Labradar 5.56 data 1168

General Firearms Reloading & Ammunition
1

Got a Labradar now. The below loads were launched through a BRT Optimum Light barrel. 16”, melonite, 4150, 5r, 1/8, A2 flash suppressor. Has ~5,000 rounds on it at this time. All were a sample of 10, unless noted. Temp was 49F. Military ammo is real, not XM or whatever. Velocities are at muzzle.

*M855
5rnds
Av 2805 fps
ES 59
Std Dev 25

With Griffin M4SDk
Av 2880
Es 58
Sd 28.9
This is a +75 fps with the can.

*M855a1
5rds
Av 2893
Es 65
Sd 25.3
This is 88 fps hotter than M855

*“Brown Tip” 5.56 70 TSX
Av 2719
Es 47
Sd 15.1

*Hornady Frontier 68gr 5.56
Av 2719
Es 41
Sd 15.2
Notice this velocity is essentially equal to the 70gr mil load above.

With the can
Av 2727
Es 50
Sd 22.7
Seems that this bullet gets less freebore boost than the lighter rounds. Maybe its the weight, or the boattail form? +8fps

*Precision One 62 gr
Av 2439
Es 200
Sd 68.6
I failed to record whether this was new or reman and whether it was 5.56 or .223. Looks like .223, obviously. One round failed to cycle the H3 and Sprinco Blue.

With the can
Av 2534
Es 115
Sd 37.5
Thats +95 Fps with the can, and it cleaned up the consistency somehow. Hell yeah.

*62gr Hornady FMJ on top of 27gr Cfe223, LC brass
Av 2838
Es 150
Sd 41.6
Done on a Dillon 750, letting the powder drop do its thing. Light crimp, cannelured bullet.

*24gr Cfe223
Av 2314
Es 260
Sd 78.4
This stuff actually cycled the gun everytime, unsuppressed, and locked back on the last one. Gun has an H3 and Sprinco Blue.

Bought some more Precision One to see if day one was a fluke, and brought out more ammo, as well. Same gun, same silencer, 42*F and raining.

*Precision One new manufacture 5.56 62gr non-magnetic
Av 2303
ES 312
Sd 89.7

With the can
Av 2373
Es 249
Sd 78.9
First day was not a fluke. This is a starting load, I guess. I’ve never had any problems with it, but I’ve never shot it past 100, either.

*Barnes Vor-Tx 70gr 5.56
Av 2730
Es 67
Sd 20.8
A little hotter than “Brown Tip” and a little less consistent. Plenty good enough for pork.

With the can
Av 2718
Es 63
Sd 17.6
WTF? Lost an insignificant amount of velocity.

*Fusion MSR
Av 2666
Es 178
Sd 55.5

With the can
Av 2675
Es 190
Sd 61.1
So only 9 fps boost, which is not statistically significant. And its a little further behind the Barnes Vor-Tx 70 gr 5.56 than I thought.

I’ll do some more another day, maybe some other barrels. Might do some less lethal, for S&G.
1168

2

Thanks for sharing.

I have a LabRadar that I have not used yet. I have a bunch of 75 and 77 grain loads for testing and I can’t wait to use the LabRadar and get a load dialed in for my MK12.

3

Lab radar looks good, I may have to pick one up eventually.

4

Yeah, I want, but thus far the price has scared me off…

And my $200 Competition Electronics ProChrono set-up works well.

Some of those extreme spreads are HUGE…

Was it the slow round of “Precision One” that failed to cycle? (What’s “Precision” about an ES of 200fps?)

And you loading 24gr of CFE may cycle the gun OK, but are you really OK with an ES of 260fps?

5

Agree, the price is kind of steep. I went with a magneto speed and it has been great. Can’t chrono pistol though.

The SD variations are curious. I haven’t seen one as high as 68 in my own reloading. A few 30’s but 68 is pretty bad.

6

Quality contribution, thanks for posting.

7

Delete

8

That suppressor boost is very interesting.

9

I’ve had one for over a year now, but can’t get it to work much at all. The pain is that I have to call them during a weekday while I’m at the range. It would definitely be a plus if they had weekend service. I would love to be able to generate data like the OP.

10

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12

Was kind of surprised to only see an 88fps increase going from M855 to M855A1. I thought it was hotter than that?

That said, haven’t they lowered them from the original M855A1 loading?

13

A guy had one at the range while I was there… Total fail. He never got it working.

My 2¢, having read the directions: It’s totally counter-intuitive for anybody who’s ever seen/used a regular chrono. Putting the muzzle right next to it just seems wrong, but I guess that’s the trick…

14

I’ve had a LabRadar for about a year now, and I love it. I use it for my firearms and for archery. I just have to remember change what triggers it when I switch between the two.

15

I bought mine shortly after they first came out. Making sure the settings are correct is imperative. I also always use the remote microphone & it works flawlessly that way. For a power supply, I use a solar rechargeable battery pack that’s Velcro’d on top.
The only problems I ever have are related to the Bluetooth communication disconnecting from the phone app. I’ve found it’s not worth the hassle so I just track the data on the SD card & not mess with the phone app.

16

That Lab seems like the dog to buy. I like it.

PB

17

Thread jack… But, does the length of suppressor impact the variation in velocity?

18

It can. Here’s an example of how a suppressor can increase muzzle velocity as the result of a barrel not being long enough to facilitate the complete burning of the powder.

Fast forward to 11 minutes.
[video=youtube_share;Psk65mhcxrs]https://youtu.be/Psk65mhcxrs[/video]

19

Played with it some more yesterday. Cronoed a bunch of a buddy’s handloads, but thought y’all might have more interest in factory fodder from here on, unless I decide to build up a really nice load.

62*F, Same 16” BRT Optimum Light 1/8 barrel, now with 5.5k rounds on it, same M4SDk, adding a Sig MCX Virtus 11.5”

*Fed XM193

11.5”
Av 2802 fps
Es 98
Sd 34.3

16”
Av 2896
Es 116
Sd 35.3
Not much more than the 11.5”. I noticed that the lighter we’ve loaded our handloads, the less difference in barrels. When we approach max, the delta grows. Dunno yet if that is a universal rule.

16” +can
Av 2929
Es 196
Sd 73.9
Only added 33fps, but doubled Sd.

3/22
57*f

*.223 Aguila 55gr FMJ

11.3” BA Hanson
Av 2541
Es 154
Sd 38.6

+can
Av 2532
Es 87
Sd 28.4

16” BRT
Av 2738
Es 115
Sd 43.3

20

Good Grief. Not to sound snooty, but those spreads and SDs are huge.