Chrono

Tatershooter

Tatershooter

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First of all happy father's day. Now my question, how necessary is it to chrono reloads if you do not shoot competively, just for range use. Not anal about dime size groups but also do not want the target to look like I'm shooting buckshot at 30 yards. Thanks.
 
Unless you're trying to get as close to subsonic loads without going over gauge velocity for long range shooting it's not necessary at all

Load a few different load and go shoot them and see what works best for the conditions you shoot.
 
If we are talking strictly about handgun loads, You do not NEED to use a chrono. I worked up my first loads without one. But it is very good feedback having the velocity information.
 
Went years without one, only got one when power factor became a consideration.

Helpful developing dope for long range.
Helpful determining max range for expansion if you know the velocity floor.

If you're toying with max loads they can help indicate you're getting into danger.

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Hell, I shot competitively for years without having chronographed my loads.

I was shooting minor loads that made 142PF, but they were fine.
 
Thanks FF, I have seen so much talk of chronos I just needed to get some trusted opinions.
 
It sounds like you're talking handgun. Not a big deal. You dial in your loads with experimentation, .5 grains at a time. Where a chrony is valuable, in my opinion is long range rifle, where you are plugging in your muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficients into tables to calculate bullet drop over distance.
 
IMHO.... loading without a chronograph is akin to driving down the road blindfolded. All you're doing is stuffing powder and a bullet into a case and pulling the trigger, any monkey can do that.
By having the relative data to go along with what you're doing helps you to understand what's really happening. Good record keeping in conjunction will keep you from making the same mistakes into the future.......YMMV.....
 
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Bailey Boat said:
IMHO.... loading without a chronograph is akin to driving down the road blindfolded. All you're doing is stuffing powder and a bullet into a case and pulling the trigger, any monkey can do that.
By having the relative data to go along with what you're doing helps you to understand what's really happening. Good record keeping in conjunction will keep you from making the same mistakes into the future.......YMMV.....
Click to expand...

I think that is a bit excessive.. I've been reloading for 30+ years and have never owned a chrono and I'm doing just fine, thanks very much.

You can learn a ton without one. Felt recoil, case features (flattened primers?), will it cycle the gun etc. Mostly I look at the groups, smaller is better within the powder limits.

I shot IPSC, so they chronographed a load now and then for verification, I was never surprised. My loads pretty much followed the data in the books (all of my loads are plain, middle of the road loads).

I agree good record keeping helps keep you on track, but chrono data is just some of the data; case condition, recoil, dirtiness level, gun cycling and accuracy are others. They are all good info and I still save a ton reloading my own...

So, if I am a monkey, so be it, but I don't think I am... But I load straight walled pistol, and that is not long range rifle.
 
I'm getting ready to go outside and shoot 10 rounds through my rifle to obtain velocity data. Hoping for a small standard deviation in my handloads. They already group very well. After that I can plug and play out to 800 yards using my phone app. Without a chrono I would have to shoot a LOT of ammo (spray and pray??) to check my trajectory. That would be fun too, but my neighbor, the Evil Wizard from Hell, is in his basement lab as we speak working on some vile, evil, wicked handload for his rifle. Thus I have to be ready to do battle on the cursed field of steel plates when he arises from his pit. :eek: So yes, a chrono will save us all from certain doom. :p
 
OldSchool said:
I shot IPSC, so they chronographed a load now and then for verification, I was never surprised. My loads pretty much followed the data in the books (all of my loads are plain, middle of the road loads).
Click to expand...

You are lucky. Most of the time I don't get the published velocity, as I think a lot of sources are overly optimistic. The one source that seems to jive most often with my own results (for pistol, anyway) is Speer. Hornady is about the worst.

I agree good record keeping helps keep you on track, but chrono data is just some of the data; case condition, recoil, dirtiness level, gun cycling and accuracy are others. They are all good info and I still save a ton reloading my own...

So, if I am a monkey, so be it, but I don't think I am... But I load straight walled pistol, and that is not long range rifle.
Click to expand...

Agree, straight wall pistol is a different beast than long range rifle.
 
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