The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Bullet Trajectory different than computer model

moredes · August 9, 2005, 12:00 PM

I think most of the experienced long-range, multi-caliber shooters (I'm not one, I just read their advice) will tell you that there's "no one size fits all" ballistic software that'll project accurate results across all calibers/loads.

Be satisfied that you'll find paper at the longer distances with the computer data. That's really all it's for; and in my experience, (w/ a single caliber, .308) I've not been able to find a program that can consistently project 168's, 175's, and 178's in 100yd increments out to 1000yd with corresponding computer-projected accuracy from weight to weight. I'm on paper, for sure; but the rest is 'field work'.

The same guy traveling across the country shooting at the same elevation and temp can get different results just because of light and humidity. Ballistic software hardly allows for considering those conditions.

You said you were 5MOA high at 1000yd. Project that in your software; what do the 500-900 yard projections look like; that is to say, do they tally with your actual results, or are they "about" as far off as your field work?

August 9, 2005, 12:00 PM	#7
moredes Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2001 Posts: 325	I think most of the experienced long-range, multi-caliber shooters (I'm not one, I just read their advice) will tell you that there's "no one size fits all" ballistic software that'll project accurate results across all calibers/loads. Be satisfied that you'll find paper at the longer distances with the computer data. That's really all it's for; and in my experience, (w/ a single caliber, .308) I've not been able to find a program that can consistently project 168's, 175's, and 178's in 100yd increments out to 1000yd with corresponding computer-projected accuracy from weight to weight. I'm on paper, for sure; but the rest is 'field work'. The same guy traveling across the country shooting at the same elevation and temp can get different results just because of light and humidity. Ballistic software hardly allows for considering those conditions. You said you were 5MOA high at 1000yd. Project that in your software; what do the 500-900 yard projections look like; that is to say, do they tally with your actual results, or are they "about" as far off as your field work?