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ProChrono Digital<br>Affordable shotshell chronographing for the masses
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In nervous anticipation, I waited the long weekend for my bargain-priced Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital to arrive, and was all but holding my breath when it did.

Was this going to be another loser in my frustrating quest for a chronograph that actually works with shotshells?

The unusually large number of customer reviews on MidwayUSA were effusive enough in their five-star praises of this $99.99 el cheapo to have sparked my genetic cynicism. I smelled a rat -- or rather 25 shills touting for the manufacturer with glowing comments of dubious source and credibility. Many were written in the same bubbly style, so I surmised it might be only one shill padding many of those adoring reports.

I was particularly suspicious of this shotgun-modest model from past unfavorable experiences with another low-end chronograph -- a Shooting Chrony, which may be improved by now but I wasn't about to revisit it to find out.

I ordered the ProChrono anyway. It couldn't be any worse than the $346 whole-ball-of-wax CED M2 outfit I'm preparing to return to Midway, or my Oehler Model 35 I've had five years that's become totally flaky at startup.

I'm not impressed at all by a chronograph's ability to record rifle and handgun velocities. If it can't reliably clock the speed of a solid projectile, it's truly junk. They all can and do fairly faithfully, some just offering more bells and whistles than others -- like the feature-rich CED M2 that had no problem with bullet velocities but lost its mind at the sight of a shotshell.

For me, the true test of a chronograph is putting a big glob of birdshot over its eyeballs.

The CED M2 had either gone nuts at that, with erratic velocities upwards of 3000 fps, or recorded nothing at all from failure of one of its sensors to even see the shot. The Oehler at least still records plausible velocities -- if its initial display ever stops bouncing around in digital gibberish.

It actually works!

To my sheer amazement and delight, this modest little ProChrono performed flawlessly from the first two six-shot strings of cheap Federal .22's and -- holding my breath -- a couple of 12-gauge skeet loads from a Winchester 101 Skt/Skt, which clocked a believable 1134 and 1135 fps with the muzzle the recommended five feet from the first sensor. Even at that distance the velocities were easy to read from the digital LCD display.

And it's performed flawlessly ever since. Most recently, I used it to record the velocities of 96 shotshells for a topic I've got in the works. It clocked every one on a bright, sunny day without so much as a hiccup. I haven't had a chance to test it under an overcast sky, the optimum condition for chronographing, but I'm confident it'll work equally well.

The ProChrono is basic simplicity itself and reliably delivers all anyone really needs to know about a shotshell's velocity: high, low, extreme spread, average, standard deviation. And it will record up to 99 shots in each of nine strings, which remain in memory even after the unit's switched off. You can advance to a specific string, then go through all its shots one at a time, or you can go directly to the summary in a string by pressing the Review button longer than normal.

Operation is simple and straightforward: Turn it on from its switch on the side and you get a brief 8.8.8.8 sequence, then rdY (ready), followed by X-XX, where X will be the current string number and XX will be the shot number. If no strings exist in memory, a single 0 appears and you're ready to shoot. If strings exist and you want to start a new one, pushing String Change repeatedly will move you to a string number containing no shots.

After each shot, its number appears, followed by its velocity. Shots are always added to the bottom of a string and can be added to any string simply by going to it. Displayed shots always begin with the last and move back to the first by pressing the Review button.

Hunting down a specific velocity isn't a problem for me because I always write down each velocity immediately anyway, along with the summary on a pre-printed form. I consider seven or eight shots enough for meaningful conclusions about a shotshell's velocity.

The default measurement unit is feet-per-second but can be changed to meters each time the unit is switched on. The ProChrono records velocities of bullets, shot, BB's, arrows and paint balls from 21 to 7,000 fps and operates in temperatures from 32 to 100 degrees F.

The ProChrono is powered by a single 9v alkaline battery (not included) plugged into a harness in a compartment whose cover comes off easily, unlike others I've wrestled with. Immediately next door is a compartment for a spare. The unit also has a low-battery warning.

Finally -- convenience.

Besides its bullet-proof dependability (so far), what I like best about the ProChrono is its utter convenience of use: No separate display/sensors, no cables stringing around, and if you've got a handy table for it you don't even need a tripod, though there's a standard 1/4"x20 threaded brass insert in the bottom for one.

