But which one?

Thankfully, there are several manufacturers producing several models of chronographs with everything from entry-level machines recording muzzle velocities, up to sophisticated equipment that could probably be programmed to start the coffee and turn on the shower every morning. We're concerned with basic models that will serve the needs of shooters who are mainly concerned with muzzle velocities. I talked four makers out of chronographs, and tested them side-by-side with three different sixguns, as well as my Oehler Model 35P being used as the control chronograph. I would first fire six rounds through the Oehler, and then immediately moved to the next chronograph, and the next, and so on until all five were fired over as closely as possible to the same time and under the same conditions.

The Game is Afoot

Six rounds were fired from three favorite single action sixguns, a 7/5" Ruger .22 Single-Six using CCI's Mini-Mag +V hollow points; a custom 10.5" Ruger Flat-Top .357 Blackhawk with Lyman's #358156 over 14.0 gr. of #2400; and a USFA 7.5" .44 Special Single Action with a 250 grain BRP Keith bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique. The latter load clocked higher than normal, as these rounds were assembled by crimping over the front shoulder, thus reducing case capacity.

The accompanying chart shows the results, which I found quite surprising. Take note of the high, the low and the average muzzle velocities recorded for each chronograph are closer together then normally found with six loads fired from one sixgun over one chronograph. For example with the .44 Special the recorded high loads over all five chronographs differ by only 9 fps, the low by 31 fps, and the average by only 24 fps. That is exceptional consistency and not only speaks well of the load and the sixgun but the chronographs as well.

Technology Is Our Friend?

In an article of this size, it's impossible to cover everything each chronograph is capable of doing. Contact information is given for each company for further inquiries. However, I can cover the basics and also point out what I think is the best feature, or features, of each. We live in a fast-changing, highly technical age and chronographs have certainly benefited from technology. I was most pleasantly surprised at how easy all of these chronographs were to use and especially how simple it was to set them up. In a very short time, in some cases less than one minute, I was ready to shoot.

My workhorse chronograph has been the Oehler Model 35P with three screens, mounted on a four foot mounting bar and two tripods, and with a printer displaying each shot, high, low, average and standard deviation. Oehler also offers the basic Model 35 with two screens, a two foot mounting bar, and the same LCD display as the Model 35P.

Competition Electronics

This is the most compact chronograph and also the quickest to put into use. Without rushing, it takes me 35 seconds from the time I remove it from its box until it's ready to go. The chronograph consists of a box measuring approximately 3.5" wide x 3.5" high x 15" long. There are no wires, as the readout is in the front face of the box. Of course, this means you better know exactly where your gun is shooting and you do not loan it to someone who cannot shoot carefully. (Been there, done that!) But it can be mounted on a tripod, or placed upon a bench, or even the tailgate of a pickup truck. Two guide wires at each end are used to mount the diffuser hoods, or filters for bright sunny days.

It's powered by a 9-volt battery, and the display screen is easy to read from a distance of 10 feet. Up to 99 velocities in a string are stored, and it's also capable of storing nine strings at the same time. It also has buttons to delete a string or individual shot, and a review button that displays the high, low, and average muzzle velocities, the extreme spread, and the standard deviation. That is a great deal of performance packed into a unit weighing less than one and one-half pounds.

Competitive Edge

This unit has the easiest to read display--especially appreciated on bright sunny days--on a pop-up screen on a very compact keypad. It comes with a two-foot foldable mounting bracket with diffuser screens mounted at each end.

This unit will accept over 200 shots in a string and up to 20 strings. It also has the capability of storing data, which can be downloaded into a computer. The compact keypad has 16 buttons allowing such things as reviewing each shot, deleting shots, finding the high, low, average velocities as well as extreme spread and standard deviation. There is even a SP button which will "speak" the data, as well as a PF button to figure the Power Factor, and it is also powered by a 9-volt battery. As I get older I find cold weather shooting less and less palatable. CED addresses this with an indoor lighting kit which even works in total darkness, but be sure you can see the sights and screens!

PACT

PACT has been providing high-quality timers and chronographs for well over two decades. In fact their chronograph is actually a combination timer and chronograph with a button that allows the user to switch from one operation to the other. It's not only possible to check out loads, it's also easy to see how fast you can actually shoot. The whole compact unit comes with a clip for easy fastening on a belt.