Chronograph - which one?

[blpenn66502]

Sorry if this is archived somewhere but I couldn't find it.

I've decided I want to move to the next level of reloading/handloading so I'm looking at buying a chronograph.

I'm aware of about five different brands;  Chrony, Pact, RCBS, CED and Oehler.

What features are worth having and what features aren't really useful and just gimmicks?

I'm looking to spend under $200 to get completely set up.

Thanks,
Brian

[victorcharlie]

I just bought mine last week and I got the Shooting Chrony Beta master.  Not a lot of fluff, but stores 6, ten shot strings, storing velocity for each shot and giving low, high, average, extreme spread, and standard deviation for each string.  The master series has a remote display/control panel that's attached via a hard line (looks like a phone cable).

I hear the PACT's are really nice, but the price is what sold me on the shooting chrony.....

There again, I haven't had mine long enough to be much help, but so far so good.  I've used it 3 times in the last week.

[PaulS]

I have used the Pact model 1 for the last 25 years with no problems at all. It is an excellent unit and you don't shoot at the processor.
More shooting Chrony's have been killed by their owners than any other chronograph. It seems to be a rite of passage with them. the Pact units are a tiny bit more expensive but well worth the extra.

[Lloyd Smale]

My first two chronographs were cronys and they never impressed me. Way to many false readings and both went back to the factory at least once for repair. I recently bought a pact and it seems to run better but i havent really had it long enough to give a real evaluation

[Cottonwood]

I like my new Chrony F1, just remember to shoot 6" above the hardline.  When I set mine up the other day, I set it lower than my shooting table where the brass connectors are risers.  I also use a double thick cover for the LED face plate to protect it in case a gas check were to hit the face.

[Blackhawk44]

My factory refurb Chrony F-1 is now seven years old and has been reliable and problem free.  It has been more reliable than my early Oehler.  A good many problems can be avoided with proper set up and reasonable caution.  Reading instructions before use also comes in quite handy. 

[Old Syko]

As I understand it Oehler no longer sells to the general public.  The one I had since 1983 and paid major$ for was in need of repair about a year ago and I was quoted a price that made it not worth while considering what I could buy a chrony for these days which is what I did.  The $80 chrony does everything the expensive Oehler did and more consistently.  

Any false readings I've gotten were always caused by not having enough distance between the muzzle and the processor or by improper lighting.  I'm well pleased with the chrony and for the money if something goes haywire I'll not feel bad about replacing it.

[calvon]

I use the cheapest Chrony, have had it about five years, and I'm happy with it. Bought a refurb for about fifty dollars. It does nothing except give you the velocity of the most recent shot. No fancy arithmetic. I use a simple spreadsheet for that, one that calculates mean, spread, and standard deviation. The shade support rods are about ten inches long. Wrap a piece of black plastic tape around the midpoint of each. A dab of paint would do as well. Then, when you use it, be sure that your line of sight is above the marks. Good insurance against killing your Chrony.

[BruceP]

I have an old Oehler 33 that I bought used several years ago. I have never used a Crony and have not kept up on their new models. I only know of the older one piece units that they made/make. Faster to set up I'm sure but one thing to remember is no matter how careful you are trying to be you just might put a bullet through the unit or the screen of a multi-piece unit. (Don't ask how I know or why I have the newer skyscreen III's with my old model 33.) A screen would be easier to replace than a whole unit.

Bruce

P.S. (added due to calvon posting while I was typing)
Most of the newer units do allow higher shooting over the unit than the old screens I had (and shot) That is why I replace both screens with the new ones and not just the one I shot.
That will help, but an errant shot is still possible

[quickdtoo]

I've had an F-1 Master Shooting Chrony for about 3yrs, it works perfect, the remote display works great, nice to have that feature at your finger tips instead of down range!!  The only thing a didn't like about it was the 3-pc screens, but a little superglue applied strategically solved that problem permanently!! 

Replace the metal rods of the Shooting Chronys with wood dowels, then if you clip one, you won't destroy the chrony, just the dowel. 

