Please recommend a Ballistics Calculator

T

Teac

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Guys,

I am looking for a ballistics calculator that can accept data based on point of impact at distance and NOT based on POI=POA at distance.

Essentially what I want to do is tell the software that at a certain distance, lets say 135m, it shoots 24mm high and then it should calculate holdover at whatever other distance I input. I need this so I can shoot different loads from one gun without re zeroing them.

Hornady 4DOF kind of does it but only if you select the ammo in the app, which is mostly Hornady so you can use the 4DOF function but if you enter your own ammo based on BC then it will not allow that and you have to have POI=POA at a certain distance.

Cheers

Teac
 
Most apps you can "true" the trajectory. Then you can save your truing number. Through BC adjustment or velocity change. That might work.
I like Strelok Pro the best from what I have used so far. have also used Ballistic AE, Hornady, and have not paid for the full version of Ballistic arc yet.
 
Thanks Everybody! I just got the Stelok Pro. It seems like it can accept those zero offsets. Hopefully this is as simple as I imagine and I am not doing this wrong ...
 
Kestrel 5700 elite. After taking the RFMA course and being taught how to use it thoroughly I wouldn’t suggest anything else. Sometimes first shot hits out to a mile with the recommended outputs from this computer.
 
seven_kittens said:
Kestrel 5700 elite. After taking the RFMA course and being taught how to use it thoroughly I wouldn’t suggest anything else. Sometimes first shot hits out to a mile with the recommended outputs from this computer.
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it looks like a great device. however way above my skills and needs
 
I have two questions:

- in the reticle view, does the circle show point of impact or point of aim to hit in the center?

- zero offset: If point of impact is 4.0 cm ABOVE point of aim. Do I enter +4.0 or -4.0?
 
seven_kittens said:
Would you happen to be in the Edmonton area? If so I wouldn’t have a problem showing you how it works.
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I appreciate your offer! However I am in BCLM and also you would have a good laugh at my type of shooting&skills ....


I think I worked out the questions for the stelok software tho :)
 
Teac said:
Guys,

I am looking for a ballistics calculator that can accept data based on point of impact at distance and NOT based on POI=POA at distance.

Essentially what I want to do is tell the software that at a certain distance, lets say 135m, it shoots 24mm high and then it should calculate holdover at whatever other distance I input. I need this so I can shoot different loads from one gun without re zeroing them.

Hornady 4DOF kind of does it but only if you select the ammo in the app, which is mostly Hornady so you can use the 4DOF function but if you enter your own ammo based on BC then it will not allow that and you have to have POI=POA at a certain distance.

Cheers

Teac
Click to expand...


I have found ballistic software to be a little frustrating as well because it can be difficult to get the results to match reality at times. It's also slow for use in real shooting situations. Out of that frustration I have written two different programs to calculate ballistics for my personal use that are based on windage and elevation values entered rather than as a product of atmospherics, BC and velocity.

The first was simply a drop table. I could enter drop at different distances and the program would use interpolation to develop an involute curve profile that passed through all the points. It generates a drop table that provides the distance to match each scope click rather than attempt to provide a drop value for arbitrarily selected distances as almost every ballistics program does. I find that to be quite short sighted for main stream software developers. The only distances that matter are those that match scope clicks. There are no more and no less distances that matter in practical terms.

The second program I developed and am still working on provides a graph illustrating both windage and elevation at a given condition. Similar to the above, it interpolates values in between those entered and the more data you provide, the more correct the result will be.

The output from this program is similar to the Tubbs reticle something like this image but much more detailed and geared to clearly defined distances and wind speeds with a grid overlay.

I find a 2D graphical presentation to provide everything needed to quickly plot the W and E for any shot at any distance within the graph range. It also clearly shows where spin drift is and the effect of aerodynamic jump.

