There’s a reason this little unit is so popular, the Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph has made a huge impact as its super compact and high quality. This radar-based chronograph is designed to help shooters easily measure bullet speeds. Its about the size of a deck of cards, and this new device offers the performance of much larger, bulkier chronographs. After testing it extensively, I can confidently say it significantly improves how velocity data is collected. If you’re a serious shooter or just starting to fine tune your ammo, the Xero C1 Pro is a must have.
This little unit fits in your pocket, has long battery life, and provides accurate readings without the hassle of traditional, bulky setups. For shooters here in Australia and shooters worldwide, the Garmin Xero C1 Pro is an exciting and reliable piece of gear that turns a usually tedious task into something simple and even enjoyable.
Design and Build
When I first unboxed the Garmin Xero C1 Pro, I was impressed by how small and lightweight it is. Weighing just a few ounces (160 grams) and measuring roughly 3 x 2 x 1 inches, it’s smaller and lighter than most wallets, making it truly pocketable. Despite its small size, the Xero C1 Pro feels solid and well built, offering a high quality design that’s both compact and practical. Something Garmin users will be familiar with.
The chronograph features a simple black and white display with four easy to use buttons on top for menu navigation. The display is backlit, ensuring clear visibility even in bright sunlight, so it’s just as effective outdoors as it is indoors. Plus, the device is rated IPX7 waterproof, meaning it can handle rain and the occasional splash without any issues.
Although Garmin didn’t include a carrying case in the box, the Xero C1 Pro’s sturdy build means I can easily toss it in a padded section of my range bag. There are aftermarket carry cases available if you are looking for added protection. It comes with a basic mini tripod, which is made of plastic but works well for bench shooting or even in the grass next to me when shooting prone in the field. If you need more stability or height, the chronograph features a standard ¼-20 thread, which means you can mount it on any camera tripod. There are also third party adapters available, like those from Area 419, which let you attach the device to a rifle’s Picatinny or ARCA rail for a more advanced setup. Overall, the Xero C1 Pro’s build quality is durable and practical.
Ease of Setup and Use
Setting up the Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph is extremely easy and quick. With just a few button presses, the device is ready to go. Simply press the power button to turn it on, and you’ll be guided through a simple menu to start a new shooting session. The device first asks you to select the type of projectile you’re shooting (options include rifle, pistol, bow, airgun, etc.), then prompts for an approximate velocity range. For instance, if I select “Rifle,” I can choose a speed band like 1700–5000 feet per second or a lower band for slower rounds. This step takes just a seconds and helps the Xero C1 Pro filter out shots from other shooters by focusing on a specific velocity range.
Next, it may ask for bullet weight (optional), which I don’t always enter but it can help the chronograph automatically calculate things like kinetic energy and power factor. After that, a clear diagram appears on the screen to show where to position the device relative to the muzzle. The instructions are simple: place the Xero C1 Pro on its tripod about 5 to 15 inches to the side and slightly behind the muzzle, with the radar face pointing downrange. There’s no need for perfect alignment or fussing with angles, just position it generally facing the target. Once it’s in place, press “OK,” and you’re ready to start shooting.
From my experience, it takes less than 10 seconds from turning on the device to being ready to record shots. I remember timing it and being amazed at how fast it was to deploy, it’s a world away from the old setup of bulky contraptions that require a lot of time to get right. Unlike older chronographs, you don’t need to call a ceasefire to set up equipment downrange. The Xero C1 Pro sits right next to you, typically placed on the bench or the ground beside your shooting mat. As long as it’s within about a foot of the muzzle, the radar then captures the bullet’s speed.
The user interface is straightforward, with four buttons, up, down, OK, and back/power. These allow for easy navigation through the menu. The screen may not be fancy or colourful, but it’s clear and easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The Xero C1 Pro displays each shot’s velocity and keeps track of stats such as extreme spread (ES) and standard deviation (SD) for each string of shots. The device also automatically starts a new shot string at the beginning of each session and numbers each shot, so you never lose track of your data. I really like how the device saves each session separately. For example when I test different rifles or loads, I can keep those results without worrying about mixing them up. There’s no confusion, and no need to manually reset anything between sessions, a small but important feature that saves me time and helps me organise the data.
