FX Pocket Chronograph

Home on the radar range

Written By Tom McHale

2020

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The unit hangs from the barrel of your gun using rubber bands. It seems like a hinky
method of attachment, but Tom says it works great.

Tiny But Powerful

I’ve been using a nifty little, and I do mean little, device from the folks at FX Airguns to measure velocity of various air rifles and handguns. The FX Pocket Chronograph is not much larger than a 20-round box of handgun ammo. Officially it fits into a 2.75″x2.75″x1.7″ box and weighs just over 4 oz. according to our kitchen scale, so it’s unapologetically portable.

I can fit it in some shirt pockets and easily in my crowded shooting bag. It’s designed for airgun use as it measures velocities of moving objects up to 1,300 fps or so which means it works with all sorts of air rifles and handguns including Airsoft trainers firing those plastic BBs. It can also measure things like crossbow bolts and paintball markers. What it doesn’t measure is the velocity of fire and brimstone ammunition. Don’t tell the folks at FX but I’ve tried. Must be something about the muzzle blast. If you’ll hold the thought for a hot second, things are about to change.

The FX Pocket Chronograph is a Doppler radar unit. Yes, I said radar — meaning there is nothing to place downrange. Meaning no embarrassing, “I shot my chrony again …” incidents. Which means it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or shady and you can use it indoors. Heck, you can use it in the dark if you want; just be sure you’re shooting at a safe backstop.

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The FX Pocket Chronograph weighs just 4 oz. and is about the size of a small box of ammo.

Power It Up

The device itself is powered by three AAA batteries. I loaded mine up when it arrived and have been using it for months with no need for a re-stock of Energizers. To operate the Pocket Chronograph, just hit the onboard power button and power up the companion app on a smartphone or tablet. Within a second or so, the two sync up and you’re ready to shoot. When you stop to think about this design, it makes a lot of sense.

Why reinvent the wheel on “already invented, present and accounted for” things like a color display, keyboard and a powerful computer to crunch the numbers? The smartphone in your pocket is perfectly capable of doing all this stuff and more. Using the app, you can build profiles for each gun and ammo type and define as much detail as you like such as projectile weight and shape. Of course, you can also tweak sensitivity settings and choose your preferred units of measurement.

On the firing line, just place the barrel an inch or so over the unit and make sure the muzzle is even with, or slightly forward of the face of the device. When you shoot, the radar picks up whatever is moving directly in front of it and presents the output on the smartphone app. It’s sensitive to position, so you won’t have to worry about nearby shooters fouling up your readings. As I write this, the FX folks have shipped the units with a barrel adapter taking the place of the original tripod mounting plate. The idea is you can simply hang the whole thing from the muzzle with a couple of rubber hands. It sounds hinky but it’s a smart idea.

The benefit is you eliminate the need to place the box on the bench and make sure your airgun is in the correct position for a reading. When it’s hanging on the barrel, just point forward and shoot. I’ve tried the device with air rifles, air handguns and even the new SIG SAUER ProForce M17 Airsoft Training Pistol. It works like a champ across the board.

The chronograph works by pairing with your smartphone (above) via Bluetooth. The phone does all
the heavy number crunching and stores the info for reference purposes.

The software allows setup of profiles so identify each gun and pellet combination. The main viewing screen
on the app shows the last shot velocity and constantly recalculates shot-string data.

The App

The software tracks shot strings as you go and calculates the requisite velocity figures with each new reading. At the top of the string-view screen, you’ll see velocity average, fastest reading, slowest reading, extreme spread and even the standard deviation is updated on the fly. It’s another free benefit of designing the system to work in conjunction with your smartphone. As you’ve probably already guessed, you can save your results for future review. The history is stored in the app but there is a copy function allowing you to paste the shot string data into another application of your choice. No exporting or custom cables required.

The FX Pocket Chronograph is a full-featured velocity measurement system. The best part is its price point. It lists for just $199.99, which is in the same ballpark as a decent optical chronograph you have to place downrange in the line of fire. Gotta love technology.

Hold Onto Your Skivvies

Oh, and the bit about holding onto your shorts? As I write this, FX is currently working on their centerfire version using the same technology housed in the same form factor. As you read this, it should have been released. It’s going to create quite a stir in the handgun and rifle market. Until now, we’ve had two options for chronographs — the optical units are time tested and reliable but they’re finicky as ambient light conditions change. They can also be persnickety with certain types of projectiles and unusual bullet polishes or coatings.

There’s also the issue of having equipment downrange. Most indoor ranges won’t allow it, which limits use. Other options use radar like the FX Pocket Chronograph, but the price point is somewhere north of $500. We’re in for a treat.

www.fxairguns.com

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