Comparing a NateChrony and Skan Chronograph.

[RBinDevon]

Just to start off with a declaration.
I am not involved in any way with NateChrony as a company but only as a private individual purchaser.
I have found Nate to be very helpful indeed. Very quick to answer questions. Great customer service.
When I purchased my NateChrony I did not claim the 5% AGF discount. Nate refunded this without even being asked.

I have had my limited edition NateChrony (the one with the posh gold aluminium cover) for just over a fortnight now but health concerns means I only just started testing/using it yesterday. Delivery from Oz was quicker than expected.

I decided to test it against my Skan Chrono.
I used my Katran SC Folding .22 with the NateChrony screwed on in place of the moderator. Thus the pellet passed through the NC (NateChrony) and then through the Skan Chrono.
There was a gap of 10.5” between the end NC and start Skan. So from the centre of the NC to the centre of the Skan was about 18”.
A pellet loses about (?) 1fps per foot of travel, thus one would expect that the NC will record a velocity of about 1.5fps higher than the Skan.
Not wanting to join the “I Shot My Chrono Club” I needed to guarantee that the pellet passes down through the main axis of the Skan. I made the Skan holder years ago.
First I clamped the rifle in my gun stand and aimed it onto a safe back stop. This can be seen in the last picture.
I then placed my Skan holder in an old Black and Decker Workmate (without the Skan on board) in the line of fire and adjusted the holder so that the pellet would pass through the main axis of the Skan. The cross on the cardboard is to indicate the central axis of the Skan. So when the pellet goes through both crosses the Skan is safe.

Adjusted the holder. Good enough I think.



The overall setup.

The pellets I used were my go to ones, JSB Exact RS 13.43gr ( when out in the fields) & Bisley Pest Control 18.21gr (when in the sheds).

The data below shows the fps of a pellet passing through the NC (1st column) and then through the Skan (2nd column). I only did a 10 shot string.
I then calculated the velocity difference of the reading for each pellet. (3rd column).
The Skan does give the velocity to 2 places of decimals whereas the NC to the nearest whole number. I don’t know how significant the Skan figures, but I would certainly query the 2nd decimal place.
Nate ( @NateChrony ) has kindly offered to alter this recording software to give me a “special with a figure after the decimal point.

The results.
NC fps / Skan fps / difference in fps.

JSB 13.43gr. Bisley Pest Control 18.21gr.

603 / 601.50 / 1.50 //// 526 / 524.24 / 1.76
602 / 599.70 / 2.30 //// 527 / 526.31 / 0.69
603 / 601.50 / 1.50 //// 531 / 529.10 / 1.90
606 / 604.22 / 1.78 //// 529 / 527.90 / 1.10
599 / 597.90 / 1.10 //// 529 / 527.70 / 1.30
600 / 598.80 / 1.20 //// 531 / 529.80 / 1.20
605 / 604.22 / 0.78 //// 529 / 527.00 / 2.00
603 / 602.40 / 0.60 //// 527 / 526.31 / 0.69
601 / 599.70 / 1.30 //// 530 / 528.40 / 1.60
605 / 603.31 / 1.69 //// 531 / 529.80 / 1.20

Average of the differences in velocity.
1.38 fps. 1.34 fps

Any problems?
Yes but not with the NateChrony.
1. The short barrel of the Katran SC did have a bark without the moderator. Yes I did need ear defenders! However there is an adapter (which I have) that will fit the NC onto the moderator.
2. As seen in the first pictures I use a small battery holder for a 18650 to supply the usb power. Works absolutely fine if the battery is fully charged. I should not have purchased a bargain basement one from the far east! When the battery runs down a bit the WiFi signal is degraded and it can take a little while to connect to my old Android phone. With a fully charged battery or usb plug connection is instant. Note to self, get a decent holder.

Conclusion.

My figures indicate that the NateChrony is as good as the Skan and as reliable but SO MUCH EASIER to set up. A really small unit pocket / range bag chronograph. That is impossible to shoot so you don’t join the I Shot My Chrono Club!

Thanks again Nate.

 

[Ian Cartmell]

Very nice comprehensive write up.
I'm a Skan owner and won't be adding or selling or swapping to anything else.
It's strictly to make sure I'm legal and that's about it.
It only comes out once in a blue moon.
But I can definitely see the portability of the NC being a great selling point and as you've shown by your tests it lives up to the Skan.
Hopefully will still be going strong in years to come.

