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Athlon Optics Rangecraft Velocity Pro Radar Chronograph (Page 3 of 4)
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Originally Posted By Bronsonburner: I really wish the price would have stayed what it was supposed to be a few months ago. I now have several expensive projects going on and can't see coughing up the cash for one now. BTW, does it work with archery? I am an avid archer as well and if it does, it will be a one-and-done solution for all my needs. Yes it does. |
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Originally Posted By chase45: I finally chronod all my revolver loads My magnum 357 loading with my 4.25" 66 is hitting 1300 fps with 15.5grs of h110 and a 160gr cast Keith hp My 3" is running over 1200 with the same load Neat stuff Only thing that's caught up with me so far is forgetting to switch to a new session when shooting a different gun. I had to dump some data due to that but that's a me problem and not the device. Interesting note as I didn't have a ton of time. I was shooting relatively quick. The spread seemed to be wider as the guns got hotter looking at the data now Now shoot the same ammo with the gun tipped muzzle up then lowered to fire and shoot from a muzzle down slowly raised up to level. Eye opening on some powders. 200-250 fps variance. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
I liked how he set-up the units to minimize the distance variable I have seen in other tests. Chronograph Showdown: Surprising Results! Athlon Rangecraft |
Change is the only constant. - Heractilus
 Ep129 Special Guests Dustin and Judd From Athlon- Everything About Athlon Rangecraft Chronograph |
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First day at the range with it. It locked-up, and I can't even turn it off  Attached File Maybe I'm doing something wrong; I dunno. Couldn't get it to record any strings of fire on the app. I think it locked-up when I attempted to sync data between the two. Finally got it to shutdown by holding the power button for half a minute. On the bright side- it didn't miss a single shot. Until it locked-up.... |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Don't you have to pair it to the app before you start shooting? Doesn't it automatically send the info to the app once you end the string recording or start a new session? just asking for clarification as sometimes a lockup is just waiting for another gizmo to respond. The hard power off sounds about right. |
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Quite possibly I fumbled that part. I'll try again next week. It has been years since I was in a place where I could set up a chronograph to check my .357 loads. It was 600+ miles from home, and the battery died after one shot. So, have been looking forward to today... My H110 125gr XTP loads out of a Kimber K6S Combat were speedier than I had thought they would be- Attached File |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Funny I did pair it at home playing with the unit but at the range I don’t bother. I guess I am too old fashioned and simple. I should at least try it, it may eliminate my wrong button fumbling when starting and viewing strings. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Originally Posted By Strikefirst: There is also an app update coming soon. No idea what it changes. In the video they said they found a few issues. Mine will connect and let me sync the data and see my strings of shots, but I don't see it under the "manage devices" option. When I'm connected to it under the "connect device" option, I have a grayed out option for update firmware, but when I click on it, it says "fail, device serial number not found". The chrono works great compared to using my buddies lab radar. The app still needs bunch of tweaking to make it better. Overall tho, it's impressive for the 320 dollars I paid for it. |
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Mine doesn't show up under Manage Devices, either. The majority of the time that I can upload a session, the shot count is shown as zero. Maybe it just isn't playing well with my particular Android version... |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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I had an issue with mine this morning. The chrono for some reason dumped the date and time setting. That may because I had downloaded a firmware update but I'm not 100%. Once I got the date and time entered the chrono worked fine while shooting but when I got home and tried to sync the chrono with the app it wouldn't sync. The various shot strings pulled in but there wasn't any data there. It had all the various start times but said 0 shots for each string I''m still trying to figure out how I will use the chrono. The way I've been using it is that when shooting a ladder I stop the session after each powder charge then I do another quick start session for the next powder charge. I have a little notebook where I write down the powder charge and note the start time. When I get home I use the app to rename the shot string to add the load info through the app. I've emailed Athlon customer service and asked what they recommend. |
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Ditto here. Didn't upload a single string of fire today to the app. A lot of disconnected messages, too. The chrono itself seemed to work fine. Had surprising results from Winchester military ball. Much slower than expected through a PCC. |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Ditto here. Didn't upload a single string of fire today to the app. A lot of disconnected messages, too. The chrono itself seemed to work fine. Had surprising results from Winchester 115gr military ball. Much slower than expected through a PCC. Due to it being a direct blowback? It was significantly slower than the Wolf 115gr fmj. |
