I use a Magneto Speed its perfect
best chronograph
- Thread starter PHILK
- Start date
The Labradar doesn’t struggle on a range with multiple users and is not bad to set up. It really is just a case of getting used to pointing the unit at the target and making sure your muzzle is in the correct position in relation to the unit. After that it is dead easy. I have chronoed 17 cal bullets at 4000 FPS without any issues. I was tempted by the magnetospeed but found that I got missed shots fairly regularly when I borrowed one. Definitely me having issues setting it up but frustrating nevertheless. I figured that if I shot one magnetospeed bayonet then I would be better off with a Labradar
Oh dear that's bad news to hear...it was the frustration of the occasional missed shot/error readings with an optical unit that prompted me to buy the Magnetospeed.
Can you expand a bit on your statement?
I have used mine a few times now and the assembly attaching is getting easier, I don't need quite so many hands! I also now know which spacer blocks to use to start with which helps. But it has been absolutely positive regarding any drop outs/error readings/missed shots so far.
The 6mm square bar alignment tool seemed fairly foolproof to me as regards the risk of shooting it.
Alan
That link works fine for me.
One can see the flexing you speak of...Have you managed to see on the original footage whether the bullet passed over the sensors before or after that wobble took place?
The other thing I notice from your video is that the muzzle is very close to the sensor bar...the book shows the optimum position further away...not that it would make any advantageous difference to the flexing problem...probably the reverse.
Alan
Success at last.
Thanks Alan, hadn't spotted that. I will adjust next time but as you say, it's not going to change the flexing for the better.
I have re run the video frame by frame but can't see a bullet unsurprisingly. The downward flex starts as soon as you see the first whiff of smoke so the bullet may have already gone. Not sure.
I'm hoping the brake calms it down a bit. I don't believe it's an issue on the smaller chamberings.
Thanks Alan, hadn't spotted that. I will adjust next time but as you say, it's not going to change the flexing for the better.
I have re run the video frame by frame but can't see a bullet unsurprisingly. The downward flex starts as soon as you see the first whiff of smoke so the bullet may have already gone. Not sure.
I'm hoping the brake calms it down a bit. I don't believe it's an issue on the smaller chamberings.
Yes, that's all I could see slowing it down to .25 speed on YouTube...I couldn't download it in order to see frame by frame for some reason.
It would be interesting to drop your video link to Magnetospeed and ask them for their comments...or what their findings were regarding flexing before or after the bullet had passed the sensors. They must have done a lot of testing by slo-mo video in the development...
Alan
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StoatallyDifferent
Well-Known Member
Labradar, I was sceptical at first but really rate it now. It can be a bit finicky to set up but I think it’s a brilliant bit of kit. I’d say 9/10 errors or problems with it that you hear about are down to user error.
I got intrigued so wasted a jolly hour or two.
It won't be as good as the original video file but I did manage to download it eventually and isolated 4 consecutive frames...
1, pre shot.
2, which shows the first whiff of air movement /change colour spreading out and surrounding the Bayo which could be the column of air in the barrel and a bit of gas that got past the bullet before it obturated, or just the start of the following gas after the bullet has gone. Either way the Bayo has not moved.
3, which shows gas more than a barrel length away so I would think the bullet must have passed by well before that.
4, the gas cloud moving away from the muzzle, bullet long gone.
It is quite difficult to spot the change between frame one and two first time of watching, but it is a balloon shaped area...
Good work Alan.
This is interesting as my understanding of the magnetospeed is that the bullet needs to travel parallel with the sensor array in the bayonet. The video shows marked deviation of the bayonet away from the path of the bullet. which may induce error in the velocity measurement. Now this may well be consistent between shots in which case it may not be relevant in the real world but could this potentially become more significant as the restraining strap loosens?? I dont know if the labradar is immune to this either as the effect of muzzle blast will rock the unit to some degree but once the bullet has been detected in the cone of doppler waves, hopefully this should not be a factor.
I think that as others have mentioned that the muzzle end is too close to the sensor deck and the the gas blast is making it move that much. I guess that the bullet is long gone before any real movement to affect readings.
I have the Magnetospeed Sporter and have had problems getting a reading with my 17 Remington until recently. I reread the instructions, paying attention to the fitting position of the bayonet. I also changed the sensitivity setting to HI 1 as I didn't get readings on REG.
Now sorted and a happy bunny.
Just use for velocity reading and remove for shooting groups/zeroing.
I have the Magnetospeed Sporter and have had problems getting a reading with my 17 Remington until recently. I reread the instructions, paying attention to the fitting position of the bayonet. I also changed the sensitivity setting to HI 1 as I didn't get readings on REG.
Now sorted and a happy bunny.
Just use for velocity reading and remove for shooting groups/zeroing.
I think the bullet will have passed by before the bayonet movement occurred...That first puff in the second frame is well spread out so is most likely after the bullet has passed.
I am maybe not explaining what I see very well, but that first puff of gas seen in the second frame is affecting a volume surrounding the Magnetospeed far greater than the just the volume of the column of air in the barrel, so I think the bullet has already left the barrel at that point.
I was also trying to see whether the movement was actually within the bayonet itself or the fixing...as far as I could see it was the joint to the barrel which came away.
In one of the reviews I read (Laurie's?) the Labradar and the Magnetospeed gave remarkably similar readings when used side by side so the apparent flexing doesn't appear to affect the accuracy.
Laurie Holland’s Reviews The Labradar
The Labradar: At Last a (nearly) Perfect Chronograph The Labradar set up for use on a bench-equipped range. It is ready to go with a new series selected and has been ‘armed’ (amber LED) I forget how many chronographs I’ve used over the years but do know that until the MagnetoSpeed arrived, I...
www.targetshooter.co.uk
Alan
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LabRadar. I have the Nortah'merkin' version that tracks out to 150 yards with most .224 and larger bullets. This gives me down range speeds which allowaccurate BC calculations to be made. Even tracking to 50-60 yards would allow for that calculation to be made with some degree of accuracy. Most people who say they can't get the LabRadar running without a lot of fiddling around are not following the set up instructions correctly.~Muir
If you live in North America or Aussie then I would suggest the Labradar unit. There are lots of people that like their Magneto Speed units as well. I like my Labradar for the simple fact I don't have to attach anything to my barrel. Anything putting pressure on a barrel will cause a change of POI even if just slightly. I use mine for working up loads and I get my bullet speed as well as my actual POI at the same time which is beneficial to the way I test new loads. I don't think you will find a better more accurate unit than the Labradar.
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