I hate my Chronograph!

**Brick** · October 21st, 2018, 04:56 PM

That is the Pact 1 XP! I know it is axiomatic, that there's no such thing as a bad day at the range. But, in this instance I disagree! A week ago Friday I went to the range with a few new loads to Chrono. think I even posted the results here. That day nearly bombed out because the damn tiny wire on the positive terminal of the stupid snap for the battery broke off and pulled out! My only option was an expedient to strip enough wire to connect to the battery terminal. Fortunately another guy using the range had some electrical tape and I was able to complete that day's mission.

Bur, it was to get worse on this last Friday! This time I had almost 100 rounds of new loads to test. I set up the Chrono and confirmed that the unit was powered up even though I was still using the jury-rig from last week. Because this unit is finicky with light levels I usually fire a number of test shots with "non-test" ammo. This time damn, no shots recorded! Only the Fire message on the screen! Too much sunlight? So I put a target sheet over each of the sky screen to cut down on light, still no good, blast! Next re-set the tripod and tilted the sky screens away from the Sun, fire some more shots, still no reading! GRRR maybe a weak battery (Pact will tell you their Chronos might not work if battery voltage falls below 8.9 VDC). Change battery and try again! Fire some more, hot stuff I've got some results! So I load up and start testing my new load 3 results followed by 3 not recording! So I hook up a third battery, this time a Kodak heavy duty job that registered 10 VDC on my meter and all I get is ERR message when I try again! But I'm being very careful and making sure the bullets are passing over each sensor, but no results! I was so PO'd I was ready to drop-kick the flaming thing! Instead I tore down the Chrono set up, put my test cartridges away, fired a couple hundred rounds of stuff I had on hand and went home.

Once I got home, I went on the net found the best price (Midway) for a new Shooting Chrony Beta. It'll be here on Thursday. Friday I expect to be back on the range, weather permitting! I'd use the 1 XP as a target but I don't like to litter the range with junk! And Pact can pound salt!

**TooBigToFit** · October 21st, 2018, 05:07 PM

I have the Caldwell Ballistic Precision chrono. It's cheap, it works fairly well, and it plugs into your phone, where you can easily record things (and if there was an error, see what the error was in normal plain English).

**Brick** · October 21st, 2018, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by TooBigToFit

I have the Caldwell Ballistic Precision chrono. It's cheap, it works fairly well, and it plugs into your phone, where you can easily record things (and if there was an error, see what the error was in normal plain English).

Sounds good, but you have to have some sort of working cell phone system, no?

**TooBigToFit** · October 21st, 2018, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Brick

Sounds good, but you have to have some sort of working cell phone system, no?

Nope, cell phone is optional (hooks up via the headphone jack). Still works like a normal chronograph (with a display) without your phone. Adding your phone just enables a remote display, group recording (with averaging and standard deviation), and a few other features.

**NathanB** · October 21st, 2018, 06:27 PM

Shooting it is the standard response.

**lts1ow** · October 21st, 2018, 07:08 PM

I do love my magnetospeed sporter, never had issues with it not picking up shots.

**Bang** · October 21st, 2018, 09:03 PM

I bought the Caldwell G2. It's the upside-down design. Reflectors are on the bottom instead of canopied. If sky is dull, I turn on the LED lighting system intended for indoors. It communicates with the app installed on my cell phone via BlueTooth. You can see the fps or mps on the device screen and the phone. I maintain all the records in the phone in "Saved Groups". Love it. Was about $200.