I stumbled across this Android App (no idea if there is an IOS version) that uses the built in microphone of a smart phone to analyze the shot and hit noise to calculate muzzle velocity. It was free so I gave it a try.
I had just replaced the piston seal on my IZH 46M, and was curious to compare results to the real chronograph results that came with the gun from Pyramid Air.
Three shots, measured 485, 485 and 487 which match pretty close to the chronograph printout that came with the gun.
This is probably good enough that I'll use it once a month to check the health of the seals. I know that at after roughly 9 months or 9000 shots the piston seal has degraded to the point where it no longer fires, and up until now, that was my only real cue to change the seal. My scores had started to drop in the weeks leading up to failure, but I had blamed that on poor marksmanship rather than the gun. In retrospect, it was probably a combination of muzzle velocity dropping below some critical point or inconsistent muzzle velocity.
This app seems designed for 10m AP/AR since it depends on hearing the hit, but might work with a regular pistol shooting steel plates. When the weather warms up a bit I'll try it at an outdoor range with my Ruger Mark III on steel plates.
There is a paid Pro version that I have not tried, but I'll probably buy it since it looks like this is a useful app. The gun failed shortly before a match, and I barely had time to replace the seals and sight it in. I would have preferred less drama.
Chrono Connect App
Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, David Levene, Spencer, Richard H
Re: Chrono Connect App
Thanks for the heads-up. There are iOS versions, both lite and pro. Have just loaded the lite onto my phone and look forward to trying it out. Even if not as accurate as a full blown chrono it is certainly better than nothing.
Bob
Bob