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Scot’s Product Review: MagnetoSpeed V3 Ballistic Chronograph
One of the most basic needs for all living creatures is the ability to defend themselves. When there are bad times and problems in our society, it is essential to own and be able to use weapons for self-defense. The situation could be a regional disaster, like Hurricane Katrina, or it could be the worst of times, such as a Carrington or EMP event. In either case, there are wicked people who will take advantage of those who are weak. Even if you can avoid evil people, there are predators to be dispatched and game to be gathered for the table.
Having weapons is not enough. We must have skill with them. That means training and practice. Both require ammunition, and that stuff is expensive and sometimes hard to acquire. Being able to make our own by recycling cartridge cases saves money and also provides more detailed knowledge of how our weapons work, which is a component of being skilled. Reloading also allows us to tailor ammunition to specific purposes, from practice to self-defense and for hunting specific game animals or predators.
A key consideration in having ballistic success with our ammunition is how fast the bullet is going and how consistent the velocity is from round to round. That’s not something we can eyeball. While we can obtain some data for factory specs or from reloading manuals, the only way to know for sure what we are getting is the use of a ballistic chronograph– a device that can measure and record bullet speeds. While you can do okay without one, you will have far more data to work with as you tune your ammunition to your weapons if you have access to a chronograph.
At one time chronographs were rare and expensive, but thanks to modern electronics that has changed. In the early days of measuring bullet speeds, a number of approaches were used, such as a pendulum or a moving piece of paper. By knowing how far the pendulum swung when struck by the bullet or how much the paper traveled while the bullet was in flight, we could calculate its speed with reasonable accuracy. Today, however, chronographs use sensors that can detect the bullet as it passes over them. The timer starts as the bullet goes over the first sensor and then stops as it passes the second, and a computer determines the speed. Some add extra sensors to double check accuracy.
The most common form of sensor reacts to the shadow cast by the bullet as it passes over them. The bullet needs to pass directly over the sensors and its path should be parallel to them. There is often a diffuser placed over the sensors to provide even lighting. Sometimes, however, differing light conditions such as the lack of a good shadow or angled light that places the shadow offset to the sensor can cause problems and errant readings. Indoor lighting can be problematic for some sensors, particularly under lights that flicker, as most fluorescents do.
Source: http://survivalblog.com/scots-product-review-magnetospeed-v3-ballistic-chronograph/
