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V3 or Lab radar
- Thread starter trauma1
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There are many threads on this, but a lot of them may be over on the Scout site. I have both, but only use the LR. The MS causes POI shift as well as changes in group size on my rifles. It is very accurate, however. The LR sets up even quicker, is just as accurate, and doesn't have any influence on the rifle or load. It may be more challenging to use with a suppressor than the MS. It also costs significantly more. That's about it.
If u r having issues with a suppresor, make sure the lab radar is exactly next to the muzzle and the sensitivity set to 1. I've never had an issue when I have had the opportunity to use one.
I'm The I haven't used the LR but the MS works well for me.
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Another important factor is where you will use it.. if you're always on a busy range on Saturday with bubba shooting a muzzle braked 300 win mag next to you, while you're trying to shoot suppressed subsonics with a can, you'll probably have trouble with the LR.. So how/where you plan to use it makes a big difference.
Also, you can adapt the external mic accessory kit for airguns or archery to allow the unit to be kept within reach while you are on the rifle.
JCC makes a good point about busy ranges. I shoot on my own property and don't have to deal with that. I could see where it could be an issue.
I borrowed both and shot over both several times before I made my purchase of the V3. With some extended rail sections, I have been able to avoid having to mount to the barrel so far. Firing several hundred rounds over both in a variety of conditions, I never got a fault with the V3 and I did get a few with the Labradar.
I'm in the Lab Radar camp. I've been taking it to the range with me on the last ten outings. I shoot with it all the time. I have borrowed my buddy's V2 and V3 in the past. Have never owned any chronograph before the LR, so my experience is limited. I bought the LR because of the impact shift of the Magneto. It's nice to use LR all the time and to be able to gather more info. Downside is that it eats a lot of batteries. I use a portable/rechargable lightweight lithium battery(size of a 20 G.I. ar-15 mag). I have a additional foldable solar panel that can plug into battery pack for extended sessions out at private long range forrest spots. I don't shoot around that many people at the range/forrest here in Wyoming. Two thumbs way up on the LR!!!!
I was very worried about this when I got my LR.. but I have not had any issues shooting a suppressed .308 next to guys shooting ridiculous brakes on their 6.5's. Suppressed subsonic might be an issue.. but so far - so good!
Labradar 100%. There's about three different locations to place the labradar depending on what you are shooting, then you will have no issues. Once you got that figured out it's a snap to use. I won't go back. Very valuable tool.
There is a silicon piece that goes between the strap and barrel/suppresor. I like my v3 for portability. I don't shoot with it for accuracy, I get my MV and take it off. I will ad an LR at some point though. I think both are very good tools.
MS V3 comes in a blow-molded plastic case, which can be seen just on the other side of Deersniper's rifle. I don't have mine in front of me, but I'm guessing it's about 12 in. square or thereabouts.
The Labradar does NOT come with a case or a mount. You can purchase a zippered soft case for it separately, and you can purchase a plate-style base mount for it separately, or you can provide your own tripod. If you purchase the soft case, it has velcro straps on the outside to allow you to strap the base plate mount to the outside of the bag and carry the whole system as a single unit. The whole kit is about the same size as the MS V3 case, but a little thicker because of the ball mount on the base plate. That's why I found Tactical Dillhole's comment about the MS V3 being more portable a bit confusing. Packed up, they are about the same size (but the LR kit does weigh more). There is no hard plastic case available like the one for the MS V3. It's kind of a gripe with me because, for what they cost, they could have at least provided a cheap plastic hard case like the MS V3. Those things couldn't cost but a few cents in materials.
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I went through this dilemma about a month ago. I really wanted the Labradar, but most of my shooting for load development is in an underground indoor range.
The FAQ on the Labradar site says: "It may not work if you are shooting in a tunnel or tube as the radar will be reflecting off of those surfaces". That is pretty much an exact description of the range I frequent. I also had two different guys say they couldn't get theirs to work down there. That pretty much sealed it for me.
I really like the MS-v3. It does change the POI a bit (some guns more than others -- I think depending on barrel profile) but I haven't found it to affect grouping yet.
The FAQ on the Labradar site says: "It may not work if you are shooting in a tunnel or tube as the radar will be reflecting off of those surfaces". That is pretty much an exact description of the range I frequent. I also had two different guys say they couldn't get theirs to work down there. That pretty much sealed it for me.
I really like the MS-v3. It does change the POI a bit (some guns more than others -- I think depending on barrel profile) but I haven't found it to affect grouping yet.
Attachments
Labradar by a mile for me. I had some QC issues with my Magnetospeed that made me not trust it, and POI/group size issues to boot. The Labradar is easy to set up, and even with a suppressor can be set to "doppler" mode so it will pick up your bullet more easily. The numbers I get on the Labradar line up with my dope on 5 different rifles, so I'm sure it's highly accurate.
