Chutist Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) Time for a new Chronograph, I've been reading everything here and I'm down to the Lab Radar or the Caldwell G2. G2 had the advantage on price... but it is DOWN RANGE and could get shot!  I never worried about that with pistols but with the PCC the optic is well above the bore.... just could see a mistake happening. Lab Radar is more and if I understand it, is not down range? That's big plus....  Anything else I should be looking at? Edited October 14, 2020 by Chutist typoeo ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Just be careful and don’t shoot it. I put a target down range with an aiming point that is just above dead center through the screens.  Unless you do load development for accuracy games or several loads a year there is no need to buy anything expensive. You will be surprised at how little you actually use it once your loads are established.  My pro CHRONO digital is dead on with major match CHRONO and is only a little over a hundred bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutist Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 Fair point Sarge. I had a 9x21 load that i didn't change for years. Got a .40 load and that never changes... Now with the shortages I wonder if constant change will be inevitable? ....but maybe I'm making it to hard? It's just 9mm minor, not rocket (open gun) Science.  I had the Chrono that plugged into my Pact. I managed to not shoot it for years...  The screens didn't make it when I moved. My Pact has gotten iffy and I've gone to a Pocket Pro so...  The G2 looks pretty nice... Maybe there will be a "Black Friday" deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodrow Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I got rid of my Labradar and went with the G2 and immediately had a better experience. It being downrange is not as big a deal as the older stuff. It has its own battery so dont have to worry about running extension cords and such. I remember my old CED M2, I hated that thing. The set up sucked. The ir screen set up and the battery pack made that thing cost so much. I remember it cause I hated it so much haaha. Anyways... Compared to the Labradar I found the G2 to be more reliable, easier to set up, bluetooth is more reliable, the app is awesome. I can also shoot arrows through it without needing a microphone, I can chrono shot loads where Labradar can only read slugs...G2 meets all my requirements. In my case, if I kept he Labradar then I'd still need another chrono that can do the things Labradar couldn't.  The Labradar is cool for metering just rifle and pistol. But after my experience I'd still go with the G2. Good luck man. Let us know what you get!  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick303 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I love my Lab Radar. Yes, the unit is right next to you when using it and It would be pretty hard to shoot as the muzzle is to be placed to the side of the unit during Chrono.  I have great results with the Lab Radar. It takes a second to get use to the menus but once you do it’s great. Like mentioned above once your load data is figured out you do not use it much after that so unless you intend to tinker with loads a lot the Lab Radar might make sense due to cost. With that said chances are extremely low you would ever shoot the thing.  I have chronoed 9mm and 223 with pretty good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I got a ProChrono DLX a few months ago after using a shooting chrono for years. For $100 it’s awesome, I never realized what a convenience it was to have Bluetooth and save the data on my phone. Or to be able to email the results to someone immediately. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rwm983 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Buy the Labradar, you will not be disappointed. Easier to use, nothing downrange so you dont have to call for a cold range. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 6 hours ago, Cuz said: I got a ProChrono DLX a few months ago after using a shooting chrono for years. For $100 it’s awesome...  I also have a ProChrono, an older one with the BlueTooth dongle, and it's super... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 $100 ProChono Digital for the win. Mine’s at least 10 years old and still running great.  Shoot through the top of the screens and lower your POA slightly if needed in order to get a reading.  Remember, there are no bonus points awarded for getting your bullets as close to the sensor as possible. Shoot through the top half as long as it’ll read it - and the prochrono will read damn near anything  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Yes, plus for the Pro Chrono, had one for years and they work really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ming the Merciless Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I have the Lab Radar and it works great, but the user set up menu is kind of clunky. The ease of use and extra data is really nice. Set up takes all of 2 minutes and I get velocity data from muzzle to 200 yards with .223 pretty reliably, although the down range data does work more consistently with larger calibers.  I also have the MagnetoSpeed which works great on rifle and PCC, not so much for pistol. The price for the MagnetoSpeed has really dropped in the last year or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amegatek Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I like my Lab Radar. I have used it at an indoor range and it works great. Just another thing to considerSent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I don’t have a Lab Radar ... at least not yet.  but one of the perks I have heard and read about with the Lab Radar is that it has an app you can put on your smart phone.  then at the range it connects to your smartphone via blue tooth.  I am ASSuming that the velocity data and standard deviation, etc data would show up on your phone’s screen.   just for the sake of staying organized and not losing your reloading notes, you could do a screen shot and upload that to the iCloud.  but I am fairly certain there is a way to save data either on the Lab Radar or in its smartphone app... too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m700 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I think you should get a ced m2. only because i have one to sell. Its not bad but I just dont need it but buying today I would go with the newer tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick303 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 18 minutes ago, Chills1994 said: for the sake of staying organized and not losing your reloading notes, you could do a screen shot and upload that to the iCloud.  but I am fairly certain there is a way to save data either on the Lab Radar or in its smartphone app... too.  Yes there is an app. I have not used it much, because I have not had the time to learn the ins and outs of the app. What I really like about the Lab Radar is the fact you can install an SD card and that captures all of the Series of runs onto the SD card. It can then be opened in as a .CVX File in Excel. You add the load data to the file and all of your load data is saved in Excel files. Pretty handy.   The functionality of the Lab Radar in using the App and the SD card makes saving load data pretty easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chutist Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 Lots of good comments...taking it all in. Of course some of it will depend on what i can find in stock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueNorth Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Curious what you went with, or if you were able to find anything?  I bought once and cried once.  Very little issues with my LabRadar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansedgli Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 I got a labradar a few weeks ago.  I love it. Quick to setup and hasnt missed a shot yet. Works in the rain, wind, cloudy days, sunny days.  My CED M2 was a lesson in Frustration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronemus Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 A tip for optical chronograph users - get a laser boresighter and use it to set up the screens. All you need is a cheap one - at 15' even a bad one won't be off by much. I have an AR-15 spacegun for Highpower and a Ruger Magnum Precision rifle - both have high sightlines so it would be easy to make an expensive mistake. The boresighter makes the setup fast and easy; you don't have to run back and forth between the bench and the chronograph, and you can be confident that the setup is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tunachaser Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 On 12/6/2020 at 8:41 PM, dansedgli said: My CED M2 was a lesson in Frustration. After several 100 mi. round trips to an outdoor range with my CED only to have too much sun, wind, etc. I bought a LabRadar and now 5 mi. round trip to an indoor range and it works every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racinready300ex Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 I've been running a CED for 5-6 years now. Closest thing to a problem I've had is forget to turn it off and find out the battery is dead next time I go to use it. I can't see any reason to spend more on something else that does the same job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronemus Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 I switched from the CED with IR screens to the LabRadar, and I'm kicking myself for not having switched sooner. The CED is accurate, but the LabRadar is at least as accurate ans so much more convenient. My only complaint is that the smartphone app doesn't work with recent phone (apparently the iPhone 6 is the hot ticket) and Labradar hasn't fixed it in 3 years (they're well aware of the issue). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick303 Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Ronemus said: apparently the iPhone 6 is the hot ticket  Is that the oldest model it will work on?  The app works fine on my iPhone 12, as it also worked fine on my iPhone 8 before I upgraded to the 12.  Edited March 27, 2021 by Boomstick303 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronemus Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 19 hours ago, Boomstick303 said:  Is that the oldest model it will work on?  The app works fine on my iPhone 12, as it also worked fine on my iPhone 8 before I upgraded to the 12.   That's the newest model that is reliable for most folks. Most who try the iPhone10 or newer find that the app works the first time it's used, and fails nearly every time after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick303 Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 I have used it a couple of times now without failure. Maybe an iOS update issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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