Decoding your Ballistic Reticle - iPhone/Android

[Jay Christopherson]

Hey all-

EDIT: I have no affiliation with this app, I just think it's handy. Plus, it's FREE.

My Dad has a Leica scope that includes their ballistic reticle. While it's nice to have hash marks and/or dots to tell you what the holdover's are, Leica does not have particularly good documentation for their reticle. I've had similar difficulties with other manufacturer's and if you happen to have two different scopes with different ballistic reticles, it can be a pain to switch between them.

I found an app called iStrelok (iphone) or Strelok (Android). It's not a ballistic calculator (I use a JBM based app for that)- it simply has a long list of scope manufacturers and models with their associated ballistic reticle systems. You input the data (rifle zero, scope model/make, reticle, cartridge info) and it displays a picture of your reticle along with the yardage associated with each hash/dot on your reticle.

Seems to work pretty well. I copied it out for my Dad's Leica and made up a drop table for his rifle (1st hash, 2nd hash, etc...) so that he knows what his holdover's are for his rifle's zero.

Note that by default, it uses metric input/output, but you can change that to imperial (yards, etc...). Hopefully some of you find this useful.

Here's an example of what the output looks like:

and here's a list of the supported reticles:

Supported reticles:
MilDot,
NP-R2 (Nightforce),
TMR (Leupold),
NP-R1 (Nightforce),
Ballistic Mildot (Burris),
XTR Ballistic Mildot (Burris),
MLR (Nightforce),
SPR (Leupold),
4D (C2.5-10x50 Kahles),
4D(C3-12x56 Kahles),
Ballistic Plex (Burris),
BDC Standart (Nikon),
LR Duplex (Leupold),
BDC 600 (Nikon),
EBR-1 MOA (Vortex),
Mil-DotBar (Millet),
P4L (Schmidt&Bender),
MTR-1 (March),
BR (Swarovski),
PSO-1 (Russia),
BDC Predator (Nikon),
A1Optic,
Ballistic (Bushnell),
MP-8 Dot (IOR),
Gen 2 MilDot (Premier Reticles),
Varmint Hunter's (Leupold),
Accu-Range (Redfield),
Cabelas Alaskan Guide,
EBR-1 MRAD (Vortex),
Dead-Hold BDC (Vortex),
MP20 (Falcon),
Enhanced Mildot (Falcon),
Enhanced Mildot (Falcon),
Rapid Z 1000 (Zeiss),
Mil-DotBar 1 Mil (Millet),
Smart Reticle (Simmons),
NP-1RR (Nightforce),
6-dots MilDot (CenterPoint),
Rapid Z 5 (Zeiss),
TDS-4 (Swarovski),
Boone and Crockett (Leupold),
Ballistic Reticle (Leica),
Rapid Z 7 (Zeiss),
9-dots MilDot (CenterPoint)
Gen 2 XR (Premier Reticles)
LV5 Velocity 1000 (Nightforce)
MSR (MakSnipe),
BDA (2.5-10x48 Docter),
BDA (3-12x56 Docter)

 

[necchi]

That looks pretty handy,
Is there anything like it for PC ?

 

[brian427cobra]

There is a pretty big difference in come ups between -1000DA and 7000DA, and please be aware that a SFP scope the reticle is only calibrated at one setting

 

[Jay Christopherson]

Sure there is and luckily, there are settings for altitude, temp and pressure. You can read in local weather conditions as well. Not sure that I am going to worry too much about all that at 0 - 500 yards though, which is where my Dad might shoot at the extreme end of things.

I am also aware that SFP reticles are *generally* (but not always, see March for example) calibrated at one setting.

I always advocate knowing how your reticle works and how your equipment is designed. As with anything, this is just another handy tool for those that need/want a quick reference. It's definitely not the gold standard reference.

There is a pretty big difference in come ups between -1000DA and 7000DA, and please be aware that a SFP scope the reticle is only calibrated at one setting

 

[MQ1]

Very handy....I will be very interested to compare it to my live fire data

MQ1

 

[lrgoodger]

Here's the drop chart I worked up for a specific load for a friend for a rifle I built for him. I shot 3 rounds at 100, 200, 300, 400 & 500 yards and tweaked the BC in pesja ballistics to fit the curve (yes, I know the BC for the 105G A-max is not 650, but that is what it took to get the program to fit the curve). With the ballistics data I was able to extrapolate out to over 1000 yards. The circles are field of view at different magnifications. With the FFP scope, the drop chart stays the same regardless of magnification - a must for PD shooting if you ask me. The drop chart was dead nuts on in the field and Glenn nailed a PD pup at 1071 yards with the hash mark at 7.5 mils (marked 1077). He was amazed at how accurate the drop chart was. It worked at every range we shot, and the Leica rangefinder was good on the PD mounds to over 600 yards in the sun and 800 yards with a cloud over the sun. (I tried two other rangefinders before biting the bullet and getting the Leica.) We had to drive the van down to the PD mound and range that for the 1071 yard dog.

 

[FNfan1]

Thanks for posting this is great.