 

[Theo1]

I don't believe that anyone should rely on any one Chrono, no matter what the brand.

 

[TonySTS]

Just to start off with a declaration.
I am not involved in any way with NateChrony as a company but only as a private individual purchaser.
I have found Nate to be very helpful indeed. Very quick to answer questions. Great customer service.
When I purchased my NateChrony I did not claim the 5% AGF discount. Nate refunded this without even being asked.

I have had my limited edition NateChrony (the one with the posh gold aluminium cover) for just over a fortnight now but health concerns means I only just started testing/using it yesterday. Delivery from Oz was quicker than expected.

I decided to test it against my Skan Chrono.
I used my Katran SC Folding .22 with the NateChrony screwed on in place of the moderator. Thus the pellet passed through the NC (NateChrony) and then through the Skan Chrono.
There was a gap of 10.5” between the end NC and start Skan. So from the centre of the NC to the centre of the Skan was about 18”.
A pellet loses about (?) 1fps per foot of travel, thus one would expect that the NC will record a velocity of about 1.5fps higher than the Skan.
Not wanting to join the “I Shot My Chrono Club” I needed to guarantee that the pellet passes down through the main axis of the Skan. I made the Skan holder years ago.
First I clamped the rifle in my gun stand and aimed it onto a safe back stop. This can be seen in the last picture.
I then placed my Skan holder in an old Black and Decker Workmate (without the Skan on board) in the line of fire and adjusted the holder so that the pellet would pass through the main axis of the Skan. The cross on the cardboard is to indicate the central axis of the Skan. So when the pellet goes through both crosses the Skan is safe.

View attachment 546439

Adjusted the holder. Good enough I think.

View attachment 546440

The overall setup.

View attachment 546448


View attachment 546449


The pellets I used were my go to ones, JSB Exact RS 13.43gr ( when out in the fields) & Bisley Pest Control 18.21gr (when in the sheds).

The data below shows the fps of a pellet passing through the NC (1st column) and then through the Skan (2nd column). I only did a 10 shot string.
I then calculated the velocity difference of the reading for each pellet. (3rd column).
The Skan does give the velocity to 2 places of decimals whereas the NC to the nearest whole number. I don’t know how significant the Skan figures, but I would certainly query the 2nd decimal place.
Nate ( @NateChrony ) has kindly offered to alter this recording software to give me a “special with a figure after the decimal point.

The results.
NC fps / Skan fps / difference in fpe.

JSB 13.43gr. Bisley Pest Control 18.21gr.

603 / 601.50 / 1.50 //// 526 / 524.24 / 1.76
602 / 599.70 / 2.30 //// 527 / 526.31 / 0.69
603 / 601.50 / 1.50 //// 531 / 529.10 / 1.90
606 / 604.22 / 1.78 //// 529 / 527.90 / 1.10
599 / 597.90 / 1.10 //// 529 / 527.70 / 1.30
600 / 598.80 / 1.20 //// 531 / 529.80 / 1.20
605 / 604.22 / 0.78 //// 529 / 527.00 / 2.00
603 / 602.40 / 0.60 //// 527 / 526.31 / 0.69
601 / 599.70 / 1.30 //// 530 / 528.40 / 1.60
605 / 603.31 / 1.69 //// 531 / 529.80 / 1.20

Average of the differences in velocity.
1.38 fps. 1.34 fps

Any problems?
Yes but not with the NateChrony.
1. The short barrel of the Katran SC did have a bark without the moderator. Yes I did need ear defenders! However there is an adapter (which I have) that will fit the NC onto the moderator.
2. As seen in the first pictures I use a small battery holder for a 18650 to supply the usb power. Works absolutely fine if the battery is fully charged. I should not have purchased a bargain basement one from the far east! When the battery runs done a big the WiFi signal is degraded and it can take a little while to connect to my old Android phone. With a fully charged battery or usb plug connection is instant. Note to self, get a decent holder.

Conclusion.

My figures indicate that the NateChrony is as good as the Skan and as reliable but SO MUCH EASIER to set up. A really small unit pocket / range bag chronograph. That is impossible to shoot so you don’t join the I Shot My Chrono Club!

Thanks again Nate.

Excellent write up. I’ve been considering one for a while and may take the plunge this month.

 

[Mark Palmer]

A friend bought a Nate at the shooting show and he swears by it, it is very good and doesnt miss a shot, unlike my FX!

