Questions on bullet drop calculators

[spleify]

Hello all, very new to long range rifles but not new to guns at all. I am just getting into the long range stuff and I am eye balling a new .308. Until now I have just had fun punching paper and if I would even hit the 20x20 target at 500 yards with the AR I was happy. I would like to dial it all in and start to shrink those groups.

I have a .243, 30-06 and various other caliber rifles bit I would like to build a long range precision .308.

So, my question is, I have messed around with handloads.com and JBMballistics.com but it turns out that some of the entries only confuse me. I did try and enter some info for one of my rifles with as much accurate info as possible, then took those results to the range and tried to use them and they were way off.

SO I guess I am wondering if there are any tricks to this or if someone would be kind enough to help me out with this.

Thanks

 

[redirt78]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

<span style="font-weight: bold">For starters get Adaptive's FDAC</span>.

Its made by a vendor here.

Click <span style="font-weight: bold">HERE</span> and check this whole page out.

Here is a quote from the vendor and one of the guys who created it
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sosicmcise</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Its not hype. PM me your shipping address and I'll ship you one to try. If it doesn't float your boat, donate it to www.americansnipers.org.

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">On gathering atmospherics:</span></span>

It usually sounds like this: "Dude, just guess, quit being gay."

The first thing I have people do when they use the FDAC for the first time is to NOT use any form of instrumentation to gather temperature and altitude. I make them guess at it, use their guess along with the table to calculate DA, then find a firing solution, apply it to their optic, bang, hit. Now of course this is all assuming that they have a relatively accurate guess of the temp and the altitude their at, and of course using instrumentation is even more accurate, but it WORKS. Of course guessing can be quite subjective, but it's precisely what a military sniper will do when trying to quickly calculate dope to get a bullet in the air to hit an armed, partially exposed target, that moves around.

Hope the clarification helps!

Taylor
ACTS, LLC







</div></div>

Welcome to the Hide.

 

[moreair]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

I have Ballistic: Field Tactical Edition on my iPhone. It is called Ballistic FTE in the App store $20. I have used it on one rifle and it is spot on. I have tested it out to 350 yard so far. I had to plug in the following information:
* Projectile or Factory Load
* Bullet Weight
* Muzzle velocity (Chronograph your round, barrel length will change this)
* Zero Range (Mine is 100 yards)
*Sight Height (Measure the distance from the center of bore to center of scope)
* Feet Above See Level
* Choose elevation units (MOA, Mil, 1/4 Miute, 1/8th minute)

 

[spleify]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

Thanks for the information folks. Are one of the two sites I listed better than the other? Or is is hit or miss. I tried entering the information the same way on both and I still get different results.
That is what is so frustrating.

 

[magnum_99]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

Shooter for Android or iPhone and FDAC is all you will ever need.

 

[coug]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

Be sure your scope hight is correct.
Be sure your speed is correct, The only way to be sure is shoot get the come up you are shooting dead on with at at least 500 yards then after you have your AD, Temp, Humidity, correct BC and bullet length. then you can print out a chart that will get you close. But like the first guy told you have to use AD to be dead on at beyond 500yrds. As you work on your form and basics of long range shooting you will be able to tweak your program till you get it spot on out past 1000 yard. but before you make changes make sure its
1st: Not your load you have to tune your load at 500 and then 1000 yards.
2nd: Make sure its not you that is causing sporadic P.O.I
3rd: shoot of a bi-pod and a rear bag or bench the rifle.
4th: dont flinch practice dry firing in your living room on the floor I do this all the time.
5: Shoot shoot and shoot some more, you will just get better the more you shoot and you will start understanding what is going on with your bullet at those longer ranges.
6: Shoot one rifle for a while at least till you get all the trial and error out of the way.
Oh ya did I mention don't flinch. Almost everyone that I have tried to teach to shoot long range flinches, I even flinch if I don't stay on top of it. and dry fire.
Try letting your buddy load your rifle from behind you sometimes putting in a live round sometimes putting in an empty you will find out really quick if you need to work on that.
remember the most accurate data in the world wont help you if you don't cover the basics of long range shooting.

 

[lencomatt]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

I have Shooter on Android, it is an awesome program and it seems to be real easy to figure out. It has an advanced section and easy section for novices like me. It will connect to a Kestrel with bluetooth which seems to be nice, I just need to try it some day. I went to 1000 yard range last week for the first time with a new rifle and forgot the Kestrel, so I just guessed at the AD, temp, and look angle. It was a couple feet off on the first shot, from a 100 yard zero, and I messed up the wind speed(it assumed 10mph from 90 degrees and it was calm). So 3 shots later I was on target the next 3 out of 4 shots. And this was the second time ever shooting that far, I was happy. It said to go up 19.5moa to get there and it took 18.5moa, so with the right info from me it might be dead on.

 

[coug]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

shooter is a great program I use it a lot.
lencomatt. if you will put the correct AD in and adjust your speed to match what you really shot and save it you wont have to guess ever again.
I sure would like to know what your shooting that only needs 18.5 MOA at 1000 yards that thing must be flying with rocket packs...

What rifle are you shooting?

 

[lencomatt]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

coug-its an older Savage 110 target action(non Accutrigger) with a Lilja barrel, 7 mag. The action hasn't been trued or timed just a barrel swap, the stock hasn't even had any work. I'm shooting 180 Bergers at 3010fps through a TBAC can. I was pretty surprised at how little it dropped too, the altitude must be the key, it was at 8400ft base and about 9400 corrected. But the 100 yard zero might be off a little, I was shooting a little under inch high at 100 so that looks real close to a 200 yard zero on Shooter. I put it on paper at 100 and went right up to 1000 because we were running out of light. I hope to go back saturday with some more time and mess around some more.

 

[coug]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

cool rifle. I haven't shot a Magnum in so long I guess I forgot how flat they shoot. Sounds like you got it down.
If you hunt with it mostly I would leave the 200 yard zero on it.

 

[spleify]

Re: Questions on bullet drop calculators

Fantastic information coug. Thanks very much for taking the time to share with me.

So I did re-check the height of my scope and I'll be, I sure was off on that so I adjusted it. I will chrony my loads again but I believe I have the correct velocity but I will double check it.

What would be a good source to learn MOA.

And what exactly is the name of this app for the iPhone, I searched "shooters" but found nothing.