As 2024 comes to an end, I thought I would take the information I learned in 2024 and pass on to 2025. Some of this is Chronograph related, the rest is general information a prepared competitor might want to think about for next year.
Radar-Based Chronographs: I have slowly determined that for my purposes the Garmin Xero C1 Pro has become my go to Chronograph. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the Lab Radar (Large units) when I have the bay depth. However, the Garmin’s turned out to be more consistent, works with both minor revolvers and PCCs without the need to use external triggers and can be used in confined locations. At the Nationals in Talladega we only had about 33 feet to work with and yet using dual Garmin units picked up every shot. The other thing I noticed is the spreads between units rarely exceed 2-3 feet per second and in many cases was within one foot per second. Many times, the velocity shown on both units was identical.
The only thing we need to watch is the life expectancy of the units. With the ability to recharge the units on the fly, I never had issues with the units running low on power during the day. The internal batteries on the units may over time go bad, but so far, they have worked pretty well. Their small size and ease of use means any Level II match in the country should not have an excuse not to run a chronograph stage.
Other observations: First, over the last year we have seen a number of competitors and staff have issues with various allergic reactions. They ran the gamut from bites, stings and various skin related rashes/hive reactions due to possible plant and chemical exposures. While I like most of my former profession hate doctors, if you are having a reaction please be smart and have it looked at. While it is not commonly understood by lay people, the more times you are exposed the more likely you are to end up with a potentially severe reaction. Also, if you do have a known allergy to stings especially, you might want to look into having your personal physician look into prescribing an EpiPen. If they do, please bring them to the match, they do no good at home.
I am not in the business of giving shopping advice, but as I have said over the years, if you are planning to purchase outerwear, don’t go cheap. The last year seemed to be the rainy matches season. While I spent most of my matches under cover, I was always sure I had my excellent Gore-Tex raingear and boots with me just in case. As the old saying goes, “Buy good equipment upfront or buy it a lot.” Garbage bag rain gear is so tacky.
One of the better purchases I made after the Winter Nationals in 2023 was a heavy fleece from Baerskin Tactical. It is warm, windproof and stands up well to a light drizzle. It turned out to be a life saver at both Buckeye and Open/PCC Nationals.
Finally, it is the time of the year to look into your equipment. Since the major part of the shooting season is winding down, it is time to take stock of your holsters, belts and other accessories. If you decide to update and or replace some, the waiting times in the winter time are most likely less than in the middle of the shooting season. Besides, if you are quick enough you can take advantage of New Year’s sales. 😉