prochrono missing shots?

[overlubed]

i've been shooting with a prochrono digital, which i got a month ago. it seems really accurate - however it also misses shots. i have been shooting around 10am to noonish, and in the later half of my session the chrono is in shade. it's been sunny; no clouds. i set it up about 12' from me.

it misses about 5% to 8% of the shots, which makes it hard to keep track of what rounds i'm measuring, or from which gun. i now try to shoot right in the middle of the V area as defined by the antenna. i can shoot at two targets, right in the middle, by shifting my position slightly.

tried removing the diffuser when chrono was in full shade; miss rate went way up to 14%. guess i will leave diffusers on.

anyway, is 5% to 8% miss rate acceptable? other people seem to claim it does not miss a shot. is that your experience???

just need to know if i can stop tearing my hair out over a few missed shots.

thanks!

[JAFO]

I've experienced some missed shots as well, though not at a regular rate. I seem to recall some moving clouds/shade when I lost some last time.

I even lost an entire string at one point. I think that might have been due to some loose wiring in my unit. Sometimes it won't turn on until I move the battery.

[Sarge]

Tape a no shoot to the top of the rig. Creates a little shade and a totally white background. Only time mine acts up is when the battery gets weak

[Mark R]

Use the shades if yours came equipped with them. Even on sunny days. The shades give a constant background for the sensors to pick up on.

Or like Sarge says...^^^

[overlubed]

thanks, guys. sounds like sarge is saying to tape a large shroud to extend the small stock diffusers??? i actually might try that, but am still trying to figure out if it's normal for the prochrono to have a miss rate of 5% to 8% on sunny mornings.......

i called prochrono, and one thing he suggested was that the angle of the sun could be too extreme for the chrono. i think he meant that the light would be shining in due to the lower angle of sun, thus making diffusers ineffective.

[blaster113]

once in a while I'll get missed shots with mine. probably has to do with the lighting. very happy with my chrono overall considering how cheap it is and accurate its been

[Sarge]

thanks, guys. sounds like sarge is saying to tape a large shroud to extend the small stock diffusers??? i actually might try that, but am still trying to figure out if it's normal for the prochrono to have a miss rate of 5% to 8% on sunny mornings....... Somewhere in the literature it should say that clear blue sky is the worst for chrono accuracy. White puffy clouds as a backdrop are ideal hence the reason I put the noshoot up there.

i called prochrono, and one thing he suggested was that the angle of the sun could be too extreme for the chrono. i think he meant that the light would be shining in due to the lower angle of sun, thus making diffusers ineffective.

Correct, the sun needs to be high overhead for optimum results. If it shines in at an angle in the morning or late afternoon the chrono can be wildly inaccurate.

[overlubed]

thanks, guys. sounds like sarge is saying to tape a large shroud to extend the small stock diffusers??? i actually might try that, but am still trying to figure out if it's normal for the prochrono to have a miss rate of 5% to 8% on sunny mornings....... Somewhere in the literature it should say that clear blue sky is the worst for chrono accuracy. White puffy clouds as a backdrop are ideal hence the reason I put the noshoot up there.

i called prochrono, and one thing he suggested was that the angle of the sun could be too extreme for the chrono. i think he meant that the light would be shining in due to the lower angle of sun, thus making diffusers ineffective.

Correct, the sun needs to be high overhead for optimum results. If it shines in at an angle in the morning or late afternoon the chrono can be wildly inaccurate.

it's always accurate, afaict. it just misses shots...................they aren't counted at all.

[HighCountryStalker]

I would say that is not normal. At least from experience with my ProChrono Digital. I regularly shoot mornings in full sun with no problem. A huge improvement over my last Chrony. I always use the diffusers, sun or shade. As far as tracking different guns or loads take advantage of how easy it is to switch between strings and dedicate a string to each gun or load. It makes the analysis much easier. The other thing I have noticed with mine is how large the area it will read is. No more trying to shoot as close to the sensors as you can get. As long as your lining up the unit correctly it shouldn't miss shots. I've wasted more time with bad or hard to use chrono's but I LOVE my ProChrono.

