Armory Sponsor
Posted: 3/17/2012 5:29:34 PM EDT
| I have been wanting to buy a chronograph for quite some time but know very little about the various makes and models available. I am considering buying Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph and would like some feedback before putting out the money. Thanks in advance for your help. |
|
Virtually everyone who has a chrony will eventually shoot it by accident, so you really want the computer out of the line of fire, new screens are cheap, but if you buy a one piece like the one you mentioned, you will probably have to buy a new one. Get a chronograph where the computer sits on the bench out of the line of fire.  |
|
Chrony Alpha Master.
I have it and I never wanted anything more since i have used it. LINK |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
CED M2 I love mine i second this ^^^^^^^^^^ i love mine and it works great. you plug it in to your computer download the data and then you can save it to a spread sheet to keep track of your data. don't know what "M2" is for?? guess I got an old one,still love it. clown |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
CED M2 I love mine i second this ^^^^^^^^^^ i love mine and it works great. you plug it in to your computer download the data and then you can save it to a spread sheet to keep track of your data. The F1 above can be plugged into the computer as well... you can even purchase software that will compute ballistics and such. I have had both the competition electronics and the F1 pro chrony (the blue one). I like the feeling of metal and that I don't have to spend 80$ on a remote for the F1. More compact as well. |
|
I have the ProChrono Digital, and have no complaints about it. It has worked very well.
Pros: Stores 99 shots on 9 strings Saves data if you turn off the chrono, so you can come back and look at it later You can upgrade attachments later and get the indoor light screens, remote read-out, and printer when you have the money I set mine up on a cheap tri pod and it is ready to go Cons: If you are shooting at a range you need to wait for the line to be clear to go out to the chrono and push the button for the next string of data. I shoot 10 shot groups when I am working up a load, and I put each group on it's own string so that I can compare the High, Low, Average, Extreme Spread, and Standard Deviation. To switch to the next string, you have to go push the button if you don't have the remote attachment. It's not a big deal, just a convenience item. I haven't shot mine yet, but I can see how easy it can be. I usually set my chrono up about ten feet in front to help minimize effects of muzzle blast. You have to make a conscious effort to check that the barrel is pointing over the chrono. You can easily set it up so that the sights are over and the barrel is not. That is true for all chronographs. Bottom line: The ProChrono digital is great and should perform well for a long time. |
|
I have a Beta Chrony Master. I did have an issue once where it wouldn't register anything. Sent it back and they fixed it and
recalibrated it for free. They said the cable connector had a piece of dirt in it.  One thing I wouldn't want to get rid of is the remote. Especially if you shoot where others are shooting at the same time. It would not be cool to want to advance the string, or erase a shot and have to get others to stop shooting so you could go press a button on it. I have no experience with any of the others. I'm sure they're great, too. |
|
The ProChrono Digital is a very good choice. I researched it to death and they seemed to have the best general reviews. I would suggest picking up the IR screens for any indoor shooting or other similar lighting situations, they work great. The second add-on is the usb cable / software for a remote laptop connection. That lets you read / save the data real-time on your laptop as you shoot and you can also control the unit from the line. All-in-all I was very pleasantly surprised with the reading accuracy of the ProChrono Digital and if it ever got shot up I would buy the same unit again.
|
|
Honestly, I'm more confused than when I started. The CED M2 has terrible ratings on MidwayUSA and only five users have rated it at all. The Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph and digital remote control have high ratings among many users on the Midway site. The only problem is that I don't have a Laptop to be able to use the digital remote control. Shooting Chrony seems to have a pretty bad reputation, although many users swear by theirs. I honestly was going to buy a Shooting Chrony Beta Master originally but the poor reviews made me question this choice. I don't shoot competition so I really just need a Chrony to determine velocity and to a lesser degree consistency of my rounds.
