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Precision Rifle Gear Everyone selling their labradars? What’s the latest crave?
- Thread starter hafejd30
- Start date
Damn!
That thing looks awesome!
I have owned the labradar and magnetospeed. Still have the magnetospeed but haven’t kept up on the newest chronographs
The garmin has effectively turned Labradar into the equivalent of a sky screen chronograph from 1995.
It does everything better. I hate calling Labradar outdated junk….but it’s close now.
It does everything better. I hate calling Labradar outdated junk….but it’s close now.
It's a POS compared to the Garmin. Like comparing an Atari to a ps5
Agreed. I was trying not to be so harsh. But yea, I can't even bring myself to sell the labradars we have been using.....doesn't feel right selling something that's basically junk compared to what's available.
I'd rather tell someone to go spend the extra $200 on the Garmin than take $3-400 for these antiques.
Now I really feel the need to try one!
So I shoot my rifle over my Labradar and I get 2850FPS then Shoot my rifle over a Garmin and get 2851FPS.
Wow my shooting skill level has been improved.
Wow my shooting skill level has been improved.
It’s probably better than my ProChrono that I use. LOL
That Labrador can't attach to your rifle and record every shot you take anytime you want. That Labrador doesn't need a recoil trigger to ensure close to 100% of shots being recorded.....etc etc.
It's not about being a better shooter. I'm not a better driver in my 2023 truck than I would be in a model T ford.....
I can literally hear them screaming over at Labradar from my couch. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Maybe at Magnetospeed too, I own one and it's been flawless and they're good peeps. Garmin on the way but I'll keep the Magnetospeed as backup. Maybe.
I tend to keep shit that works until it fails. I figure the Garmin thing will be obsolete by the time my Magnetospeed bites the dust.
huh, the Labradar has been great for me for years - I use an inertial trigger for suppressors and/or noisy ranges . The firmware / app feels a bit simple but it works fine - Aiming it is a bit of a pain but I got a peep site for it that improved that - The Garmin looks great but what does it do above/beyond the Labradar?
Short version: I upgraded from a Labradar to the Garmin mostly because it's tiny, more durable, no fussing with the microphone when I use it with my PCP air rifles, and can read up to 5000fps.
Longer version:
It's much smaller and lighter and can easily be rail mounted, menu navigation is more user friendly, no messing with a somewhat fragile mini USB port for an external battery pack, can read up to 5000fps instead of 4000fps (important for some of us that have zippy .204 and .224 varmint rifles; I kept my Magnetospeed V3 for the >4000fps guns.) Since I shoot a lot of PCP air rifles that are near silent I have to use the external microphone for the Labradar and it has to be very, very close to the muzzle to trigger, so setup is a bit of a pain-- and if you change your shooting position slightly and move the muzzle a little further away from the microphone it won't trigger. With the Garmin you just set it down near the rifle and point it at the target and start shooting, way faster and less fussy on setup.
It's also built much more solidly. I split the case on my Labradar doing load development on a 7 SAUM on a 28F morning a few years ago; the Labradar was all the way back even with the ejection port to be away from the brake, and the muzzle brake was straight ports (not even angled back ports) and the concussion alone split the case around nearly every bolt... oops. You think a company based in Canada would choose a plastic with a bit more durability in the cold. Somehow the little bit of plastic around the one surviving bolt hole kept the unit in one piece and on the tripod. The Labradar folks replaced the case for free, which was nice. Every Labradar I've ever seen get knocked over at the range from muzzle blast or a gust of wind or bumping the tripod had to go back for repairs, either for a damaged case or a damaged mini USB port when it yanked on the cable for the external battery pack in the fall. One user here already had his Garmin take flight off the bench and hit the ground, and no reported damage other than some scuffs.
My Labradar served me well for 7 years and has thousands of shots on it, but it was a bit bulky, sometimes a pain to set up, and had its quirks in the menu system, but overall I was happy with it. Way easier to set up and no concerns with lighting compared to my old optical gate chronograph, and no influence on POI and group size like my Magnetospeed. The Garmin is tiny and much more refined-- exactly what you would expect for something developed and released 7 years after the first consumer level radar chronograph to hit the market. I'm actually rather impressed Labradar has kept producing and selling the same unit for 7 years with no real improvements and it stayed as popular as it has; it took other companies quite a while to start offering competitive products.
If the Labradar folks don't have a seriously improved unit coming out soon, they're probably going to have to substantially drop the price of the current unit to keep selling them.
