Want a Chronograph - Thinking Magnetospeed V3 - Thoughts

[kentuckyMarksman]

So I'm realizing that I need a chronograph, it would be nice to actually have my velocities for ballistics calculations (instead of trusting what's on the ammo box, which will never be correct for my gun), and I'm getting into reloading more, so it would be nice to have the velocities on my hand loads as well. I'm thinking about the Magnetospeed V3 for those uses? Would that be a good, solid choice?

The range I shoot at requires you to shoot at a table, with the muzzle past the forward edge, so a Magnetospeed should work well for that application, since it attaches to the rifle's barrel. I've heard that they give pretty accurate velocities since they are so close to the muzzle. Are there any other chronographs that I should consider instead?

 

[Olen_4504]

i'd go with the V3

great choice used by a lot of people on here.

consider getting a mount like MKM or Wiser makes. this allows you to mount the chrono to your gun instead of strapping it to the barrel.

this eliminates any potential POI shift and harmonic change by hanging something off your barrel. very worth it

neither of those issues mentioned above will effect your MV data. but it's nice to be able to gather MV and zero at the same time as opposed to two different steps

 

[C_R_Slacker]

Pretty much comes down to magnetospeed or lab radar. I have a magnetospeed and it's very reliable and simple to use. My buddy has a lab radar and it's nice if you're using multiple rifles because you don't have to mess with readjusting anything like with the magnetospeed. It's also nice to just be able to shoot like normal and track velocities with zero impact to poi or barrel harmonics.

I wish i had gotten the lab radar for the reasons above, but i am happy with the magnetospeed. Just have to decide if those features are worth the extra cost. Also, lab radar have a reputation for being kinda fragile. Magnetospeed is gonna work unless you shoot it, so that's something else to consider.

 

[WPace21]

They have a discounted version on the magnetospeed website. One of the plug ins doesn't work. Saved $60 going with that one. The other plug in works with no issues

 

[canezach]

This site falls into one of two camps: the MagnetoSpeed or the Labradar, and both sides agree the other is equally accurate. I bought my MagnetoSpeed several years ago and I love it. I shoot suppressed 100% of the time and I like being able to just strap the bayonet down and go to work. The readings from my MS and a friend's Labradar are always within 1 fps of each other. If I were you, those would be the two I would be looking at.

 

[Olen_4504]

Pretty much comes down to magnetospeed or lab radar. I have a magnetospeed and it's very reliable and simple to use. My buddy has a lab radar and it's nice if you're using multiple rifles because you don't have to mess with readjusting anything like with the magnetospeed. It's also nice to just be able to shoot like normal and track velocities with zero impact to poi or barrel harmonics.

I wish i had gotten the lab radar for the reasons above, but i am happy with the magnetospeed. Just have to decide if those features are worth the extra cost. Also, lab radar have a reputation for being kinda fragile. Magnetospeed is gonna work unless you shoot it, so that's something else to consider.

i've shot mine twice now and it still works great haha.

my buddy has shot his and it still works.

at least you know if you do get a bullet strike, it'll still work probably.

 

[kentuckyMarksman]

Ordered a new Magnetospeed V3. Found one for $350 shipped.

 

[Olen_4504]

Ordered a new Magnetospeed V3. Found one for $350 shipped.

good choice.

you won't be disappointed

 

[ShtrRdy]

I really like my Magnetospeed V3. It always works. A lot of guys are getting the LabRadar but I've seem several people at my local gun club having to mess with them to get a good reading.

 

[Steel head]

V3 or sporter.
Can’t go wrong.

I like how compact they are.

You can easily take them on trips to get data or troubleshoot.

 

[Sutherlandsd]

Had both and still own the labradar. Nothing at all wrong with the magnetospeed though

 

[wigwamitus]

I have a v3 and it works great ... WAYYY better than the Caldwell I used to have ... but if I had to do it over again ... I would look hard at the lab radar for reasons mentioned.

 

[sissupr]

Running into the same question. V3 or Lab.

The guys who have/had both, assuming everything is working which one is easier to setup and get going at the range?

Which one is easier to pack up?

Due to the size difference and additional rests/stands needed for Lab, is it pain to haul that with?

Apps, mobile, Bluetooth. Any advantages one over the other?

Screen visibility differences?

Warranty and customer service responsiveness?

 

[spife7980]

Running into the same question. V3 or Lab.

The guys who have/had both, assuming everything is working which one is easier to setup and get going at the range?

Which one is easier to pack up?

Due to the size difference and additional rests/stands needed for Lab, is it pain to haul that with?

Apps, mobile, Bluetooth. Any advantages one over the other?

Screen visibility differences?

Warranty and customer service responsiveness?

I have had both. Both work great. Some times I forget to arm the labradar. Sometimes I forgot to plug in the ms3 display.

The ms3 was a soft case version so it wasnt something I could just throw around carelessly. The labradar is no different there.

I do keep a short 2x4 with some clamps in the back of the truck to mount the labradar to the bench as the bench is too think to attach it to directly. So thats more space taken up. I just throw the labradar on the back seat when I head out though, its mount stays attached full time. Id worry about dropping it and impact damage. I dont think it will get bent stacking stuff on it though. But again I just lay it on the back seat, just like I did with my soft ms3. I shoot with cans only so I never really had to mess with the ms3 set up changing unless I was letting someone else use it. Its sort of a chore to swap spacers but its really no big deal besides a little time.