Thank you everyone for your input! The deal is I have a brand new V3 I have not used yet. I got tempted by the trade in offer here. I think I am leaning Lab Radar. I just wonder if Lab Radar is going to learn from all your comments and come up with a Gen 2 by the time I get one.
If you're thinking about the trade up - you'd likely get a lot more money for selling a new V3 here than trading up.
I was was worried about the Gen 2 coming out right after I got mine and the general consensus was that they would be updating the firmware rather than hardware for quite some time.
I was was worried about the Gen 2 coming out right after I got mine and the general consensus was that they would be updating the firmware rather than hardware for quite some time.
I owned a V3 and bought a labradar. Not being able to gather data while doing load development was the main reason I ditched the V3. I can also now set it up while poking around at long range. If I have a shot that's pulled I can look at the labradar and see if it was an Indian or an arrow issue. There is a bit more of a learning curve with the labradar but it's worth it to me. I think most of the labradar issues you read about are operator error.
Has anyone used a Labradar on a multi-lane (maybe from center lanes) indoor range and had success?
I owned both, used them both for a few months and ended up selling the V3 due to the POI shift issues described above. Both of them, showed similar numbers and results and once I learned how to use the Radar, Ive had no problems. (Okay, getting it to register the subsonic Eley ammo on a 22 was a bit of a chore, but it eventually worked great)
I have also used them in an indoor range, right next to other pistols without an issue. Ive also used it right next to another radar. This did cause some initial issues, until we resolved the "channels" used by both were the same. After making the needed change, it worked well.
I especially liked using it for pistols, ironically, on an indoor range as it was otherwise very difficult to measure Powder Factors and set up more traditional equipment.
I have also used them in an indoor range, right next to other pistols without an issue. Ive also used it right next to another radar. This did cause some initial issues, until we resolved the "channels" used by both were the same. After making the needed change, it worked well.
I especially liked using it for pistols, ironically, on an indoor range as it was otherwise very difficult to measure Powder Factors and set up more traditional equipment.
Just to describe the indoor rifle range a bit more where I heard of others not being able to get the Labradar to work:
It's just three lanes wide and has bare concrete on all 4 sides the entire 100 yard length. From floor to ceiling in front of the benches is maybe only 6 feet and probably less than 20 feet across. It's basically a rectangular concrete tube. I can see radar bouncing like crazy off of that. I think if the walls and celling were lined with foam or something, that would help. On wider and shorter indoor pistol ranges, I would expect it to work better.
Maybe the two guys that couldn't get them to work were just not knowledgeable about "tuning" them, but I wasn't going to spend $560 only to find out I can't make it work either.
It's just three lanes wide and has bare concrete on all 4 sides the entire 100 yard length. From floor to ceiling in front of the benches is maybe only 6 feet and probably less than 20 feet across. It's basically a rectangular concrete tube. I can see radar bouncing like crazy off of that. I think if the walls and celling were lined with foam or something, that would help. On wider and shorter indoor pistol ranges, I would expect it to work better.
Maybe the two guys that couldn't get them to work were just not knowledgeable about "tuning" them, but I wasn't going to spend $560 only to find out I can't make it work either.
Get the MS but come up with a way to use it without attaching it to the barrel. Like shown in the pics. That's what I'm doing and couldn't be happier.
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I got my labradar to work in the indoor range to test my target 22 ammo. I ran it in Doppler mode near the ground shooting prone. It took a little time to find the right spot placement and what have ya but it wasn't anything that took more than 10 minutes of playing to figure out. Now it's easy to repeat. The eley and Sk ammo I was shooting measured right close to 1080 fps so I took the numbers as good reads. I was measuring Sd and Es anyhow.
The indoor range I shoot at is 8 lanes wide and 10 meters deep. Ceiling is about 8-10 feet tall.
The indoor range I shoot at is 8 lanes wide and 10 meters deep. Ceiling is about 8-10 feet tall.
Get the MS but come up with a way to use it without attaching it to the barrel. Like shown in the pics. That's what I'm doing and couldn't be happier.
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This is a strong case for V3.
I have a Mcree G10 MLOK.... any suggestions on what would work for me?
This setup, according to magnetospeed manual, MAY cause low signal, reduced velocity accuracy and shot pickup error. it specifically states TOP of alignment tool tangent to bottom of bore.
Im not saying this doesn't work, im just saying it may not work as advertised.
Hard to say for sure. You just need a rail extension to get close to the muzzle. After that you just need to play around with different setups until you find something that works.