While you can do all of this directly on the unit, you can also use the Garmin ShotView app. The app significantly expands what you can do with the data, providing enhanced features for tracking and analysing shot strings. However you can just use the chronograph independently without needing to connect it to your phone, which makes it great for those times when you don’t want to be looking at your phone at the range constantly.
Performance at the Range
I’ve tested the Garmin Xero C1 Pro indoors and outdoors, and it has proven everytime to be reliable in all conditions. Honestly, it’s the easiest chronograph I’ve ever used. At my local range I set the Garmin up next to my bench on a busy Saturday. There were a lot of shooters firing from all sides, but the Xero C1 Pro captured every one of my shots and provided an instant velocity reading. What really impressed was how it handled shots from other shooters. I could see the device momentarily detecting the sound of neighbouring shots, but it didn’t record anything that didn’t match shots from me. In that entire session, the chronograph never mistakenly recorded another shooter’s bullet, only mine. Reading the manual I can see that the device uses smart filtering to avoid confusion, which is a massive advantage over older radar chronographs that often struggled with busy environments.
Outdoors the Xero C1 Pro performed the same. In the field setup was easy as it was indoors, simply placing the Garmin next to the shooting mat and you’re ready to go. In the wide open space, the chronograph handled everything without missing a beat. Whether I was firing a small .22 LR or a large .308, it captured every shot. Garmin claims that the Xero C1 Pro can measure projectiles from 100 fps to 5,000 fps, and while I haven’t tested those extremes ends of the scale, I did try a wide variety of ammo, from subsonic pistol rounds to high velocity rifle rounds and the device worked without issue. The broad velocity range is particularly helpful for shooters using a variety of different projectiles. For those that also use bow’s the Garmin is capable of measuring everything from arrows and crossbow bolts, making it a pretty versatile little unit.
Most importantly the accuracy of the readings have been excellent. To gauge its precision, I compared the velocity numbers from the Garmin Xero C1 Pro against my mates older chronograph that used to use and trust. The Garmin’s readings were right in line with the other unit. Garmin advertise a 0.1% precision reading on velocity measurements, and from what I’ve seen, that claim holds up. When I used the velocities from the Garmin in a ballistic calculator for long range, my drop predictions at distance matched up well with where the bullets actually hit. That tells me the data coming out of this chronograph is correct.
Another performance aspect worth noting is the time savings. In the past, with barrel mounted devices like the MagnetoSpeed I would have to stop and either attach/detach the chrono or worry that it was affecting my point of impact. The MagnetoSpeed bayonet, for instance, can change your rifle’s barrel harmonics, meaning you can’t reliably shoot for accuracy with it on. With the Garmin Xero C1 Pro, nothing touches the firearm, so you can do your regular shooting and collect velocity data in parallel. I would shoot a five shot group for accuracy and all those shots were being clocked for velocity at the same time, no separate “chrono phase” needed. For a busy shooter or someone testing a lot of different loads, this convenience is a massive win.
Data Logging and App Integration
While the Garmin Xero C1 Pro can be used completely on its own, it truly excels when paired with Garmin’s ShotView app on your smartphone. The chronograph connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and once linked, it displays each shot’s velocity in real time on the app. The app also logs the entire shooting session, calculating key stats like average velocity, extreme spread (ES), and standard deviation (SD) for each string of shots. One features that folks might appreciate is the ability to tag individual shots. For example, I can mark a flyer or note a “cold bore” shot, which is useful for refining load development. You can also name sessions (e.g., “.308 Match Loads 24°C” or “.223 Batch 1”) to keep your data well organised. A cool feature for the data nerds among us is the ability to export your data to a CSV file, which is essentially a spreadsheet. This makes it easy to further analyse or archive your velocity data on your computer. As someone who loves tracking ballistic data it’s a neat tool.