I can't count the times I've put off or just abandoned chronographing a group of shells simply from dread of threading all that crap through a crowded house to the yard, assembling it -- then having to disassemble and tote it all back.
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Now I keep this little jewel with diffusers installed parked atop a dresser and when I want to make a quick check of a few shotshells I simply carry it and a small, folding table out to the porch and blast away. Or I can tuck it into a toolbox I use as a range case and take it up to the ranch. I'm lazy, and consider convenience next to godliness.

The entire rig comprises the self-contained chronograph/display unit, four 3/16" steel rods and a couple of sturdy, plastic diffusers which flex into a shallow arc when connected to the rods, forming a shooting area three inches wide at the bottom, angling out to 13 inches at the top, which is 15 inches above the unit -- not huge, but plenty adequate for anyone but the legally blind to avoid hitting a diffuser or the unit itself. But if you do blow the diffusers away, a complete replacement set is only $7.49. The whole outfit with diffusers installed weighs only two pounds, 3-1/2 ounces.

The sensors are spaced on one-foot centers and the chronograph itself is a mere four inches wide, 3-1/4 inches high and 16 inches long. The relatively short sensor spacing doesn't seem to affect accuracy. I'm not working in a commercial ballistics lab, so why pretend? Since amateur chronographs measure velocity of the leading pellet rather than the main mass, they're not designed to be paragons of accuracy to begin with. They always read a tad faster than factory velocities.

The ProChrono's working parts are housed in a strong, smoothly finished plastic case and it comes packaged in a very sturdy cardboard box of the same design as a case for primers. Taken care of, the original box should provide adequate storage and transportation of the unit for years.

No need to read Chinese.

Almost as shocking as learning the ProChrono functions reliably was noting that it's actually made in the U.S.A. That was truly a stunner, as was the clarity with which the 12-page owner's manual is written. Everything you need to know is right there in plain, well-organized, grammatically correct English -- a genuinely amazing document in this day of almost saturated Chinese infestation of the American marketplace.

The only really worthwhile feature not included on the ProChrono is an automatic shutoff after so many minutes of inactivity. Sooner or later, I and everyone else will leave it on and run down the battery. That's a given.

Several accessories are available:

• Indoor or low-light incandescent lighting setup (cardboard construction, $36.99).
• Computer interface/remote control with a 20-foot cable. Besides performing all chronograph functions remotely, this allows you to download velocity and statistics to a PC using HyperTerminal in Windows ($86.99).

The ProChrono has a two-year manufacturer's limited warranty clearly spelled out on the final page of the manual. Just don't dispose of the sales receipt, since a copy of it must accompany any claims. MidwayUSA itself has a 90-day return policy. If you don't like a product for any reason at all, just ship it back for a refund.

I offer no guarantee that your unit would function as well as mine has, but there's really no reason it shouldn't.

For a low-cost chronograph that delivers everything it promises -- which except for bells and whistles is nothing less than a much more expensive unit -- I highly recommend the ProChrono. And at a price less than a quality digital scale, there's no reason a serious reloader shouldn't own one.

Sources:

ProChrono Digital chronograph from MidwayUSA

Competition Electronics website

ProChrono Digital Owner's Manual (PDF, 48 kb)

DISCLAIMER: I have no connection whatsoever with the manufacturer of this chronograph or MidwayUSA.

Get to the point... didja like it?











Nice, comprehensive review. Thanks.
And just think... I've been pondering getting a chronograph.

I'll continue to use my Pact Model 1.

Lifetime warranty, I suppose theirs, not mine?

Not that this isn't any good, but I have a Pact and it too works flawlessly. It records strings too, I forget just how many, 25, 50? I like the cords and the display. We set it up outside and shoot through the window of the loading house, whether it is 100^ or 20^ below. The reloading house is both air conditioned and heated. We just run the cords inside the window and get after it. Yes, we do have a Plexiglas insert to close off the window except for the barrel hole. Yes it is slotted allowing for recoil, and we've shot some real thumpers over that setup! I especially like the couch and fridge in the shooting room. No tape readout, no PC connection, just a memory and a note pad for storage.

BP

Nice review Henry, but what I really want is your 3000 fps .410 recipe.

I've used the Pro Chrono for several years and never had a problem that I didn't cause myself. A 158 grain WFN over 18.0 grains of LIL'GUN .357 destroyed the first one I bought. When I replaced it, I never even considered a different chrono.

DC

Sorry, Mark, but that was a distorted figment of the CED's warped circuitry.

