Not a lot of info to go on, but I have a beta master and it fits the bill nicely.

For $100 it is hard to beat a Shooting Chrony "master" edition... You can probably get the Beta for ~$100 with a coupon.

I need it to really dial in my pistol rounds and calculate power factor.

Chrony Master is an excellent choice. Mine has been giving me excellent service for the last 15+ years. Still clocking on the dot. If I was in the market for one I would buy another one.

Power factor is just a function of bullet weight and velocity correct?

Do you have a smart phone?

Yes

 

I have the competition electronics pro chrono digital. Midway has them normally for $99. I have been very happy with it. Works great.

Love it even more since I added the blue tooth device ($60 addition) that runs all controls to my iPad.  No more calling cold at the range to reset shot strings, and I email or text all the data/ strings to myself for input into a spreadsheet at home.... No more pencil and paper.  It also records temperature, barramoetric pressure, power factor, averages, SD.... Anything I could want in the data summaries. easy to track all the data in digital format.

Worked great w/o the blue tooth app, even better with it.

Big fan of Caldwell. It hasn't been around long enough to get the following others have, but the beauty of it is all the electronics are in your phone/tablet so when you shoot it, replacement is less painful, plus there are regular software updates. It can do stuff now it didn't when I first got it. Upload pictures with your data(can only see them in the app for now), location, weather, all the calculations including power factor. You can get the information from the app via email or xml download.

It's really pretty good. Easy to set up and I have had no issues with it. Do recommend unplugging the battery as the switch moves one way for English, the other for Metric and Off is in the middle. Sliding it into the bag can turn it on. Fortunately it has a spare battery compartment.


I think they are about $70 now. I just really like that everything is in my phone for easy reference.

Buy extra screens!

This is the correct answer.
I can't remember mine ever not registering a shot.  I've used it with everything. Rifle, pistol, pellet gun, and archery.

This..my kids got me the deluxe one for x-mas..it works excellent...

I love my CED M2. I think for $100 you're pretty limited.

I wouldn't buy the RCBS one shaped like a bullet. I have one and it works fine but it's all plastic and the first time I used it 3 of the 4 mounting tabs broke off. The last time I used it I set it on a bench in front of me and the wind kept tipping it over.

The long cords are nice so you can have the head sitting right by you are nice though.

I don't think calculating power factor is the OP's issue.  I think he's looking for a suggestion for what chronograph to get...

Power Factor is:
(B x V)/1000
where B is bullet weight in grains, and V is velocity in fps.

I can do simple PF calculations in my head.

The standard it seems out west for USPSA match to calculate PF is the CED with IR screens in a coffin.


For the price this is the way to go. (<$300) and it has a huge read out compared to most of the competition.  

A lot of people seem to think the Oehler is the best with it's three screens for error corrections but they are hard to find as the were discontinued but he still seems to make batches every now and then.


All of the traditional chronos with skyscreens can sometimes have issues with the lighting condition you use them in.  Some are much better than others but it is just the nature of the beast and you can have different reading depending on where the sun is.


The PVM-21 chrono does not need or seem to mind any lighting condition I have used it in.  It is very reliable if you get your shots in detection zone which is fairly big.  The negatives for it are there are no buttons on the unit even though it is remote so you can have it right by you while you shoot.  It has a generic IR remote to control it but who knows what the buttons do unless you have the manual in front of you.  It also does not come with a battery but that is a simple fix if you do not have power on your range.  The software seemed buggy and I gave up on it very quickly and just write down the readings as I shoot.  Main drawback is it is very expensive.

A new chrono out seems like it might be worth a look is the LabRadar.


Seems great for public ranges as you do not have to set anything up down range.  It is capable of measuring velocity at multiple distances so you could figure out BC.  It is not effected by light at all as it does not use a shadow to measure the velocity.  With it not down range it will not get shot very easily!

Actually, it is the OP's issue.  Re-read his posts.

