MagnetoSpeed V3 chronograph

[375 Ruger Fan]

Santa Claus brought me a MagnetoSpeed V3 chronograph for Christmas. Okay, I really bought it from Midway, USA and my wife wrapped and put it under the tree. I acted surprised when I opened it Christmas day.

When I was a kid and reloaded with my Dad, we didn't have a chrony. As I have been easing back into reloading after a ~40 year pause, I could readily see the benefit of a chrony of some sort.

I did some 404 Jeffery load work up with a friend and he had a Magneto V3. Getting accurate velocity data sure makes load development quicker and takes a lot of guess work out of it.

After two range sessions with a 270 and 404J, I really like this piece of equipment. I managed to set it up quickly and didn't destroy it. The only negative comment is every few shots, the Magneto slips a little towards the end of the barrel and it needs to be slid back an inch or two.

On a future range trip, I want to test to see if the Magneto affects POI or grouping size. Logic would suggest that it does.

 

[gillettehunter]

They will affect POI. On some rifles it will also affect the group size. I have heard things like changing the barrel harmonics with it on..... The longer and thinner the barrel the more it is likely to make a difference. Nice piece of equipment for your reloading and shooting hobbies.
Bruce

 

[Opposite Pole]

It changes my POI but not group size.

 

[shootist~]

Mine changes the POI for sure, on everything.

Effect on group size varies from rifle to rifle. And might be related to recoil and how much it slips forward from shot to shot.

 

[norfolk shooter]

Changes my POI too. It was funny trying to use it my double

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Changes my POI too. It was funny trying to use it my double

Seems like you'd need two them, one for each barrel.

 

[Goose Cracker]

Chronographs are such useful tools.

I've looked at these Magnetospeed chronys off and on for a couple years. Always thought they were pretty cool but heard the downsides of affecting group size and/or POI, so I never purchased one. But I know a couple guys that own them and really like them. Do they work with muzzle brakes and suppressors?

When I'm testing loads, I'm generally shooting for groups and data at the same time - so that was a significant downside for me.

I have a traditional "shoot through" chrony (Caldwell Ballistic Precision Premium kit) and I'm convinced that I'm going to shoot off one of the arms or the diffusers at some point. It works fine and also syncs with my iPad for all the data analysis, so I've been reticent to upgrade. You can even take pictures of your groups and measure them using the app, which I find helpful.

All the guys I see at my gun club (River Bend Gun Club, north of Atlanta) seem to have switched to the Labradar chrony, and all seem to like it. It does have several downsides, not least of which is the $559 price tag, which doesn't include a stand or carry case! They also don't integrate easily with my iPad/Surface etc for data evaluation. I think the new versions of them do have Bluetooth compatibility and an app, so the "data analysis" drawback may have been rectified. Apparently muzzle brakes and suppressors can create issues.

Love the wood on that rifle, btw. Really nice.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@Goose Cracker , according to the MagnetoSpeed website, it will work will suppressors and muzzle brakes:

https://magnetospeed.com/pages/faq

 

[Hogpatrol]

Been using them since they were introduced. On the third iteration of them. POI changes relative to the position of the unit on the barrel. There is a learning curve to get them to stay in a fixed position. For accurate, consistent and reliable use, make sure it stays in the same exact position. From my experience of several years, the barrel harmonics boogey man is bullshit, usually second hand info and most likely blamed because of misuse. I have NEVER seen it affect group size and have shot it on heavy barrels, skinny barrels, short barrels, and long barrels, .22 rimfire, .17 HMR and HM2 and on magnums up to .30 caliber. The main concern is make sure the strap is tight, check for movement. The haters will report them causing hair loss, dry skin, ED and global warming.

 

[Uncle Sauce]

Watching this thread! Been thinking of getting one. I did read a review on a forum about someone who put some sort of grip pad on the connection point with the barrel to keep it from moving /walking.

 

[Pheroze]

I really like mine. It hasn't affected group size, I evaluate both group size and velocity in the same session. Perhaps it changes point of aim, but not that I have particularly paid attention to. I always tweak that anyways. It rarely misses a shot, and is quite easy to use.

 

[norfolk shooter]

@Goose Cracker I have used mine with a sup. All you have to do is adjust the sensitivity on the unit and it will pick up shots.

 

[Rob404]

I may suggest picking up some tapered shims, and they all have the same problem with slippage, I minimized mine by not using their set-up, and just used some Velcro.
I also have a V2 that I don't use if anybodies interested

 

[Goose Cracker]

I just realized that the picture on the box has the Magnetospeed mounted on a gun with a suppressor. Attention to detail!

 

[Hogpatrol]

For the paranoid barrel harmonics gang:

https://www.wiserprecision.com/products/chrono-mount

 

[Opposite Pole]

@Goose Cracker , according to the MagnetoSpeed website, it will work will suppressors and muzzle brakes:

https://magnetospeed.com/pages/faq

View attachment 326016

View attachment 326017

It works with muzzle brakes, haven’t tried it with a suppressor but can see no reason why it wouldn’t work.