 

[PointBlank]

Never considered chrono before but as its up to me to check and know what my rifle is running it maybe time to get one. Also never been a fan of joining the shot your chrono club.
May have to look into this a bit more..

 

[RBinDevon]

A friend bought a Nate at the shooting show and he swears by it, it is very good and doesnt miss a shot, unlike my FX!

I have a FX V2 the rechargeable one. Works fine on my FX Dreamline but does not seem to get on with my very short barrelled Katran SC. Whether it is the air blast I don’t know, but when one reading was over 12fpe this galvanised me to start looking. Hence I started to look for a barrel mounted device that had a good reputation.
I am very pleased with the Natechrony esp as it is so easy to set up compared to the more difficult set up that I use for my Skan. Though to be fair I still will use the Skan every now and again to confirm that all my rifles are well below the 12fpe.

 

[RBinDevon]

Never considered chrono before but as its up to me to check and know what my rifle is running it maybe time to get one. Also never been a fan of joining the shot your chrono club.
May have to look into this a bit more..

They can be had from Nate in Australia https://natechrony.com/buy/ or from https://www.shootingsuppliesltd.co.uk/brand/natechrony
Nate offers a 5% discount to forum members.

 

[Tillygti6]

I did a string of 140 shots iirc over the NC last week ( 2 full fills trying to pin down some accuracy issues on a Remington vought) didn't miss a single shot.

 

[Hotwired]

The results.
NC fps / Skan fps / difference in fpe.

Had to look twice, didn't think a couple fps could turn out as a couple foot pounds of energy difference

 

[eddy6419]

Just to start off with a declaration.
I am not involved in any way with NateChrony as a company but only as a private individual purchaser.
I have found Nate to be very helpful indeed. Very quick to answer questions. Great customer service.
When I purchased my NateChrony I did not claim the 5% AGF discount. Nate refunded this without even being asked.

I have had my limited edition NateChrony (the one with the posh gold aluminium cover) for just over a fortnight now but health concerns means I only just started testing/using it yesterday. Delivery from Oz was quicker than expected.

I decided to test it against my Skan Chrono.
I used my Katran SC Folding .22 with the NateChrony screwed on in place of the moderator. Thus the pellet passed through the NC (NateChrony) and then through the Skan Chrono.
There was a gap of 10.5” between the end NC and start Skan. So from the centre of the NC to the centre of the Skan was about 18”.
A pellet loses about (?) 1fps per foot of travel, thus one would expect that the NC will record a velocity of about 1.5fps higher than the Skan.
Not wanting to join the “I Shot My Chrono Club” I needed to guarantee that the pellet passes down through the main axis of the Skan. I made the Skan holder years ago.
First I clamped the rifle in my gun stand and aimed it onto a safe back stop. This can be seen in the last picture.
I then placed my Skan holder in an old Black and Decker Workmate (without the Skan on board) in the line of fire and adjusted the holder so that the pellet would pass through the main axis of the Skan. The cross on the cardboard is to indicate the central axis of the Skan. So when the pellet goes through both crosses the Skan is safe.

View attachment 546439

Adjusted the holder. Good enough I think.

View attachment 546440

The overall setup.

View attachment 546448


View attachment 546449


The pellets I used were my go to ones, JSB Exact RS 13.43gr ( when out in the fields) & Bisley Pest Control 18.21gr (when in the sheds).

The data below shows the fps of a pellet passing through the NC (1st column) and then through the Skan (2nd column). I only did a 10 shot string.
I then calculated the velocity difference of the reading for each pellet. (3rd column).
The Skan does give the velocity to 2 places of decimals whereas the NC to the nearest whole number. I don’t know how significant the Skan figures, but I would certainly query the 2nd decimal place.
Nate ( @NateChrony ) has kindly offered to alter this recording software to give me a “special with a figure after the decimal point.

The results.
NC fps / Skan fps / difference in fpe.

JSB 13.43gr. Bisley Pest Control 18.21gr.

