[Unclenick]

AC,

Thanks for the follow-up. Yes, light conditions can cause trouble with ground light glint off the bullets and other factors. Bigger guns need more distance. I use 15 feet, but that's to match SAAMI standards and be good with most rifles (though some of the heavies need the sky screens as far as 20 feet out to avoid all muzzle blast effects). For handguns, I would use at least 10 feet, regardless of whether the instructions say less is OK.

Get some tall tomato stakes or fiberglass marker stakes from Lowe's. Set them up around the chronograph and a couple feet in front and behind it, and drape a heavy plastic transparent drop cloth over them. That will reduce the light (it casts a shadow) and diffuse the light to the ground near the machine. Main drawback is wind will blow it off if you don't tie it to the stakes.