Magneto Speed Chronograph

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Last Post 07 March 2024

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pat i. posted this 29 February 2024

Does anyone have and use one of these things with cast bullets? A couple of months ago I ran an unplanned test to see if my ProChrony was bullet proof.....it wasn't. Need a replacement and thought something like this would survive a little longer. Anyone have experience with it? I read it doesn't work very well with lead bullets but I've read a lot of things that weren't exactly true which is why I'm asking opinions from a group I trust that actually has some time with it.

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MP1886 posted this 29 February 2024

Pat there are reports it may affect accuracy and poi. After all it is attached to the barrel. Although not a chrony, it's a known fact that bayonets that attach to the barrel affect accuracy. If you're just wanting to get velocity readings then it's fine. Why don't your spring for one of the radar type chronies?

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pat i. posted this 29 February 2024

As for the radar chrono the thing holding me back from springing for one is of all things.........money! Especially spending it on something that'll get limited use. I could find a good rifle in 308 for the price of that thing. All I want a chrono for is to find out velocity and even finding that out isn't necessary in the grand scheme of things if the gun is shooting good. After a few shots it could go back in the box and hopefully wouldn't effect anything from there.

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MP1886 posted this 29 February 2024

As for the radar chrono the thing holding me back from springing for one is of all things.........money! Especially spending it on something that'll get limited use. I could find a good rifle in 308 for the price of that thing. All I want a chrono for is to find out velocity and even finding that out isn't necessary n the grand scheme if the gun is shooting good. After a few shots it could go back in the box and hopefully wouldn't effect anything from there.

Pat I should have put money down you were going to say that. That's the same reason I don't have a radar chrony. You do know that Garmin, the GPS company, came ot with a radar chrong that's smaller then the Lab Radar, might be cheaper. I'm been using the chrony from Competition Electronics for more years than I like to admit. You might give them a look over and check prices on the regular gunstuff dealers.

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pat i. posted this 29 February 2024

A little history on my life with chronographs. Bought my first Chrony years ago. Lasted about 2 months before it took a shot out an O3A3 that put it out of commission. Replaced with another Chrony that I killed with a Trapdoor, I couldn't have made a better center shot right into the middle of the screen if I was actually trying. #3 was a ProChrono that had a pretty long lifespan until last year when it committed assisted suicide by jumping up right when I pulled the trigger. I have a Cauldwell now but gave it a pretty fair crease along the top with of all things an air rifle so figure it's only a matter of time for that one too. My choices on chronograph longevity seem to be one I can set up somewhere behind the bench or one that is directly in front of and below the bore line. That's why I'm asking about the MagnetoSpeed. Finding one you can set up behind you and still have it work isn't easy.

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MP1886 posted this 29 February 2024

One or two things I like about the radar chronies is you don't have to shoot over them and the other is they give you lots of data like the BC of the bullet at different distances. That is sort of important for me when doing long range shooting like I did with my 8x57 Mauser I've talked about on here. I didn't have to shoot a lot of ammo up getting zeroed because I had the BC of the bullet and punched into JB calculator and by God it gave me the exact inches I should sight it in at 100 yards for the distance I was shooting, BUT still not worth price to me.

Yeah I've shot a few chronies too Pat, but one of them had rabies!!

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RicinYakima posted this 29 February 2024

Never shot one with a rifle, but shot two with pistols! They were just a dead.

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pat i. posted this 01 March 2024

As far as I'm concerned there's three kinds of people in the world. Those who've shot their chronograph, those that never had one, and those who are too embarrassed to admit to it.

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MP1886 posted this 01 March 2024

They go down pretty easily, doesn't matter whether you're using cast or jacket. They don't go very far after hit.

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Larry Gibson posted this 01 March 2024

Used my Magneto Speed just today. Was at the range setting up and a fellow shooter couldn't get his Chrony to read {bright low Sun] . He was shooting Christianson Arms 6.5 CM with jacketed. I offered the use of the Mageto Speed and he accepted. No problems attaching to barrel. Chronographed every shot with it. Neither the accuracy nor the poi was affected.

It is a spare and I got it by a fluke. Guy using it couldn't get it to work so, in frustration, he threw it into the garbage and left the range. I pulled it out of the garbage and called the manufacturer who said to ship it back. I did and two weeks later a new one arrived. I offered it to the original owner but he said he wanted nothing to do with it so that's how I got it. I leave it in my shooting box for a spare.

I haven't used it with cast yeet as I use my Oehlers all the time. Might have to give it a test.....

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 01 March 2024

from what i have read the new killer garmin is putting a lot of perfectly good magneto speed and labradar on the used market ...

if you just want another chrony target i have one in my stash ... i think is new in box ... i am still waiting for a reason to use it ...\ken

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pat i. posted this 01 March 2024

600 bucks for the Garmin, 500 bucks for the Labradar, 250 for the Magneto. I have a 150 bucks in Cabela points so I think my choice is narrowed to 1. Magneto it is.

Ken if you were offering the Chrony for sale once again I appreciate your offer but I've come to the conclusion that any chronograph more than 1 foot in front of my muzzle has about a 50% chance of living out the day.

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pat i. posted this 01 March 2024

Thanks for reporting the thing actually works Larry.

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Larry Gibson posted this 01 March 2024

The important part to the use of the Magneto Speed I've found is to set the "sensitivity" setting correctly.. When you get one, any questions with its use I'll be glad to help best I can.

