Chronograph ? Which ?

Now that im fully invested I need a chrony. No experience at all. Any suggestions without breaking the bank. Thanks in advance

I have the Magneto Speed and really like it.

The best bang for the dollar is the Magneto Speed Sporter. It's a stripped down version of the V3 with the user interface being the biggest difference and is still just as accurate. Just remember that it will change the bullets point of impact while you are using it so load development turns into a two step process.

If your budget allows it, the Lab Radar works great. It's very accurate without the drawbacks that come from having to strap something to the end of the barrel.

I would recommend staying away from the lower priced chronographs. They can be hard to use in different lighting conditions and don't always return accurate velocities.

I have a ProChrono and am, on the whole very happy with it.

I would like a Magnto Speed and / or a Lab Radar, but haven't yet taken the plunge. That said, the ProChrono and similar units can be more convenient than the Magneto Speed in that you set up the unit once and then do all of your shooting without having to move the device from rifle to rifle. Of course, the ProChrono style units can be hard to use at crowded public ranges, where the Magneto Speed shines. There are two or three versions of the Magneto Speed. You'll have to determine the price/feature trade off for your self.

The Lab Radar looks like a real breakthrough, but it will be interesting to watch it in action for a few months to see whether any problems with the design / implementation are discovered.

So, how much do you want to spend? The ProChrono and similar units are about $100. The Magneto Speed is $200-$400 depending, and the Lab Radar appears to be $560 on their web page. The more sophisticated units certainly look attractive, but the simple truth is that the $100 units do a pretty good job most of the time.

I'm more in the 100-150 range. I need pistol too and the magneto looks cool but limits me. Also I run most of my rifles suppressed and looks like that limits it. Keeping in mind I'm ignorant outside of Internet research here but Caldwell has one called the ballistic precision that's about 125 that looked OK. Connects to iPhone. But it may be terrible. Thanks for all the help

Pro Chrono, work great, just make sure you always have spare 9volt batteries . replacement sky screens are available from Midway

Caldwell unit works great, tripod is a bit flimsy.

Does the mageneto style depend on sunlight? I'd like to find something that will work indoors.

This package has the light kit for indoor use.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/628006/caldwell-ballistic-precision-chronograph-premium-kit

The Magnetospeed's strength is that it does not depend on light in any way whatsoever. On the other hand, it WILL affect accuracy because it influences barrel vibrations and harmonics. It may not be a lot, but it most certainly will. For that reason it's not the chronograph to use during load development, IMO.

Great scoop. Much appreciated.

I've been using mine for months now, and it's freakin' awesome!!! I love it.

Pat, I have 2 CED M2 chrono's now, and I don't need either one. I really like the CED M2. It's very reliable and a much better unit than the $100 fold up one's. The cheap Shooting Chrony's have issues with lighting, light angle and errors. If you need a reliable one, I wouldn't recommend them. Let me know if you want one of my CED M2 units.

I have the Pro Chrono and it works pretty good. I may upgrade later but when I bought it I just wanted something cheaper to test out and see what I thought. For the most part it has worked very well for me and I ended up getting it under $100 shipped and you still can. I bought it based on reviews I read and figured even if I didn't really like it at least I didn't have much invested in it. It has worked well enough so far that I haven't really thought about upgrading unless it quits on me.