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Posted: 4/15/2023 8:21:11 PM EDT
[#1]
I've never used the Caldwell G2, but I really like the LabRadar. My first chronograph was an Oehler Research that used the sunscreens, and printed out the results on paper. Going to the range is a lot easier with the LabRadar than anything else I've used. It's easy to carry, along with a small tripod if your shooting prone or off a bench, or a taller tripod if your shooting while standing. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it. For me it is.
For load development, I shoot off a bench, so this tripod works really well. Bench Tripod for LabRadar |
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Posted: 4/15/2023 8:33:43 PM EDT
[#2]
I second the LabRadar, its so much easier to setup at the range and its a bit harder to accidently shoot. I got a small tripod off Amazon, and a knockoff pelican case. The LabRadar, mini tripod, battery, cables and quick read instructions all fit in the case.
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Posted: 4/15/2023 8:45:40 PM EDT
[#3]
If you want to chronograph suppressed subsonics, you also might want to consider the air trigger or an inertial trigger, if you go the LabRadar route. I prefer the inertial trigger. It works off the movement from firing, and sound from other firearms in a crowded range setting don't affect it.
Inertial Trigger |
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Posted: 4/15/2023 9:19:07 PM EDT
[#4]
I bit the bullet and went LabRadar.
Never had any other chrono; it was my first/only so I can’t compare, but the screens, etc. seemed to be a PITA and, FWIW if applicable to you, you can use the LabRadar at public ranges where they don’t allow anything (i.e. a conventional chrono) down range. Someone recommended a Seahorse case which fits the system pretty well…coincidentally it was orange.   
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Posted: 4/15/2023 9:45:13 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I bit the bullet and went LabRadar. Never had any other chrono; it was my first/only so I can’t compare, but the screens, etc. seemed to be a PITA and, FWIW if applicable to you, you can use the LabRadar at public ranges where they don’t allow anything (i.e. a conventional chrono) down range. Some ranges have all but outlawed using chronographs. It’s pretty frustrating when you roll your own ammo. I appreciate the feedback. |
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Posted: 4/15/2023 10:26:48 PM EDT
[#6]
Every time I take my Oehler 35P on it's 9' beam to the range and the 15 minutes it takes me to set it up so as to not shoot a sky screen, the Labrador looks a little better to me.
If I didn't have the Oehler, I would buy the LabRadar. |
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Posted: 4/15/2023 10:43:42 PM EDT
[#7]
I have no experience with Labradar. I did just buy the Caldwell G2 and used it once so here is what I can offer.
The tripod is crappy, very light and flimsy. The actual chrono equipment is top notch. The bluetooth interface had no issues. It setup quickly. I had very few errors with the G2 compared to the traditional Caldwell chrono. The Caldwell app on my android is simple to use and download as csv, excel, etc files. Shot 9mm, 300blk supps and subs, and 223, with no recording issues. Happy with my purchase. |
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Posted: 4/15/2023 11:48:18 PM EDT
[#8]
Very different technologies. And the LabRadar is monumentally better.
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Posted: 4/16/2023 3:56:04 AM EDT
[#9]
If you shoot at a busy range the LR is definitely the way to go. The only down sides are maintaining a bluetooth connection and the app, but you can work around those.
I had a Caldwell and really liked the hardwired phone connection and their app is better than the LR. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 6:22:37 AM EDT
[#10]
If you are just doing rifle, the magneto speed is pretty convenient.
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Posted: 4/16/2023 6:51:03 AM EDT
[#11]
Once you use a labradar, you'll never go back to a conventional chrono.
Accuracy, ease of use, ease of set up. It's just exponentially better. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 8:55:00 AM EDT
[#12]
How much are you going to chrono??