And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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My email was replied to today so great customer response time. They asked if I had held the power button down for 20 sec. I let them know I had done that because the sync was taking far too long from the past instances (5+ min) and the unit was unresponsive. I also let them know I restarted my phone. When the unit had power cycled I tried to pair again and got the message that all synchronization was current but still showing 0 shot data. They asked for my address and said they'd send a replacement unit. |
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Mine just arrived Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Used mine today. I think it reads faster numbers than my old CHRONY Master Beta. Very easy to use. I didn’t use any of the maths functions. I’m not good at math. And I didn’t read any instructions. I did have to put my glasses on at first, because it’s hard to read the molded letters on the power and OK buttons when you have old eyes, and you’re on a dozen different meds. 😵💫 |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Originally Posted By W_E_G: Mine just arrived https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105614/IMG_8416_jpeg-3552416.JPG Where did you get yours? When did you order it? |
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
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Originally Posted By overdriv: So here it is June 1, 2025, where is the best price and place to buy a Rangecraft? $400ish seems to be about the going price. Try to find a place that has them in stock. I ordered mine for $350 from optics planet on 5/9. It was supposed to be shipped in 1-2 weeks. The latest update is 6/13. |
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
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Originally Posted By Cycolac: Where did you get yours? When did you order it? I ordered mine from Scheels. Free shipping and showed up in 3 days. I paid $400. I wasn't going to deal hunt since during my previous load testing I had such unreliable performance from my optical unit. These were out so I figured I'd give it a try over the Garmin. |
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Originally Posted By Cycolac: Where did you get yours? When did you order it? @Cycolac I ordered from GUNMAGWAREHOUSE on Friday of Memorial Day Weekend Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
I'm not lazy, I just really enjoy doing nothing.
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Originally Posted By W_E_G: @Cycolac I ordered from GUNMAGWAREHOUSE on Friday of Memorial Day Weekend https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105614/IMG_8458_jpeg-3554215.JPG |
Selling agent for Algores carbon credit scam.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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I haven't made it to the range with mine. I watched a video interviewing one of the Athlon guys and discussing issues he had using 6 radars at a time. One athlon flipped out when a labradar was turned on (in the followup video). I'm pretty confident these are fine. They admitted the app service was overwhelmed and they had a fix coming quickly. The one with an issue that needed exchanged is disheartening but so far it's the only one I've heard of. |
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Originally Posted By Cycolac: $400ish seems to be about the going price. Try to find a place that has them in stock. I ordered mine for $350 from optics planet on 5/9. It was supposed to be shipped in 1-2 weeks. The latest update is 6/13. Optics Planet…..the king of we sell what we don’t have and we don’t care. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Originally Posted By SteelonSteel: Optics Planet ..the king of we sell what we don't have and we don't care. Originally Posted By SteelonSteel: Originally Posted By Cycolac: $400ish seems to be about the going price. Try to find a place that has them in stock. I ordered mine for $350 from optics planet on 5/9. It was supposed to be shipped in 1-2 weeks. The latest update is 6/13. Optics Planet ..the king of we sell what we don't have and we don't care. |
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Originally Posted By Bound: true Originally Posted By Bound: Originally Posted By SteelonSteel: Originally Posted By Cycolac: $400ish seems to be about the going price. Try to find a place that has them in stock. I ordered mine for $350 from optics planet on 5/9. It was supposed to be shipped in 1-2 weeks. The latest update is 6/13. Optics Planet ..the king of we sell what we don't have and we don't care.  That was my 2 experiences.So they are on my "never order from" list. If you get your order in a timely manner, I'm happy for you. |
Selling agent for Algores carbon credit scam.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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I have recorded the best SD so far Playing with my kids in the backyard I decided to see how fast I could throw one of their small toy balls To my surprise I am awfully consistent 74FPS average SD 3.0 Spread 7.2  On a unrelated note there is a firmware update for mine. Im letting it do its thing right now. I have had zero issues out of mine |
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Firmware 1.40.63.1 is when mine seemed to go unreliable and won't sync correctly. I don't know if it's a unit or an app problem. Based on the video it might be an app problem. Not sure why the customer response couldn't have just told me that. Since they said they're sending a replacement unit I figured they were looking at the problem as "this isn't supposed to happen." |
