What is a good, accurate, easy to use ballistic drop calculator program?

[geneackley]

What is a good, accurate and easy to use, ballistic drop calculator program? I hear that many ( in the end ) just do no jive with the real world...

Anyway, I would welcome suggestions so I don't waste my time with stuff that simply does not work.

Thank you fellas!!

[charlie b]

I use the Nikon app on my phone. It is pretty close to real life for me. As long as you input the right data it works well.

[geneackley]

I use the Nikon app on my phone. It is pretty close to real life for me. As long as you input the right data it works well.


Thanks!!!

I will look for it!!!

[hamiltonkiler]

The only way I have found one to put out good info is to put in good info.
Velocity and bullet drag and coefficient. Air density and temp play a factor.
A head or tail wind will change it. A left or right wind will change it. Depending on range and which way your barrel twist is.
This is for longer range really but things to consider if you assume a calculator is going to give you an accurate number on a gun that has a place the bullet is going from sonic to transonic.

I have 3 charts on one gun.
Same bullet same load.

Different times of the year
And different places in the state.

So

I know what the guns capable of in a real world shooting practice.
And I understand the cartridges real limits before it becomes spray and pray work.

If I were you this is how I have found the best way to go about it.

1. Walk the gun out. Meaning have a zero. Zero the scope.
Put a target dot at the top of a 4’x8’ piece of ply wood. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210324/edcdb166644905d918e9182a7b5595cb.jpg

Yours will look different since you said you prefer the metric system. Do this with mils in mind
My. 22lr is scoped with mils so I can learn both and help make calls for folks no matter what they use.
Anyway

Plug that into the calculator and it will fill in the gaps.

Or

2. Walk back shoot it. Use a spotting scope with reticle.
Spray paint a nice big orange dot in the center of your bullets group at different ranges. Use the reticle to measure with at the furthest distance your shooting. Write down those gaps that the bullet fell from zero.

So your keeping the scope on zero for these exercises.
I can stay on the ply wood until 600yds.
When you reach the bottom of the ply wood.
Crank your scope up to that number you measured on the reticle, for me 14moa or 4mils
Start again and put the center of the reticle back on your target dot at the top of the ply wood. On let’s say now you have wrenched the scope to 4mils on the turret.
You will now understand some wind. Might be tough to stay on that plywood.
I suggest a really really low or no wind day to do this.

Plug all of your information into a calculator
I like shooterscalculator.com
Or a kestrel but I don’t have one.
Here is one of my examples
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210324/7cc8c81a9c340ca343aceac96cab2513.jpg

I have a buddy that’s good. Way better than me when it comes to obtaining data.
He will wrench his scope up. Say to 10mils Shoot some groups way out. Go see where they land on the ply wood. Do some head math and make an adjustment off the reticle.

Sorry I know I’m not easy to follow.
And I am not assuming you don’t know this.

I’ve never had luck with getting good numbers from a calculator with just velocity and and drag.
Close enough to check and do some work. But never good enough for head shots [emoji1787]

Cheers

I’m free to chat if need be.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SageRat Shooter]

I use Strelok Pro and have had pretty good luck with it. Usually within a click or 2 at distances from 450- 1000 yards. You do have to input good data for it to be accurate. Its a pretty easy app to figure out too.

[Fuj']

I use a combination of JBM and Hornady's 4DOF. Probably use the
4DOF more often.

[geneackley]

The only way I have found one to put out good info is to put in good info.
Velocity and bullet drag and coefficient. Air density and temp play a factor.
A head or tail wind will change it. A left or right wind will change it. Depending on range and which way your barrel twist is.
This is for longer range really but things to consider if you assume a calculator is going to give you an accurate number on a gun that has a place the bullet is going from sonic to transonic.

I have 3 charts on one gun.
Same bullet same load.

Different times of the year
And different places in the state.

So

I know what the guns capable of in a real world shooting practice.
And I understand the cartridges real limits before it becomes spray and pray work.

If I were you this is how I have found the best way to go about it.

1. Walk the gun out. Meaning have a zero. Zero the scope.
Put a target dot at the top of a 4’x8’ piece of ply wood. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210324/edcdb166644905d918e9182a7b5595cb.jpg

Yours will look different since you said you prefer the metric system. Do this with mils in mind
My. 22lr is scoped with mils so I can learn both and help make calls for folks no matter what they use.
Anyway

Plug that into the calculator and it will fill in the gaps.

Or

2. Walk back shoot it. Use a spotting scope with reticle.
Spray paint a nice big orange dot in the center of your bullets group at different ranges. Use the reticle to measure with at the furthest distance your shooting. Write down those gaps that the bullet fell from zero.

So your keeping the scope on zero for these exercises.
I can stay on the ply wood until 600yds.
When you reach the bottom of the ply wood.
Crank your scope up to that number you measured on the reticle, for me 14moa or 4mils
Start again and put the center of the reticle back on your target dot at the top of the ply wood. On let’s say now you have wrenched the scope to 4mils on the turret.
You will now understand some wind. Might be tough to stay on that plywood.
I suggest a really really low or no wind day to do this.

Plug all of your information into a calculator
I like shooterscalculator.com
Or a kestrel but I don’t have one.
Here is one of my examples
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210324/7cc8c81a9c340ca343aceac96cab2513.jpg

I have a buddy that’s good. Way better than me when it comes to obtaining data.
He will wrench his scope up. Say to 10mils Shoot some groups way out. Go see where they land on the ply wood. Do some head math and make an adjustment off the reticle.

Sorry I know I’m not easy to follow.
And I am not assuming you don’t know this.

I’ve never had luck with getting good numbers from a calculator with just velocity and and drag.
Close enough to check and do some work. But never good enough for head shots [emoji1787]

Cheers

I’m free to chat if need be.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, I think I am following you. I will definitely study what you have written carefully to be sure... But I think you are primarily suggesting gathering your drop data by observation...Which would obviously be the very best way actually. Unfortunately I only have 350 meters here to work with, but I could use the data gathered here to help me extrapolate beyond that range with a good ballistic program. I figure if it agrees with my observed data out to 350 meters, it will probably be fairly close beyond that,

THANK YOU. That has actually been helpful.


Also,

Thanks SageRat and Fuj! I will check those programs out.

[Txhillbilly]

I mainly use JBM for my ballistic data, but you'll always have to adjust your dope to real environmental conditions. The more data that you can input into the programs, the better dope data you will get.

[geneackley]

I mainly use JBM for my ballistic data, but you'll always have to adjust your dope to real environmental conditions. The more data that you can input into the programs, the better dope data you will get.

JBM????

[charlie b]

http://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/calculators/calculators.shtml

[geneackley]

http://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/calculators/calculators.shtml


Thanks!!!