I use mine 4-5 times a year at most not worth the coin for a labradar. If i was taking it 25 times a year i could probably see the value. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 9:23:42 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: How much are you going to chrono?? I use mine 4-5 times a year at most not worth the coin for a labradar. If i was taking it 25 times a year i could probably see the value. I will fall in this range: 4-5 times per year. Most of my recipes for hand loads have worked for years. I am not looking to reinvent things which work well for me. I will chrono new subsonic loads when I try new projectiles and powders. If I can get accurate readings from the Caldwell it probably makes more sense to me. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 9:41:58 AM EDT
[#14]
Not a fan of a buddys Caldwell unit
Getting it talking to the app is a PITA Much prefer another buddys Chrony unit that simply displays numbers and prints on receipt paper - I can crunch my own stats on std dev etc |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 10:15:17 AM EDT
[#15]
I have direct experience with 3 different chronos:
1. Shooting chrony alpha - I used it for load development over 15 years 2. Magnetospeed - This is my current chrono 3. Labradar - I don't own one, but I've used friends' units, and my club has a rental unit I've used extensively. First off, the shooting chrony sucks. It is difficult to align with the target and finicky about sky screens and lighting. About 25% of shots through mine did not yield data. That's a lot of waste. The caldwell might be better, or worse. The magnetospeed is much easier to set up and I estimate it gives me better than 90% data return. As supplied it hangs from the barrel so I can't collect data while shooting for groups. I built a cantilever mount that attaches to the handguard. The Labradar is by far the easiest to set up. It might take a few shots to get it dialed in, and I occasionally don't get a reading. As others have stated, use the gun mounted sensor to trigger it. Accuracy: We tested the 3 units against each other: chrony, magnetospeed, and labradar. We found the labradar and magnetospeed agreed to about 1%. Phenomenal accuracy considering they use radically different measurement techniques. The chrony underreported rifle velocities by 200 fps, so all my early load data has a built in error. For that reason, of the choices you have, I'd pick the labradar. ETA: fixed my brain fart |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 10:56:31 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Every time I take my Oehler 35P on it's 9' beam to the range and the 15 minutes it takes me to set it up so as to not shoot a sky screen, the Labrador looks a little better to me. If I didn't have the Oehler, I would buy the LabRadar. All the good 'ol Bubbas would eye me sideways and get impatient with me setting up my old optical chrony. That got old real fast so I went Magnetospeed. Not perfect but a whole lot easier. I do wish I would have gone Labradar though. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 10:59:24 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If you are just doing rifle, the magneto speed is pretty convenient. True. But I often have to get two sets of data due to POI shifts. Surprisingly the MS generally shifts my POIs UP a couple inches. Also tightens my groups by a noticeable amount on some of my guns. Weird. Barrel harmonics... |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 11:45:33 AM EDT
[#18]
Still happy with my Shooting Chrony Beta Master so my vote goes to the Caldwell. For load work it is all I need. Once a load is worked up I have no further need to check speed. I may work up a new load a few times a year, not enough to justify a large expenditure.
Now, I shoot on private land so no worry about range "permission" and none of the indoor ranges allow one to set up a chrony. In this instance the MagnettoSpeed might be the ticket and I have considered one. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 11:58:50 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Still happy with my Shooting Chrony Beta Master so my vote goes to the Caldwell. For load work it is all I need. Once a load is worked up I have no further need to check speed. I may work up a new load a few times a year, not enough to justify a large expenditure. Now, I shoot on private land so no worry about range "permission" and none of the indoor ranges allow one to set up a chrony. In this instance the MagnettoSpeed might be the ticket and I have considered one. While the Magnetospeed is very good, if you could save a couple hundred more, the Labradar is even better. It's as much an improvement over the Magnetospeed as the Magnetospeed is over old optical chronographs. As I said I wish I would have gone LR instead. |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 6:32:50 PM EDT
[#20]
I have the caldwell and the labradar, as for accuracy, the caldwell has matched up very close to the labradar, with in 10fps on my big magnum rifle..pita to set up though, if you use a string set up for it at home it was surprisingly easy to do while getting great results every time...As for the labradar, great piece of equipment,, works wonderful, the app sucks shit and almost leaves a bad taste in the mouth..it seems to work much better for window users versus Apple users..The aftermarket trigger is what you want to use if others are around you when shooting, otherwise you are constantly dumping shit hits from other guns..I take my labradar every time I go shooting, weather at 100 yards or 2000 yards and it does its old boring thing, recording every bullet trace it sees...Labradar is still the best unit but there is nothing wrong with the caldwell if you can master setting it up properly and quickly...
