AceTech AC5000 Airsoft Chronograph

[Hooptie]

Greetings McB community,

Please be friendly, I've started to look at the world of AirSoft. My paintball markers have been giving me the stink eye since I purchased my first AirSoft AEG. I promised I'll take my paintball markers to the next big game in the immediate future, even better would be a trip to the Skirmish ION big game.

I came across this AirSoft Chronograph. It was pleasantly priced between $50-$55 at various online sites. The specs said "COMPATIBILITY: 4.5MM, 6MM, 8MM, AND 18MM BBS" and while I couldn't mental math the measurement conversion, the computer says 18mm converts to 0.70 caliber - which is perfect for paintball.

Pros:
+ It does work for paintball. The measurements were 2-3FPS higher than a Virtue Clock III when stacked on top of each other.
+ I was able to get consistent measurement in shady and direct sunlight conditions. This chronograph has two sensors, similar to the Chrony, Caldwell, ProChronos. I've used the Chrony and Caldwell types, and never been happy with the performance in various light conditions.
+ Small package when compared to Caldwell and ProChronos.

Cons:
- Holding barrel position does take some patience. I admit that I had impatience and blasted the insides of the AceTech, especially when trying to rapid fire for BPS readings.
- BPS (ball per second (I wasn't able to get a decent comparison to the Virtue Clock III). The readings were not consistent with paintballs, yet did quite well with AirSoft. One thought is have a guide to keep the paintball barrel inline with the chronograph sensors.

Summary: Works great for AirSoft. Does the bare minimum for paintball. I think spending an additional $ for Radar-type chronograph is best for paintball, if used often. I haven't tried different color paintball shells.

[The Jayster]

I was looking for a compact chrono to measure FPS only as I don't really need BPS readings. This might do the trick.
I'm certainly not spending $300+ on a paintball-specific chrono.

[redsquirrel]

I’d recommend these. Had one for a few years now. Works great and still on the same battery. Not sure on pricing now but I paid $99.95 shipped in 22’.
https://xradarusa.com/

[JeeperCreeper]

I used to have one, till it fell and broke. Otherwise it worked ok for paintball.

[DieManInTheRough]

I have been using similar for a few years now. Will look at whipping up a model for a guide/shield. I thought about just printing a rubber cover so you can slide it on the end of the barrel as well.

[mooman978]

I got one recently and it seems to do just fine. It’s kinda hard to shoot through such a small hole especially when aiming for a small backstop. What settings do you have the ammo section set at? I have the weight on 3 grams and caliber to 18. It gets good readings with my phantom but when I shoot my kp2 the readings are ridiculously high and low

[mooman978]

I figured out why the readings were off I was shooting the inside of the walls. Its best to put the barrel a little bit past the opening to get good readings

[The Jayster]

I got one a few weeks ago.

The good stuff: Reads velocity accurately, well-built, doesn't feel cheap as it's Taiwanese-made (instead of mainland China crap.), easy to configure for paintball.

The bad stuff: Even with a steady hand and being super careful, you *will* clip balls in it and often. The aperture is small and you have to keep your barrel at a certain distance. When I say 'clip' a ball I mean not actually shooting the interior of the walls but there are many edges unto which the ball can slice itself and smear some areas. That would happen every 10 shots on average. Since we're not talking about a major splat, it's relatively easy to clean but it gets annoying fast. I think that some sort of home-made barrel guide/guard would go a long way to alleviate that problem.

Verdict: It works but it's very finicky if you try to use it for paintball.

[mooman978]

I got one a few weeks ago.

The good stuff: Reads velocity accurately, well-built, doesn't feel cheap as it's Taiwanese-made (instead of mainland China crap.), easy to configure for paintball.

The bad stuff: Even with a steady hand and being super careful, you *will* clip balls in it and often. The aperture is small and you have to keep your barrel at a certain distance. When I say 'clip' a ball I mean not actually shooting the interior of the walls but there are many edges unto which the ball can slice itself and smear some areas. That would happen every 10 shots on average. Since we're not talking about a major splat, it's relatively easy to clean but it gets annoying fast. I think that some sort of home-made barrel guide/guard would go a long way to alleviate that problem.

Verdict: It works but it's very finicky if you try to use it for paintball.

Yes I agree even when you think you have it lined up you end up shooting the walls. It works but a normal chrono is probably worth the extra money