Is There A Ballistics Calculator...
- Thread starter yukonal
- Start date
None that I know of.
Mathematically it would be possible. But in practice, your come-ups, like for 600 yd, will not really be for exactly 600.0000 yards (as the computer assumes) but for a distance a little longer or shorter. Such errors will exist at all distances. The ballistics software simply is not fuzzy enough to handle that sort of problem. (I tried it with military range tables and it did not work.)
Solution:
My recommendation is to download a simple curve fitting program from the Internet. Feed your distance/come-ups pairs to the program and it will compute an interpolation (approximation) curve for your clicks. Most programs will allow you to enter any intermediate distance and show the result.
Maybe software authors in the future will add a simple come-up interpolation function to their ballistics software.
Mathematically it would be possible. But in practice, your come-ups, like for 600 yd, will not really be for exactly 600.0000 yards (as the computer assumes) but for a distance a little longer or shorter. Such errors will exist at all distances. The ballistics software simply is not fuzzy enough to handle that sort of problem. (I tried it with military range tables and it did not work.)
Solution:
My recommendation is to download a simple curve fitting program from the Internet. Feed your distance/come-ups pairs to the program and it will compute an interpolation (approximation) curve for your clicks. Most programs will allow you to enter any intermediate distance and show the result.
Maybe software authors in the future will add a simple come-up interpolation function to their ballistics software.
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Thanks J. I can get everything for 100 thru 600 here at the range, but have no place to go to get 700-1,000 so that I could possibly get first shot hits at those ranges. Unless a calculator would be accurate enough to get me there.
I recently barely missed a coyote at 700 (mere inches) in 3 consecutive shots. I guessed 12 moa up with my 200 yard zero. I was dang close...if not right on. I later checked my ballistic app that I keep on my phone, and it called for 16 moa up. That would have been a huge miss...and I feel that is a big discrepancy. Thus my question.
I recently barely missed a coyote at 700 (mere inches) in 3 consecutive shots. I guessed 12 moa up with my 200 yard zero. I was dang close...if not right on. I later checked my ballistic app that I keep on my phone, and it called for 16 moa up. That would have been a huge miss...and I feel that is a big discrepancy. Thus my question.
I am afraid extrapolating your 600 yd to longer ranges might not really work, because you do not know how your bullet behaves at these longer ranges. Only real shooting can tell. This runs into transonic/subsonic domain where no software can reliably predict bullet stability (drag increase) from your rifle. (Yes, it may differ between individual rifles to a considerable degree.) Sorry to have no better news for you.
Which calculator do you use?
How do you get your environmental data?
I believe there are some applications that will do what you ask. I used Shooter and it will allow you to input verified data. It then can extrapolate the muzzle velocity to change the curve. This can work, but may not be accurate all the time. Sometimes the BC is wrong and change in MV will now fix the issue again. Applied Ballistics I believe has the ability to input custom curve that match your actual observations. Often the environmental data is really where the problem is. Your bullet has published BC, velocity is measurable, the real variable is environment.
How do you get your environmental data?
I believe there are some applications that will do what you ask. I used Shooter and it will allow you to input verified data. It then can extrapolate the muzzle velocity to change the curve. This can work, but may not be accurate all the time. Sometimes the BC is wrong and change in MV will now fix the issue again. Applied Ballistics I believe has the ability to input custom curve that match your actual observations. Often the environmental data is really where the problem is. Your bullet has published BC, velocity is measurable, the real variable is environment.
Delfuego, I use JBM and Strelock. Then I input current conditions according to where I am at the time.
And, correction on my previous numbers...I dialed 13 moa, and Strelock called for 16. Sorry for any confusion.
So, I have verified MV, BC, and all the input data, and have verified moa come-ups that I use all the time out to 400...and 600 on a couple other rifles. Just wondering if there's a calculator that I can punch in the [verified] numbers that I do, in fact, have...and get accurate numbers out to 1,000.
I think you guys have answered that, and I got a couple leads via pm from a couple great guys. Thanks all!
And, correction on my previous numbers...I dialed 13 moa, and Strelock called for 16. Sorry for any confusion.
So, I have verified MV, BC, and all the input data, and have verified moa come-ups that I use all the time out to 400...and 600 on a couple other rifles. Just wondering if there's a calculator that I can punch in the [verified] numbers that I do, in fact, have...and get accurate numbers out to 1,000.
I think you guys have answered that, and I got a couple leads via pm from a couple great guys. Thanks all!
Verify that you are using corrected pressure in JBM. This can often lead to issues. Here in CO our actual air pressure is 24.x inches, but then corrected for altitude will be 29.x These apps should be getting you within a couple clicks of correct dope. Density Altitude makes this calculation easier as it is a singe input for multiple environmental variables.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Sometimes other factors may determine an incorrect value. If you have a chronograph and have correct velocities, then you may be off on the BC #s. While doing drop data on my 308 last fall, I did not have my chronograph so I assumed my velocities were on. My value was 1.5 moa off(600 yards). I assumed my BCs were off on that bullet until i ran thru the chronograph. My velocities were much higher than thought. Once I put those velocities in my ballistic program, the BCs went back to there published numbers. Either way, my drop data was on but just properly so in the end.
You mean a Ballistic Calibration? AB Apps all have this feature.
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