Which Chronograph Would You Choose for Load Development?

Ammunition & Reloading
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Hi fellow shooters,

I’m planning to purchase a chronograph for recording data and load development, but I’m currently trying to decide between Garmin and Athlon.

I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts, experiences, and recommendations. If you’ve used either of these chronographs, please share your feedback on accuracy, ease of use, reliability, and overall performance.

Thanks in advance for your input!

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budget: ProChrono DLX

no limit: Garmin Xero C1

You can work up loads with either, but the radar type can give you more data like the BC at velocity x, and stuff.

If you will be diving deep into reloading, the radar type is not a bad investment, but the tried and true optical units will get you there too.

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I’ve got the Athlon. I’m not a ‘professional’ and don’t need the admittedly better accuracy of the Garmin, but having the data it provides satisfies my needs. It came in a molded, padded case with a pretty good tripod mount as well. The Garmin doesn’t come with a case, so more dollars required there. Overall, I’d recommend it to anyone not looking to get into competitive shooting sports..

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I have an Athlon. It’s very easy to use and while I don’t have a way to verify the results, the velocities, spreads and standard deviations that I’m seeing from both factory and hand loads suggest it’s plausible.

Plus if I’m using the same measuring stick every time (my athlon) it should be totally appropriate for my purposes even if I might be a few % off the next guy with a Garmin (or oehler lol)

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I have the Garmin. I bought it when they first came out and paid a pretty penny for it. I do not regret spending the money. Every reloader should own one. I do mostly pistol but some rifle. You will love it. You can find them cheaper now too.

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Midsouth Shooters has the Garmin C1 on sale for $399 with free shipping today.

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Garmin C1 is hard to beat. Quite accurate and SUPER easy to use, and virtually zero risk of getting shot.

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I have the Garmin C1, works great for me. MidSouth has it for 400 bucks right now.: https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/004130100261810/xero-c1-pro-chronograph

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oops sorry for duplicate midsouth link,