Good features, compact, works well, tripod is cheap. - Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph G2

I just received and tried this chrono. There is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The ugly: This should be offered without the tripod. It's a POS with way too much sway and too much cheap plastic. It reflects poorly on Caldwell for supplying this junk. Buy a better tripod. The plastic wheel/screw that attaches to the chrono is poorly designed and a PITA to use. The 4 section legs are wobbly with cheap plastic leg locks. I wouldn't trust it in gusty or windy conditions. You can use an old photographer's trick and hang a small amount of weight from the tripod to make it more stable. By keeping the weight near the center and low to the ground, it is serviceable. It doesn't take much weight to do this, and this tripod won't support much.... 1/2 - 3/4 of a pound ought to do it. Better yet, donate or toss the tripod and get something better.

The bad: The LiIon batteries are not "user" replaceable. They should last 3-5 years, but will eventually need replacing. 4 hex screws will get you internal access and you may be able to replace yourself them but I didn't disassemble and check. For the longest life, keep them charged, but not left on the charger and don't ever let them completely discharge.

The chrono itself is made of plastic with aluminum supports. The main case is plastic, and seems adequate, but is not rugged. I do wish there was a way to lock the supports in place. They slip fit in place, but seem to work.

The good. Inverting the unit was really smart. I have two buddies who shot their chronos when they forgot to account for scope height. This isn't an issue with the Caldwell BPC G2. The window openings are on the top side facing down, so no more debris and residue falling into the window slots, either. It's lightweight & set up/ break down is fast & easy. It comes with a decent storage bag with padding on the 2 inside dividers. The inverted sky screens seem to be polyethylene, which is a durable plastic & works in this application. Each screen has a simple plug in connector for the included LED lights. The lights came in handy at one of my local indoor ranges that's more like a cave. Another chrono I had suffered in the dark environment. No more spotty performance in low light or buying optional lighting and playing with wires.

The display is large enough to see each shot, but the Bluetooth app is where it's at. It's simple to set up & use, with no cables to connect, break or lose. The app has a good sized display of speed and the ability to create and save groups. You type in a location and if internet connected, it auto sets temp & pressure in inches of mercury. It keeps track of the normal stuff; shot speed, average speed, standard deviation, min/max speeds, spread, shot/sec. You can save your info, then e-mail the info for printout later, share it with friends, or import it into a spreadsheet.

We compared this chrono with a competitor's and they seemed to be within a few fps of each other, so accuracy seems great. This unit seems to be a great value for the price point. More so if you shoot your typical chrono, like many have done.