Followup question from B clinic on collecting rifle dope

[Treadstone]

I got my hands on a Kestrel 4000 so now when I go out and shoot I can capture density altitude and other WX parameters.

Does it make sense to record my DOPE cards with elevation from 100 to 1000 yards, with each card indexed by density altitude and bullet weight/load?

I guess my goal would be to eventually have enough cards that when I went to a new range, I could just sample the local DA and find a close match in my card library. Does it make sense to do this? I might not always have a ballistics app handy with me.

[Fumbles]

Where'd you buy it from? Price?

[Teletiger7]

How about make dope cards in 1000ft increments of DA then just pick the one closest to ur conditions. I don't know how fun it would be to bring around a card box wherever you go to shoot.

[Downrange67]

Don't over think it! Let the ballistic program do it for you!!

[Treadstone]

How about make dope cards in 1000ft increments of DA then just pick the one closest to ur conditions. I don't know how fun it would be to bring around a card box wherever you go to shoot.

I might pick up a MilDot Master for ranging using my reticle (if i can ballpark the size of the target) and a Field Density Altitude Compensator for a firing solution (it comes with cards for 175g SMKs for several muzzle velocities). The FDAC covers a wide range of DA so that can probably take the place of me making my own cards. All you need to use the FDAC is a Kestrel for DA or something like a watch that gives you altitude and temp.

I like using Ballistic AE but I don't yet own a rangefinder and I want to know how to compute a firing solution by hand quickly without an electronic computer.

[Treadstone]

Where'd you buy it from? Price?

Amazon, $260 I think?

[gau17]

I got my hands on a Kestrel 4000 so now when I go out and shoot I can capture density altitude and other WX parameters.

Does it make sense to record my DOPE cards with elevation from 100 to 1000 yards, with each card indexed by density altitude and bullet weight/load?

I guess my goal would be to eventually have enough cards that when I went to a new range, I could just sample the local DA and find a close match in my card library. Does it make sense to do this? I might not always have a ballistics app handy with me.

I use my log book for that.

Event
Time/date
DA
Temp
Wind condition
Dope
Performance
Round count

[Fumbles]

Jeff have you tried the MilDot Range Finder iPhone app? There is also Mil-Dot and Sniper MilDot.

[AR15barrels]

I got my hands on a Kestrel 4000 so now when I go out and shoot I can capture density altitude and other WX parameters.

Does it make sense to record my DOPE cards with elevation from 100 to 1000 yards, with each card indexed by density altitude and bullet weight/load?

I guess my goal would be to eventually have enough cards that when I went to a new range, I could just sample the local DA and find a close match in my card library. Does it make sense to do this? I might not always have a ballistics app handy with me.

Settle on a single load and don't worry about any other loads.
Make dope cards in 1000ft da steps.
Then, when you show up somewhere new, turn on kestrel and select dope card according to DA.
If the card is wrong due to velocity variation (temperature), adjust up/down between your cards until you find a better matching card...

[Treadstone]

Thanks for the replies. Once my order from Powder Valley arrives (sometime in June, I guess) I'll have enough components to standardize on 175g SMKs.

[Short Action Precision]

Jeff I would skip the Mildot Master unless you are dead set on it. Shooter and Ballistics have the ability to do the ranging on them as well.

[Treadstone]

Yes I understand our smartphone apps can do all this and it's awesome. But I also want to know how to do this stuff efficiently if I'm out in the field and my phone quits on me.

[Short Action Precision]

(Target Height in Inches) x 27.77"
--------------------------------- = Range to Target in Yards
Height In Mils


That is the Formula. All you need to know is the target size. The farther out you go the more precise you need to be with Milling the target. Get down to the second decimal point (1.95 mils). Not just the tenth.