Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph Review

For years my range bag bounced between optical screens, bulky radar chronographs, and the occasional string-activated timer. Each promised precise velocity measurement, yet all demanded fussy alignment, sensitive lighting conditions, and more patience than a steel-plate match. When Garmin—better known for GPS watches—unveiled the Xero C1 Pro, I was skeptical. Could a device that fits in a back pocket really leverage Doppler radar to deliver professional-grade velocity readings from 100 fps to 5,000 fps, export a CSV file to my phone app, and still shrug off a drizzle thanks to an IPX7 water-resistance rating?

Six months, 2,000 shots, and 50 sessions later, I’m convinced. Below is my long-term, hands-on look at the chrono that now lives beside my bolt-action reload log—and why I think it’s worth every penny, even at its price tag.

Overview of Field Usage: My Experience

Unboxing

Garmin ships the Xero C1 Pro in a compact carrying case barely larger than a 15-inch laptop charger. Inside, I found the chronograph, a ¼-20 thread tripod mount, and a braided USB-C cable for topping up the built-in lithium-ion battery. No disposable cells here—the internal, rechargeable battery is rated for six hours or roughly 2,000 shots between charges, and real-world testing matched that claim.

First Session

I started at my local indoor range, curious whether fluorescent flicker or a tight firing lane would trip the sensor. Placing the unit on a small tripod, muzzle ≈ 12-15 inches ahead, I fired a string of 100 shots through a .22 LR pistol. Xero detected every round, logging projectile speed, standard deviation, extreme spread, and power factor automatically. In my notebook, I wrote, “Works great. Perfect alignment is not critical.”

Setting Up

Setup is almost comically simple: press the single button, scroll to caliber type, and shoot. Because nothing attaches to the barrel or suppressor, there’s zero risk of changing your firearm’s zero or barrel harmonics—a frustration with some optical or magneto-based units. The C1 is also easy to set when switching from rifle pistol to air rifle; you just select “air gun” and the radar adjusts its waveform to catch slower pellets near 100 fps without missing high-pressure rounds screaming past 5,000 fps.

Handling Interference

Early on I worried about muzzle blast and weird range-lane reflections. I tried deliberate “worst case” angles, excessive brake concussion, even shooting through a steel port that tends to cause my older Labradar LX to drop readings. The Xero shrugged off everything except severe cross-traffic: on a crowded Saturday the sensor fails to pick two of 86 shots as neighboring rifles cracked at the same instant. A firmware update has since fixed most dropped shots.

Data Output

After the string, I tapped “End” and hit “Export.” In less than 30 minutes all velocity data synced via Bluetooth to the free ShotView phone app. There, I can graph velocity vs. shot number, tag bullet weight, and save data to a tidy spreadsheet. Hit “share” and a full CSV file lands in Dropbox for my ballistic calculator. For reloaders who obsess over average velocity, standard deviation, and power factor, this frictionless flow is gold.

Second Outing

Next came a 500-yard long-range session with a .308 bolt action. Here, lighting swung from overcast to bright sun conditions that normally drive optical chronos crazy. The C1 reads every round. Over 48 shots it clocked an average velocity within 3 fps of my MagnetoSpeed Sporter while showing extreme spread four fps tighter. Garmin claims Doppler’s advantage is freedom from gusty light, and my logs back that up.

What I Haven’t Tested

• Full-auto testing beyond six-round bursts
• 5000 fps lightweight varmint loads (my range rules cap MV at 4 100 fps)
• Battery endurance past 2 000 shots without recharge

Background

Older chrono tech relied on sky-screens or inductive loops. Both demanded fixed lighting conditions and often required an awkward barrel clamp. Enter miniature Doppler sensors originally developed for golf ball speed traps and industrial flow meters.

Garmin Gets in the Game

The outdoor giant took that radar core, wrapped it in a 5.5-inch polymer shell, added an IPX7 gasket, and paired it with GPS-like firmware. The result is a truly pocket-size radar chronograph that weighs just 161 g yet rivals lab instruments.

Indoor

Inside 25-yard tunnels the C1 shines. There’s no optical flash to see, and the unit’s beam ignores the ceiling baffles. I’ve gathered data on nine-millimeter factory ammo, .177 pellets, even sub-900 fps paintballs for a junior league.

Outdoor

In bright sun the backlit LCD remains readable. I once left it on a bench during a brief drizzle—water resistance ration never dipped below spec. A quick wipe and it kept ticking.

Load Development

Handloaders will love quick feedback. Shoot a three-round ladder, glance at velocity readings, adjust the powder measure, and send three more. I shaved an hour off typical load workups.

Full Auto Testing

The C1’s sensor refreshes fast enough to read shots as close as 80 ms apart. I dumped a 30-round mag from a 5.56 action rifle and the unit captured the whole shot string without hiccup.

