Athlon Optics Rangecraft Velocity Pro Radar Chronograph

Working up a load means recording every shot's velocity and every string's spread. The Athlon Rangecraft Velocity Pro, a clean-sheet design for Athlon's Rangecraft line, reads them with Doppler radar from a small tripod near the muzzle. Nothing attaches to the barrel and it does not trigger on muzzle blast, so it won't change your zero or barrel harmonics, and it captures shots from suppressed rifles and muzzle brakes, from 65 to 5,000 fps at a rated ±0.1%.

Key Features

• What it measures. Each shot's velocity, with average, standard deviation, extreme spread and deviation from average on the 2.4-inch screen. Enter the projectile weight in a New Session to add kinetic energy and power factor; Quick Start skips it. It stores 50 sessions of 100 shots.
• Setup. Hold PWR for two seconds, choose rifle, pistol, archery, air gun or other and, if asked, a velocity range, then set the unit within 4 to 10 inches of the muzzle or a bow's riser. Align the chronograph with your target and shoot, keeping it clear of muzzle blast on large calibers, especially with an aggressive brake.
• Shooters beside you. It tracks the correct bullet with multiple shooters on the line. Keep 48 inches between adjacent shooters, 38 inches in air gun sessions, with targets downrange spaced the same.
• App. Over Bluetooth, the Athlon Ballistics Lite app syncs sessions, marks clean- and cold-barrel shots, excludes shots from the statistics and ties sessions to your rifle and bullet profiles. It also offers live sessions, over-the-air firmware updates and Excel export.
• Power and weather. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery is rated for 6 hours and charges over USB-C from most USB-A or USB-C cables and chargers. The unit is rated IP67 waterproof, for use down to 14°F (-10°C).

Who It's For

• Handloaders and hunters, for checking factory ammo and tuning handloads, and suppressor and brake users, since it reads the bullet, not the blast.
• Pistol shooters who need power factor, and archers and air gunners, with the 65 fps floor and dedicated modes.
• Cross-shopping? Garmin rates its Xero C2 at ±0.1% for rifles, like the Velocity Pro, and built it to withstand recoil when mounted on a firearm, but it reads from 100 fps against the Velocity Pro's 65, and Garmin rates it IPX7 against Athlon's IP67. The Labradar LX matches the 65 to 5,000 fps range and 0.1% accuracy and stores up to 999 series of 250 shots, but Labradar says not to immerse it. Our Velocity Pro review compares it with Garmin's in detail.