Two questions I have in setting up a chrony once I finally buy one: What type of holder do you use to setup a target behind the Chrony to not shoot the chrony? Do you need to use diffusers if you are shooting under a shaded canopy? |
|
Get a tripod and one of THESE
I setup the chrono 15ft from the bench (as far as the wire allows) and then with my AR I put my reddot, or irons 1/3 of the way down from the top of the metal rods. I never have to use the sunscreen |
|
Quoted: Honestly, I'm more confused than when I started. The CED M2 has terrible ratings on MidwayUSA and only five users have rated it at all. The Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph and digital remote control have high ratings among many users on the Midway site. The only problem is that I don't have a Laptop to be able to use the digital remote control. Shooting Chrony seems to have a pretty bad reputation, although many users swear by theirs. I honestly was going to buy a Shooting Chrony Beta Master originally but the poor reviews made me question this choice. I don't shoot competition so I really just need a Chrony to determine velocity and to a lesser degree consistency of my rounds. Two questions I have in setting up a chrony once I finally buy one: What type of holder do you use to setup a target behind the Chrony to not shoot the chrony? Do you need to use diffusers if you are shooting under a shaded canopy? I see 29 people have rated it (M2) on Midway with an over all average of 3 stars. I have only had one problem with it, and that was that I blew the speaker out (probably when I was chronoing my 50 bmg). I sent it back and they replaced it for free. I would give it 5 stars. I also have a very old PACT that works great, when it works at all, which goes from 100% of the time to 20%. I see you are in CT, maybe we could meet up sometime and I can show you how it works. |
|
Quoted:
Honestly, I'm more confused than when I started. The CED M2 has terrible ratings on MidwayUSA and only five users have rated it at all. The Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph and digital remote control have high ratings among many users on the Midway site. The only problem is that I don't have a Laptop to be able to use the digital remote control. Shooting Chrony seems to have a pretty bad reputation, although many users swear by theirs. I honestly was going to buy a Shooting Chrony Beta Master originally but the poor reviews made me question this choice. I don't shoot competition so I really just need a Chrony to determine velocity and to a lesser degree consistency of my rounds. This states almost exactly the same thoughts and situation I was in before I bought my ProChronoDigital Two questions I have in setting up a chrony once I finally buy one: What type of holder do you use to setup a target behind the Chrony to not shoot the chrony? He was being funny. You obviously shoot at any target at any distance. The problem is when you only look through the sights and don't notice that the chrony is setup too high. Draw it out on paper and it will make sense. The barrel is pointed right at the chrony. Now draw a line from your sights straight out, and your sights are slightly higher than the barrel and look over top of the chrony. You don't pay attention, think you are clear, pull the trigger, and then crap yourself as the chrony explodes. Do you need to use diffusers if you are shooting under a shaded canopy? Shade can do funny things to a chrony. The key is to have a constant blank back drop. If you are shooting on a clear sunny day, you need to use the sky screens that come with it. If you are shooting on a cloudy/overcast day, you can probably shoot without the sky screens. If you are shooting under a shade tree, the shadows can trigger faulty readings. If you are shooting inside, you need the extra light fot the chrono to read. The way the chrono works is two lenses that point straight up. They pick up light, so when the bullet passes over the front lense it starts a timer and when it passes over the back lense it stops the timer. The computer converts that time to a velocity and displays it for you. If you always use the indoor light screens, you always have a steady light. Sometimes a bullet is not big enough or dark enough to get the chrono to register. If that happens (you will know because it either doesn't read or has errors) you can use a sharpie to darken a line around the bullet before you shoot. If the shade canopy that you mention is bright enough, you may be able to use the chrony without any screens. It will depend on those specific shooting conditions. |
My recommendation goes to the Shooting Chrony line. The F1 works fine, but doesn't record a string of fire unless you get the printer. I've had two F1's, the first one worked awesome and I shot it by accident:
I'm using another F1 now and it records 99.999% of every shot I've put over it, whether in the rain; with the sun directly overhead, at dusk; light filtering through the trees. It doesn't care. It gives you a reading with few, if ever, errors, just like it's supposed to. For $80. My second choice goes to the Pro Chrono digital. It worked pretty decent unless the sun is low or there's shadows crossing the sensors. After a few years of service I shot that one out of frustration due to shadows giving me weird readings. Here's a picture of my CED M2 which I also shot quite deliberately after about 4 months of service: 
That chrono was the biggest piece of junk. I cussed that thing from day one for giving the most unrealistic, error prone, non readings that it could give. Total snake oil. Sure, it has all kinds of wonderful doodads that give you data for shot strings, but it's all a big waste because it literally would not take one error free shot string under the best of conditions. I wish I had read the MidwayUSA reviews and avoided it. |
|
Quoted:
My recommendation goes to the Shooting Chrony line. The F1 works fine, but doesn't record a string of fire unless you get the printer. I've had two F1's, the first one worked awesome and I shot it by accident: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh284/CTone03/OuchChrono.jpg I'm using another F1 now and it records 99.999% of every shot I've put over it, whether in the rain; with the sun directly overhead, at dusk; light filtering through the trees. It doesn't care. It gives you a reading with few, if ever, errors, just like it's supposed to. For $80. My second choice goes to the Pro Chrono digital. It worked pretty decent unless the sun is low or there's shadows crossing the sensors. After a few years of service I shot that one out of frustration due to shadows giving me weird readings. Here's a picture of my CED M2 which I also shot quite deliberately after about 4 months of service: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh284/CTone03/Shooting/2011-02-01202004331.jpg That chrono was the biggest piece of junk. I cussed that thing from day one for giving the most unrealistic, error prone, non readings that it could give. Total snake oil. Sure, it has all kinds of wonderful doodads that give you data for shot strings, but it's all a big waste because it literally would not take one error free shot string under the best of conditions. I wish I had read the MidwayUSA reviews and avoided it. For $20-30 more you can get the Alpha and it does record shot strings. I'm honestly not sure of the details. It might only do 1 string, but its worth the $20-30 more. You can scroll through the shots and it tells you all the info you want. Mine also records in all reasonable conditions and barely gets errors. The only thing is they need to update the instructions to say shoot 10-14" over the sensors, not the advertised 6-8" |
Armory Sponsor
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.