Yeah, like my MagnetoSpeed but am probably going to dell it and get one of these instead.
My ProChrono went in the trash after I got my FX. Same would be the case if I got the Garmin. I would give my Prochrono away, but it is inaccurate 1995 sky screen technology as mentioned by RIO. I wouldn't knowingly set someone up for that POS experience compared to the FX and Garmin options. LOL
Same here, my MagnetoSpeed V3 is very good at what it does but I put up a For Sale ad at the club yesterday to see if it will sell.
The Garmin looks like what I've been looking for the last couple of years. Every time I look at the Labradar I walk away, the Bulletseeker seems to have issues same with the Andiscan. The FX looks pretty good but is still too similar to the LR for me.
It reminds me of a mini Labradar for some reason. Too big to be little, to little to be big. It does have a couple of features that I like though, such as the BC calculation.
Smaller
Simpler
Possibly (hopefully) more reliable
Better interface
Faster
Larger company with more R&D budget
Better customer service (hopefully)
Lower price
The ONLY thing the Garmin doesn't do is calculate BC downrange. But I'm willing to bet that becomes a feature down the line.
That's why I'm not dumping either of my other 2 chronos. If I had a LR, I'd dump that pile in a heartbeat. I'm so glad I never bought one. I was literally going to buy one this year, but glad I waited.
The range I used to belong to in Idaho had a couple of the Labradars. I wasn't doing any new rifle shooting at the time so I never did check one out but I did watch other guys. Most of them struggled and even the Range Masters would have difficulty. Missing shots, picking up other shots from other shooters...
When I had a new rifle built, I bought this Magnetospeed in a hard case on sale from Midway. It's proven to be very reliable. We tested it against the clubs LR's and they all read real close to the same. Over 10 shot strings, the average velocities were within just a few fps. I think the LR's are real accurate but have some little quirks and are just a PITA, near useless, on a busy range.
This MS has proven reliable on everything down to the 22 shorts. I haven't checked any shot shell velocities and probably won't. I just now had the thought I should check it out on the wife's pellet rifle.
When I had a new rifle built, I bought this Magnetospeed in a hard case on sale from Midway. It's proven to be very reliable. We tested it against the clubs LR's and they all read real close to the same. Over 10 shot strings, the average velocities were within just a few fps. I think the LR's are real accurate but have some little quirks and are just a PITA, near useless, on a busy range.
This MS has proven reliable on everything down to the 22 shorts. I haven't checked any shot shell velocities and probably won't. I just now had the thought I should check it out on the wife's pellet rifle.
I wanted something small and weapon mountable so I tried using the Bulletseeker mach 4 to replace the Labrader. Didn't work. Got a replacement and it also did not work. Long story short that things a $1,000 turd and there are threads on here with people hating it.
Heard about the Andiscan afterwards this year and tried it. Been using it ever since. I don't think it has ever dropped a shot.
Now the Garmin is out and $150 cheaper. It can't be any better then 100% reliable like the Andiscan but if it also proves to be 100% reliable then I would buy it over the Andiscan. No reason to spend more money for the same thing.
Heard about the Andiscan afterwards this year and tried it. Been using it ever since. I don't think it has ever dropped a shot.
Now the Garmin is out and $150 cheaper. It can't be any better then 100% reliable like the Andiscan but if it also proves to be 100% reliable then I would buy it over the Andiscan. No reason to spend more money for the same thing.
Contrary to some, I’ve had great service out of my LR using an external battery and inertia trigger for suppressors. I am looking forward to getting the Garmin I have inbound for the obvious advantages it has to offer in size and setup, but I’ll be keeping the LR for now because it has earned my trust. I quit using the MS3 the day after it arrived (after running them simultaneously for a few strings to make sure the LR gave me the same data). I’m expecting the Garmin to be a big step forward, but I’d never call my LR a pile. It has done its job faithfully (full disclosure, I never even downloaded their app due to bad reviews, so I don’t have that experience).
Everyone I know that's ever owned, or still owns one...Has hated it and says it's plagued with problems since day 1. A guy at the range had one on the bench just a few weeks ago, and was bitching about it missing shots, and it's always running out of battery, and the sheer size of the unit and all the crap yo u have to carry around with it, etc... Plus, the company's attitude of "we know better than you" and won't listen to their customers about upgrading things. That will not bode well for their sales going forward.