One very minor drawback is that using the app’s full capabilities requires a Garmin account login. While it’s not necessary if you just want basic Bluetooth data display (the device itself stores up to 50 sessions with 100 shots each), signing in is required to sync your data to the cloud or update firmware. Not a huge issue, but I understand that some folks prefer not to create yet another account. Regardless, the app brings some great advanced features. Think of it as a digital shooting logbook that automatically saves your data, so you no longer need to manually write everything down. After a range day, I had all my velocity data neatly organised and stored, with no transcription errors. If you prefer the traditional method of logging your data in a notebook, that’s still an option, but the app backup is a timesaver.
Comparisons to Other Chronographs
The Garmin absolutely destroys the competition, I’ve used both the LabRadar and the MagnetoSpeed, and its completely revolutionised the chrono world, here’s how it compares to these models.
The MagnetoSpeed is a barrel mounted chronograph that tracks bullet speed via magnetic field disturbance. It’s accurate for rifles but only works on firearms with exposed barrels, and the added weight can alter your point of impact. It’s also not great for tight groups due to barrel harmonics. Its clunky and difficult to mount and find the ‘sweet spot’ where it will accurately measure the velocity. The Garmin Xero C1 Pro, however, is unattached, meaning it won’t affect your rifle’s accuracy. The MagnetoSpeed is cheaper, but the Garmin offers way more flexibility and ease of use.
The LabRadar is a big Doppler radar system known for its very high accuracy but its bulky and requires careful setup. It’s effective but heavy and demands more attention for alignment and the battery life is terrible. The Garmin shrinks this concept into a palm sized device, requiring minimal setup and being 100 x easier to transport. While the LabRadar can track velocities at multiple distances (which might be useful for advanced users), the Xero C1 Pro focuses on simplicity and convenience. Both are accurate, but the Garmin’s smaller size and ease of use make it the better choice for most shooters, especially considering its affordable price compared to the LabRadar. Unless you need multi point velocity readings, the Xero C1 Pro offers better.
Battery Life and Other Considerations
The Xero C1 Pro has an internal rechargeable battery rated for about 6 hours or 2,000 shots per charge. In practice, I’ve found that to be pretty spot on. I usually recharge it after about two or three range sessions, and I’ve never run out of juice during a session. Six hours of continuous use is a lot of shooting in one day. However, if you are a high volume shooter or maybe in a match or a class all day, you’ll want to bring a USB power bank just in case. The device can operate while plugged into an external power source, which is a nice backup option. One slight downside is that the battery is built in and not easily swappable, pretty standard for Garmin devices but worth mentioning. Still, given the one year warranty and Garmin’s general reputation, I expect the battery will hold up fine for several years of normal use. And since you can use an external power pack, there’s a workaround if you ever find the internal battery failing.
Another thing to consider is that the device is new and high tech, so it’s not the cheapest chronograph you will find on the market. That said, it is cheaper (or at least competitively priced) compared to other advanced chronos. Considering what a LabRadar setup costs or even some high end optical systems, the Garmin comes in at a lower price point. It’s an affordable option for what it provides. The phrase “you get what you pay for” holds true here and you pay a bit more than a basic chronograph, but you get such an easy little unit to use. The time saved, the headaches avoided, and the features make it a great value. I have found it encourages me to collect more shooting data because its so easy. It’s no longer a chore to set up the chrono, so I end up collecting velocity data almost every range trip. That helps me make better decisions about what ammo I’m running.
Summing Up
Overall the Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph has become one of my favourite pieces of shooting gear I have ever owned. It took a task that was once a pain in the behind and made it quick, simple, and super reliable. For shooters who spend time fine tuning loads and chasing consistency, this device removes much of the old frustration. Its small enough to throw in your range bag every time and affordable enough to be within reach for shooters who may have hesitated to invest in a chrono before. In short, if you are a serious range shooter who cares about ballistics and getting the most from your gear, the Garmin Xero C1 Pro belongs in your range bag.
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