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Mine “sync’s” with my ink stick pretty good so far. Today’s exercise. Left column is velocity on the ATHLON device. Right column is velocity reported by SHOTMARKER e-target at the target face 200 yards downrange. Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Originally Posted By chase45: Ill update it as I shoot some more things Hopefully one day I can use it back to back to a garmin and see how close they are to each other in velocity readings I will probably use the chrono often since it is very easy to use Ive shot mine a bunch side by side with a garmin and it consistently reads around 8fps faster. There is a youtube video with a guy who checked his against both a garmin and magnetospeed and the athlon and Magnetospeed were really close to each other. |
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Originally Posted By W_E_G: Mine “sync’s” with my ink stick pretty good so far. Today’s exercise. Left column is velocity on the ATHLON device. Right column is velocity reported by SHOTMARKER e-target at the target face 200 yards downrange. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105614/IMG_8517_jpeg-3556161.JPG Truly! I always write the numbers down. I may not need them when I get home but I have the data and the load descriptions, wind conditions, shot calls, and all sorts of notes on paper via my "ink stick". I also keep the targets. Have you used the two data sets to estimate the BC? How does the BC compare to that advertised for the Sierra MK or Nosler CC? |
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I haven’t done any fancy maths. But I am curious whether the ATHLON number and the SHOTMARKER number agree when I input the ATHLON number into QUICKTARGET. I’m too drunk to mess with it tonight. Maybe in the morning if I’m not puking. |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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I ran some of the ATHLON "muzzle" numbers through QUICKTARGET (companion program to QUICKLOAD). Objective was to see whether the SHOTMARKER 200 yard numbers from yesterday match the QUICKTARGET predicted 200 yard numbers based on the ATHLON "muzzle" numbers. The question being whether SHOTMARKER-reported velocities can be used to extrapolate muzzle-velocities via the QUICKTARGET program. Looks like SHOTMARKER and QUICKTARGET match up to within about 30 fps. Here, I input the first SHOTMARKER "muzzle" number of 2773 fps into QUICKTARGET, and then used QUICKTARGET to calculate a predicted 200 yard velocity. QUICKTARGET predicted 2290 fps at 200 yards. Whereas the SHOTMARKER reported velocity from yesterday was 2317 fps at 200 yards. I ran a few other examples from yesterday's outing with the ATHLON chronograph, and got about the same small range (same 200-yard velocity within about 30 fps or less) of difference between QUICKTARGET-predicted velocity and SHOTMARKER-reported velocity. So the point of this is you can use SHOTMARKER-reported velocities to extrapolate muzzle velocity with a modest degree of accuracy. Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Have not seen this mentioned: Does the Vortex (or Garmin) allow a voice announcement of velocities? That is one thing I really like about my Prochrono DLX: The bluetooth connection to my phone provides a nice verbal announcement of velocity, so I don't even have to look at either screen to see if it was recorded. I keep an older/not activated phone in the case with the DLX, to record and save everything. All programming is done on the phone, instead of having to pick up and push on the chrono screen. -I don't know if that is possible with the Vortex/Garmin? -hoping someone will answer. Thanks |
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Originally Posted By Minshooter: Have not seen this mentioned: Does the Vortex (or Garmin) allow a voice announcement of velocities? That is one thing I really like about my Prochrono DLX: The bluetooth connection to my phone provides a nice verbal announcement of velocity, so I don't even have to look at either screen to see if it was recorded. I keep an older/not activated phone in the case with the DLX, to record and save everything. All programming is done on the phone, instead of having to pick up and push on the chrono screen. -I don't know if that is possible with the Vortex/Garmin? -hoping someone will answer. Thanks I’ve got the Garmin and also a Prochrono DLX. I don’t know a way to get the velocities to be spoken on the Garmin. |
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Originally Posted By glock23c: Cameralandny $349.99 Friday. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/18977/IMG_6868_png-3554750.JPG @glock23c Has yours been delivered yet? |
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Originally Posted By glock23c: No. Originally Posted By glock23c: Originally Posted By Cycolac: @glock23c Has yours been delivered yet? No. Did they give you a delivery date? Any other contact with them? @glock23c |
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
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I ordered mine two days ago from Scheels and got it today. Took it to the match this evening and tested it with several shooters. Set up, 4 different loads, and packed up in 3 minutes. Velocities were where we expected. All four strings synched to the app with no issues.. And this thing processes shots instantly. Super happy so far. |
Athlon Optics Rangecraft Velocity Pro Radar Chronograph (Page 3 of 4)
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