Recommended Ballistic Computer
- Thread starter pac_man
- Start date
Yes...BUT..... how are you going to estimate how much elevation you need once the temperature increases by 8 degrees and the humidity changes by 10%? Some of these programs that run on iphones or pocket pc's work better than any amount of data you can compile over a lifetime of shooting. If your goal is to fire a multitude of sighter rounds to try and hit your target than I guess you don't need this technology because sooner or later you will make the proper adjustment. For the rest of us that are trying to hit our targets in a first or second round attempt these programs are well worth it. The other day while shooting with another member here I was out by .75 moa on my first shot at 1760 yards....calculation courtesy of Exbal on windows mobile. There's no amount of note paper that could have got me that close unless I had horseshoes up you know where.
Ian; You're overlooking a valley. Down at the bottom you see Bullwinkle beating up Rocky. Since Rocky is your lifelong buddy you decide you've had enough.
You pull out your custom .308 rifle. 168 gr. bullets travelling at 2800 fps, with a BC of. 454. But you're zeroed at 200 yards, and that dastardly Bullwinkle is 475 yards away according to your rangefinder. In addition, you're shooting downhill at 21 degrees And to make matters worse, there's a crosswind from the left, about 230 degrees; feels like about 15 mph.
Then, you notice that craven, cowardly moose is wearing a level 4 vest; he's obviously learned something from Boris and Natasha. The only option is a head shot. And ya don't wanna miss and anger the moose, do ya ?
Quick, now. It's not looking too good for the squirrel...
You pull out your custom .308 rifle. 168 gr. bullets travelling at 2800 fps, with a BC of. 454. But you're zeroed at 200 yards, and that dastardly Bullwinkle is 475 yards away according to your rangefinder. In addition, you're shooting downhill at 21 degrees And to make matters worse, there's a crosswind from the left, about 230 degrees; feels like about 15 mph.
Then, you notice that craven, cowardly moose is wearing a level 4 vest; he's obviously learned something from Boris and Natasha. The only option is a head shot. And ya don't wanna miss and anger the moose, do ya ?
Quick, now. It's not looking too good for the squirrel...
Hahaha.....make sure you consult your "binder" of notes before you take the shot. Somewhere buried in that mountain of paperwork you'll find information on that one shot you took back in 1973 that had similar distance and environmental conditions.
Have you seen this?
This would bring new meaning to the 1000 meter gopher shoot!
Barrett Optical Ranging System (BORS)
• Measures air temperature, barometric pressure, and bore line angle
• Calculates a ballistic solution for a specific user-selected cartridge
• Eliminates the need for "counting clicks", calculating mil dots as target ranges change, or using a handheld computer
• Allows the shooter to focus on environmental conditions, assess the tactical situation, and quickly engage multiple targets at varying ranges
• Takes the mystery out of bullet drop
I am currently saving up to buy this unit (BORS). anybody else shooting with one of these... Pro's and Con's.
Thanks
No matter what firing solution you come up with, you still need to confirm it. Ballistics programs are a good idea and save you a ton of time and ammo. I have a TRG 22 with a 20" barrel that I will be using in an upcoming competition. I never fired it past 300 prior. I went out on the weekend, chronographed the mv, input the data in conjunction with a Kestrel 4500 and got dope out to 800 m. I went out yesterday to confirm and 500 and 700 were bang on, 600 and 800 were off by two clicks(1/4moa). I did go out and shoot it to confirm however using the ballistics program saved me alot of ammo pissing around. Don't be a dinosaur, u know what happened to dinosaurs, they became extinct.
You guys are just screwing with us right... your not seriously telling us that you would take a ballistic programs drop table over real world data. The program is only an aid for real world data
And to C3pppo so I calculate my angle and come up with 443 look at the program with my 2800fps but fail to factor in that 2800 was during mid summer when the temps were 26c and when we plug in those numbers we end up on the hot side for hunting season when we are actually hunting at 0c (and a cold bore shot) so not only am I hot but the bullet drops more then my ballistic program calculated so instead of a clean kill or a clean miss were not that luck and you bust Bullwinkle’s jaw and now he is two counties over and we can't find him nor will he be able to eat again. But the program should have been right....
And to C3pppo so I calculate my angle and come up with 443 look at the program with my 2800fps but fail to factor in that 2800 was during mid summer when the temps were 26c and when we plug in those numbers we end up on the hot side for hunting season when we are actually hunting at 0c (and a cold bore shot) so not only am I hot but the bullet drops more then my ballistic program calculated so instead of a clean kill or a clean miss were not that luck and you bust Bullwinkle’s jaw and now he is two counties over and we can't find him nor will he be able to eat again. But the program should have been right....
So, Trevor, I take it you are saying that your lack of inputting the correct data into the ballistics program is somehow not YOUR fault , but rather the fault of the program that didn't know that you weren't using the proper data There's a term for that: GIGO: garbage in, garbage out.
No cigar; try again.
No cigar; try again.
I'm sensing some sarcasm here....
.
The fact is some of the new programs on the market today work very well if you're willing to take the time to learn how to use and tweak them and input all the variables correctly. Are these programs for everyone....no. If you sit at a bench and have shot the same load for the last 10 years at fixed distances then save yourself the pain of trying to learn these programs 'cause they're not for you. If you're the type of person that enjoys ranging targets at unknown distances, especially those over 1000 yards, and would like to dial in and get close to or hit your target on the first shot then you need something to compliment your "real world" data. Just because you remember how your rifle and load shot at that rock back in 1997 when Saturn and Mars were lined up with the Moon and the crow was flying sideways with the wind at your back in a gentle rainrunaway doesn't mean squat today. Then there's the Coriolis effect and spin drift too......
.The fact is some of the new programs on the market today work very well if you're willing to take the time to learn how to use and tweak them and input all the variables correctly. Are these programs for everyone....no. If you sit at a bench and have shot the same load for the last 10 years at fixed distances then save yourself the pain of trying to learn these programs 'cause they're not for you. If you're the type of person that enjoys ranging targets at unknown distances, especially those over 1000 yards, and would like to dial in and get close to or hit your target on the first shot then you need something to compliment your "real world" data. Just because you remember how your rifle and load shot at that rock back in 1997 when Saturn and Mars were lined up with the Moon and the crow was flying sideways with the wind at your back in a gentle rain
runaway doesn't mean squat today. Then there's the Coriolis effect and spin drift too......Can we assume for a minute that we have passed entry level here?
Ballistic programs are just another tool....Garbage in = Garbage out.
The program helps us plot known conditions, actual drops, measured weather station (which includes temperature), and everything real world we can store against determined but untested shot angles, distances, temperatures, and weather station.
At reasonable distances there is little guessing here.
I have never hit Bullwinkle anywhere but the boiler room.
