Shooting off at a drastic angle or favoring too far to one side will produce an error message, which is corrected by firing another shot. But remember to shoot as straight into the brackets as possible. The chronograph will count down and once you get empty brackets in the display, shoot away. I tend to do this after the device is secured to the tripod and afterwards I put the chronograph where it may get the best light, though this unit will work well in partly cloudy weather.įlip the black switch on the left side from “off” to either meters per second or feet per second. Once they are staked firmly, stretch over the shades and snap them over the rods. After closing the battery hatch, I shove each of the aluminum rods into the installation holes on the top of the device. I get by with a 48-inch tripod set at maximum level for bench rested shots, while a taller 72-inch tripod works best for offhand work.īut before I get to mounting onto the tripod, I open the battery hatch and make sure the battery is attached to both wire terminals. The chrono is threaded to accept just about any tripod base and most tripods will work well in the field. When I am ready to conduct a string of fire, I screw a tripod base to the bottom of the unit-though that base usually stays on even in storage. The unit itself runs on a 9v battery, with enough storage in the battery hatch for a spare. The package includes a black carrying bag for storage and transport, which isn’t difficult considering the unit and every other part collapses to a 4×15 inch package. You get four aluminum rods, two white plastic shades, a 15-foot power cord and the dark-green chronograph unit itself. Once I got the packaging open, I found the mechanism very easy to put together. The device operates with a single flip of the switch. But Caldwell is known for other shooting accessories and its chronograph consistently comes in at and around the $100 mark. Was I worried because it was so cheap? Yes. In my unique case, finding bullet speed is useful in guns that don’t take fixed ammunition, especially muzzleloaders - and assigning modern power levels to such guns.Ĭhronographs can run hundreds of dollars, but the Caldwell Chrony lists for $79 at some big box retailers. The indicated ballistics that you might find on a package of ammunition is usually very optimistic and may vary by brand, barrel length, weather conditions, lot of ammunition, powder charge, ect. Plus, even if you like to use factory ammunition, it is nice to know the real-world applications of the round. That information is especially useful for people who reload ammo.
Why might that be important? Velocity, or speed, of a projectile helps calculate things like power, accuracy and ballistic drop.
If you didn’t know, a chronograph measures the speed of a projectile, usually by using sunlight and a pair of shaded poles a certain distance from one another to calculate velocity. A year ago, I took a chance on the least expensive chrono I could find: the Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph. Any such item can be hard to come by and quality varies from item-to-item. But when it comes to firearm data collection, chronographs are tricky. Some optics are better than others, but sometimes a step up from the bottom-shelf stuff can give you much greater advantage with some comparisons to high end products.
When it comes to gear, the same rules apply.
They’re far better made for not much more money than the infamous, yet ubiquitous Hi-Point. SCCY double-stack pistols, for example, have gotten popular over the last several years. On occasion, if there is a quality entry into the market at a fair price, it will sell like wildfire. When it comes to firearms, you usually get what you pay for. The Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph, or chrony, ready for work.
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