Hi gang first new to pcp’s and this forum which is great. I always see or read shooters talk about their guns velocity numbers. Simple question from me is this something every one who has a rifle with adjustments should have? Thanks.
Tuning Do I need a velocity meter..?.?
- Thread starter mochajoe
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You won't know what your adjustments are really doing if you don't have a chronograph. So yes, I'd say it is a must have.
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Not if you don't shoot past 30 yards anyway since you won't notice the velocity spread on target.
Don't try to power a light bulb with a potato.
Don't try to power a light bulb with a potato.
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Have a Dream Tact compact .22 on preeeeeorder! Every time I check website date keeps changing. O well still a lot of winter left here. Thanks guys
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I would say they can be very helpful but aren't necessary for the average shooter. If you can zero a gun and hit what you want to shoot at, what difference does the speed make?
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What is a velocity meter? Been shooting airgun for the past 30 years and never heard of one. I think you mean a chronograph. If you want to tune your gun to shoot for accuracy then you will need one. If you just plinky with papers you don't need one.
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That right there is not true. If you want to tune for accuracy you need paper and a pencil and that is absolutely all you need and you should feel free to call it whatever floats your boat.
A chronograph can help you figure out what your adjustments do on your specific gun. That's about it. If you are tuning for group size, you are going to use group size to determine what the best settings are, right? Accuracy is ALWAYS the result of consistency and you don't need a chronograph to measure that. A tape measure will do that job just fine.
I've always owned a chronograph since the very early 80's. If I summed up the total range time I spent actually shooting over a chronograph over the past forty years or so and converted that to a percentage it would likely be well under five percent. The last tool you need in your tool box is a chronograph.
Spend that money on a good optic instead and maybe after you get two or three guns you'll find a use for another hundred dollar gadget... but if you want a REALLY good gadget and you don't care about tossing money into the abyss get something like this as it can help you discover really interesting things like the exact BC of a projectile out of your gun at a given velocity. It won't make you a better shot but it's braggin' rights on the forums: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016447132?pid=523157
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I like cornpone's answer, the tell is in the tape.
A chronograph is a valuable tool, and we all knew what you meant. It will give you the velocity, a number that is needed to calculate fpe, FT/LB, FT-LB,,,,,,,,,,,,,aka, energy. Don't overthink "energy", it is a very confusing term to some. It is the force that moves things, drives things, and breaks things.
Enough is needed, but too much isn't going to be a lot of negative, especially in an air gun. You will not reach the speeds to turn a temporary cavity into a permanent cavity, so think, the ammo has to touch, tear, or crush vitals in order to do damage.
Shopping for the best performing pellet/slug for your purpose, the velocity is valuable. Different compositions do different things on the terminal end. Shooting a 750 fps performing round isn't going to do you a lot of good at 650 fps. MV is a great way to measure certain things, but impact velocity can be calculated with a starting point. I'm probably over explaining. If you are shooting paper, all this is kind of overkill. If you're happy with groups, running it across one at a range or with a friend who has one will give you some numbers to keep in mind without having to pony up for a device. FWIW, most are very accurate these days and the measurable difference in properly working devices, be it $100 or $900 is negligible. Features are what you are usually paying for.
NEED? No you really don't. If you are trying to get the most velocity, set it that way, then fine tune for group size. Even when loading powder burning ammo, I'll get to an accuracy node in the velocity range I'm looking for and load 1/10th grain difference to fine tune. At that point, I don't usually bother with the chrono, but we like to obsess and overthink things as a group.
Happy Shooting
A chronograph is a valuable tool, and we all knew what you meant. It will give you the velocity, a number that is needed to calculate fpe, FT/LB, FT-LB,,,,,,,,,,,,,aka, energy. Don't overthink "energy", it is a very confusing term to some. It is the force that moves things, drives things, and breaks things.
Enough is needed, but too much isn't going to be a lot of negative, especially in an air gun. You will not reach the speeds to turn a temporary cavity into a permanent cavity, so think, the ammo has to touch, tear, or crush vitals in order to do damage.
Shopping for the best performing pellet/slug for your purpose, the velocity is valuable. Different compositions do different things on the terminal end. Shooting a 750 fps performing round isn't going to do you a lot of good at 650 fps. MV is a great way to measure certain things, but impact velocity can be calculated with a starting point. I'm probably over explaining. If you are shooting paper, all this is kind of overkill. If you're happy with groups, running it across one at a range or with a friend who has one will give you some numbers to keep in mind without having to pony up for a device. FWIW, most are very accurate these days and the measurable difference in properly working devices, be it $100 or $900 is negligible. Features are what you are usually paying for.
NEED? No you really don't. If you are trying to get the most velocity, set it that way, then fine tune for group size. Even when loading powder burning ammo, I'll get to an accuracy node in the velocity range I'm looking for and load 1/10th grain difference to fine tune. At that point, I don't usually bother with the chrono, but we like to obsess and overthink things as a group.
Happy Shooting
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Very interesting and I thank you for explaining it in terms a newbie can understand. I’m hoping to continue to enjoy shooting be it paper or critters and not get to far into the weeds! Thanks
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I own several FX guns but I am not a fan of the FX chronograph. It’s accurate and easy to use but I prefer the iPhone application on my competition electronics ProChrono. The ProChrono is cheaper too. it requires good light or the led light bar to work in even cloudy conditions sometimes.
Sorry but the FX App is terrible. if you care about saving weather conditions, bullet weight, and your ballistics information. It’s a pain to do with the FX app. But the FX chronograph has worked for me in just about any conditions (including heavy snowfall) and it’s small and light weight.
I wouldn’t just buy the one ‘they’ say to use. Do some research, see why will work best for you.
I’m wishing I would have just bought a LabRadar at this point, just didn’t have the foresight to know I’d need it.
Sorry but the FX App is terrible. if you care about saving weather conditions, bullet weight, and your ballistics information. It’s a pain to do with the FX app. But the FX chronograph has worked for me in just about any conditions (including heavy snowfall) and it’s small and light weight.
I wouldn’t just buy the one ‘they’ say to use. Do some research, see why will work best for you.
I’m wishing I would have just bought a LabRadar at this point, just didn’t have the foresight to know I’d need it.
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A chronograph is very good to have for any serious airgunner, and they are absolute necessities for people like myself that handload firearm cartridges to maximum load levels.
I have a Shooting Chrony that I paid about $125 for, and it does reasonably well. Speeds vary a bit between an overcast day and a clear day, so I do my testing on a clear sky day for the most consistent results.
I have a Shooting Chrony that I paid about $125 for, and it does reasonably well. Speeds vary a bit between an overcast day and a clear day, so I do my testing on a clear sky day for the most consistent results.
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I have two PCPs. I used the chronograph on my first one. I was turning for maximum power.
Then I got my second PCP about a year ago. And have not shot it over the chronograph yet.
As someone new to airguns. You probably dont need to rush out and buy a chronograph. Shoot and enjoy your gun. Keep educating yourself on airgunning. And research when and why other people use their chronographs. Then maybe at some point you may see the need for owning one.
I bought this one. Reasonably priced and easy to use.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020438152?pid=988434
Then I got my second PCP about a year ago. And have not shot it over the chronograph yet.
As someone new to airguns. You probably dont need to rush out and buy a chronograph. Shoot and enjoy your gun. Keep educating yourself on airgunning. And research when and why other people use their chronographs. Then maybe at some point you may see the need for owning one.
I bought this one. Reasonably priced and easy to use.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020438152?pid=988434
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