Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph Review

Garmin Xero C1 Pro Specs & Features

Specs

• Projectile speed: 100 to 5,000 fps
• Calculations: Velocity, energy, averages, extreme spread, standard deviation
• Display: 240 x 320 pixels
• Battery life: 6 hours or 2,000 shots
• Dimensions: 3.03 inches x 2.38 inches x 1.36 inches
• Weight: 5.7 ounces (with tripod)
• Waterproof rating: IPX7

Features

• Modes for everything from BB guns to rifles
• Super compact and portable
• Incredibly easy to set up and use
• Access more features on your phone with the Garmin ShotView app

Hang on to your ballistic calculators, everyone; Garmin just released its first chronograph.

If you’re a competitive precision shooter, western hunter, varminter, or just like to shoot tight groups at the range, you can seriously up your game with the Garmin Xero C1 Pro for $600.

So keep reading as we break down the Garmin’s specs, features, pros and cons, and test it at the range.

What is a Chronograph, and Why Do I Need One?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your ammunition lies to you. It doesn’t matter which brand you use or how much you paid for it; there’s probably not a cartridge in that box that does exactly what the label says it will do.

That’s not to say that it’s bad ammo; it just means that you’ll always experience some degree of deviation from one shot to the next. Pile on the effects of your specific barrel, accessories like a muzzle brake or suppressor, and environmental conditions, and the numbers you’re using to create a ballistic chart are an educated guess at best.

Chronographs measure muzzle velocity, record data, and make calculations that allow you to create a far more accurate ballistic table than you could make with factory numbers.

This information helps you collect more informed DOPE (data on previous engagements) and make more accurate elevation and wind calls.

For best results, buy match-grade ammunition in bulk and chronograph a sample from each case you buy.

Who Is the Garmin For?

We’ve tested a lot of solid chronographs, but Garmin reinvented the segment with the Xero C1 Pro. It’s downright tiny compared to other chronographs on the market, utterly intuitive to use, and impressive in its capabilities.

This is a free-standing unit, so there’s nothing to attach to your barrel. There’s almost no setup; just plop the tripod down where the on-screen diagram tells you to and fire away. It couldn’t be simpler.

The fact that you can chronograph everything from a bow to a precision rifle makes this a high-value item that can elevate all your shooting.

If you’re into precision shooting (or want to start), you need the Xero C1 Pro, plain and simple. It’s priced competitively and blows the competition out of the water with its performance.

Hunters who take longer shots should give it a serious look, too. If you’re going to take a shot at a game animal several hundred yards away, it can’t hurt to have a thorough understanding of your ballistics.

First Impressions of the Garmin Xero C1 Pro

Good things come in small packages, and I’ve been conditioned to get excited when a little box from Garmin shows up at my door.

Inside the packaging was the chronograph (barely larger than a Zippo), a compact screw-on tripod, a USB-C charging cable, and the manual.

The Xero C1 Pro and tripod have a quality feel about them, and setting the unit up with the ShotView app and my Garmin account was a breeze. Within a minute, I was open for business.

There’s a lot of computing power inside the little device, but navigating its controls with four physical buttons was intuitive and easy right off the bat. In addition to modes for rifles, pistols, bows, air rifles, and “other,” Garmin allows you to enter the exact weight of your bullet or arrow in grains for more precise calculations.

Units, display color, backlight, data fields, and other settings can be controlled in the unit itself. A lot can be done without pairing the Xero C1 Pro to your phone, but the Garmin ShotView app makes it easier to see all the available data.

You can also mark individual shots as clean or cold bore and make notes in the app. This is a great place to store information about environmental conditions.

At the Range: Rifle Testing

Most people who use a chronograph are prepping a precision rifle for a PRS match or something similar. Likewise, I tested the Xero C1 Pro on a Savage 110 Precision chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor, loaded with 140-grain Hornady ELD Match ammo, and topped with a Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56 FFP.

Each time I fired, the Xero C1 Pro logged the shot and displayed the results faster than I could shift my focus from the scope to the screen. Glancing at my phone instantly provided the average kinetic energy, average muzzle velocity, extreme spread, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum velocity. The full table broke down each shot individually.

The Xero C1 Pro provided all this data in a flash and let me dig in and manipulate individual shots to learn even more.

I noticed that my extreme spread of 84.8 feet per second and standard deviation of 23.2 feet per second were well beyond what I expected from this rifle and ammunition. How much of that was a result of the cold bore?

A few taps on the ShotView app removed my first shot from the equation. For the remaining nine shots, extreme spread dropped to 38.2 feet per second, and standard deviation dropped to 12.0 feet per second—that’s more like it.

I’ve used a few popular chronographs before, and it’s charitable to call those experiences a bit of an ordeal. Installing all my data on such a user-friendly display and manipulating it on the fly is a massive advantage.

Garmin crushed it with this one.

At the Range: Pistol Testing

So, the Xero C1 Pro can handle a tack-driving precision rifle. But what about a stubby CCW pistol?

I ran 10 rounds of 115-grain Winchester 9mm FMJ through a Springfield Hellcat Pro to find out.

The Xero C1 Pro logged all 10 shots in rapid succession. According to Winchester, this ammunition should leave the muzzle at 1,190 feet per second.

Garmin revealed that mine were traveling at an average of 1,184 feet per second which is extremely close for real-world numbers. The string of fire had an extreme spread of 64.6 feet per second and a standard deviation of 21 feet per second.

Finally, I really wanted to push the Xero C1 Pro with some tiny birdshot. It’s important to mention, Garmin says the Xero C1 Pro is not intended for use with birdshot. I was just messing around with this one.

I lined it up alongside a Remington 870 and rattled off 10 shots of 12-gauge target load from Federal.

Three of the shots were recorded; seven were not. Since the Xero C1 Pro proved itself capable of detecting them, I’m inclined to attribute this to user error.

I was using a pump-action shotgun, so the barrel’s placement in relation to the chronograph was different every time, and I had to reload halfway through.

Considering how tiny #8 birdshot is, I can’t fault Garmin, especially since they’ve said this isn’t intended for that kind of ammo. Besides, there’s really no reason to chronograph this kind of ammunition unless you’re just curious.

Final Thoughts

Chronographs have traditionally been tedious, bulky, niche items, but the Garmin Xero C1 Pro is none of those.

 It’s so easy to use that you’ll find excuses to collect data every chance you get. I don’t know how they pulled off such witchcraft, but I’m glad they did.

What do you think of the Garmin? Let us know in the comments below. Interested in more long range shooting? We have a full guide to study up on!

Latest Updates

July 2, 2024: Added supplemental data with extra information.