You're stuck with your regular 2,200-fps .410 comet buster.

Be happy. You'll likely be called upon by the defense department someday to nudge a celestial body a few nanoseconds off course, saving the planet and all its people from certain destruction.

You'll be famous, and knighted The Man Who Saved Earth.

Geezz Henry... What a WELL written article. I am always amazed by the tallent around here... Ralph is a very good photographer, you write extremly well... DL knows his mec loaders, sometimes I think, better than the factory does...

Amazing bunch,
bd

8 tests in 11 days... must be finals time!!!

Great work Henry... You've got me convinced as I really wanted to get one for all the centerfire I've been shooting.

I just checked Midway and dealer pricing puts it at $90.99.

Can't go wrong for that price. Thanks again!

Thanks, that is info. I needed. I have a shooting CRONY, not sure of the spelling. It was working pretty good but I think it may be broke now. I was thinking about getting one of those units that measure chamber pressure with a stress gauge but that is pie in the sky for now. It looks like ProChrono is going to be it, at least for the near future.

Henry,
I have had one for about 2 years now and really like it. The only glitch I have ever seen happens if I follow up too soon with a the next shot. The results then can be in error if that case. Very good chronograph and a good review of it. I did have a Chrony and traded it off to someone. I was somewhat satisfied with it.

I tell ya, Chic, the more I use this ProChrono the more I love it.

I'm even trusting it to hold data in strings now and writing it down later.

So far as reliability goes, this ProChrono is turning out to be absolutely bulletproof (so long as you don't actually put a bullet or pellet into it, of course).

The Shooting Chrony I had years ago was pure junk. I ended up throwing it against a wall.

OKShotgunner had one once also. He put that one out of its — and his — misery with a well-placed .30-06 projectile.

Keeping that thing setup in the manner you show i wouldn't exactly call "convenient".

The Shooting Chrony is what i call convenient,
folds up in a nice neat little metal box.
i can't shoot off my back porch, so a little folding metal box like the chrony is my definition of convenient.

Well, you're out in the cosmos as usual, stretching to make some point. That's the optional indoor light kit. I don't even have that, but I'm going to make one. All it needs is an incandescent light shining down on it through a piece of $2 translucent ceiling panel.


Good. Glad you're happy with it.

The one I had didn't work half the time and when it did it produced erratic results, not to mention the damned exposed wires running between those two halves you're so fond of.

Maybe they'd improved it some by the time you got yours.

I sure as hell wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

With this ProChrono, I've now owned at least one model of every amateur chronograph currently made and one that's no longer made.

So far the ProChrono has turned out to be not only one of the most economical but the best for simplicity and reliability by a wide margin.

Case, you sold me, just ordered one today. And when it comes and it works as well as you say, the Shooting Chrony gets a load of #4s or 5s and goes in the trash! (Where it has already been dug out of once, and was a mistake at that time!)

Clyde

first chrono i ever owned had two black boxes attached to an LCD
apparatus, and you had to look in a booklet to convert the time into fps based on the distance you set the boxes apart.
taped the boxes to a metal pole all duct taped to an old heavy metal mirrored moon telescope tripod.

Mark is an environmentalist, and Global "warmist" ? No way....

MM3

This thread reads more like an infomercial than a personal testimonial.
How did Case get on the prochrono payroll?

They are all simple light diode clocks ,
nothing inherently more accurate about the prochrono over the shootin chrony,nor are they any less prone to error, a third error checking diode could provide some valid claims to being a step up, but a simple light diode clock in a box is just that, nothing more, nothing less.when i bought my F1 years ago, i viewed the prochrono but why pay $30 more for a light diode clock,especially when the cheaper one has the LCD display and all other components protected by a steel box when it's being shuttled to and from the range.Smaller and more compact as well.

My first one was a tepeco, ya ever own a tepeco chronograph?

First Chrono that I had access to was an Oehler that used the silver grid boards that you shot through. Wonder if he still has those available, not important as I no longer have use of the chrono.

Thanks Case:

I've been looking for a chrony and you've got me sold on this one. I've used quite a bit of your advice and it's all been good.

Thanks,

Kirk

Probably the same way you got on the Shooting Chrony payroll.

At least I'm touting a device actually made in the U.S.A. — not one made in Canada as you are.

But don't let me discourage you from adding further nonsense here.

It keeps the topic high in the index.