Range Report alternative to a chrony chronograph

[bubbapug1]

Any suggestions for an alternative to a chrony chronograph?

My unit works, but the sight window is so small I have hit a post once, and a diffuser once. Trying to shoot a scoped gun through the area at 16x is at times a little tough.

Parts are also extremally expensive, and shipping at $9.00 an order for less than an ounce gets a bit old fast.

Are there any units with a bigger window I could shot through?

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Here's a trick. Replace the straight rods with wire hoops (coat hangar wire will work), and use one layer of white masking tape for a diffuser. You want the diffusers to be translucent. Clear or opaque is not effective. The bullet height above the sensor gets critical if it gets too high, but otherwise, you should be free to open up that window quite a bit.

With the bolt out and the rifle ontarget on the bags, etc., go forward and check the bore line relative to the window. Adjust the Chrony as required.

Never spend money until you run out of ideas first.

Greg

 

[bubbapug1]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

When I hit the rod yesterday getting load data on my LMT MWS I also cracked a lens. Its a cheap 5 cent piece of plastic, but as always with chrony its $10.00 for the part and another $9.00 for shipping. The stamp costs $1.90...the envelope is another $0.25...So far with two hits its been $40.00.

I am so over this company.....and its outragous spare parts prices.

I am using wooden sticks and white paper from here out on...if I can't sell this unit when I put in the new lenses.

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

I understand you're upset and angry because your chrony is broken, but let's be realistic...it's not the company's fault that you shot it. My solution to the problem you described has been two-fold. First and foremost, I aim carefully and don't shoot the chrony (LOL). What also helps is that I always use the outside (widest) set of holes for the lower rods. I wrapped two pieces of black electrical tape around each of the lower rods to mark the optimal upper/lower bullet distance above the window as listed in the booklet (I think it's 4-6", but I'm not at home so that might be wrong). Even with a 3.5-15x50 set on 15X, I can still easily see the two black pieces of tape when the chrony is 10' away. That allows me to set the correct elevation of the unit quite easily. Just remember to take into account the height of the scope above the bore. As far as windage goes, I can't really help with that except to reiterate, don't shoot the chrony, and it will work just fine. Good luck with it and I hope you get things worked out.

 

[bubbapug1]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Its not the companies fault I shot it. I agree 100%. Its the $8.95 for postage thats got me a bit torqued. Hitting the chrony is not that hard to do. I was at a public range with no RO and my testing was going well until I had some folks bothering me to run the cease fires and help them scope in thier gun. I got a bit out of rythme and it went downhill from there. Just become a more expensive trip that I would have liked.

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

I'll try to get (post) a decent pic of how mine is setup using the tape and all when I get home later. Maybe it'll give you an idea of how to rig yours in a way less likely to get hit. With the tape, the elevation part is pretty simple, but even the windage dimension is pretty easy to spot if you're getting too close to the rods.

My target boards are 2'x4', and I usually set up two, side by side. With the chrony properly centered, I can easily aim at one target from one side to the other without putting the rods in harm's way. I usually have to adjust the tripod slightly to get on the other target, although sometimes shifting the rifle right or left on the bench is enough to allow me to cover the 2nd target board.

I know what you mean about the $$$. You have this one teeny little part that probably cost all of 3 cents to manufacture, and by the time it's all said and done, it costs you $10, $20, or even more, to replace it. Anyhow, sorry about your mishap...now that the thought of hitting the chrony is in my mind, I'll probably drill mine by accident next time I go out, so I may need to hit you up for the address/price list, etc. (LOL).

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Here's what I did with my Shooting Chrony to reduce the possibility that I'd shoot it:

I replaced the wire rods with wooden dowels and swapped a translucent fluorescent light diffuser for the two OE diffusers. And I put color-coded electrical tape on the dowels to let me know when my POA is within the sensor's window. Red means "Careful, pardner," green means "GTG" and yellow means "fuggedaboudit." Depending on the scope, I might have to back down the magnification to make the stripes on the dowels visible.

If you do this, remember to measure the distance for the stripes <span style="font-style: italic">vertically</span> above the sensor, not diagonally along the dowel. My red line is the same height above the chrono as the HOB on my rifle with the tallest scope mount so I know if I keep my horizontal crosshair above that line with any of my rifles (and the chrono is level), I will not shoot the chrono.

If you happen to shoot a wooden dowel, I suspect it would snap without knocking the whole rig over. Then the repair would be as close as your nearest Home Depot.