[Steve RA]

Also, according to the lit, don't use it in the shade of a tree/trees. I guess this is because of the light variation due to leaf movement. Solid shade is OK.

[overlubed]

I would say that is not normal. At least from experience with my ProChrono Digital. I regularly shoot mornings in full sun with no problem. A huge improvement over my last Chrony. I always use the diffusers, sun or shade. As far as tracking different guns or loads take advantage of how easy it is to switch between strings and dedicate a string to each gun or load. It makes the analysis much easier. The other thing I have noticed with mine is how large the area it will read is. No more trying to shoot as close to the sensors as you can get. As long as your lining up the unit correctly it shouldn't miss shots. I've wasted more time with bad or hard to use chrono's but I LOVE my ProChrono.

thanks - yeah, i heard so many good things about the prochrono, i started to wonder when it just seemed flakey enuf to drive me slightly batty. very accurate, afaict, but missing 5%. which ---- might have been normal.... but, not stellar. just called ced, and i am sending my unit in. the guy (who is helpful) said it should get 100% of the shots - i send them straight down the pipe, at 10:30 to noon (i guess ideal time of day), nothing directly above the chrono, and 9mm rounds. he said it should have zero problem with that, and get each shot.

it's really kind of difficult when the miss rate is only 5% or so -------- that's hard to track (for me), hard to explain.... uh, so i do not besmirch the reputation of ced, the unit HAD been hit twice (not by me), but did not seem to suffer much physical damage...... they'll evaluate it.

[Sarge]

the unit HAD been hit twice (not by me), but did not seem to suffer much physical damage...... they'll evaluate it.

some might consider this vital information in trying to help you figure things out. If the unit has been shot I'm sure that has something to do with it not working properly

[overlubed]

the unit HAD been hit twice (not by me), but did not seem to suffer much physical damage...... they'll evaluate it.

some might consider this vital information in trying to help you figure things out. If the unit has been shot I'm sure that has something to do with it not working properly

you certainly might be right. i had thought that since it was a grazing shot, that it wasn't an issue. also, i haven't had the unit long; so had nothing really to compare it to (pre-shot and post-shot performance).

[Steve RA]

I'm sure if I were to be shot twice it would be very difficult to continue @ 95% !!!

[overlubed]

I'm sure if I were to be shot twice it would be very difficult to continue @ 95% !!!

wouldn't it depend on where you were shot???? (don't know how to make the rolling smiley face......) well, i sent it back to ced today, and will see what their verdict is.... i guess the shots certainly may have damaged it, but at the same time the jarring it takes during shipping is no small thing....

[xdnok]

I love my ProChrono, it has been within several fps of what I get at majors this year. So far it has never missed a shot but then again most of the time I use the indoor lighting kit and pretty much enclose the unit with cardboard. I have used it with the standard reflectors and a moderately large cardboard shade tapped to the top with great results as well.

[overlubed]

the saga continues....... i sent my beloved(?) prochrono in for servicing, and they tested it, and it tested fine, and they are sending me another unit. not sure if that means they assume they just couldn't find the glitch, or what......... i hope this unit runs better than the first one seemingly did......... of course, it could always be some ------- i guess error on my part, but i think as far as the unit itself, i was shooting under ideal conditions for the prochrono........

[bowenbuilt]

Instead of the 2 small diffusers that came with mine I use a 3X3' diffuser from a drop ceiling that I purchased at Lowes. Since I started using the large white diffuser I have not had a single issue with mine no matter what time of day as long as you have good daylight. The large plastic panel covers the whole unit and has really made a big difference for mine. I used to have to wait for certain times of day or certain weather conditions to be able to trust the readings but since adding this I can pretty much shoot any time of day and get rock solid results. You can get several different types of these from a diamond texture to smooth white for about $5.00.