603 / 601.50 / 1.50 //// 526 / 524.24 / 1.76
602 / 599.70 / 2.30 //// 527 / 526.31 / 0.69
603 / 601.50 / 1.50 //// 531 / 529.10 / 1.90
606 / 604.22 / 1.78 //// 529 / 527.90 / 1.10
599 / 597.90 / 1.10 //// 529 / 527.70 / 1.30
600 / 598.80 / 1.20 //// 531 / 529.80 / 1.20
605 / 604.22 / 0.78 //// 529 / 527.00 / 2.00
603 / 602.40 / 0.60 //// 527 / 526.31 / 0.69
601 / 599.70 / 1.30 //// 530 / 528.40 / 1.60
605 / 603.31 / 1.69 //// 531 / 529.80 / 1.20

Average of the differences in velocity.
1.38 fps. 1.34 fps

Any problems?
Yes but not with the NateChrony.
1. The short barrel of the Katran SC did have a bark without the moderator. Yes I did need ear defenders! However there is an adapter (which I have) that will fit the NC onto the moderator.
2. As seen in the first pictures I use a small battery holder for a 18650 to supply the usb power. Works absolutely fine if the battery is fully charged. I should not have purchased a bargain basement one from the far east! When the battery runs done a big the WiFi signal is degraded and it can take a little while to connect to my old Android phone. With a fully charged battery or usb plug connection is instant. Note to self, get a decent holder.

Conclusion.

My figures indicate that the NateChrony is as good as the Skan and as reliable but SO MUCH EASIER to set up. A really small unit pocket / range bag chronograph. That is impossible to shoot so you don’t join the I Shot My Chrono Club!

Thanks again Nate.

Have you a pic of the silencer adaptor?

 

[Shoto1]

@RBinDevon

Excellent work - many thanks

 

[jesim1]

Thanks for posting this, people need this kind of info but often don't realise how long it can take to do it, so well done

 

[NateChrony]

I don't believe that anyone should rely on any one Chrono, no matter what the brand.

With both the NateChrony & SKAN - they're calibrated units, so they're compared against a calibrated/known/traceable source & can be relied upon for accuracy.
By using 2 units during calibration - that also covers not using one Chrony!

(caution of my bias here) I'd also stay clear of radars for accurate results - as the performance seems to be heavily impacted by environmental factors - as per:

turns out they were interfering with each other as they were on the same channel.
How do you know if you're getting reflections?
How do you know if someone near you isnt using another device on your channel?

 

[RBinDevon]

Had to look twice, didn't think a couple fps could turn out as a couple foot pounds of energy difference

Quite right. Typo.
The difference should be in fps. My error.
Sorry.
Thanks for picking that up.
RB

 

[Berber]

Well done, this needed to be done.

 

[Backgardenplinker]

Great test and data

 

[RBinDevon]

Have you a pic of the silencer adaptor?

Hi eddy6419.

I have two rifles, one with the Hugget Magna 40mm diameter mod, the other with a HW 30mm mod.
Rather than buy two adapters I purchased the one that can take either mod.

The Natechrony attachment comes with the 1/2” screw on adapter already fitted. This adapter is a push fit into the Chrono & retained by a screw. Small screw driver provided!


As you can see there is a decent size transfer hole for the pellet to pass through.



The screw adapter has to be removed, undo the retaining screw, pull out the screw adapter and push in the mod adapter and screw up the retaining screw. (Nate has made special adapters for people with funny shaped rifles, even for those that have fixed iron sights.

Mod adapter.





Front of adapter.
Shows both insert, but only one is used depending on the size of the mod.
If one only has 30mm mod a smaller adapter is available. (And cheaper - size matters so I am told ).




Fitting to the mod. Chose the appropriate adapter insert.



Place on the mod, and tighten the red retaining screw/bolts up evenly.



All you have to do is to ensure that the mod is centralised as best you can. However the transit hole diameter is big enough for coping well with a little misalignment.
I have spoken to Nate and future adapters probably will have a centre marks to enable an easer centralisation of the adapter on the mod.

Hope this answers your enquiry.

Yes everything is 3D printed, Nate’s idea is to make an accurate Chronograph at an affordable cost that is an easily used as range bag / pocket Chrono.

I think that the has successfully accomplished this.

Hope this helps.

Bob.

 

[Nomis]

Importantly any discrepancy between the Nate and the Skan seem to indicate that the Nate errs on the side of caution with the results consistently slightly higher than the Skan. Almost as if it rounds up in calculating the result. Most owners will simply want a chrono to reassure them that they are within the legal limits. Perfectionists and tuners will find it worthwhile investing a little more in a quality chrono. Good write up.

 

[blklab]

My skan is on a par with the clubs lmbr