 

[bubbapug1]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

I am a little in awe of the response and the help. I think I will build some wooden posts, use regular notebook paper as a diffuser, and deal with the issues. I have never shot the chrony itself, just the diffusers and the rods. Of course, now that I said it, I will probably hit it with my 50 bmg ma duece next time out!!

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Sabots, shotgun wads, and gas checks are a no-no with the crony.

One approach is 'up-armor' the Chrony's face panel with a thick plate of plexiglass. Not bulletproof, but it will save a Chrony from lesser insults.

Greg

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Fred,

That is a great setup, thanks for posting the pic! My setup with the original rods and tape is quite similar, but I really like your idea of the single piece wooden dowels/light diffuser panel. I ended up putting a short piece of Tygon clear plastic/rubber tubing over the joints between the rod sections, because the bent/curved diffuser panels that came with the chrony have a tendency to pop the upper rod out of the joint with the lower. Great idea! I'm thinking a trip to Lowes is in order after work today!

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: gstaylorg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Fred,

That is a great setup, thanks for posting the pic! My setup with the original rods and tape is quite similar, but I really like your idea of the single piece wooden dowels/light diffuser panel. I ended up putting a short piece of Tygon clear plastic/rubber tubing over the joints between the rod sections, because the bent/curved diffuser panels that came with the chrony have a tendency to pop the upper rod out of the joint with the lower. Great idea! I'm thinking a trip to Lowes is in order after work today! </div></div>
Glad to do it. The fussiness of the metal rods and the 3-piece diffuser screens was my primary motivation for the modification.

I've got a CED M2 as my primary chono and keep the SC as a backup but I've dressed up the CED diffuser supports dressed up the same way.

Something else you could do is stick a laser boresighter in the rifle, aim it at the bulls-eye and then align your chrono off the laser spot. But I'm too fussy about sticking stuff in my muzzle and the laser bore sighters for the breech end are pretty spendy.

I do most of my range time at public ranges where, of course, you can't touch a firearm while the range is cold. So I carry a 3' piece of 1/2" ID PVC tubing in my range bag as a surrogate rifle barrel. If the range is cold, I put the tube on my sandbags and sight down it to the target. Then I put a AAA flashlight inside the tube (being careful not to disturb its alignment), then step in front of the bench to set up my chrono. Eventually I hope to find a suitable laser pen to substitute for the flashlight.

I also carry a flex-neck AAA flashlight like the one below in my possibles box. When circumstances allow me to use my rifle instead of the PVC tube, I sometimes stick the head of the flashlight in the breech of my rifle to help with positioning the chrono.

Using the chrono at a public range is a PITA because the RSOs and other shooters get real damn impatient with you tinkering with the setup so I'm always looking for methods to speed up the process and make it less error-prone.

 

[Rock-N-Ruin]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Ya, don't shoot the Chrony!! lol....
Ya'll should like this pic.

circa 1998 probably the second time I ever used it, if I remember correctly it was about a $40.00 mistake "Scope height over bore" ?? Ya, I Misjudged that one. I had forgotten about this pic until I saw this thread.. Good info. I like the idea of red, yellow, and green tape.. I think I'll mod mine w/dowels etc. also, thanks, J.

 

[Chanonry]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Good shot. I have amatching one on green, drilled a neat 308 sized hole in the electronics. Lesson learned and not to be repeated.

Welcome to the club.

There are two kinds of shooter- those that have shot their chrony and those that are waiting to shoot their chrony

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chanonry</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Good shot. I have amatching one on green, drilled a neat 308 sized hole in the electronics. Lesson learned and not to be repeated.

Welcome to the club.

There are two kinds of shooter- those that have shot their chrony and those that are waiting to shoot their chrony </div></div>
I figure if the damn thing doesn't want to get shot, it shouldn't be standing downrange!

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Rock-N-Ruin,

I believe Hide Rules are that it must be 5 shots to count as a group (LOL). The more I read this thread, the more I'm reminded (with regard to my chrony) of the gloom and doom TV programs about asteroid strikes, earthquakes, and supervolcanoes, "It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN".

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

Just got back from the range. The fella next to me creased his chrony with a 300 Winmag, I kid you not. Fortunately it just knocked it off the stand he sat it on, but didn't destroy it. It still worked fine. I wisely left mine at home. This thread is cursed I tell you!

 

[pyplynr]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

oh damn! I just ordered a new one. Now I'm cursed even before I got it.

 

[Leaddog]

Re: alternative to a chrony chronograph

The best alternative to a chrony is an Oehler 35P. None better. Buy once, cry once.