Having a chronograph of my own, I can say I have found large differences from my velocity measurements and the values published in the reloading books.  IIRC, to be 100 fps (~10%) below the published values is quite common.  I suspect this is what the OP wants to avoid - going to a match and finding out he did not make major because his reloads are too slow.

He said $100.

I have the CED and have to admit wanting the LabRadar unit.  They are steep but compared to the cost of the full-blown Oehler system, they might be the way I go.

Both are out of the price range the OP quoted.

Not according to an email I got from Hodgdon Customer Service. It's just hard to find in some areas.

As to chronographs, it's hard to beat any of the Shooting Chrony models for their price.

I have a Shooting Chrony F1, their most basic model. Think it was about $70.  It works fine. If I were to buy again, I'd upgrade to the remote screen and control model, so the display could sit on the bench next to me.

 

most of you have talked about this one and so have a few of my buds.  I will look at it.



 

I have the same unit, and so far it's performed very well .  

For $15 I made a 25' remote cable to hook it up to my laptop.  This also works well, but I will likely buy the Bluetooth adapter now that it's available.



Regardless of the model you buy, immediately look at replacement of the metal diffuser mounting rods with wood dowels.

He's asking for advice for which chronograph to get, not how to calculate power factor.  I read BOTH of his posts.  Once you have a chronograph, calculating power factor is trivial, grade school math.  He's asking about which chronograph to get, like I said.

Oheler's 35P chronograph is the bee's knees, and they are back in production.  At $595, they are WAY over the OP's stated price range, though.

He's wanting to ensure he makes a specific power factor with minimal recoil.  He wants to understand the variability of his loads.

He's after a chronograph to help him do these things.

His budget is $100, more or less.  


In that price range, the various models of the Shooting Chrony rule.   I wonder why he doesn't borrow one from one of his friends.


I have two - a PACT Pro and a CED Millennium II.  Maybe I should sell them and put the money towards a LabRadar.

I suspect this Oehler price helped set the market price for the LabRadar.  The LabRadar is just too new with as-yet totally unproven reliability.  For me, $600 is too much for a tool which, while nice to have and fun to look at the data, is not necessary to the reloader.

We agree on all of this.  I don't know how it seemed otherwise...

I like my Gamma Master Shooting Chrony, but I haven't used it in a while, since I got my Oheler.  Maybe I should sell that.  We think quite a lot alike.  

So start studying the models in your price range.  Don't forget to look at list prices a little above your range, too, since a lot of times you can catch them on sale for less.  

The RCBS Ammomaster chronograph (comes in a "cartridge shaped" container, which is kind of goofy looking to me) lists for around $160, but sells at retail for more like $120-$125.  The Shooting Chrony F1 lists for $99 but can be found for less than $80.  (I recommend the "Master" Shooting Chrony models, since the "brains" are in a box that isn't in the line of fire.)  

Midway has the Caldwell "premium" chronograph kit on sale now for $114.99, the Shooting Chrony Beta Master for $119.99, and the Competition Electronics ProChrono for $99.99 (regular price).  Get at it!  Even the deciding part of buying these things can be fun.

If I were to recommend one feature, look for one that has a USB port to facilitate dumping your data into Excel or other worksheet.  I did manual entry for years.  It works but it's tedious.  The USB port is worth the cost differential.

Once your data is in Excel, processing your data is easy and you can create plots to help you understand and interpret the data you acquire with the chronograph.

Given a choice of only one, I'd take a USB interface over a printer.  

Buy lots of batteries and put the spares in the box with the chronograph.

Not needed with the caldwell, it plugs right into a cell phone, laptop or tablet and allows you to email your data...plus, it allows you to have the data at your fingertips at the bench while shooting..still thinks its the best bang for the buck....

To bad you don't want to spend more as the labradar is awesome for someone doing load development. I did a small review here with some good pics of the screen and data you can print up..
http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=54583

As cool as that thing is, $600 is a lot of money compared to $100

ProChrono Digital. Had it for 3 years and has been great. Midway has them on sale a few times a year. Get a chrono and a cheap Targus tripod. Make sure you use a target behind the chrono for reference.

 

Same idea.