PistolPete Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Looking at buying an iPhone shot timer to mess around with but was curious if anyone used one before and if you recommend one? How did it work or did it even work? Thanks, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbarrym Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 I've used the SureFire free app in the past on my iPhone 2 and 4S. Worked OK in a quiet setting, but not at the range...the microphone doesn't seem sensitive enough to pick up my shots against the background noise (with the phone sitting on a table next to me, or on my belt/in shirt pocket), even after playing around with the sensitivity control. It was very helpful when practicing with airsoft guns in the garage, but again the location of the phone was critical. I messed around with using a remote cabled microphone (from a old style cabled mic clipped on to my wrist), but the short length of the cable was an ongoing challenge. I ended up buying a CED4000, but the iPhone was a decent start for essentially zero cost. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchinCamaro Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 (edited) I use an old Iphone 3g on airplane mode with the Surefire app for outdoor shooting and dry-fire. With a little tuning of the settings, it works great for the price! Outdoors I have it mounted on my belt in an old 4-stack shotgun shell caddy, microphone up (upside down). I'll calibrate it twice: go to options, calibrate, and it will listen for shots for 10 seconds or so. I'll shoot 2 or 3 rounds, it will let you know what the dB threshold is for the shots it recorded. Then I'll do it again to see if the second results have the same or similar reading. If I'm shooting and the results are inconsistent, then you can go up or down a little based on those 2 dB readings and get a pretty reliable setup- takes 2 minutes. For Indoors dry-fire I set the sensitivity really high and set the Iphone on a stack of cans or books or something on a tabletop or ladder. I get it elevated to the height the pistol is when the trigger breaks, so basically the phone is 4-6 inches away from the mic at the end of the draw. Otherwise the sound of the pistol coming out of the holster will register as a false shot. Turning down the sensitivity and keeping it closer to your body will prevent it from picking up the dry fire. If you can get a 3g for close to free as a hand-me down, it's not a bad budget piece of gear. Add a ballistics calc for long range stuff and the fact you can check the weather, then it becomes a very useful one. Edited April 6, 2014 by BitchinCamaro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 yeah I used surefire on a iphone 4S. It was ok. Again, spent a min or two playing with calibration and sensitivity and then it worked fine. This was shooting IPSC in an outdoor range with an RO holding the phone as you would hold a normal shot timer. In the long run if you are going to want to develop your shooting you really need to buy a proper timer. the app works ok, but it's not ideal. Also, I don't think you can still get the surefire app. I tried to get it for another phone and I think it had been taken off the app store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted April 7, 2014 Author Share Posted April 7, 2014 I'm a fairly skilled shooter and was just curious if was any good. I just ordered the DAA shot timer watch so hopefully that will be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Sorry Pete, I didn't mean to cast aspersions on your skill level. I just meant that I've found the timing apps on phone worked fine to get me out of trouble when no one remembered to bring a timer, or club timer couldn't be found etc. but in the long run I figure a dedicated timer is just one of those things you need. The shotmaxx watch seems to work really well. A guy I shoot with has one and loves it. I had a play with his and I've ordered one to try now too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlphaSeeker Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Shotmaxx has the accelerometer mode which couples recoil and sound detection for great consistency in noisy environments [other shooters]. The new smart-phone app for makes it hard to beat. I really enjoy mine. The screen case does show minor scuff marks already from normal use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchinCamaro Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I took the Iphone out the other day shooting suppressed rifle and shotgun drills. It suuuuuuuucked. It probably missed half of my 12g shots. It was a fairly windy day and I put the timer in my pocket instead of the shell caddy, so those are probably the main reasons it didn't work as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigkyle72 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 What app are you using? I have a free one and it works great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcs352 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I've been using the free shot timer and it works in a pinch but not a replacement for a dedicated unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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