I bet you by next year, there will be a LR 2.0 coming out (if they want to stay in business) that's MUCH smaller than the original, since Speedtracker figured out how to stuff all that into a 1.5"x4" tube that bluetooths and runs from your smartphone app, and Garmin figured out how to pack all that same tech into a 3"x 3" unit with a screen on it...
As for that guy at the range, next time I see him, I'll definitely be showing him the Garmin Xero if he hasn't already seen one.
I get it, but that's just not been my experience. I've used mine 2-3x/wk for 7 years now and it has always just...worked. I don't shoot without it because it's just too easy not to. The recoil trigger is a must for suppressed, and the external battery is a must for even general use IMO, but other than that I've not had any problems. The only other guy I know that owns one is also happy with his.Everyone I know that's ever owned, or still owns one...Has hated it and says it's plagued with problems since day 1. A guy at the range had one on the bench just a few weeks ago, and was bitching about it missing shots, and it's always running out of battery, and the sheer size of the unit and all the crap yo u have to carry around with it, etc... Plus, the company's attitude of "we know better than you" and won't listen to their customers about upgrading things. That will not bode well for their sales going forward.
I bet you by next year, there will be a LR 2.0 coming out (if they want to stay in business) that's MUCH smaller than the original, since Speedtracker figured out how to stuff all that into a 1.5"x4" tube that bluetooths and runs from your smartphone app, and Garmin figured out how to pack all that same tech into a 3"x 3" unit with a screen on it...
As for that guy at the range, next time I see him, I'll definitely be showing him the Garmin Xero if he hasn't already seen one.
Still...looking forward to moving to the Garmin for the advantages it has to offer (Gen 3? vs Gen 1 dopplers).
Looks like the Lab Radar is a relic and is done. The MagnetoSpeed is still cheaper than the Garmin so may survive. They also work very well but setup can be cumbersome and there's always the risk of shooting the wand if you're not careful. Waiting to see what warts the Garmin has before I go and sell my MS for one.
I just sold my LabRadar tonight locally. Extremely happy there is a superior replacement.
Those guys sat on their balls for seven years and made zero upgrades to it. They’re going to have to lower the price by $200 to sell any units from now on.
Problems included:
It was giant
You need an external battery pack
The USB port was flimsy and prone to breakage
You need to fuck around with all sorts of triggers to get it to work consistently
You needed to aim it precisely for it to register shots
It was known to be fragile, if tipped over by wind
I had to carry mine around in a giant, pelican case, prevent it from being damaged
The app absolutely sucked and would not maintain a reliable connection to the device
There was a cottage industry of aftermarket workarounds and DIY projects for its deficiencies.
The controls were poorly designed and non-intuitive, leading some guys to tape instructions to the front of the device to remember how to use it
There were long delays between pushing a button, for example for a new series, and getting it to start the new series
I don’t even have a Garmin yet and I was relieved to sell it for $400. I have the Magnet as backup.
Anybody know if the Garmin will operate with a dead battery if plugged into a charging device will it work while it is charging?
Those guys sat on their balls for seven years and made zero upgrades to it. They’re going to have to lower the price by $200 to sell any units from now on.
Problems included:
It was giant
You need an external battery pack
The USB port was flimsy and prone to breakage
You need to fuck around with all sorts of triggers to get it to work consistently
You needed to aim it precisely for it to register shots
It was known to be fragile, if tipped over by wind
I had to carry mine around in a giant, pelican case, prevent it from being damaged
The app absolutely sucked and would not maintain a reliable connection to the device
There was a cottage industry of aftermarket workarounds and DIY projects for its deficiencies.
The controls were poorly designed and non-intuitive, leading some guys to tape instructions to the front of the device to remember how to use it
There were long delays between pushing a button, for example for a new series, and getting it to start the new series
I don’t even have a Garmin yet and I was relieved to sell it for $400. I have the Magnet as backup.
Anybody know if the Garmin will operate with a dead battery if plugged into a charging device will it work while it is charging?
I too have had good service out of my LR and have reams of solid chrono data in spreadsheets as a result.
Yes, it will miss a shot now and again, but I’ve not found it to be a “struggle” to get data.
Yes, it will pick up an adjacent shooter’s shot now and again, but they are super easy to ID and remove from the series.
Am I satisfied with LR….no, I think they have rested on their laurels and not improved their product at all and their app sucks.