[9supercomp]

When I had a Shooting Chrony I had this problem also, after I started marking the nose of the bullet with a black Sharpie the problem was gone, if the bullet is to shinny sometime the start and stop timer will not see the bullet

[overlubed]

glad that worked 4 u --- man, i'm not gonna mark 100 bullets......anyhoo, shooters here and tech help at prochrono don't seem to have that problem.... the tech guy did say that - as i recall - when i asked about a pellet type guy not being able to register his shots that the round, shiny balls might be trouble. a 9mm, tho ------ he felt every one should register, given my daylight conditions, etc.... i expect that sort of performance, i guess, eventually.

[overlubed]

Instead of the 2 small diffusers that came with mine I use a 3X3' diffuser from a drop ceiling that I purchased at Lowes. Since I started using the large white diffuser I have not had a single issue with mine no matter what time of day as long as you have good daylight. The large plastic panel covers the whole unit and has really made a big difference for mine. I used to have to wait for certain times of day or certain weather conditions to be able to trust the readings but since adding this I can pretty much shoot any time of day and get rock solid results. You can get several different types of these from a diamond texture to smooth white for about $5.00.

i am going to try my, i think replaced, prochrono in a week. if it does not register each and every bullet, guess i'll try a bigger diffuster. disappointed that mine so far is not that reliable. they may have replaced the base unit - not sure if they did.........

[overlubed]

i did not know the prochrono was so sensitive to light (or, rather, lack of it). i shoot outdoors in california, and our shooting stands are covered by a small roof. the sun, which is south of us, throws this shadow onto the prochrono. apparently, that's enough to have the unit miss a fair number of shots --- 8% to 20% or so of 9mm and 38 sp. there is exactly one unroofed shooting bay on the range, and in the winter it gets sun until 11am. when i shot there, the prochrono registered 100% of my shots (out of around 40). when i switch to the covered shooting area, the chrono misses a fair number of shots.

btw, i'm careful to keep the chrono under the sky,. to get the chrono, at the covered stations, in sun would require moving it WAY downrage, maybe 5 yards on a 7 yd range..... yup, the sun in december from the south casts a long shadow. however, i had this problem in the fall also, when i got my chrono.........

is this normal???? i'm on my 2nd unit, as ced kindly sent me a replacement for my first (which apparently behaved similarly........) i'm just surprised that i hadn't heard of this before, since my conditions don't seem that extreme.

Edited December 3, 2013 by overlubed

[HighCountryStalker]

I have no experience shooting under cover since I want to be 10-15 ft away from the muzzle for accurate readings anyways. Offhand I would say that what your seeing is normal. Just guessing but I'd think that under cover would give similar results as shooting indoors and would require a light box for accurate results. Under cover is totally different than cloud cover from the perspective of light exposure.

[overlubed]

I have no experience shooting under cover since I want to be 10-15 ft away from the muzzle for accurate readings anyways. Offhand I would say that what your seeing is normal. Just guessing but I'd think that under cover would give similar results as shooting indoors and would require a light box for accurate results. Under cover is totally different than cloud cover from the perspective of light exposure.

not sure what you mean by 'under cover.' the chrono is under the sky, but under the shadow of a roof covering our shooting booths. in the winter, the shadow thrown is very long, as the sun is probably always pretty south of the line of our shooting booths (which probably face east-westish). at this point, i'm going to shoot at 10 am, in the only shooting booth that is uncovered. by 11 or so, a shadow from the roofed booths next to it puts it into shadow............ so, to make a long story short, the only time i can shoot in the winter at my range is 10 am to around 11 (at least using the chrono) and only in one booth (of around 50.) sorry it's so complicated.

[TonyK]

While I have not shot all that much over a buddy's chronograph, I too have had an issue with missed shots. But I don't worry too much about it as I always run about 10 rounds of the same load during test sessions. Missed rounds are just that, no big deal. And had more problems at my last session when it was only about 40 degrees....

And the chrono is set up in a pit of trees too.... No way to get away from them.

As long as it gets accurate data of the rounds that do register I am OK with it. But no one seems to complain about accuracy of the rounds that are measured so I will continue to live with a few missed rounds.