I use the Labradar now and for years used the fold-out Chrony. Never used the Magnetopeed so cannot comment on the comparison. Other than to say the shift in MPI with something hanging off the end of the barrel is well known and undesired. That is unless all you want to do at the time is chronographing. Seems like such a waste of bullets to shoot for velocity only. The same with my Chrony, you set it up and cannot shoot for groups at the same time unless you faff around getting the 'tunnel' through the skyscreens exactly lined up between the target and the shooting position. It's just a drama I don't have time for so mostly I shot for velocity only.
My point is, the biggest benefit of the Labradar for me is its incidental position next to the gun. I turn mine on and shoot groups while it records the velocity at the same time, whether I really want to know or not. It is quick to set up so it's just part of the range routine now. Previously I only set up the Chrony when I wanted to know the velocity. A couple of button presses and it does it's thing next to you. It goes to sleep and wakes up when you fire a shot and at the end of a string you check the velocities out of curiosity.
I don't use the inbuilt AA battery compartment as it drains them too quickly. I use 4*18650 Li-ion rechargeable batteries with a voltage regulator. Lab Radar wouldn't tell me the voltage range of the USB Micro slot so I just use a $2 regulator to keep the voltage at 5V (the universal standard for USB devices).
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/XL4015-Volta...SwKIdaWG7V
I knocked up a stand for bench shooting out of a piece of wood with some rubber non-slip on the bottom. Labradar's stand is $40 so I guess old cheap Uncle Klem couldn't bring himself to paying that after forking out hundreds for the main device.
I have had no issues with the Laradar except for suppressed. The inbuilt microphone does not pick it up so you have to use the 'Doppler' setting. This means the radar starts measuring velocity only when the bullet enters the emitter arc down-range. You don't know exactly when it entered the arc so it's a bit of guesswork extrapolating it back to a muzzle velocity. What you can do to mitigate this is have the device as close to the gun as possible and turn the emitter across the barrel axis (so it's not pointing at the target). This shortens the distance before the bullet enters the arc so there's less difference between muzzle velocity and when it first detects the bullet.
My point is, the biggest benefit of the Labradar for me is its incidental position next to the gun. I turn mine on and shoot groups while it records the velocity at the same time, whether I really want to know or not. It is quick to set up so it's just part of the range routine now. Previously I only set up the Chrony when I wanted to know the velocity. A couple of button presses and it does it's thing next to you. It goes to sleep and wakes up when you fire a shot and at the end of a string you check the velocities out of curiosity.
I don't use the inbuilt AA battery compartment as it drains them too quickly. I use 4*18650 Li-ion rechargeable batteries with a voltage regulator. Lab Radar wouldn't tell me the voltage range of the USB Micro slot so I just use a $2 regulator to keep the voltage at 5V (the universal standard for USB devices).
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/XL4015-Volta...SwKIdaWG7V
I knocked up a stand for bench shooting out of a piece of wood with some rubber non-slip on the bottom. Labradar's stand is $40 so I guess old cheap Uncle Klem couldn't bring himself to paying that after forking out hundreds for the main device.
I have had no issues with the Laradar except for suppressed. The inbuilt microphone does not pick it up so you have to use the 'Doppler' setting. This means the radar starts measuring velocity only when the bullet enters the emitter arc down-range. You don't know exactly when it entered the arc so it's a bit of guesswork extrapolating it back to a muzzle velocity. What you can do to mitigate this is have the device as close to the gun as possible and turn the emitter across the barrel axis (so it's not pointing at the target). This shortens the distance before the bullet enters the arc so there's less difference between muzzle velocity and when it first detects the bullet.