[panther308]

Ok Guys I have a question ? and kind of a long story, over the past year or so I have been shooting at a local range (Hotwells Houston TX) and I met a fellow shooter who reloads all sorts of calibers and try's all sorts of powder/bullet combinations he is always talking about shooting wild game and such outside the Country during his work travels, anyway we always talk about reloading when I see him and he suggests this, that etc.... well he had inquired if I had ever ran my reloads over a chronograph and I said no don't have one to which he replied I have one at home that I don't use anymore I upgraded the next time I see ya you can use it (cool huh !) Well went to the range yesterday and the RSO said "Your Buddy was here and left this for ya" I said cool I will use it and return it which the RSO replied the guy said keep it !!!!!!

So here I have this Chrony Gamma Master given to me and can't remember the guys name and don't have his number, I did give the RSO my name and number to give this guy and told him to pass it on to call me.

Ok here are some pics, my question is I went and tried using this today with a air rifle until I get to the range and I had one heck of a time getting it to register I think out of 30 shots it read like 5 the rest either did not register or gave a error code 1, I called Chrony Tech Support and they ask me a couple of questions and said it's working correctly you just have to balance the light ? and change up positions if necessary by blocking direct light from getting to the sensors either by the diffusers or other means.
My plan is to go to the range next week and shoot so .22's thru it to see, can anybody offer up any tips as the directions are not well written

Thanks

 

[charlesPOSTLEwade]

unfortunately light does play a major factor.
what i do and i know it is "anal" but i take a black marker or paint pen and color/paint my bullets solid.it does make it easier for the chrony to read them and less errors
Whoops I almost forgot the most important thing
I have grazed my chrony 3 times. now i set up a target pick a spot on the target. Fire, then set my chrony up right at the POI and keep the same POA
be careful

 

[5594]

I've had troubles registering little BB's too; but I have no trouble with real bullets out in direct sunshine. You'll do fine. The Chrony opens up a whole new dimention to your reloading.

 

[panther308]

I have always wanted one but could not justify the cost $$$ I hope it works well because I am truly curious on how fast my loads are running, I like the target idea because I have heard stories and seen pics of them being shot up dance2

 

[5594]

A Chrony F-1 doesn't cost but about what a nice set of dies costs.

 

[John Crusher]

Size and height matters. When you shoot something as small as a .177 pellet or BB you need to only use one set of rods with the diffuser. That will reduce the reflective distance. I do that when I shoot .223 and have tried it both ways and find that actually the speeds of my reload 62gr. .223s were alot more consistent than I thought. The spread on the fps was 20-30fps as opposed to 50-90fps with the second section rods installed. The most critical thing I do is use the best tripod I could find and check and recheck the bore to target alignment to insure I don't shoot the Crony.

 

[dozier]

Panther, nice gift. Even got the one w/the recorder. I've got the cheaper(est) version with the remote. I've been using mine for the last 1 1/2 yrs and still get error readings every once in a while. Direct sunlight/overcast conditions do account for some of the error readings, but it seems like most error readings are because the chrony is not in alignment with the bullet path. There is a narrow "window" which the bullet must pass to be read by the sensors. A good sturdy camera tripod is a must to be able to make the adjustments to get this alignment between the bench and the target. Set the Chrony up as close to the bench as you can w/o have muzzle blast knock it over. I set mine between 8'-10' away from the muzzle. Set your target up, with your rifle on the bench, looking down the sights, align/adjust the chrony so you will hit that "window". As explained in the Chrony brochure, that window is in the center of the V and is between 2" and 6" tall. Shoot, it sometimes takes a half dozen times to get this alignment right, but thats what it takes. Remember that with the Chrony being this close, your bullet is actually 1 1/2-2" lower because of the barrel/sight offset. I've marked my V sticks w black electrical tape to know where the window is in height. Once in a while, I'll still get a error on the first shot when changing to a different target for the next string. This means I'm probably outside the window again. At this point move your rest/rifle over a bit on the bench so the target you are shooting is back in alignment with the center of the "screens". When I started using my Chrony, I got a bunch of errors till I narrowed it down to this alignment. Now before switching to another target, I'll make sure I'm lined up before shooting the next string. Since I've kept that in mind, I'll rarely get more than 2 errors in a 60-70rd session. Hope this helps Panther. dozier

 

[geepee3]

Panther, it's nice to know there are gracious people out there.
I just got the Alpha Master last month and modified it already.
Got some 4mm carbon rods and cut them about an 1-1/4" longer than the metal ones that came with the Chrony. Put some florescent yellow tape 5" above the Crony(dont let the rifle sight get below them.) to keep from shooting the unit. I set mine about 10-12' from my muzzle and I take a bungie cord and attached to a 10lb weight to keep my tripod from going over. The carbon rods are good because they don't reflect like the metal ones and if you shoot them they will shatter and not knock over the Chrony. Here's a picture of mine with the carbon rods.

Have fun with your new toy,
Glenn

 

[coldshot]

Panther, it's nice to know there are gracious people out there.
I just got the Alpha Master last month and modified it already.
Got some 4mm carbon rods and cut them about an 1-1/4" longer than the metal ones that came with the Chrony. Put some florescent yellow tape 5" above the Crony(dont let the rifle sight get below them.) to keep from shooting the unit. I set mine about 10-12' from my muzzle and I take a bungie cord and attached to a 10lb weight to keep my tripod from going over. The carbon rods are good because they don't reflect like the metal ones and if you shoot them they will shatter and not knock over the Chrony. Here's a picture of mine with the carbon rods.

Have fun with your new toy,
Glenn

Great tip, Glenn. Where did you buy the carbon rods?

 

[geepee3]

Great tip, Glenn. Where did you buy the carbon rods?

I picked them up at my local hobby shop.(I design my own RC aircraft and use them for wing support)
To cut them I role masking tape around the rod and cut them with a Dremel cutting wheel. The tape keeps the ends from spintering. I cut them a few mm long and grind down and round the ends with the flat surface of the cutting wheel. Then I wipe the ends with thin CA glue to keep the ends from splintering.

Glenn

 

[RobfromME]

Good morning, Panther,

I have a Beta Chrony. I use the sky screens all the time regardless of conditions and it works fantastic. I bought it in the 90's and was unhappy with it, gave up on it, and then eventually in 2000 I called Chrony and they said send it in. They updated the electronics and changed the eyes to a different type. After that, it was incredible. I don't know how I lived without one!

To be fair, I've never shot any pellets or BB's over it, but I set it up for my boss to shoot some arrows over it and it worked flawlessly. Again, with the screens attached.

Hope this helps.

Warmest regards,
Rob