The right trigger for labradar if you go that route.... https://pietrecoiltrigger.com/ |
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Posted: 4/16/2023 8:30:41 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: s...Labradar is still the best unit but there is nothing wrong with the caldwell if you can master setting it up properly and quickly... ] ...And the sun is in the right position, amd ots not overly overcast, and there isn't a tree casting shade. |
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Posted: 4/17/2023 4:11:28 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ...And the sun is in the right position, amd ots not overly overcast, and there isn't a tree casting shade. Oddly enough, mine never really gave me any issues, I suppose because I normally go to the range on nice days, but mine has always done good, the boy has been using it the last couple of years, will have to ask him how its done.. Hell, he could of shot it for all I know...thats what he did with the one I gave him for X-mas.... |
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Posted: 4/17/2023 4:13:46 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I will fall in this range: 4-5 times per year. Most of my recipes for hand loads have worked for years. I am not looking to reinvent things which work well for me. I will chrono new subsonic loads when I try new projectiles and powders. If I can get accurate readings from the Caldwell it probably makes more sense to me. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: How much are you going to chrono?? I use mine 4-5 times a year at most not worth the coin for a labradar. If i was taking it 25 times a year i could probably see the value. I will fall in this range: 4-5 times per year. Most of my recipes for hand loads have worked for years. I am not looking to reinvent things which work well for me. I will chrono new subsonic loads when I try new projectiles and powders. If I can get accurate readings from the Caldwell it probably makes more sense to me. If you had a Labradar, you'd use it more. I have no vested interest in what either of you use, but the set up is so easy the labradar will make trips to the range with you even when you're not working up loads. I had the Caldwell chrony. It may have been gen 1. So many variables like sunlight intensity, position of the sun, clouds required the led lighting, and at times what seemed like God's will. I wanted to throw the thing in the trash and I ended up giving it away. |
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Posted: 4/17/2023 4:57:37 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ...And the sun is in the right position, amd ots not overly overcast, and there isn't a tree casting shade. Morning sun screwed mine up. Had to add IR LEDs and wrapped a black garbage bag over the skyscreens to get consistent readings. Worked great until a gust of wind would come up and knock the works over.  I haven't tried the G2 and maybe the inverted system doesn't have the same issue as the std version chrony.... |
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Posted: 4/17/2023 5:05:33 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Accuracy: We tested the 3 units against each other: chrony, magnetospeed, and labradar. We found the labradar and Fixed the error... |
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Posted: 4/17/2023 5:57:13 PM EDT
[#26]
Was a fairly early adopter of Labradar (2016). Many thousands of rounds chronographed at this point. From PCP Air rifles to 750gr AMAXes. I've seen more than a few people put theirs directly in the blast path of their muzzle brakes. DON'T DO THIS.
I shoot mostly suppressed and use the mic for it. Has a couple of niggles doing it this way (if the mic gets too much blast from other firing , it powers down). As others have said, the Labradar and the magneto offer similar accuracy, but the Labradar doesn't screw up your barrel harmonics. Only other downside (other than cost) is if you're shooting an overpassed gas gun, sometimes the cases can end up bouncing off the unit. Get a brass catcher or place the unit on the other side accordingly |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 8:59:54 AM EDT
[#27]
LabRadar everyday and twice on Sunday. Before I gave my Cadwell to my dad I ran loads over the Cadwell with the LR running and both were within a few fps of each other.
In a world of the LR I honestly don't know why folks would go with the "shoot over" styles any longer. Set up is a pain and if you use it long enough you're eventually going to shoot something. My only casualty was a set of sky screens, but it was still super annoyoing. I'll second (third?) the inertial trigger. The external mic is cool, but on windy days you'll get all sorts of false triggers which require you to clear the alert screen. I even use the inertial trigger on unsuppressed rifles as I like the decreased chances of it missing a shot. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 9:09:34 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Morning sun screwed mine up. Had to add IR LEDs and wrapped a black garbage bag over the skyscreens to get consistent readings. Worked great until a gust of wind would come up and knock the works over. I haven't tried the G2 and maybe the inverted system doesn't have the same issue as the std version chrony.... The G2 has built in lighting now. Not sure how well they work. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 9:23:34 AM EDT
[#29]
My buddy has a Labradar and it seems like a huge pain in the ass to get it setup and reading properly BUT it's ability to take several readings downrange would be a huge game-changer if you're doing precision rifle type shooting.
