Welcome to a guest-written edition of The Rimfire Report. This is Nicholas C. helping out Luke C. Today I will share with you a handy little device that fits in your pocket, range bag or ammo can – the FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph. It is like a pocket LabRadar.

A Pocket Chronograph In The Palm Of Your Hand!

I am sure you may be questioning why I am showing off an FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph. While it was primarily designed for use with air guns, it can work with subsonic rounds out of firearms.

The Pocket Chronograph is small. Like in the name, it can fit in your pocket.

Or just store it in an ammo box with your ammo.

This chronograph is small enough to sit vertically atop a brick of Federal AutoMatch ammo and the plastic lid can still close properly.

Close Up Of The Pocket Chronograph

The Pocket Chronograph has a 1/4-20 tripod screw hole at the bottom of the unit. This way you can mount the chronograph to a tripod. I prefer to use a pocket tripod to set it on a bench when I am at the range. You can always set it on top of any flat surface.

At the bottom of the chronograph are a slot and a spring clip. This allows you to clip the Pocket Chronograph to the edge of a sheet of plywood.

On the side of the body are folding arms that appear to allow you to wrap a cord however there are no external cables for this chronograph.

The FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph is powered by three AAA batteries.

At the top of the housing is a semi-circular protrusion for resting a barrel or suppressor on top.

The Pocket Chronograph comes with an alternate bottom plate. You have to unscrew the four body screws, then remove the front panel. Now you can slide out the metal plate with the tripod hole and insert the barrel adapter.

The barrel adapter allows you to use a rubber band to strap the pocket chronograph to your barrel.

Specifications

Size: 72x70x42mm (2.75” x 2.75” x 1.7”)
Weight: 133g  (5 oz)
Interface: Bluetooth
Smart App: iOS & Android
App name: FX Radar
Measurement Tech: Doppler Radar
Velocity Range: <  335m/s (1099fps)
Power Source: 3x AAA Batteries
Mount: V-shaped mount (not in the picture) that allows you to mount the chrono to the barrel.

There is also a slot on the bottom side that allows you to mount the chrono on an edge, for example a fence.

Measuring Your Shots

If you notice, the FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph does not have an LCD display. In order to keep the chronograph as small as possible, it connects to your smartphone and connects to the FXRadar app via Bluetooth. The app is available for both iOs and Android phones.

Take a look at the photo above. I tested the CCI Quiet-22 ammo. On the box, it claims 710 fps. The FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph measured an average of 732 fps out of an 8 shot string.

The nice thing about the FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph is that it can work for slower projectiles like Airsoft and even Nerf darts.

The one aspect of the FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph that I dislike is that you have to choose different profiles for measuring different ranges of speed. The Pocket Chronograph can only measure up to 1100 fps but you need to choose the right profile to measure velocities that high. For lower speed projectiles, you need to choose the appropriate profile. You can see the default options below my Ruger Precision Rimfire profile that I created.

Under settings, you can see the velocity ranges for the different profiles. I don’t understand why they need to have ranges of velocities. I wish it could just measure from 20 fps to max fps.

In some cases, you need to tweak the radar return setting. When I first tried the FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph, it was not measuring my .22LR bullets. Even though I knew I was shooting subsonic rounds, I had to lower the radar return.

Measure Anything Under 1100 FPS

If you shoot subsonic and suppressed, then the Pocket Chronograph can work for you.

Final Thoughts On the Pocket Chronograph

Aside from having to choose the right profile and settings to accurately measure your projectiles, the Pocket Chronograph is a very capable device. It costs just $249.99 MSRP but you can find it online from various airgun stores for $199.99. It uses a radar doppler just like a LabRadar but it can only measure up to 1100 FPS. I wish they made one that can measure supersonic rounds but then why not just buy a LabRadar? If you want to measure the velocities your rimfire gun is spitting out, then the FX Airguns Pocket Chronograph may be useful for you.

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