Tim

[Savage]

My first was a Beta Chrony. It was a bit temperamental and gave a lot of false readings. I bought a Pact chrono and timer about 4 yrs ago. I wish I had bought the Pact first. Gave the Chrony to a friend with more patience than me.
Savage

[Lloyd Smale]

dont get me wrong. I think the chrony is a good unit  for the money and what it did do was allow even a casual reloader the ability to own an inexpensive chronograph which is something i think any handloader should have. I just go tired of all the idiosyncracys of my chronys, especially the first one that was so crappy i tossed it in the junk pile. the second worked good enough that i gave it to a  buddy when i bought the pact. Which by the way seems to be a dammed good chronograph. We checked it against my buddys Ohler the other day and its spot on and it ran so good he wants one now. Like was posted earier he sent his in for repairs and got a bill that would have paid for a new pact and he said next time his needs work its going in the junk pile and hes buying one like mine.

[gypsyman]

I'm with Quickdtoo. F-1 Master with the remote screen. Makes it easy to read the screen. Good idea on the wooden dowel rods. Will do that before the next trip to the range.  gypsyman

[AtlLaw]

I'm with Quickdtoo. F-1 Master with the remote screen.

+1

Good idea on the wooden dowel rods. Will do that before the next trip to the range.

+1  Why haven't I thought of that!     I've never touched my Chrony with a bullet, but ya never know...  I've been so satisfied with mine over the years I've never felt the need for a different/more expensive 'graph.

[beemanbeme]

My Chrony is so old that it has the cardboard sky screens.  When I first got it, I sat down and traced out replacement screens on some shirt boards in case I ever shot them.  Knock on wood, I've still got them and the Chrony is still ticking.  I've proofed it with target grade .22 ammo and by shooting my home rolled ammo thru more expensive chrono's. The results were close enough to satisfy my sloppy standards. 
Bad mouth them all you want to but the fact remains that without Chrony, Oehlers and Pacts would still be priced out of reach of the general shooting public.  When Chrony came out with their first $100 model (which is what I've got), Oehler and Pact suddenly decided they could start charging less than half of what they had been.  

[blpenn66502]

Thanks for all the input.  I was strongly biased against the Shooting Chrony line initially but decided to go with an Alpha Master.  I would have gone with the F-1 Master but Midsouth doesn't carry it and since they now finally have their Varmint Nighmare packs back in stock, I figured I'd make a comprehensive order with them.  Thanks again.

[beemanbeme]

Can't you order direct from Chrony?  I've read that some folks have taken advantage of their refurb deals and are pretty satisfied. 

[blpenn66502]

They do offer direct ordering, however, they only showed one refurbished unit available, an Alpha for $64, but it looked like in order to get the remote Master style display I wanted, it would have put the price above the new one from Midsouth.  If I had just wanted an Alpha, their refurb would have saved me almost $20 and I would have jumped on that. 

[buck460XVR]

anyone used the COMP ELECT PROCHRONO DIGITAL CHRONOGRAPH yet? Everything I have heard/read about it is pretty positive for the price and ease of use.

[lakota]

anyone used the COMP ELECT PROCHRONO DIGITAL CHRONOGRAPH yet? Everything I have heard/read about it is pretty positive for the price and ease of use.

I just got one. Havent got a chance to use it yet. I did set it up in the back yard and shoot rubber bands accross it's sensors. It picked every one up and was very easy to use. I'll post back after I use it for real!

[oneshotonekill]

I just bought mine last week and I got the Shooting Chrony Beta master.  Not a lot of fluff, but stores 6, ten shot strings, storing velocity for each shot and giving low, high, average, extreme spread, and standard deviation for each string.  The master series has a remote display/control panel that's attached via a hard line (looks like a phone cable).

I have the same one and get error messages on about 4 out of 10 shots in a string.  I can't keep it running right long enough to get a complete string in.  I wonder how accurate it is as well because some of the readings I got from it seemed way off. 

[Chris Potts]

I like my new Chrony F1, just remember to shoot 6" above the hardline.  When I set mine up the other day, I set it lower than my shooting table where the brass connectors are risers.  I also use a double thick cover for the LED face plate to protect it in case a gas check were to hit the face.

I've had two of the competition electronics prochrono's.  The second one has a piece of lexan in front of the screen.  I was happy with the performance of both, but a gascheck can crack the screen.

Chris

[wncchester]

Get the PACT with the built-in printer and ballistics computer.  About $200 from Cablela's.