Ballistic Calculator Question??

[CTown137]

I am looking at picking up a Ballistic Calc, and I am having trouble finding some good comparison information.

I know that ATrag from Horus is a great system and can account for everything you would ever need, but is it worth the extra money compared to a system like Bullet Flight from Kinght's?

Are there any other systems out there that I should be looking at and considering?

Your advise and opinion is appriciated....

 

[Graham]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

FFS or Patagonia.

 

[Kevlars]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

I had the ATrag and I sold it ... it was a good system and will get you on paper, it was just not for me. I moved to the NOMAD and FFS. It has a build in GPS and is a full PDA and the ability to download maps.

FFS is a great calculator and is extremely accurate and has a Keyhole function if you get Delta IV. Not to mention the ability to link Bluetooth to your Kestrel and FFS integrates all this information into a solution. FFS also has utilities to calculate if your scope clicks are correct and if not it will integrate that as well.

Load Base is also a very good program but I prefer FFS. Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a Video

 

[jasonk]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

Do you currently have an Iphone, ipod touch, Ipaq or other handheld computing device at this time?

 

[CTown137]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

I currenlty do not have any of the I-series products. Or any other hand held computer products, with the exception of my Android phone. Bullet Flight is available for Android, thus is why I was looking at it. I will check out FFS.

Do you guys recommend a seperate/dedicated system for the software or is using your phone okay?

 

[Kevlars]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

use what you can ... I did take my phone with me on some training locations ... but it took a few nasty spills plus the Battery life on my Iphone is not so great ... I get about a day and when you dont have signal ... it chews it up even faster. I also needed a GPS and the Iphone has one but again it chews up more battery so I got a sepertate GPS unit. So for me I just deciced to get a dedicated unit -- at first I got the HP PDA and ran FFS on that ... I eventually just purchased the NOMAD and yes it is pricy and yes it did hurt.. but I would purchase it all over again.

For me I just wanted to have fewer items that I take with me. I leave my phone in the car or my pack and I just have my DOPE, book, Kestrel, Nomad and rifle ...

Now dont get me wrong ... I am just saying that this is the place that I eventually got to. If someone told me to spend that kind of money first I would have thought they were high. But after using the less expensive alternatives and feeling the frustration -- I ended up with what I have now. Understanding that I wasted a lot of money in the the translation getting to this spot -- I now have 3 GPS units ... an HP unit that are worth nothing now. But cost me in the area of $600.00 all said and done. Its also the way I feel about Spotting scopes. You could spend $300 on a cheap scope but you will be hard pressed to even get $100 when you want to sell it--so I have become a true believer in "Buy once, Cry once"

Best of luck to you

But that is just me...

-Kevin

 

[jasonk]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

Looking at your other posts you are a little newer to the LR shooting game it appears. You don't need a dedicated system, the phone is fine, Bullet Flight will work as well as Shooter for Android.

I'd just download Shooter for $10 and it will take you a long ways before you need to upgrade.

 

[CTown137]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

That is all great information, gives me something to ponder. I am new to the LR shooting world as I only have 49 rounds through my rifle. And have only shot out to a whopping 128 yards. That is the max I can get at our department range.
Our SWAT Snipers have a secondary range that I have been invited to use, which goes to about 725.

Thank you all again for the information, I look forward to participating in discussions on here in the future and utilizing your vast knowledge and experience.

 

[EXTREMEPREJUDICE]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kevlars</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I moved to the NOMAD and FFS. It has a build in GPS and is a full PDA and the ability to download maps.

FFS is a great calculator and is extremely accurate and has a Keyhole function if you get Delta IV. Not to mention the ability to link Bluetooth to your Kestrel and FFS integrates all this information into a solution. FFS also has utilities to calculate if your scope clicks are correct and if not it will integrate that as well.

Load Base is also a very good program but I prefer FFS. Let me know if you have any questions.

</div></div> This my setup also and I agree with Kevlars this is the way to go if you want a robust tool. I would add though that it is a $2000 or more investment to take this route. You can purchase one of many relatively inexpensive apps to run on a smart phone or PDA to obtain a feel for what a ballistics program can do before you jump in with both feet. It is part of your toolkit, it does not replace training and/or experience and depending on your budget may/may not be the best use of your resources. Just an opinion.

 

[Kevlars]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

Absolutely agree. That is why I said this is where I ended up. Huge investment but for me knowing it just works...every time no frustration. Now if I were a preper I would be worried about magnetic pulse then it would not matter.....lol

 

[BigJohn141]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

If you have a android phone then download the app called shooter. I have a couple programs on my iPhone and like shooter the most. Also with the android phones you can Bluetooth it to a krestrel by downloading another plug in. It won't have all the features as FFS or load base but it's hard to beat for $10.

 

[proulxlaw]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

Kevlars: 2k for a Nomad is out of my range. God bless ya for being able to afford to try such expensive tools but, get real. How many people actually spend this much on one of these. I have a Treo and was whining about spending $300.00 for Atrag. Try explaining the purchase of a Nomad to the wife if she happens to discover the credit card bill or stumbles upon the receipt especially if you haven't re-done her kitchen as promised 5 or so years ago. I am currently using pssf and it seems to generate data out to 500 yards that is nearly the same as the Sierra PC program. Is there another way to true the zero in pssf other than adjusting velocity?

 

[B3dlam]

Re: Ballistic Calculator Question??

Personally I really didnt like patagonia seems like a great program with a lot of options but I felt like I really would have to go through all 400+ pages of users manual to be able to get it to do even basic things.

I currently use shooter on my iphone its a great option and quite user friendly I would definitely recommend that and for most applications it will do everything you need it to!