Chronograph question

[bsmith]

Don't have a chrony yet but I have a couple of questions regarding their use: how far can they be from the muzzle and still be accurate/useful? The public range where I shoot has long (at least 18 feet) steel "tubes" you have to shoot through, in order to keep folks from spraying bullets everywhere. The other range has the bench area elevated 5 or 6 feet to give a better angle into the backstops for the same reason. I don't have a tripod that extends that high to reach from the ground to level with the bench top. Probably wouldn't be all that steady anyway.

Can a chrony be placed 20 feet from the muzzle and still be useful? Will shooting through a 20 foot long 20 inch steel tube have an adverse affect on the readings?

 

[Guest]

In reality, you're going to have to place the chronograph at least 12-15' from the muzzle to avoid muzzle blast, anyway, so 20' will be fine., just as long as you are sure you aren't going to shoot the chrono. I use a laser boresighter and a paper plate to double check prior to shooting. Just remember to remove the boresighter! Your readings will be a smidge lower than those taken at 12', but not substantially lower. There are equations you can use to 'back figure' actual muzzle velocity, but I've never used them, even measuring at 15' where I shoot, because that's the best spot. As for the high bench, you might consider whether or not you want to make a stand for your tripod, or some kind of stand for your skyscreens (or for the chrono if you buy a one piece unit) out of something like PVC or some such to elevate it to a position where it's usable. The chronograph will read at any distance, as long as the light is good, and the bullet passes over the sensors. I am working on getting velocity data from the 100yd target so I can figure my real BC's for what I am shooting, but that's another story entirely, and really takes two chronos.

What models are you considering?

 

[bsmith]

Thanks Dubyam, I'm looking at the Shooting Chrony Beta Master ($115 at MidWayUSA) and the PACT Model 1 XP with M6 IR system. The Shooting chrony has an 18 ft cord, not sure on the Pact.

A heavy duty moveable chronograph stand might be a nice addition to the club and would help with my mandatory work hours.

 

[Guest]

I can speak for both the Beta Master Chrony and the PACT system, as I own a BMC, as well as a PACT Professional. I really use the BMC more, since it is so portable and easy to deal with. I think the cord is just a standard twisted pair setup with modular jacks. Check with Chrony about this, but I suspect you could buy a longer cord (30' ought to do the trick) and use it instead of the standard cord. Check it out first, before you buy, because I may be wrong. I love the PACT, but the professional I have started having printer problems, and I need to send it in, and then I won a BMC, so I haven't gotten around to sending in the PACT. I'd be curious as to what Chrony says about the cord length issue. Good luck with the purchase.

As far as the stand, if you are in a club where it could be stored somewhere, it would be easy to construct something out of pvc that would hold the weight of either the chronograph or skyscreens, depending on the model. You might even be able to set up two 'boards' that would just pin into the pvc with quick clip style pins, and set one up for PACT's mounting bracket (if anyone owns a PACT at your club) and the other for the Chrony, and then no tripod would be required. Might be easier just to build a lightweight stand for the tripod and let everyone bring their own, however.

 

[JD338]

dubyam

Good thinking!

I have an Ohler 35. My screens are on a tripod.

JD338

 

[CZ]

I HAVE THE OEHLER 3 SCREN UNIT-VERY ACCURATE AND NICE BUT TAKES A LIL TIME TO SET UP -ALL INFO PRINTED AND WHEN YOU FINISH A LIL TIME TO DISMOUNT ALL THE STUFF.
PRACTICAL MY BETA CHRONY WITH REMOTE UNIT AND MY PRO-CHRONO UNIT, THE ONE I LIKE BEST DE PRO-CHRONO UNIT- CAN BE SET UP IN A SECOND-LARGE NUMBERS CAN BE READ 20FEET AWAY WITH GOOD EYES NAD STORES AL INFO IF REQUIRED- VERY VERY PRACTICAL.
THE ONE I MOST USED PRO CHRONO FROM COMETITION ELECTRONICS.
AND YES 18FEET IS A GOOD DISTANCE FOR READINGS IN HIGH POWER RIFLES-I CHANGE THE DISTANNCE IN PISTOLS AND SHOTGUNS.

 

[CZ]

BY THE WAY NO MORE OEHLERP35 ONLY USED I THINK.

 

[Ol` Joe]

BY THE WAY NO MORE OEHLERP35 ONLY USED I THINK.

Yep, Oehler has left the hobby reloader chrono market from what I`ve heard. The Shooting Croney is a good idea for what you want, plus they are cheap. The unit can be set at any distance from the bench with no wires to worry about. The read out is large enough one should be able to read it at 20 ft with no trouble. Actually since the unit is in the basic line of sight one could read it with his scope out a long way from the bench, I wouldn`t doubt reading at 100 yds with a 6-7X scope would be a breeze if the sunlight doesn`t wash out the screen.

 

[JD338]

Oehler will support existing units but they no longer sell the 35.

JD338

 

[wldcttr6.5]

CZ, if you're interested in selling your Oehler 35 e-mail me as I'm looking for one. I have a 43 PBL but often need a simpler setup chrono for load development.