As far as how accurate the readings are I have verified dope to 1k with 3 rifles so I'm pretty confident that it works
Sold my V3 and am probably going with a Lab Radar soon.
I hated how arduous it was to adjust the Magnetospeed onto different types of rifles since I love shooting and working up different loads for completely different types of rifles on the same range trip. Different barrel profiles on ARs made the V3 a nightmare for myself.
I hated how arduous it was to adjust the Magnetospeed onto different types of rifles since I love shooting and working up different loads for completely different types of rifles on the same range trip. Different barrel profiles on ARs made the V3 a nightmare for myself.
Yea I was on the range the other day in the wind doing two rifles both with and without a suppressor. The blue smoke rolled out of my mouth while frigging with that strap and doing trial and error with the spacers while dealing with the wind. Between the argumentative strap catch mechanism and the tension nut that just falls off when you are trying to get to its outer range it was just ridiculous. Yep a labradar is in my future for sure.
What is this trade up deal folks are referring to?
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Take a closer look. His gap between the top of the V3 deck and his bore (cleaning rod) is about 3/16"-1/4". If you measure the alignment tool provided (there's not one in his picture above), it is about that size, so he should not have any problem with accuracy of results, IMO. You really don't want the magnetic deck much closer than how he has it. That is how they get shot.
V3 Alignment rod:
https://store.magnetospeed.com/products/v3-alignment-rod
you are probably right, like I said I'm not saying it doesn't work. he says it does so who the hell am I to argue.
No mount. Just 1/4x20 female thread.
My experience has been that standard Arca Swiss plates tend to unscrew from the LR easily as there is no "stop" to stop the unit from twisting. Going to try one of the RRS MPR plates and their acc flange the MPR-C. The flange screws on to the plate and acts as a stop.
My experience has been that standard Arca Swiss plates tend to unscrew from the LR easily as there is no "stop" to stop the unit from twisting. Going to try one of the RRS MPR plates and their acc flange the MPR-C. The flange screws on to the plate and acts as a stop.
Thanks MT. Who has the best Hide price? I have the feeling of wasting shots with my M V3 even though POI is negligible out of my AI. I'd like to do load development and chrono at the same time.
I hear you on the plate. My cheap spotter uses arca Swiss mount and it does not hold secure. Is there a setup that's effective that isn't going to break the bank? I'd like an affordable and low tripod for prone shooting. The bench plate would be easily fabbed w/ 1/8 in plate and stock with a bit of creativity for portability. Would prefer the tripod
I hear you on the plate. My cheap spotter uses arca Swiss mount and it does not hold secure. Is there a setup that's effective that isn't going to break the bank? I'd like an affordable and low tripod for prone shooting. The bench plate would be easily fabbed w/ 1/8 in plate and stock with a bit of creativity for portability. Would prefer the tripod
Call Fred at Bison tactical and tell him your a Hide member. I think I saw he even has a magnetospeed
trade in deal.
RRS plate is $55 plus $10 for the flange. Otherwise take your pick on Arca Swiss plates.
Giant can of worms for the tripod. You need to decide if you want a full size tripod that'll go flat or a small tripod. Didn't go with a LR stand myself as I put the LR on a full suite tripod just in front of the bench or counter. Works well.
As far as prone I haven't decided what will work for me. My full size tripod will go flat just don't like the big thing in the way. Feisol and RRS both make mini tripods that are interesting but I'm not sure about how they will work with the LR or spotter as far as stability and height. Need to play with them.
trade in deal.
RRS plate is $55 plus $10 for the flange. Otherwise take your pick on Arca Swiss plates.
Giant can of worms for the tripod. You need to decide if you want a full size tripod that'll go flat or a small tripod. Didn't go with a LR stand myself as I put the LR on a full suite tripod just in front of the bench or counter. Works well.
As far as prone I haven't decided what will work for me. My full size tripod will go flat just don't like the big thing in the way. Feisol and RRS both make mini tripods that are interesting but I'm not sure about how they will work with the LR or spotter as far as stability and height. Need to play with them.
Thanks! Yep, we sell both the V3 & the Lab Radar. I am running a trade-in program for the V3 towards the Lab Radar, if you want to do that. Give me a call at 303-443-0718 tomorrow if you have any questions!
What kind of battery life are you guys getting out of your LRs? Are you using a USB battery or AAs? I burnt up a set of AAs on my first range trip that didn't last more than two hours range time. I had the unit going to sleep every after every shot fairly quickly. Arm time was fairly short as well.
Just posted by Frank . . .
https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...e®-equipment/6427769-broke-the-labradar-again
https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...e®-equipment/6427769-broke-the-labradar-again
I just bought two that arrived today. Will be utilizing them this weekend to see how they perform.