The App

Garmin’s ShotView may be the killer feature. It automatically groups strings, plots standard deviation, and colour-codes extreme spread. You can label gun, optic, barrel length, and the app even suggests kinetic energy if you input bullet weight. It also connects to phone GPS so each range session is geo-tagged for future reference.

Features and Specifications

Ballistic Software

Although ShotView itself isn’t a full applied ballistics solver, you can export to AB, Strelok, or Hornady 4DOF with one tap. The unit’s precise velocity range marks the foundation for dope cards and wind calls out past a mile.

Self-Explanatory

A single-button interface cycles through profiles—no manual needed. Icons for battery life, Bluetooth, and projectile type are self-explanatory even to beginners.

Multiple Weapon Options

Profiles exist for air rifle, arrow, shotgun, rifle pistol, and slug guns. Instead of fiddling with microphone sensitivity, the firmware optimizes radar burst width for each category.

Compact and Packable Size

At 5.5 inches tall the Xero disappears in a jacket pocket. I tuck it beside my torque wrench and digital scale in the range bag and forget it is there until chronograph time.

Garmin ShotView App

Data nerds rejoice: ShotView lets you overlay velocity trendlines, flag dropped shots, and view cumulative power factor on a single dashboard. You can also merge sessions to evaluate barrel heat over a long time or split strings to see how a suppressor affects muzzle blast and speed.

MagnetoSpeed Sporter

Still a great tool but barrel-mounted. It can alter harmonics and cannot read bowstrings, BBs, or arrows. The Garmin’s off-barrel design leaves your group untouched.

The PACT Model 1 XP

PACT’s optical gates demand daylight and ten minutes of alignment. They remain a budget pick yet falter in variable sun—something the C1 handles effortlessly.

Radar Chronographs

The Labradar LX defined the radar market, but its flat-plate antenna is bulkier and heavier. Plus you must park it exactly perpendicular to flight path. The C1’s wide cone eases that fuss.

Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph vs Labradar

Spec	Garmin Xero C1 Pro	Labradar LX
Weight	161 g	1.95 lb
Size	Pocket (5.5 in)	Tablet-sized
Velocity Range	100 – 5 000 fps	65 – 4 700 fps
Battery	Internal Li-ion, USB-C	6 × AA cells
Radial Alignment	±15° forgiveness	Needs near-perfect perpendicular
Tripod Mount	¼-20	¼-20
App	ShotView (free)	Labradar app (paid for full export)
Price	≈ $599 USD	≈ $599 USD
Exports Data	Yes (CSV)	Yes (SD card)
Water Resistance	IPX7	None

The Labradar LX still serves benchrest shooters who value its on-screen menu depth and slower minimum capture of 65 fps (handy for big-bore air guns). Yet for most users the Garmin’s lower weight, built-in rechargeable battery, and faster setup tip the scales.

Why Garmin?

• No accessories required – The unit plus a charging cable is all you need.
• Internal battery – Six hours of runtime beats swapping AAs under stress.
• IPX7 rating – Survive a surprise shower at a backcountry run-and-gun.
• Phone integration – Instant graphs, exports data, and firmware updates.
• Versatile performance – Reads everything from airsoft BBs to supersonic .257 Weatherby without mode changes.
• Price flexibility – Watch for Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph Black Friday deals; last November it dipped to $549.
• Future-proof – Firmware updates already improved average velocity smoothing and fixed a bug where slow air-gun pellets rarely fails to pick.

Ready to add one to your kit? Check today’s price on Amazon.

Final Thoughts

The Garmin Xero C1 Pro is the first chronograph I grab even for a quick lunchtime range session. It lives up to Garmin’s claim of sub-1 % accuracy and reads through messy lighting consitions that choke cheaper screens. I love that I can shoot suppressed 300 BLK subsonics one minute, swap to a 6.5 CM long-range ladder the next, and the chrono never asks for recalibration. The built-in radar even recognized a 40-grain .22 pellet crawling at 525 fps—something my optical Oehler refuses.

Could Garmin improve it? Sure. Add Wi-Fi for direct cloud backup, bump battery life to eight hours, and maybe include a stubby desktop tripod in the box. But those nits fade each time I review printable data and realize I didn’t waste a single round to mis-reads.

If you value concrete numbers for dope cards, reloads, or competition power factor, the Xero C1 Pro belongs in your pack. It’s small, tough, lightning fast, and after half a year of use, I can honestly say it’s worth every penny.

FAQ

Garmin Xero C1 Pro, Compact Chronograph, Simple Set-Up, Precise Readings, Versatile Performance – See on Amazon

Happy shooting, and may your velocity readings stay flat and your standard deviation stay low!