Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph

[zeke]

Any one have one yet? Would seem a lot handier than anything else. Did a search on this forum, but didn't find a discussion.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/771164

[MarkCO]

Yeah, I was surprised no one had mentioned it here. Most of the forums buzzed about it.

I have one, will be using it again today. Amazing unit. I'm one who did not like, and sold a Labradar and have been using a MagnetoSpeed the last several years.

Folks are wholesale selling their LR and MS to get this. It sold out everywhere on the release date.

I post this review because I am friends with him and know him to be a skilled shooter and hunter.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/gar...c1-pro-review/

[rc]

That's cool. I have a 20+ year old CED millennium and a lab radar. The CED was a lot more straight forward plug and play. The Lab Radar requires a lot more skill downloading apps, connecting things with blue tooth, hoping your have a connection, losing the connection, sometimes getting data, sometimes turning the color of the lab radar out of frustration especially with quiet things that don't trigger the sensor.

[Jim Watson]

I am interested. I am not doing as much chronographing as I used to but it still catches my eye. If one gets available before I have dragged out the CE or CED again, I will likely buy.

[higgite]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

Yeah, I was surprised no one had mentioned it here. Most of the forums buzzed about it.

I have one, will be using it again today. Amazing unit. I'm one who did not like, and sold a Labradar and have been using a MagnetoSpeed the last several years.

Folks are wholesale selling their LR and MS to get this. It sold out everywhere on the release date.

I post this review because I am friends with him and know him to be a skilled shooter and hunter.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/gar...c1-pro-review/

I appreciate your friend's review. I hoped it would compare the new Garmin unit to a Magnetospeed, but no such luck. I have a Magnetospeed which I find to be very handy, but I'm always open to spending more of my kids' inheritance. What made you choose to replace your Magnetospeed with the Garmin?

[zeke]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

Yeah, I was surprised no one had mentioned it here. Most of the forums buzzed about it.

I have one, will be using it again today. Amazing unit. I'm one who did not like, and sold a Labradar and have been using a MagnetoSpeed the last several years.

Folks are wholesale selling their LR and MS to get this. It sold out everywhere on the release date.

I post this review because I am friends with him and know him to be a skilled shooter and hunter.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/gar...c1-pro-review/

Thanks, it be appreciated. While am not working up the number of loads i used to, the extreme convenience of this unit has me interested. Perhaps will try more different loads, if not dealing with the pita of transporting and setting up my chrony. This unit will easily fit in range box/bag, and should be able to test loads at indoor range.

[MarkCO]

This unit will easily fit in range box/bag, and should be able to test loads at indoor range.

Mine has a permanent spot in my range bag now. Today will be my first time shooting pistols with it.

[MarkCO]

What made you choose to replace your Magnetospeed with the Garmin?

I still have the MagnetoSpeed.

But, ease of use, no set up time. Shotguns, archery, pistols, all WAY easier with the Garmin. So far, it has literally been set it on the bench, start shooting. Breeze.

[zeke]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

Mine has a permanent spot in my range bag now. Today will be my first time shooting pistols with it.

Some places back in stock and just ordered one. Early X-Mas

[higgite]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

I still have the MagnetoSpeed.

But, ease of use, no set up time. Shotguns, archery, pistols, all WAY easier with the Garmin. So far, it has literally been set it on the bench, start shooting. Breeze.

Thanks. I was using tunnel vision. I only use my MS with pistols, but I see the advantage with other forms of projectiles. It also occurred to me that, unlike my MS, the Garmin can be used with pistols that don't have Pic rails.

[Marco Califo]

Price for the Garmin is ~$600.

[stagpanther]

what does it use to acquire and track the bullet? It looks like it has rifle and pistol speed settings, so I assume likely similar technology to labradar's?

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by stagpanther

what does it use to acquire and track the bullet? It looks like it has rifle and pistol speed settings, so I assume likely similar technology to labradar's?

It uses Doppler.

Yesterday, at the range, I was shooting off angle and it seems to be about a 30 degree arc off of the center axis, where it will still read the speed. It's just so simple to use.

[ligonierbill]

Ordered one! Garmin says 5-7 weeks. I've been through optical chronos, Magnetospeed, and have been using LabRadar for several years. It works for me, but it can be a PITA, particularly failing to register some small bullets. Mine has proven durable, but yep it sure does suck up the juice. Looks like Garmin stole a march on everyone else.

[stagpanther]

Yesterday, at the range, I was shooting off angle and it seems to be about a 30 degree arc off of the center axis, where it will still read the speed. It's just so simple to use.

Admittedly the labradar does take aiming to line up well--alway wondered why they didn't come out with a spotting device of sort since the notch is inadequate. From your description it sounds like they have improved the doppler accuracy on the Garmin so that it can pick up the trajectory of a projectile in a much wider field--whereas the labradar has to line up with a bullet intersect and the field of detection is pretty narrow between the doppler centerpoint and the trajectory of the projectile.