I dont use the labradars blue tooth much, drains my phone and my phone drops the connection too frequently so I spent half my time messing with it. Easier just to touch a couple buttons in the end for me. I use a power bank I got off amazon for 25 bucks, it will last a couple months of saturday mornings ona charge. I had to change the batteries on the ms3 once in 3 years but I only used it 10% of the time I use the labradar.


Over all I am using the labradar waaaaaay more than I did the ms3. But I shoot by myself on my own place so I dont have to worry about others around setting it off and complicating things.


Both have their downfalls, I find the labradar is more friendly to private locations, the ms3 is more friendly to public venues with others around.

 

[Subwrx300]

I have had both. Both work great. Some times I forget to arm the labradar. Sometimes I forgot to plug in the ms3 display.

The ms3 was a soft case version so it wasnt something I could just throw around carelessly. The labradar is no different there.

I do keep a short 2x4 with some clamps in the back of the truck to mount the labradar to the bench as the bench is too think to attach it to directly. So thats more space taken up. I just throw the labradar on the back seat when I head out though, its mount stays attached full time. Id worry about dropping it and impact damage. I dont think it will get bent stacking stuff on it though. But again I just lay it on the back seat, just like I did with my soft ms3. I shoot with cans only so I never really had to mess with the ms3 set up changing unless I was letting someone else use it. Its sort of a chore to swap spacers but its really no big deal besides a little time.

I dont use the labradars blue tooth much, drains my phone and my phone drops the connection too frequently so I spent half my time messing with it. Easier just to touch a couple buttons in the end for me. I use a power bank I got off amazon for 25 bucks, it will last a couple months of saturday mornings ona charge. I had to change the batteries on the ms3 once in 3 years but I only used it 10% of the time I use the labradar.


Over all I am using the labradar waaaaaay more than I did the ms3. But I shoot by myself on my own place so I dont have to worry about others around setting it off and complicating things.


Both have their downfalls, I find the labradar is more friendly to private locations, the ms3 is more friendly to public venues with others around.

100% this. I've owned both. They are about equal on setup time (once you the VERY stack height correct) but the Labradar is easier to switch between rifles quickly without fuss.

Basically, if you shoot lots of rifles on same day at range OR if you want to Chrono rounds without extra stuff on your rifle, Labradar is the way to go. If those don't matter, get a V3.

The only downside to the Labradar is that it can turn off and restart with heavy muzzle brakes (enough blast to shake batteries inside and drop power). To fix this, you need to run an external USB battery pack. This will virtually eliminate it. The other issue is that at times it can seem picky to get rounds to track and requires playing with position relative to radar.

I've found that shooting prone, it's better to have the radar elevated slightly (3-6" off ground) to reduce ground signal interference. Not a huge issue but you may find issues with certain range layouts, like uphill sloping ranges.

 

[ToddM]

As others have said basically everyone falls into the labradar or magnetospeed camp. I tried the labradar right after they came out thinking it would be easier and more versatile but it really was not the case. It had problems at busy ranges with closely spaced tables picking up others shots (not an issue if you have a range to yourself) or you buy even more stuff like the recoil trigger. It also had problems with 22's until I bought the mic which I also wanted to use with my bow, but it was a failure for that. Talking to lab radar you need a pretty good distance for it to work with a bow, usually with a bow and chrono I'm working in a basement/shop tuning, so it was worthless for that use (not that a magnetospeed would be any better!).

I also sold mine before they added the bluetooth stuff. They seemed very slow to make any advancements/tweeks early on as well. Both work, both have issues depending on your use case. The Magnetospeed is a bit longer setup and is more work to switch between guns, but seems to operate more reliably in environments/calibers once it's setup where the lab radar struggles or needs extra triggers.

 

[Cerwinski]

I love my V3 for many reasons. Not having to call the line cold to line up was the main reason I bought it. I have a hunch though that eventually I will sell it to help fund a Labradar.

 

[vh20]

I have both. I agree with pretty much everything said in this thread so far. I use the LR exclusively now though. I just got a recoil-activated trigger for it from a @wildmanpiet here, and it seems to be the perfect solution for using the LR with a suppressor.

 

[southerngolfer]

+1 for V3. Get your zero, strap on the V3, check your speeds, then go to town!

 

[Nitrosteel]

I really like the lab radar

 

[SnowMan]

Magnetospeed here. Easy to use at public ranges. I just use it to get the velocity, so don't really care about poi changes or barrel harmonics. Velocity is just the end result of everything else, gives you a number to plug into our other toys. But there is always more than one way to get from "A to B".

 

[blbennett1288]

The Magnetospeed V3 is excellent. Only things you have to worry about are keeping the bayonet clean and making sure your batteries are good to go.

I have been using a Magnetospeed V3 for about a year and have been extremely happy with it. I have used it while suppressed, unsuppressed, .223 all the way up to .308 and it has preformed flawlessly.

 

[Cerwinski]

The Magnetospeed V3 is excellent. Only things you have to worry about are keeping the bayonet clean and making sure your batteries are good to go.

I have been using a Magnetospeed V3 for about a year and have been extremely happy with it. I have used it while suppressed, unsuppressed, .223 all the way up to .308 and it has preformed flawlessly.

OK I'm genuinely curious. I have a V3 but all I have ever done with the bayonet is give it a quick wipe down with a rag once in a while. Is there something more I should be doing to it? It is becoming a bit discolored from use...

 

[blbennett1288]

Yeah the discoloration is normal over time.

I only really clean the bayonet if I start getting some suspicious readings or I wont be using it for a while. I clean the bayonet with a light oil to remove any residue and it does a pretty good job.

I also switched from 9V batteries to CR123 batteries and they have been great.