Lab Radar

Every hardcore shooter needs a chronograph. If you’re a reloader, even more so. If you don’t have one, you’re just guessing. I did a lot of that (guessing) in the past. I attempted to get a more accurate velocity picture by talking to the ballistics experts at the various ammo companies but those became "educated" guesses over the phone. You can’t factor in barrel length, bore wear, temperature, etc. when trying to figure out accurate velocities for your particular load.

It becomes even more of a crapshoot if you’re testing reloaded ammo. Shooting a rifle accurately is a precise science; guessing is not the way to go when estimating bullet drop or comparing your favorite load to similar cartridges. Each rifle and round is different; some radically so. The same is true for pistols. The problem with the olderstyle chronographs is that they’re fragile, a pain to set up, and complicated to use. Readings sometimes aren’t as accurate as you’d want.

Weather (mild wind or a little precipitation) makes use problematic. Using a standard chronograph is also difficult if you’re shooting on a range with several shooters; the series of screens that need to be set up in front of the rifle/pistol being tested sometimes fall down, requiring you to stop firing and walk out in front of the line and re-set them up. Time consuming Sometimes a little shifting of the unit and the rifle may be necessary to gain a reading.

If you’re using a muzzle brake or a large-caliber rifle, a barrier must be placed between the muzzle and the Lab Radar. Unit should NOT be in front of the muzzle when firing. Compact, lightweight, and easy to use. and a nuisance to the other shooters. I didn’t want to deal with all that and did my best to get by, like many other shooters, by believing the published data, checking with the ammo ballisticians, or asking a friend with a chrono to help me out. Not the best solution. Enter the Lab Radar.

No screens to shoot through, easy to set up, and simple to use. It’s compact, light, and goes anywhere; it looks like an average laptop computer when it’s in its travel bag. For a guy like me that resisted the computer technology onslaught in the early 80s, it’s easy to figure out. The instruction sheet is basic, well written (as in understandable) and uncomplicated. I fell in love with this unit the first time I used it and wondered how I’d gotten by without a chronograph before this. It works

You can download data using an SD card (SDHC) or USB to your computer. Six AA batteries will get you started. It’s recommended that batteries be removed if you’re not using the unit often or placing it in storage. with pistols, bow and arrows, pellet and BB guns as well as rifles. The Lab Radar is actually a Doppler radar unit, not a chronograph, but does the same thing of measuring your weapon’s projectile velocity.

And it does it easier, quicker, and Probably the biggest lesson learned after a couple of sessions with the Lab Radar was how wrong I’d been in "guestimating" my velocities. For instance, I figured that shorter barrels always translate into lower velocities. That’s been the conventional wisdom longer than I’ve been shooting. Not true, usually. Two or three inches on a barrel aren’t enough to make a measurable difference, depending on the load.

Of course, a radically shorter barrel will produce lower velocities but even then the actual velocity is sometimes not as bad as you’d think. It’s an individual thing that depends on the barrel and its internal smoothness, barrel wear, ammunition load, weather (how hot or cool it is when you’re shooting) and the actual bullet weight and construction. The Lab Radar ends the speculation and the off-base estimates.

Here area few examples of actual velocities I recorded using anew Savage 110 Storm .270 I’ve been playing with and a Lab Radar unit. The This is "aimed" at the target before use. Savage has a lightweight 22" stainless factory barrel. What’s interesting is the lack of a large velocity loss between the i ndu st r ystandard 24-28" test barrels and a light factory 22" hunting barrel. Shorter barrels don’t take a back seat to along tube, velocity-wise.

I recorded a series of velocities over a period of four range sessions. All readings were taken from an average of three shots, fired in three-shot groups. I let the barrel cool for one minute between rounds. Temperature was about 85 degrees-typical central Texas late spring weather. Federal Non-Typical Whitetail 150 grain has a published velocity of tested actual velocity of 2802 FPS. Federal Partition 130 grain publishes 3060 FPS and tested 3027.

Federal Fusion 130 grain publishes 3050 and tests 2920 while Federal

Carry bag, metal adjustable stand, and a USB cord are also available. 30-06. Some shifting of the rifle and Lab Radar unit may be necessary to get the muzzle within the recommended 18" to work properly. Unit should not be in front of the muzzle. Power-Shok 130 grain publishes 3060 and tests 3065. Using The Lab Radar After looking over the instructions (a quick, ten-minute read), I set up the Lab Radar for use on the bench.

Six AA batteries were inserted to gain power (Lab Radar recommends removing the batteries after use). You can also hook it up to a USB if you want to use your computer or external battery. I placed the unit to the right of the rifle, turned on Lab Radar Specifications Manufacturer TCK, LLC Power Requirements 6 AA/USB Frequency Range 24.080 to 24.168 GHz (8 MHz steps) Nom.

Transmitting Power 4.84 d Bm Dimensions 29cm by 26cm by 6cm Weight 2.1 pounds Mounting Hole Thread 1/4 by 20 Velocity Range 65-3900 FPS Memory Type Capacity SD Card, 32Gb max. Time between shots 2 seconds Accuracy +/-0.1% (+/-1m/s @1,000m/s) Operating temperature 14-104 degrees F Environmental Conditions Indoor/Outdoor MSRP $559.95 Contact myLabRadar.com, the screen, and "aimed" the Lab Radar with the small "V" at the very top/center of the unit at the target.

I then shifted my rifle and the chronograph until I had the muzzle well within the recommended 18" of the unit. The Lab Radar unit should not be placed in front of the muzzle. If you’re using a muzzle brake or a really large-caliber rifle, a barrier must be inserted between the muzzle and the Lab Radar to protect the unit. After programming the screen, I fired a couple of shots to get the rounds on-target and to gain a preliminary reading. Too easy.

About the only thing that might get tricky is the muzzle’s distance from the unit. After fooling around and firing a few shots, I came up with the correct relationship and distance from the rifle’s muzzle to the Lab Radar box. Setting up for subsequent range sessions was a snap, using what I learned the first time out. Getting a reading was instantaneous. Waiting all of two seconds is required for subsequent shots. After I finished, I uploaded the stored data to my computer, using the USB and an SD card.

Great for analyzing your rifle’s performance and load for future comparison and testing… so twenty-first century. If you’re shooting a rifle or pistol a lot, either in competition or doing extensive research on your reloads, the Lab Radar makes data collection for future use easy. It’s also nice to know what the velocity of your favorite factory load is, instead of just reading the ammo box. I’ll be buying the Lab Radar after I’m done.

It’s become a critical part of my kit now when testing pistol loads for Bullseye or getting an accurate velocity on a favorite rifle. It works as intended, is easy to use, and fills a critical need for data that serious shooters need during load development. My Lab Radar will be with me on all my future range outings. AG