Got creative, made myself DOPE tables I won't be able to forget, lose or destroy.

[spamassassin]

I'm all the time forgetting my printed DOPE sheets in the car or more often at home as I rush off to a match. Once I get to the match I usually make it into stage 3 before my phone dies and I lose access to my app. Hopefully I was on the ball enough to get my stage DOPE written down on the hike between stages but usually that's a time frustrated thing as I have newbs on my heels that I'm having to take care of and they're never prepared in the slightest so I'm having to help them get stage DOPE, etc... leaving me zero time to do my own DOPE writing. So how to deal with teaching newbs, getting my DOPE ready & handy, dealing with my own forgetfulness and practice PACE a little better?

At my last match it occurred to me that the two things I have never once forgotten are my water bottle and my phone. So, how about I just put ballistics data on those in a way that doesn't rub off or require batteries?

I present to you my latest accessories. Since I know someone will ask, yes, I can make one for you. To be clear, this isn't a business, just something I can make. Anyone that wants one will get it at my cost. I'm not looking to make a profit from Hide members. PM here or email ballisticxlr at gmail if interested.

 

[Sogan]

Looks like a pretty good idea to me. My water bottles may change but my phones rarely do. Looks well done and you can clearly fit a ton of info on a relatively small phone.

 

[Sniperwannabee]

Great idea! What would you need from us to get our dope?

 

[spamassassin]

Just need bullet info (make/model/weight), room temperature MV, sight height and what altitude you most often shoot at.

 

[Bacarrat]

For a second, I thought you were the one to tattoo your dope card to your arm.

 

[Xander3Zero]

For a second, I thought you were the one to tattoo your dope card to your arm.

Just the other day I saw some video on IG of a guy getting his 308 DOPE tattooed to his forearm... seemed a bit extreme lol...

 

[_Windrider_]

Just the other day I saw some video on IG of a guy getting his 308 DOPE tattooed to his forearm... seemed a bit extreme lol...

If you can it in that temporary tatto material it’s not the worst idea. Not bulky at all and washes off

 

[Xander3Zero]

If you can it in that temporary tatto material it’s not the worst idea. Not bulky at all and washes off

This was definitely a legit, permanent tattoo... god forbid his dope ever changes for any number of a dozen reasons lol

 

[spamassassin]

Yeah, tattooing seems a little ummm, optimistic about the future being predictable. To each their own.

 

[_Windrider_]

Yeah, tattooing seems a little ummm, optimistic about the future being predictable. To each their own.

never go full tacticool.

 

[spamassassin]

^^^ Exactly. That's why the phone case is so great. Is there anything more ephemeral than a cell phone case? Load changes, it's probably time for a new phone and case anyway.

 

[pmclaine]

Just the other day I saw some video on IG of a guy getting his 308 DOPE tattooed to his forearm... seemed a bit extreme lol...

and the manufacturer just discontinued that projectile.

 

[kl3309]

Uh...

 

[_Windrider_]

Uh...

Guy was probably a truck driver but he’s OAF.

 

[spamassassin]

Thinking of adding shirts with the DOPE on the front but set up upside down so you can read it by just looking down. I've set up a few test models and it looks really good. I don't know how durable it'll be though. Guess I'll have to use one and see how it works out.

 

[Maelstrom]

How is it applied to the water bottle? I am curious how it stands up to a bottle sweating when. the liquid warms up or the ice thaws.

 

[surprise]

Looks great! Like the idea. What do you make it out of, paper, plastic?

 

[spamassassin]

Application method is thermal dye sublimation. Both the case and bottle stood up like champs to being bashed around a match last weekend including mushing them about in the dirt repeatedly. Condensation is a 100% non-issue. Wipe it off. The color finish would have to be scraped off with a metal tool causing damage to the substrate. I haven't done many chemical tests but alcohol seems to not affect the finish either. You'd have to solvate the plastic. Takes pretty nasty stuff to do that.

The cell phone case is a pretty basic rubber cell phone case meant for use with TDS capable back plates. They're permanently affixed to the case and won't wear off. I've been peeling my case off my phone and putting it back on repeatedly as people at SHOT and at matches and the range ask me to let them take a closer look.

Here's a video of me shooting a match this past weekend. You'll see me using the cell phone case data and the bottle sitting in the background occasionally. I didn't use anything else all day for drop/drift data. Did ok. (LANGUAGE WARNING: there's a very little bit of cussing here and there)


I also make printed tables that are more conventional but they're not on paper either. I use a polymer media that's a lot like paper in many respects but it's impervious to moisture and bloody near impossible to tear with a human set of hands without nicking it first. You can see them all at my site, ballisticxlr.com. Everything is more or less custom made so any request can probably be handled.

