I want to buy and inexpensive Chrony, something like the F-1. I only load for a .38, .357 mag, and a .44 mag. I see some Chronys mounted on a tripod. How would you use one at an indoor range? The shooting booth at the range I use has average lighting but not what I would consider bright. Is this going to be a problem? Since I can't set the Chrony up in front of the firing line can it be set up on the table of the shooting booth and then I would just stand towards the back of the booth? I've seen where some people have bought re-conditioned ones for $50, is this another way to go? I just want to eliminate one of the variables in what I reload. I only kill paper and steel targets. I sometimes get to shoot outdoors but only every 6-8 weeks.
questions on a Chrony
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Hi, Carroll:
My Chrony is a dozen years old, so the new ones may be better, but your setup sounds like a tricky one for any chronograph. Setting up on a table is no problem. Lighting might look OK, but a light meter might tell you otherwise. You may need Chrony's lighting kit and a place to plug it in. How far back can you get? I prefer 10 feet and 5 is about minimum. Otherwise muzzle blast can damage the unit or muzzle flash can trigger false readings.
From what I've heard the reconditioned units are OK and they've got a 1 year warranty.
http://chrony.ca/
Bye
Jack
My Chrony is a dozen years old, so the new ones may be better, but your setup sounds like a tricky one for any chronograph. Setting up on a table is no problem. Lighting might look OK, but a light meter might tell you otherwise. You may need Chrony's lighting kit and a place to plug it in. How far back can you get? I prefer 10 feet and 5 is about minimum. Otherwise muzzle blast can damage the unit or muzzle flash can trigger false readings.
From what I've heard the reconditioned units are OK and they've got a 1 year warranty.
http://chrony.ca/
Bye
Jack
My friend had an f-1 chrony that didn't like his
454 Casull shooting over the top of it. He replaced it with
the f-1 master that gets the brains out from under the ballistics and has had excellent results. We've been using it for a 300 WM and a 300 Ultra and have had excellent results with very few errors, and it's nice to have the readout unit up next to you for copying the stats.
I'm about to order an f-1 Master from Midway - I'm sold on it.
454 Casull shooting over the top of it. He replaced it with
the f-1 master that gets the brains out from under the ballistics and has had excellent results. We've been using it for a 300 WM and a 300 Ultra and have had excellent results with very few errors, and it's nice to have the readout unit up next to you for copying the stats.
I'm about to order an f-1 Master from Midway - I'm sold on it.
Jack: At the indoor range I would have the muzzle a maximum of 2-3 feet from the Chrony. I thought that since I saw pictures of them on camera tripods that they had to be 8-10 feet from the gun. Even if I could set it in front of the firing line the lights on shine on the targets at your choice of 25, 50, or 75 feet only and only one distance at a time. From what you say the Chrony would not have enought light to see the bullet. Good thing we have a BBS like this to ask questions before spending our money. I guess I'll have to wait until I have an outdoor place to shoot that is closer to home then driving to my sister's which is 105 miles one way.
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Hi, Gents:
If I had to chronograph at 2-3 feet, I'd try doing it the way the big boys do, and put a blast screen between the muzzle and the Chrony. Sierra #4, page 590 shows a 1/2" sheet of plywood with a small hole for the bullet in place. A foot square piece of plywood and a couple of 1 foot 2X4s should do.
My old Chrony has problems with conicals from the flinter shaking it up. Suprisingly, full snort .30-06 loads don't brother it. It has the old cardboard diffuser stands with a 2" wide by 4" high hole to shoot through. This puts the bullet about 4" over the sensors. The solution is to shoot on an overcast day and shoot over the stands without the diffuser screens. That puts the bullets 9-12" over the sensors. It reads .22 Long Rifles fired that high, so there's no problems with .50 calibre conicals.
Once I was shooting round balls and got the error sign. Checked the chrony and there was a patch sitting on the rear sensor.
I'd like to set an F-1 Master up at 100 yards or more, with a foot square slab of 1" thick steel I've got in front of the sensitive parts, just in case. Reading the velocity at that distance is no problem with the old 6" Newtonian star scope.
Bye
Jack
If I had to chronograph at 2-3 feet, I'd try doing it the way the big boys do, and put a blast screen between the muzzle and the Chrony. Sierra #4, page 590 shows a 1/2" sheet of plywood with a small hole for the bullet in place. A foot square piece of plywood and a couple of 1 foot 2X4s should do.
My old Chrony has problems with conicals from the flinter shaking it up. Suprisingly, full snort .30-06 loads don't brother it. It has the old cardboard diffuser stands with a 2" wide by 4" high hole to shoot through. This puts the bullet about 4" over the sensors. The solution is to shoot on an overcast day and shoot over the stands without the diffuser screens. That puts the bullets 9-12" over the sensors. It reads .22 Long Rifles fired that high, so there's no problems with .50 calibre conicals.
Once I was shooting round balls and got the error sign. Checked the chrony and there was a patch sitting on the rear sensor.
I'd like to set an F-1 Master up at 100 yards or more, with a foot square slab of 1" thick steel I've got in front of the sensitive parts, just in case. Reading the velocity at that distance is no problem with the old 6" Newtonian star scope.
Bye
Jack
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