I’m getting quite a kick out of watching everybody once again jump on the new thing on its day of release. I definitely feel confident that Garmin is not going to put out a malfunctioning and difficult POS like many have found their BS to be.
But all these people scurrying to find a unit in stock on its release date are indeed early adopters. I do hope this does not become problematic for them as often happens with initial product releases. Again, I’m pretty sure Garmin has far better design and product testing than pretty much any of the smaller companies we buy innovative products from.
I like shooting…I like my gear to be of good quality…but I’m not a gear hound who has to buy the latest item asap.
I will continue to run my LR thru to spring and if the Garmin chrono proves reliable and well designed/manf then I’ll prob buy one and give my LR to a younger cousin.
Early reports about the Garmin are very encouraging…but they are early reports.
Cheers
Hold Your Horses!
I am a long, long time Garmin user. Bike computers, bike cadence, speed, and heart rate sensors; watches; Marine GPS / chart plotters and other navigation equipment. Yes I really like Garmin products. Plus, I find their customer service to be as good as any company I have ever done business.
But NO! Don’t sell your Labradars at least not yet. We long term Garmin users know that Garmin is infamous for letting first year users do their beta testing.
If you really want the new Garmin Chrono, Get one in late 2024 when the bugs are out. Once the bugs are worked out, I think you will find the Garmin a fine piece of equipment, very capable and quite reliable. But 2023, No Way.
I like Garmin, but as my grandfather always instructed me, never purchase an item the first year it is out. He was a wise man.
I am a long, long time Garmin user. Bike computers, bike cadence, speed, and heart rate sensors; watches; Marine GPS / chart plotters and other navigation equipment. Yes I really like Garmin products. Plus, I find their customer service to be as good as any company I have ever done business.
But NO! Don’t sell your Labradars at least not yet. We long term Garmin users know that Garmin is infamous for letting first year users do their beta testing.
If you really want the new Garmin Chrono, Get one in late 2024 when the bugs are out. Once the bugs are worked out, I think you will find the Garmin a fine piece of equipment, very capable and quite reliable. But 2023, No Way.
I like Garmin, but as my grandfather always instructed me, never purchase an item the first year it is out. He was a wise man.
An addition to what I wrote above. My son and I have shared a Labradar for several years now. The new software update on the iPhones isn’t quite the best, but the equipment has not failed us in the slightest. It works as expected and generally a fine piece of equipment. Considering the price, don’t think we will be switching anytime soon. So much better than the old screen and sunlight machines which were so much better than the old, look at the charts and guess.
The Labradar was a game changer for sure. I bought mine likely out of the first batch. Shit, how many years ago was that, 7-8? Cant remember. Mine has been great, and the only accessory I've added is a cheap external battery.
Recently it stopped working, seemingly because of a software corruption. Fixed it by pulling the sd card out. Back in business! What a kick ass device! I dont know of anybody in my circle that had issues with them, and it always appeared that peeps who were having issues that I was able to observe, were improperly settting up the units.
Labradar should be commended for introducing it, this thing killed the shitty optical chronos. On the other hand, they should have updated it. Hell, we should be on V3 or V4 by now.
Mine will go to a needy shooter, all covered in powder fowling, missing its rubber plug cover door, in a well worn case.
Recently it stopped working, seemingly because of a software corruption. Fixed it by pulling the sd card out. Back in business! What a kick ass device! I dont know of anybody in my circle that had issues with them, and it always appeared that peeps who were having issues that I was able to observe, were improperly settting up the units.
Labradar should be commended for introducing it, this thing killed the shitty optical chronos. On the other hand, they should have updated it. Hell, we should be on V3 or V4 by now.
Mine will go to a needy shooter, all covered in powder fowling, missing its rubber plug cover door, in a well worn case.
Depends how you use your chrono. I use mine for all sorts of rifles and pistols from .22 to .357, 9mm, 6.5cm etc.
So the magneto speed will never work for my case. I’m ok with my el cheapo but at some point I’ll upgrade.
I've been using a Caldwell with Bluetooth because it was $100 and it does work.
I never set it up except for initial load development. It's a pain, it will miss the occasional shot unless the lights are on, and there's exactly 1 bench out of 20 at my range with a nice concrete Chrono pad in front of the bench. Everything else is sloped grass and gravel.
At this point I'm waiting for the Garmin to come back in stock, and I may well just shoot the Caldwell off it's stand for entertainment as I'll never set it up again.