 

[Str8shot]

never go full tacticool.

"never go full retard"

 

[Snuby642]

Your products look great.
Can you put that on an insulated cup, ie yeti?

I went the tattoo rout.
On a cold day can't get past 100 yards.
Wife said should have used my arm instead?

 

[spamassassin]

^^^ laugh.
Yeah, I can do an insulated travel mug. Not the Yeti brand though. The item has to have the proper coating for TDS tranfer to work. So far the custom mugs I've made for people have turned out really well but I've found it's best to trim the number of temperature columns to 4 and use only 1 wind column so I can bump the font size up since the tapered base limits the printable surface area.

If you want to try one out LMK.

 

[SND]

Very nice - thanks for sharing the idea.

 

[spamassassin]

Interesting question. I maintain 10yrd increment and 100yrd increment data in printed form on Revlar too. When I'm out more recreationally trying to hit small targets super far away and there's no clock running and no hills to hump I'll frequently use those 10yrd tables and spend time calculating an exact firing solution. In matches I just don't need any finer than 100yrds so far.

From say 1400-1500yrds; the long end of the range for my .243ai around sea level, there's (looks at phone) ~18 clicks of difference between the two. From 600-700 there's like 8 clicks. So I can do in my head pretty quickly that 1450 is my 1400 DOPE + 9 clicks and my 1425 lowers that value by 4 or 5 clicks and 1475 will be 4 or 5 clicks under my 1500 DOPE. 1 click of slop is acceptable to me. Temp variations of 20 deg at that kind of range make for 5 clicks of delta. So it's a matter of minimizing the slop that i can minimize everywhere I can minimize it within the confines of the space I have. With something like my .308 loads temp variations matter sooner. At like 500yrds IIRC it's like 2 clicks for every 20deg on average. The method for interpolating DOPE from one hundred yard increment to another still works though and is still easy.

 

[spamassassin]

The layout is in fact a reduced version of Rex's table design. I think we're in full agreement otherwise about coarse and fine.That's really the issue with productizing something like these. Only so much space to be legible but a good and useful spread is the goal. Some things like iPhone 7Plus are huge enough to do more 10deg banding without issue so it's only a question of if it's helpful to bother. Things like the water bottles and coffee mugs and such have very small printable areas so it helps just for readability to cut out some bands and even shorten the max range. So far every one that someone else has had me make for them has been custom. The same general appearance but specific temp bands and ranges and such.

I'll be there next month. Looking forward to seeing you there! Next time though, don't clean so many stages. It makes the rest of us sad.

 

[spamassassin]

And one more idea for those of us that bring our ammo to the range in MTM ammo boxes. Printed on super durable Revlar, meant for use with spray adhesive for removable model, or on marine grade adhesive backed Revlar for near-permanent and totally waterproof attachment. What'cha think? Home run?

 

[EDMJustin]

That's a great idea for the ammo box, I will use that for sure.

 

[Ep1985]

Awesome idea, definitely want one.

 

[spamassassin]

If anyone wants me to make them one, they're 10 bucks each printed on almost-everything-proof Revlar. You can remove and re-install repeatedly. Email ballisticxlr at gmail dawt com if you want one. Custom stuff costs extra but totally available. You can see revlar durability at

 

[spamassassin]

By popular request, I've built a half-sheet specific version with a new color palette. The new colors are "tactical" inspired, blacks, greys, FDE, etc... I also toned the white spaces down so they're less reflective, toned down the bright colors in general. They're set up to print 5.5x7.5 pages. I want to thank the Hide members that helped on that project.

If you'd like a copy or to see more, ballisticxlr.com.

Here's a pic of a mock-up 100m table set up as half-sheet. The final version is very slightly different but you wouldn't notice without a close examination.

 

[ophious]

I'm looking to make a couple of these once I get my new rifle built.

 

[Eustice]

Thinking of adding shirts with the DOPE on the front but set up upside down so you can read it by just looking down. I've set up a few test models and it looks really good. I don't know how durable it'll be though. Guess I'll have to use one and see how it works out.

How about a hat with it on the underside of the bill?

 

[spamassassin]

The bill, no. Not yet anyway. I can get it on the usual spot on the front but not on the bill just yet.