At what distance in the trajectory does the apex of the bullet flight path occur? Is there a formula to calculate this point for various ranges. Thanks
Advanced Marksmanship Trajectory apex
- Thread starter Dead Eye Doc
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Yes there is. But the accurate calculations are pretty gnarley.
the easy way to get an accurate answer is to get one of the ballistic calculators for your phone and plug in your details for the answer.
shooter and Ballistic AE come to mind.
the easy way to get an accurate answer is to get one of the ballistic calculators for your phone and plug in your details for the answer.
shooter and Ballistic AE come to mind.
Maximum ordinate is the term you are looking for. Kestrel Elite, AB Mobile, ColdBore, FFS can all show you this.
they give height
but do they give a distance? i.e. max ord on a 1000y shot is 45' high and occurs at 666y down range.
When using a ballistic app change the zero range to the target distance and scroll through the distances in between you (0 yards/meters) and the intended target (whatever you basically just re-zeroed your scope to) and look for the highest number under drop. The difference is that the drop will be the height of the round above point of aim instead of below it. You can change the range increments as low as you want to get as precise as you want, and bracket the range min & max shown to make the chart smaller.
Here is an example of ballistic ae on my phone with the generic .308 175 SMK @ 2600 fps with scope adjusted to hit a 1000 yard target (zeroed at 1000):
Here is an example of ballistic ae on my phone with the generic .308 175 SMK @ 2600 fps with scope adjusted to hit a 1000 yard target (zeroed at 1000):
Strelok Pro does have it for a specified distance, not as a chart:
www.snipershide.com
StrelokPro numbers disappeared?
I was at a match this past weekend and about half way through I looked at my StrelokPro app and my mrad column was gone. It wasn’t totally gone, but the brightness was so low I can barely see the numbers. Moa, inch, and click columns are all still bright like they should be. Anyone experienced...
www.snipershide.com 
I recall Todd Hodnett saying in a video that its roughly halfway plus 10 percent.
And to figure it out you subtract the target's range dope from the max ordinate range dope.
So an example of a target at 1000yds....
halfway plus 10 percent is 550yds....
dope for both distances is 10.8 mils and 3.8 mils....
subtract them....
your max ord is 7 mils above line of sight....
Having done what MarcC11B did above moving the zero range to 1000yards I was able to look at the graph section in Shooter and it shows the max ord basically in the same place as the method I posted above. We are about 10-20 yards different. But I doubt its enough to keep you from finding trace using either method if thats what your after.
And to figure it out you subtract the target's range dope from the max ordinate range dope.
So an example of a target at 1000yds....
halfway plus 10 percent is 550yds....
dope for both distances is 10.8 mils and 3.8 mils....
subtract them....
your max ord is 7 mils above line of sight....
Having done what MarcC11B did above moving the zero range to 1000yards I was able to look at the graph section in Shooter and it shows the max ord basically in the same place as the method I posted above. We are about 10-20 yards different. But I doubt its enough to keep you from finding trace using either method if thats what your after.
A: 55% of the range dialed on your elevation turret.
Regardless of bullet weight or velocity, as gravity pulls the same on all objects.
Your simple question has a complicated answer. It's called ballistics.
Ballistic trajectories are dependent on a ton things, but the bottom line is that in our atmosphere a projectile without onboard power is always dropping from the moment it leaves its launching point. To get range we have to point the launcher upwards. Trajectories have a lot of variation depending on many factors.
The solution you are looking for will vary depending on the ballistics of your particular setup, distance to target, and elevation differences between the target and the launch point. The barrel of the rifle always points upwards from the get go because the sights are higher than the bore of the rifle.
To answer your question in the simplest terms:
1) Get any free ballistic calculator - phone, internet whatever.
2) Very carefully enter all of the parameters for your rifle: All the projectile variables and height of sights are critical.
3) Set you zero (point on aim - point of impact) of the rifle to the distance to the target. Ex. 1000 yards Zero. Why? See the example below.
4) Set your chart so that it includes elevation units in inches.
5) Run the calculation and look at the resulting ballistic chart.
Look at the elevation column (in inches). All numbers will grow until the "Apex". After that point, the numbers, although they might be positive or negative are drop and occur after the "Apex - they are diminishing from the max. The largest number is the approximate Apex.
I wrote "approximate Apex" above because if you set your chart rows at an interval of say 100 yards the Apex error is +/- 100 yards
Example:
A .223 69gr bullet fired from and AR:
With a scope height of 2-inches and using a 50 yard Zero the "Apex" at ANY distance trajectory shown will be 1.61 inches. But the drop will be 540-inches. starting at 200 yards.
With the same parameters above, except for using a 1000 yard Zero, the "Apex" will be 230-inches, or 19 feet. The drop is Zero, and starting at 600 yards.
Ballistic trajectories are dependent on a ton things, but the bottom line is that in our atmosphere a projectile without onboard power is always dropping from the moment it leaves its launching point. To get range we have to point the launcher upwards. Trajectories have a lot of variation depending on many factors.
The solution you are looking for will vary depending on the ballistics of your particular setup, distance to target, and elevation differences between the target and the launch point. The barrel of the rifle always points upwards from the get go because the sights are higher than the bore of the rifle.
To answer your question in the simplest terms:
1) Get any free ballistic calculator - phone, internet whatever.
2) Very carefully enter all of the parameters for your rifle: All the projectile variables and height of sights are critical.
3) Set you zero (point on aim - point of impact) of the rifle to the distance to the target. Ex. 1000 yards Zero. Why? See the example below.
4) Set your chart so that it includes elevation units in inches.
5) Run the calculation and look at the resulting ballistic chart.
Look at the elevation column (in inches). All numbers will grow until the "Apex". After that point, the numbers, although they might be positive or negative are drop and occur after the "Apex - they are diminishing from the max. The largest number is the approximate Apex.
I wrote "approximate Apex" above because if you set your chart rows at an interval of say 100 yards the Apex error is +/- 100 yards
Example:
A .223 69gr bullet fired from and AR:
With a scope height of 2-inches and using a 50 yard Zero the "Apex" at ANY distance trajectory shown will be 1.61 inches. But the drop will be 540-inches. starting at 200 yards.
With the same parameters above, except for using a 1000 yard Zero, the "Apex" will be 230-inches, or 19 feet. The drop is Zero, and starting at 600 yards.
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