I recently purchased a chronograph for the broad head test that we did. When checking into the different styles and options, I was really overwhelmed.

I had this preconceived idea of what a chronograph did and how it worked. I didn’t fully understand the way this actually worked. I knew it had a sensor at each end that measured the time between the projectile passing each point. But I didn’t know exactly how it did it. I found out real quick!

When we started making up the requirements for our broad head test, I wanted to speed check the heads against the equal weighted field tips. So naturally a chronograph was the obvious choice. We began looking around at all the different types of chonographs available. First we found out that not many people actually carry them. I only found them at Cabela’s and at our local outdoor store Williams Gun Sight and Outfitters. We chose the later since it was closer and basically the same

price. We chose the Chrony Shooting Beta chronograph. Mainly because it was in a metal housing along with the fact that it was upgradeable. You can add a remote to it and a portable printer to print out the results at the range. You can also buy a light kit for it, and I later found out why this was available.

When we were at the range and got to the speed portion of our test, we set up the chronograph and proceeded to shoot away! We kept getting error after error. After some searching through the manual, I found out that lighting conditions are very important. These chronographs measure speeds by the shadow that passes over the sensor when the projectile is fired through it. Shadows means that you have to have light! It cannot be an indoor light source either! So much for the speed test at the range!

After I went home that day, I got it back out and had the kids shoot their arrows through it, and guess what? It worked! There was plenty of sunshine to make the sensors work properly, that is until the sun went behind a cloud. So I now see the reason for the lighting kit that is offered for it. We kept playing around with it for a while, until the sun went down enough as to not provide enough light.

I was amazed at how easy it was to use, and hope to be able to finish our broadhead test in the next couple of weeks. I’m also planning on using it for checking some of the rounds I reloaded for my Ruger .22 Hornet rifle, when I can get the time to hit the rifle range. It just gives me another reason to head to the range, as if I need one!