[MarkCO]

Yes Stagpanther, that was one of the things I really wanted to test.

[Nathan]

Folks are wholesale selling their LR and MS to get this.

Sounds like now would be a great time to buy a new Labradar. I’ve been thrilled with mine. What would talk me into the switch to Garmin?

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by Nathan

Sounds like now would be a great time to buy a new Labradar. I’ve been thrilled with mine. What would talk me into the switch to Garmin?

Not my job to convince anyone.

But from a guy who did not like the LabRadar and sold mine, I am thrilled that Garmin came out with a better solution. It's just too easy to use.

I'm keeping my MagnetoSpeed for now, but I will get rid of my Caldwell.

[stagpanther]

Labradar does have an electronic trigger for things like suppressed 22lr--does the Garmin do that--or does it even need it?

[stagpanther]

'Nother question MarKCo--have you used Garmin out to say 200 yds with a fast small projectile like the 6 or 6.5 creedmoor--and how well will the shot group track in the results (meaning, can you set the measured distances and the output for the shotgroup show consistent and complete data for all shots at all distances out to 200 yds or more? That's where labradar really starts falling down.

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by stagpanther

'Nother question MarKCo--have you used Garmin out to say 200 yds with a fast small projectile like the 6 or 6.5 creedmoor--and how well will the shot group track in the results (meaning, can you set the measured distances and the output for the shotgroup show consistent and complete data for all shots at all distances out to 200 yds or more? That's where labradar really starts falling down.

Yes I have, no you can not. The difference between the two is that the Garmin does not read out nearly as far (I've heard 20 to 40 yards) and I do not think there is a way to "set" the distance out. I glanced at the manual this morning, waste of time as I figured it all out intuitively. There is a larger manual on-line, which I will go check out later today. But the manual that came with does say the bullet has to travel at least 20 yards.

[stagpanther]

Yes I have, no you can not. The difference between the two is that the Garmin does not read out nearly as far (I've heard 20 to 40 yards) and I do not think there is a way to "set" the distance out. I glanced at the manual this morning, waste of time as I figured it all out intuitively. There is a larger manual on-line, which I will go check out later today. But the manual that came with does say the bullet has to travel at least 20 yards.

Appreciate that information--I'm sorta reading between the lines here--I'm guessing that Garmin opted for wider but much closer in detection field than labradar's. That IMO makes it much closer to a standard chrony in mostly at the muzzle velocity readouts. That probably is what most people really care about--but I do like labradar's ability to tag velocities at various distances--even if it isn't always complete. Had you said that the Garmin did/could do that I would have probably dropped the labradar immediately for the Garmin--but in my mind it's not nearly as compelling now. Still, I can see that they will gain a significant market share based on simplicity and quickness of setting up and operating, so I think they'll gain a big market share for those reasons alone. I'm not sure labradar owners are going to be as quick to dump their's. though.

[Jim Watson]

I surrendered and put a Garmin on backorder today, I have accumulated some testing to do, mostly pistol power factoring, and was not looking forward to setting the CE or CED outside in winter.

[higgite]

Magnetospeed is the only chronograph I’ve owned or used, but a friend of mine has a chronograph that measures velocity at some distance from the muzzle, ~10’ I believe, and calculates velocity back at the muzzle. Does the Garmin do that or does it just read velocity at some distance and that’s it?

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by higgite

Magnetospeed is the only chronograph I’ve owned or used, but a friend of mine has a chronograph that measures velocity at some distance from the muzzle, ~10’ I believe, and calculates velocity back at the muzzle. Does the Garmin do that or does it just read velocity at some distance and that’s it?

Many standard optical chronographs have that setting, and will do that.

The MagnetoSpeed is a pure reading inches from the muzzle.

The Labradar and Garmin use Doppler radar and, based on their wizardry in the box, calculate a muzzle velocity from measurements 10 to 40 yards for the Garmin and 10 to 200 yards for the Labradar.

I've compared a Standard vs. a MagnetoSpeed vs. a Labradar on the exact same shot for half a dozen guns, some of which was my prompting to drop the Labradar because it kept faulting when the others got numbers (and other issues). All are "good enough" for the generalist and the reloader. Where the separation occurs is multiplication of those errors out at distances past about 600 yards. Then the opticals really do have some errors that have to be estimated and adjusted.

Based on my limited use of the Garmin, it is spot on.

What Stagpanther is alluding to is the ability to have the Labradar tell you what it deems to be the BC of the bullet over specific velocity ranges. Personally, I have found that to have significant errors and of little use to me, but I have friends for whom that was their biggest selling point of the Labradar. I tend to use the manufacturer's BC and shoot truing bar targets once I have the MV and then tweak the BC if needed.