar technology are in the running such as the newly released but untested with time ~ the Caldwell unit and also the newest addition from LabRadar but they seem to have a dismal record with customer service.

https://www.caldwellshooting.c...ciradar/1134904.html


https://mylabradar.com/labradar/


https://magnetospeed.com/collections/chronographs



Good Luck

Even though the original question has been answered, a couple of observations about newer chronographs.

I have the original LabRadar and it was a huge advance in convenience over the Oehler type with its optical sensors and “sky” screens. Once the LabRadar was set up properly, the only failing I found was that it requires some minimum distance of projectile travel to pick up. The Oehler, and I assume similar units, couldn’t be positioned too close because the muzzle blast could affect the readings, and I usually set it at least 10 feet away.

As I assume everyone knows, both the LabRadar and Garmin use Doppler radar. Other than the evident minimum projectile travel distance issue, that’s a huge benefit in some ways: no issues with the overhead lighting causing problems; no need to go down range in front of the firing line to set up the unit; and with the LabRadar, multiple velocity readings at various distances.

The original LabRadar is, however, still more tricky to get set up and use than the Garmin. It requires some sort of “trigger,” which is normally the muzzle blast which can’t be too weak or too intense for proper operation. The aftermarket mechanical recoil triggers that attach to the gun itself were a significant benefit, but are a little fiddly to use so closing a rifle bolt didn’t cause a trigger that required a button push to reset. It also seems to be more picky in its positioning with respect to the muzzle/line of bullet flight.

The original LabRadar is of course much bigger and heavier than the Garmin and really requires some sort of additional support in use. I fabricated a mounting plate with small tripod head that needs to be weighted down with a sandbag.

The Garmin is so convenient to carry and use with no fuss or drama that I keep it with me in a range bag. I haven’t found any projectiles that it won’t track, and I even got the velocities of airsoft and airgun pellets. When turned on in the monitoring mode, the radar tracks continuously and doesn’t require any sort of sensor to provide a velocity result. And although I recommend following the instructions regarding its placement with respect to the gun muzzle, I’ve seen videos of its being placed much farther away than recommended and its still working.

One nit to pick about the Garmin is that when deleting a firing string from its memory, it doesn’t reset the string’s number so when testing different loads in a session, rather than being 1, 2, 3, etc., it’s something like 52, 53, 54, …. There’s some way of resetting everything, but that’s a nuisance. And although I’m obviously in a very small minority these days, I’d prefer if it did not use an internal rechargeable battery. When that dies—as such batteries inevitably do sooner or later—it will probably be after the unit is supported by the factory to allow the battery to be replaced. I don’t know when that will be, but if I outlive the Garmin, I’ll still be able to use the LabRadar.

There are any number of YouTube comparisons of the Garmin to other high end units, and every one I’ve seen shows that the velocity readings are virtually the same. The same cannot be said, however, for some of the cheap—in every sense—optical units. They may be fine for some purposes, but not if we need to calculate what the dope will be for our precision rifle cartridge at 1200 yards. But having one cheap chronograph is like the old adage, “The man with one watch [before quartz movements] knows what time it is; the man with two is never sure.”

Evidently in response the instant success of the Garmin, LabRadar now has a very similar, small unit as well, but I don’t know anything about it or its operation. Both units will probably result in the demise of the original LabRadar, although that one still has some benefits, including being available at a much reduced price from the original cost.

I discussed the Garmin and other chronographs some time ago here:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...400038805#7400038805

Some great comments!

That Caldwell looks pretty interesting.