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Ballistics Program

Retired shooter

Retired shooter

Gold $$ Contributor
Hello all and a great Sunday morning to all !.

In search of a good computer program / android app ballistic program. I am looking for suggestions from those willing to share their thoughts, and experiences.. My son is into ELR type shooting .338 & I am attempting 1 mile with smaller caliber.
So the program will need longer range data. All the weather, environmental, ballistics, BCs. Muzzle velocity, Yada Yada. Etc.

I currently have the paid for A / B programs, & Strelok Pro.( seems to be good, still trying to blue tooth communicate and calibrate and ).transfer data to Kestrel 5700 Elite with link, and Kestrel Drop 3. Great customer support from Kestrel. THANK YOU!

I am curious about what others are using, have looked at Shooter, seems to be a phone type app, Good for range usage.
Have seen older video about the G 7 Gunwerks. computer program. Would like to have the bullet library, scope & reticle etc.all the standard requirements from a ballistic program. Combination computer ballistic data for predetermined range & DOF values to be printed, or a phone app from the same supplier with the same data imput. Willing to pay for, or purchase for good program Also looking for good customer support.

Any thoughts and or suggestions, what are you using, and why. The good the bad, & ugly

Thank you to all, for reading my long questions, and your replies.

Good Shooting to All

Boats, Cars, Guns, Good Whiskey, & Women
If it's Fun It Ain't Cheap. !

Reminder. " None of us have ever made a mistake. We just found another way that doesn't work"

Bill
 
I use Vista-Federal's ballistic calculator.

The Good: it's free, I like free. Plug in the parameters and print a chart.
The Bad: Not sure if this is bad, but I connect with my laptop - I assume if you can do the same with a smart phone. Not sure if you can down load the chart to your phone.
The Ugly: can't think of anything. But it may not be complicated enough for modern shooters since unless something is complicated and / or expensive, it is given little value in today's world.
 
Out to 600 or so I use an iPhone app Ballistic AE, I like the Heads Up Display interface with spinners to dial in the range, wind, etc.

At longer ranges I use a Kestrel 5700AB, and generally use Berger bullets that have custom drag curves available in the bullet library. In my opinion you’ve already got the best tool in the Kestrel 5700 AB. I’ve had mine around 6-7 years and from what I’ve heard it will continue to have software upgrades well into the future. As long as the environmental sensors don’t break, I don’t expect to need a new one.

One of the cool features of the Kestrel 5700AB that I learned last year is that if you can obtain the ranges of all your targets in advance, you can enter them into a range table in the Kestrel. Then instead of entering the range when you change targets, you can just select the target number. If you are using a gridded reticle and holding for your elevation and wind calls, you can bounce around and shoot all your different ranges very quickly. And if all the targets are within a pretty narrow left-right angle so your wind call is pretty constant, you have a TReMoR3 or TReMoR5 reticle, and you use your wind dots, then you can engage the various targets even faster. I was able to put all this into practice for the first time late last year, including the target table and using the wind dots, and after years of using harder / slower methods, this was really the most fun I’ve had shooting long range at multiple targets.

Later this month I’m going to shoot at an extreme long range facility called Hawk’s Double Mountain Ranch, and all the target ranges are published on their web site. I will be able to set up my target table before I even get there. They have targets well beyond where I expect to shoot accurately with my 284Win / 190 Hybrid system, but I’m looking forward to finding my limits at the facility elevation and expected 85-95 daytime high temps.
 
Thank you Sir.
I have booked the range for a day of nothing other than just gathering info. I have another day booked to shoot. I will have all the range info before hand. My 5700 Elite will store 10 targets. Like you I am attempting longer distance, just with smaller caliber, and looking for good ballistics data. I agree AB is good ! however I do have a few dislikes about it. I will use the Kestrel at the range. I am looking for a different computer based program to use for pre planning .

The best rifle,the best optics, the best ammo is worthless without good info for imput. I certainly don't have the best of any thing , just trying to do the best with what is available

Thank you!
 
II have been using Applied Ballistics for several years now. I have a Kestrel 5700 Elite running AB and it is on a windvane, and it continually updates. I have the AB app on my iphone sitting on the table.

I range with my Leica Geovid (old model without bluetooth connection to 5700), enter that on my iphone, then touch the Direction of Fire button on the iphone. The iphone then shows the windage and elevation clicks. Works great.

Things to be careful about:
1) Make sure your binocs have the proper interface to the 5700. The latest Geovid Pro models have it. If you are buying ranging Binocs, thoroughly research the interface and how many devices it can connect to at one time, depending on how you are reading out your W & E.

2) Don't have your iphone close to large pieces of metal, it's internal compass can get screwed up by that. I had to move mine to the outside of my rotary table because the large steel support plate in the center was affecting the compass. I printed a support rest for the iphone and it has pins that drop into holes in the table, insuring it is parallel to the rifle. My DOF is input from the iphone's internal compass.

3) Calibrate the 5700's compass at the shooting site each time you go out shooting. Calibrate it after it has been in the car (big metal all around). The compass sets the wind direction and the DOF, it too must not be close to large pieces of metal. Don't worry about your gun, just don't lay the 5700 down right next to it.

I have my 5700 on a mast with a wind vane, so it is up and away from metal. here is my setup. Mast from Amazon, screws into a 1/4 -20 insert in the table. Note iphone is parallel to gun axis. countersinks in table for the front rest legs to lock into fix the gun direction.
DSCN2370_Medium.JPG
 
Looks like a nice set up, my son has the Weather vane Kestrel set up. My table top is 1/4 aluminum plate so that should not effect the bluetooth. I have to turn my hearing aids off, because thats all the Kestrel sees.
Not a problem, as thats all that really worked well when I got the hearing aids I got custom fit hearing protection also.
I will gather range info before the shoot, and use manually as needed.

Thank you.!
 
From some of you that have used the Shooter app. Android version what is your opinion, and or experience.
Seems to be lots of negative reviews, lack of customer support, lack of updated info. I know we hear more about all the negative, and most of the info is old, or outdated. Anyone have more current info.

Thanks
 
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