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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4and1 posted this 01 March 2024

Labradars are going for as little as 300 bucks now that the Garmin is out.

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2frogs posted this 01 March 2024

Still way to much. Way to much I like my chrony..

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Spindrift posted this 01 March 2024

I've gone through two magnetospeeds. They work well with all kinds of bullets, under all kinds of circumstances.

The cable attachment to the bayonet seems to be a little vulnerable, treat it respectfullly....

I bought a Labradar just before Garmin released their radar. Still struggling a little with the Labradar...

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MP1886 posted this 01 March 2024

I've gone through two magnetospeeds. They work well with all kinds of bullets, under all kinds of circumstances. The cable attachment to the bayonet seems to be a little vulnerable, treat it respectfullly.... I bought a Labradar just before Garmin released their radar. Still struggling a little with the Labradar...

It's too bad you didn't wait a little bit longer. First Garmin came out with a radar chronograph and the reviews on it are great. It's also very small. Apparently Labradar heard about it and they just now came out with a small model very much like the Garmin. All of these are too rich for my blood for the amount of chronographing I do. Just for your and other's information.

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pat i. posted this 01 March 2024

The important part to the use of the Magneto Speed I've found is to set the "sensitivity" setting correctly.. When you get one, any questions with its use I'll be glad to help best I can.

LMG

Thanks Larry. I just picked one up and might take you up on that offer down the road if I run into a snag. I set the sensitivity to "2". Ill start there and see what happens. It is a little thing. I expected it to be bigger. I'll also have to find something to store it in. That little case they give you is mighty tight and flimsy.

Thanks for the heads up on the cable Spindrift. I'll keep an eye on it.

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Tom Acheson posted this 01 March 2024

Interesting topic. I own (3) Chrony's. Each a different generation. I like the newer one with the bench mounted readout the best. The last time I used one was maybe 8-years ago or so. Since then I just guess @ the muzzle velocity. I guess I've devolved into just believing what the targets tell me. Knowing how fast the bullet is moving is interesting but not critical information. Just how many components are you willing to consume to develop the "perfect" velocity, and when you do, then what?

The Garmin @$599 is just way too expensive for me. I'm retired and should be down sizing and not continuing to buy things that do not have a somewhat high level of frequent and valueable use. My kids and grandkids will appreciate that.

Tom

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MP1886 posted this 01 March 2024

Interesting topic. I own (3) Chrony's. Each a different generation. I like the newer one with the bench mounted readout the best. The last time I used one was maybe 8-years ago or so. Since then I just guess @ the muzzle velocity. I guess I've devolved into just believing what the targets tell me. Knowing how fast the bullet is moving is interesting but not critical information. Just how many components are you willing to consume to develop the "perfect" velocity, and when you do, then what?

The Garmin @$599 is just way too expensive for me. I'm retired and should be down sizing and not continuing to buy things that do not have a somewhat high level of frequent and valueable use. My kids and grandkids will appreciate that.

Tom

Tom think about this and no I'm definitely not trying to talk you into buying a chrony, the radar ones are fat too expensive. Anyways say you're trying to perfect a load and you're fiddling with the amount of powder and also different powders, a chrono can help you by telling you the ES and SD of load you're shooting. When that ES gets down to single digits you know you got a very good consistant load. I find myself using my chrono less and less. Too much stuff to haul to the bench too.

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Bud Hyett posted this 01 March 2024

Chronographs are an affectation in my thought. Using a chronograph years ago when I was in Illinois, I found the accurate loads often have a lower extreme spread. However, not all loads with a lower extreme spread are more accurate.

Decided that the money that would have been spent on a chronograph would be better spent on powder, lead and primers for practice. And the decisions from testing of a specific load should be from three ten-shot groups or five five-shot groups, not relying on the attribute of extreme spread..

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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Tom Acheson posted this 01 March 2024

MP,

I own (3) chrony's. After visiting this threard, I went out to the garage to find the box they are stored in and I am throwing the two early versions away.

Back when I messed with the Chrony's, the fastest loads were never the most accurate. Back in the early 80's our gun club had a chrongraph you could borrow, by leaving your drivers license with the manager. There was a member who insisted that he never hung up a target. He told me that he just shot varying loads over the two screens until the best stats were seen. That then was the load that accuracy was examined for. I actually tried the same stunt....absolute failure! Not sure if he ever did what he said he did.

I do know that my black powder loads ina Model 74 Sharps produce the best accuracy when the Sd is low, less than 10. But it's been quite a few years since I looked @ chrono stats.

Tom

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pat i. posted this 01 March 2024

I couldn't agree more that a chronograph is nothing but an expensive toy but with all the expensive toys I have to shoot cast bullets what's one more and in actuality its one of the cheaper ones. Plus it gives people the impression you really know what you're doing when you whip it out the range.......the chronograph that is.

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MP1886 posted this 01 March 2024

No matter what the product is, in this case the Magetospeed chrono, I'll contact the company that makes such product rather then someone on a forum that has no affliation with them.

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pat i. posted this 01 March 2024

No matter what the product is, in this case the Magetospeed chrono, I'll contact the company that makes such product rather then someone on a forum that has no affliation with them.

poker.

? I don't get that one

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Spindrift posted this 02 March 2024

Pat i: I believe that tight and flimsy case for the Magnetospeed is the reason why I've broken two over some years. I suggest you store it in a larger case of some sort, that doesn't strain the cable connection to the bayonet.