[CarryTexas]

I am just starting my first batches of reloads and going through the process of working up loads. My main goal is to reduce the per round cost of ammo and I am not trying to produce match quality ammo.

If I could produce consistent ammo that is safe then I would be happy.

So is a chronograph a necessity or just something that is nice to have, or only required to produce match quality ammo?

Thanks in advance!

[XDRoX]

Not required, just nice to have. IMO you can easily make match quality ammo without one. You just wouldn't know how fast its going

[cysoto]

Originally Posted by XDRoX

Not required, just nice to have.

[SARDG]

Originally Posted by XDRoX

Not required, just nice to have. IMO you can easily make match quality ammo without one. You just wouldn't know how fast its going

I'd never consider trying to develop my match ammo without a chrono and actually ended up buying mine before i bought my other reloading gear.

BTW, match ammo is all I load 'cause that's all I shoot - matches and match practice.

[ron59]

I consider it pretty important, but understand the expense with all the other gear needed to buy for startup.

Then there's the issue with having a place to USE it.

[XDRoX]

Originally Posted by SARDG

I'd never consider trying to develop my match ammo without a chrono and actually ended up buying mine before i bought my other reloading gear.

BTW, match ammo is all I load 'cause that's all I shoot - matches and match practice.

What role does the chrono play in developing your match rounds? Just wondering why one couldn't find out what their guns like without a chrono

I have an Oehler and think its super cool. I love chrono'ing new loads. But for accuracy I've always felt like so many other things are more important than velocity, but I'm willing to learn.

[Kentguy]

CarryTexas,

If your main concern is cost and for the forseeable future all you are interested in is target shooting at the range once in a while - then yes a chrono is just another piece of equiptment and at more cost to you, that may not help you.

However if you ever want to expand your understanding of ammunition & balistics, than I feel that a chronograph is like one more piece of the puzzle that helps you see the whole picture.

I guess like most reloaders I have done this both ways with one and without... I much perfer with one.

My 2 cents

[CarryTexas]

Thanks for the information!

I will likely get one at some point, but I was trying to figure out what the urgency of that purchase was.

It looks like it will be a nice to have item that can wait.

[F106 Fan]

As long as you are happy with mid-range loads, the gun cycles and the accuracy is sufficient, you can delay the purchase of a chronograph.

OTOH, if you want to load near max or you want to minimize variations in velocity to improve accuracy or if you just want to be absolutely certain you meet the power factor requirements before driving a very long distance to a competition only to be disqualified, you need a chronograph.

BTW, those velocities in the loading manual? They are a figment on someone's imagination. I have never gotten close to nominal velocity for a given load. Different gun, different barrel length, different primer, whatever... I always come up slow.

I don't know how far down the equipment list a chronograph might be but it seems pretty important to me.

Richard

[WiskyT]

No, you don't need one. I have one, and I like it, but I don't need it.

[Highspeedlane]

No, it's not necessary if you're shooting published data.

However in my own case, as soon as they became affordable I latched on to one and appreciate the perspective it gives when comparing what you've loaded to what's published.

Not having a chronograph for me now is almost like driving without a speedometer.

[SARDG]

Originally Posted by XDRoX

What role does the chrono play in developing your match rounds? Just wondering why one couldn't find out what their guns like without a chrono

I have an Oehler and think its super cool. I love chrono'ing new loads. But for accuracy I've always felt like so many other things are more important than velocity, but I'm willing to learn.

Initially, the chrono gives me confidence that what I am shooting is safe. Or, when loading trial loads during development - to NOT shoot some of my loads at all. Let's say I load 10- 3.2gr rounds, 10- 3.4, 10-3.6, and 10- 3.8. If the 3.4gr ends up where I want to be, I may fire the 3.6. If the 3.4 or 3.6 is accurate and reliable, I won't bother shooting the 3.8 at all. If 3.6 is pushing the velocity envelope and flattenning primers, I may have saved myself some misery by not shooting the 3.8 at all. Those are just examples, but I've already returned from a chrono trip and pulled bullets from rounds I didn't have to bother shooting - and I figured that out largely due to the chrono.

It also let me see where the factory loads were of what I had been shooting prior to reloading and gave me that baseline.

After that, it helps me download incrementally while developing loads to get the softest shooting load possible and still retain Power Factor, which I must do for IDPA.

Some folks say, "if all you're shooting is targets..." then it's not important. I ONLY began reloading to develop match ammo - that I shoot at targets. The last time I went hunting was for squirrels in my friend's yard with a pellet rifle and before that for deer with archery gear and both of those were more than 20 years ago. No rifle or shotgun rounds required.

[fredj338]

No, not needed but yo unever really know what your ammo is doing. Where a chron comes in handy for me, it tells me what is going on when I substitute components or change OAL. No way to tell if your mag primers are adding anything or if working up loads with an unkown powder is gaining you anything or what happens when you seat deeper. I would still reload without one, but I find them very helpful.