I've been busy working a side gig developing an ERP system for a local tool shop since November, but once that's behind me I plan to circle back to this graphical program and finish it up. They keep asking for additional features, so that may take a while.

e90c7-dtr_for_jpeg.jpg
 
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Maple57 said:
I have found ballistic software to be a little frustrating as well because it can be difficult to get the results to match reality at times. It's also slow for use in real shooting situations. Out of that frustration I have written two different programs to calculate ballistics for my personal use that are based on windage and elevation values entered rather than as a product of atmospherics, BC and velocity.

The first was simply a drop table. I could enter drop at different distances and the program would use interpolation to develop an involute curve profile that passed through all the points. It generates a drop table that provides the distance to match each scope click rather than attempt to provide a drop value for arbitrarily selected distances as almost every ballistics program does. I find that to be quite short sighted for main stream software developers. The only distances that matter are those that match scope clicks. There are no more and no less distances that matter in practical terms.

The second program I developed and am still working on provides a graph illustrating both windage and elevation at a given condition. Similar to the above, it interpolates values in between those entered and the more data you provide, the more correct the result will be.

The output from this program is similar to the Tubbs reticle something like this image but much more detailed and geared to clearly defined distances and wind speeds with a grid overlay.

I find a 2D graphical presentation to provide everything needed to quickly plot the W and E for any shot at any distance within the graph range. It also clearly shows where spin drift is and the effect of aerodynamic jump.

I've been busy working a side gig developing an ERP system for a local tool shop since November, but once that's behind me I plan to circle back to this graphical program and finish it up. They keep asking for additional features, so that may take a while.

e90c7-dtr_for_jpeg.jpg
Click to expand...

I don't understand how you think current ballistics software is "slow".

With my Kestrel 5700 with AB and a Vectronix Terrapin, I can literally range a target and have an accurate firing solution within a second or two.

Having to put inputs into a software, and then interpret a graph sounds waaaay slower then the above method.
 
kthomas, You just don't understand what I've been working on.... But a second or two with a Kestrel must be some kind of world record. I have one as well and it is certainly not that fast to scroll to distance.

Populating the base line data for my software takes time initially, but after that it's just look and point.
 
Maple57 said:
kthomas, You just don't understand what I've been working on.... But a second or two with a Kestrel must be some kind of world record. I have one as well and it is certainly not that fast to scroll to distance.

Populating the base line data for my software takes time initially, but after that it's just look and point.
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The magic of Bluetooth and software integration. The kestrel and laser range finder are synced through blue tooth and "talk to each other". As soon as I range a target, that information is sent to the kestral via Bluetooth and a ballistics solution is automatically calculated and shown. It's very quick.

I don't know what you are working on, and I hope that it comes out to your satisfaction and some people find utility into it. Personally, I'm not going to be reading and interpreting graphs on the firing line, that seems way more complicated then the process I described above.

Best of luck in your endeavors.
 
I'm not developing it to sell to the public. Just something useful to suit my needs and within the spirit of this thread that I might share with a few buddies.

The idea I'm working on is to develop a shooting DOPE record that can be printed and referenced quickly without the need for electronics, but really well thought out.

I find shooting has become increasingly software based in recent years to the degradation of individual shooting skill. I get why people do it, I have alot of the same stuff, but I don't respect using tech instead of old school low tech systems. The trick is to eliminate as much of the noise from the mental processing system. The reduction of cognitive debt is key to efficiency the way I see it anyway.
 
6MT said:
How does this consider for environmentals? Or do you need to manually enter all of those variables for every solution? Just asking.
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There's a couple ways to do this. \\One way is to use a specific base line set of environmentals, then if its colder, aim higher, if its hotter aim lower.

Another way is to overlay a pair of environmentals on the same graph. This creates two parallel lines for each distance entered, one for the cold condition and one for the hot condition.

This provides a sense of the amount of expected influence a weather change might have and it helps the user mentally calibrate such factors as distance is increased.

Interestingly the lines representing distance to the target are not horizontal, they slope to compensate for aerodynamic jump for winds from left or right.

The no wind vertical hold is also not along the vertical line, it is offset to compensate for spin drift.

The user can develop different models for different elevations, cartridges, temps etc.
 
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