[The Earl o Sammich]

Didn't know where to post his question but I figured more people that reload/hand load would use a chronograph. I want to set up my chronograph outside my basement window so I can shoot from inside. It's cold here in the UP of Michigan. The chronograph will be under a roof. I am worried about light pick up. I plan on taking a bed sheet and tack it to the ceiling of the over hanging roof and shine a flood light up onto it with the chronograph underneath.

Do you think this will work?

Do you think it is necessary?

Any other thoughts/suggestions?

Ohler 35P chronograph.

TIA.

 

[The Earl o Sammich]

Well I finally got to it today. Worked fine for the first half of the session and then it just wouldn't work. It started out sunny with a thin overcast. The ground is covered with snow so I think that enough light was reflected up and this gave enough light and good results. After noon the cloud cover started to thicken up a bit and then nothing. Took the sky screens off, nothing. Turned on a bright light shining up at the roof, nothing. Put sky screens back on with light, nothing. Stapled a bed sheet to the rafters with light and sky screens, nothing. Took sky screens off with bed sheet up and light on, nothing.

Decided to try a new battery but by that time it was half past beer thirty so I'll try again tomorrow. I got new batteries.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I'll keep you posted.

 

[The Earl o Sammich]

BTW, I'm working up .458 SOCOM loads in an AR.

Up here in Dah UP the sun is pretty low in the sky even at noon.

 

[The Earl o Sammich]

Good idea there jmorris. Me thinks I might have to lower my bed sheet diffuser and/or perhaps get the light up behind it.

Maybe a cheap ass 4 four foot florescent with a translucent diffuser.....

 

[The Earl o Sammich]

seems like more work than just putting a tarp down outside over the snow...
JD

Well not really. If you read my OP I want to shoot from inside. Carrying the shooting table, spotting scope and setting that all up in knee deep snow, and then setting the chronograph up out there, taking a chance on the weather...

This will not work. I had to do the above because of the fluorescent lights in the shop were messing with the chronograph. You can't tell because they do it so quickly but fluorescent lights actually turn on and off and this will mess up chronograph readings. The light needs to be incandescent, Or might even give LED's a try if my first try above wasn't so easy and happened to work.

For just daytime use I might try a sheet of this and make one giant "sky screen".

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suntuf-26-in-x-6-ft-White-Opal-Polycarbonate-Roof-Panel-159856/206395301

If you pick a cloudy day just set your chronograph out there, no need for the screens.

Thanks for the tip on the fluorescents. That roof panel looks like the ticket. Too cold to just paint the roof/ceiling white. Maybe this spring/summer.

 

[The Earl o Sammich]

OK, I think I got her working with just the bed sheet stapled to the ceiling. A new battery and this is something I knew from before, but it just wasn't in my mind at the time, if the chronograph is set too high, such that the pick ups are too close to the travel of the bullet it gets kind of erratic. I must have been shooting just about two inches over the top of the pick ups. Good thing I didn't put one though them. I lowered the chronograph a good two to three inches and now everything is copacetic. Still think I'll get those white fiberglass roofing panels and tack those up there in place of the bed sheet.

Thanks everyone for the input.