[SBray]

Originally Posted by SARDG

Initially, the chrono gives me confidence that what I am shooting is safe. Or, when loading trial loads during development - to NOT shoot some of my loads at all. Let's say I load 10- 3.2gr rounds, 10- 3.4, 10-3.6, and 10- 3.8. If the 3.4gr ends up where I want to be, I may fire the 3.6. If the 3.4 or 3.6 is accurate and reliable, I won't bother shooting the 3.8 at all. If 3.6 is pushing the velocity envelope and flattenning primers, I may have saved myself some misery by not shooting the 3.8 at all. Those are just examples, but I've already returned from a chrono trip and pulled bullets from rounds I didn't have to bother shooting - and I figured that out largely due to the chrono.

It also let me see where the factory loads were of what I had been shooting prior to reloading and gave me that baseline.

After that, it helps me download incrementally while developing loads to get the softest shooting load possible and still retain Power Factor, which I must do for IDPA.

Some folks say, "if all you're shooting is targets..." then it's not important. I ONLY began reloading to develop match ammo - that I shoot at targets. The last time I went hunting was for squirrels in my friend's yard with a pellet rifle and before that for deer with archery gear and both of those were more than 20 years ago. No rifle or shotgun rounds required.

You have listed some very good examples of how a chrono is an important piece of equipment for some shooters, the competitive ones, or those that strive for perfection. It is another tool to gain knowledge about the shell one produces. Anyone can make a shell that performs satisfactorily for most purposes. However, in the world of competition, every shot counts, and can make or break a shooter's score.

You have shown how the chrono has allowed you to fine tune your shooting skills, give you more confidence, and also, eliminate shooting shells that don't meet up to your expectations. All of this would help you be at your best, every time you go out on the line to face competitors.

JMHO,

Steve

[wallacefan]

what chrono is everyone using

[XDRoX]

Originally Posted by wallacefan

what chrono is everyone using

I'm using an Oehler. Quite possibly built before I was born.

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by wallacefan

what chrono is everyone using

Shooting Chrony. They're cheap, and they work fine as long as you put a target right behind it so you have a consistent aiming point.

[F106 Fan]

I am currently using the CED M2:

http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/si...9008186_d_5525

Richard

[cowboy1964]

I've loaded many thousands of 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, and .38 Special and haven't had a problem yet despite never having chronoed any of it. I just make sure to start low and work up.

I would love to have a chrono but I have no place to set it up.

[F106 Fan]

I think the chronograph becomes much more important when loading rifle ammunition.

Muzzle velocity needs to be known to feed into ballistics programs that calculate bullet drop and wind drift. It is absolutely certain that the actual velocity of a reload will not match the published data.

For handgun, it is sometimes interesting to check perceived recoil versus velocity when testing different powders. It seems everybody wants higher velocity and lower perceived recoil.

Richard

[Kentguy]

Just like cowboy I too have worked up & loaded a ton of pistol rounds without the use of a Chronograph but now I find myself "tinkering" with those loads as Fred has mentioned. I have been able to improve on some and some not - however I would never have been able to do this type of reloading without the use of a Chronograph.

I use a Competition Electronics Inc - ProChrono Digidal Chronograph. I also went "high tech-ie" and bought the USB connedtion for/to my lap top.

[fredj338]

I am using an Oehler, used to have a PACT. I have also used the Chrony line & CED. For the money, the CED has the best screens & that is the important part of any chrono. The crappy Chrony line works, if you do as Wisky shows, but I like to test for accuracy as I get chrono readings, the Chrony line sucks for that. The cheap screens don't allow for much deviation from center & MUST be shot no more than 8" above the screens. Why so many Chrony's get shot. Still, if you only want to check the occasional PF, a Chrony is fine.

[Three-Five-Seven]

You do need a chronograph for producing match quality ammo.

1. It allows you to determine the shot-to-shot variance in velocity, which is the single best indicator of accuracy potential.

2. It allows you to compute Power Factor for match ammo that must comply with such specifications.

3. It allows you to precisely determine muzzle velocity, which is essential for using ballistics tables for precision, match shooting.

4. While not as important, it give you some concrete notion of the intensity of a round, which often is misinformed by flash and how loud the gun is when you fire it.

5. I reloaded for a lot of years without a chronograph. I have one now and can't imaging reloading without it. I don't use it on every trip to the range, but the information it provides is essential for determining if I'm going in the right direction. If you do a ladder test of load density for a given cartridge, you'll very quickly know what the accuracy potential of the loads you're making. This saves a lot of time, frustration, and money. It also allows you be be more successful, more quickly, at the shooting sport you're building the ammo for. There's only so much sunlight in each day, and a chronograph saves much of it for other, important things -- like practice.

[bdhawk]

i try to replicate my factory made, carry loads, with reloads.

i try to find a similar bullet in weight and shape, but much less expensive. i then try to safely, duplicate the speed.

then i can practice with ammo with similar traits, without spending so much.

this would be very difficult without a chronograph.

i have a pact 1XP, while basic, functions well at an afordable price. i think i gave less than $120.00 for it.

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by Three-Five-Seven

You do need a chronograph for producing match quality ammo.

1. It allows you to determine the shot-to-shot variance in velocity, which is the single best indicator of accuracy potential.

.

Not always. I have had some really high StdDev loads shoot really well. FOr handgun ammo, not a big deal, for rifle ammo to 100yds, not a big deal. Where it shows up is going beyond 100yds IMO. Extreme spreads in vel will throw flyers at longer distances.