new chronograph

[levi joseph]

Guys I need a little input. I have been reloading for about 20 year and have never owned a chronograph. I just never got around to buying one. I have never been one to really worry about making a bullet go as fast as it could go. as long as they were accurate I called it good. I reloaded mainly to get to shoot more, But people change, So i have gotten me a new chrongraph and was wondering if there is any tricks to getting the best and most consistant possible performance from it. I am expecting to get to use it in the next couple of day for the first time.  it is a shooting chrony f-1 master. All input is welcome

Thanks Levi

[Dusty Miller]

Let me tell you from personal experience that one should read the instruction manual carefully, paying particular attention to the information about how far away from the sensors your gun should be.  Also, they'll tell you how far from the processing unit the gun should be.  Then, be sure to aim carefully, its really embarrassing to call up the manufacturer and ask for replacement parts for the ones you've blown away. :oops:

[longwinters]

Yep, follow the directions or you will blow the sky screens right off the thing   .  I have had good luck with mine, but be prepared to NOT get the velocities that you see some of the reloading manuals and some internet members claim.  It has been a surprise to me and many others.

Long

[Swamp Fox]

I believe SAMMI recomends putting the CENTER of the sensor bar at 15'.
Try to get out on a sunny day as overcast days or late in the evening lighting can cause problems. The sunscreen need to be dirrectly lit.

[Questor]

Glad you asked. Here are my tips to share:
1) Your light source is important. I had problems in winter and early or late during the day because of the position of the sun. Try to take your readings when the sun is reasonably high in the sky.

2) I shot the sensors on my chronograph a couple of times. Once because my scope was radically off and another time because I was firing bullets that were so unstable that they tumbled out of the barrel and went off course immediately.  Avoid such headaches when dealing with new guns and loads by firing a shot at a target first.

3) Put the chronograph 15 feet away, at least. If you're shooting a magnum you don't want to be closer than that because it'll really rattle the chrono. Also, you could get erroneous velocity readings because of a shock wave if you're too close.

4) Use the chrono to check your load performance, not to try to create maximum speed loads. If a reliable manual like Speer says 2500fps and I'm getting about that with my load, then I'm happy. If my reading is significantly faster than the published velocity, then I may have a pressur problem that needs to be addressed.

5) Manuals differ. Lyman velocities are almost useless. Nosler velocities are typically overstated. Speer and Hornady are very close to what you can expect with real guns.

[Patriot_1776]

Swamp Fox wrote:

Try to get out on a sunny day as overcast days or late in the evening lighting can cause problems. The sunscreen need to be dirrectly lit.

Swamp Fox, you brought up an interesting subject and I wanted to comment further on it.

I'm not sure whether their purpose is easily overlooked or not,  so if many of you already know about this, then at least it will serve to help those who are not familiar with chronographs.

Actually those "white arc-shaped-shade-type-things" are called "light diffusers."  The idea behind them is to simulate an overcast environment.  From what I understand, if it is clear and sunny, they are there for the sake of providing a white background.  The reason for that is so the chrony's "eyes" can see the bullet's "shadow" as it passes between the diffusers and the sensors.  When it is overcast (during the daytime of course), the need for them is no longer there.    


-Patriot