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Posted: 4/18/2023 9:44:41 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My buddy has a Labradar and it seems like a huge pain in the ass to get it setup and reading properly BUT it's ability to take several readings downrange would be a huge game-changer if you're doing precision rifle type shooting. In my experience, set up to get muzzle velocity, even out to 50 yards, is no effort at all. Set up to read accurately further down range takes more care, to make sure it is aimed correctly. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 11:11:52 AM EDT
[#31]
The good thing about Labradar is it's a phenomenal first generation consumer product of the next step in technology.
The bad thing about LabRadar is it's a first generation model that is barely beyond prototype level, of a next level technology. The interface is primitive and makes me want to listen to 2000's music [Hey Ya - (OutKast)] And the Bluetooth connection is beyond amaturishly bad reliability. The product looks like a retirees pet project he started in the late 90's, that he knock out of the park. And then just gave up and walked away or died or something, and the kids just keep making it the exact same way. It is in desperate need of a next generation version 2. [ Heeyyyyyy Yahhhhhh, .. heey Yaaah...] (stuck in my head - now yours  Is it still the best thing out there? Yes THe fact that RCBS et al, haven't come out with a mass produced retail version with some 2020's level interface and tech, and a lower price point, is just blown opportunity- IMHO. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 11:28:57 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: THe fact that RCBS et al, haven't come out with a mass produced retail version with some 2020's level interface and tech, and a lower price point, is just blown opportunity- IMHO. Waiting out the patent and probably writing code that doesn't run into copyright issues as they wait for the patent to expire. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 3:19:26 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In my experience, set up to get muzzle velocity, even out to 50 yards, is no effort at all. Set up to read accurately further down range takes more care, to make sure it is aimed correctly. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: My buddy has a Labradar and it seems like a huge pain in the ass to get it setup and reading properly BUT it's ability to take several readings downrange would be a huge game-changer if you're doing precision rifle type shooting. In my experience, set up to get muzzle velocity, even out to 50 yards, is no effort at all. Set up to read accurately further down range takes more care, to make sure it is aimed correctly. This is the case precisely. You can use the V-notch to (aim) get data downrange, but I borrowed an idea I saw here and stuck a straw in it. Much easier. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 3:48:39 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ...And the sun is in the right position, amd ots not overly overcast, and there isn't a tree casting shade. Ah, but the G2 is much more reliable with the top down optical readings. |
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Posted: 4/18/2023 8:00:00 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fixed the error... Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Accuracy: We tested the 3 units against each other: chrony, magnetospeed, and labradar. We found the labradar and Fixed the error... doh. thank you, that's what I meant! In case there was any doubt, my shooting chrony sucked and one of these days I will shoot it. |
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Posted: 4/19/2023 8:12:15 PM EDT
[#36]
Labradar is absolutely worth it if you're doing load dev year around.
Make your own recoil trigger, it's easy and is less than $5. https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/DIY-Labradar-recoil-trigger-/42-523956/ https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/labradar-recoil-trigger-diy.872618/ |
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Posted: 4/19/2023 8:25:42 PM EDT
[#37]
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Posted: 4/21/2023 12:24:45 PM EDT
[#38]
 I haven't opened the Caldwell since Nov 2017 when I bought the LR. If you are a data junkie, get the LR. If you need muzzle readings, get LR. If you're just a casual user that doesn't need accurate muzzle data and velocity at 5-10yd is sufficient, the G2 is definitely the optical unit to get. The top down orientation eliminates every downside ever mentioned of an optical chronograph except the inherent risk of shooting it. I bought the LR after I moved and my new range didn't allow chronos down range. The LR is easy to setup. It is not nearly as picky at aiming as people say. You 100% want an accelerometer trigger. |
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Posted: 4/21/2023 1:50:32 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Ah, but the G2 is much more reliable with the top down optical readings. Aaaaaand you is less likely to put a hole through one with the guts on top 
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