Understanding ballistics gets to the heart of long-range shooting, and it is a true blend of art and science. At the core of it all is the concept others call "Believe the Bullet," which, in essence, means trusting the science behind your shot, and there is a reason the bullet hit the target or missed. And, its up to you to get the knowledge and skill to understand why. Today, we delve into the world of ballistics, one free and invaluable tool is the JBM Ballistic Calculator online. You can get an even more powerful tool with Applied Ballistic's WEZ software.
If you play with the ballistic calculator, you can see the effect of the top 10 variables that make a 1000-yard shot challenging, in no particular order.
SECTION 1: Believe the Bullet
"Believe the Bullet" is a philosophy that every long-range shooter should embrace. Bullets don't simply find their mark on their own. Instead, they follow a precisely calculable path based on the principles of physics, mathematics, and environmental conditions. If you "do your part" science can model where the bullet will land. If you know the input, you can predict it pretty well. But, garbage in, garbage out.
If you miss, I've seen so many cop out with "I must have pulled that one" instead of doing the hard work of repeatedly firing.
Full disclaimer, I'm not an expert marksman, and there are better shooters out there. But, I have done the work to know why I miss and my own limitations. I am realistic about my skill.
You can learn a lot just by playing with a ballistic calculator and changing one input just a little and see what happens. Try it with wind, and you'll quickly see why its the great equalizer on the range.
SECTION 2: The JBM Ballistic Calculator
For the modern long range marksman, rangefinders and ballistic apps are critical. An even more robust tool like the JBM Ballistic Calculator has become indispensable. This online resource harnesses the power of complex algorithms and the input of various environmental factors to predict a bullet's trajectory. By utilizing this calculator, shooters can achieve a level of accuracy that was once unattainable.
SECTION 3: Numbers Don't Lie
It's crucial to remember that in the world of ballistics, numbers don't lie. Science yourself up. The JBM Ballistic Calculator takes into account several critical variables to ensure the highest degree of precision. These variables include bullet shape, bullet weight, velocity, wind speed, and atmospheric conditions. Armed with these calculations, a shooter can confidently make the shot and predict where it will hit, within a "margin of error" that depends on many things.
SECTION 4: The Top Variables of Ballistics for a 1000-Yard Shot
Shooting a thousand yards away from your target is a daunting task, even if you remove the human factor from the equation. There are many variables that you can't fully account for with 100% accuracy. Here are the top variables that can affect your shot and can be measured in a ballistic app, in no particular order:
One of the cool features of the JBM Ballistic Calculator is its ability to calculate the "danger space" which will tell you how much of an error you can make in the range estimation. This term refers to the whether the calculated bullet path will hit above or below the target area depending on how close or far it is. For instance, if the target is 10 inches tall, JBM will tell you the closest range for the target and still hit the top, and then the furthest range for where the bullet will hit the bottom of the target.
That will give you an idea of the importance of ranging exactly how far the target is away. The further a target, the more precise you need to be to hit the target.
Then, stack the ranging error on top of the possible muzzle velocity variation which, on top of a little aerodynamic jump, on top of ballistic coefficient variation, on top of lots of other little variable and you can start to see the compounding effect of errors.
There is a way to visualize the way all the possible errors stack up, and that's what is listed next.
SECTION 6: Leveraging Applied Ballistic's WEZ Software
In the quest for unparalleled precision in long-range shooting, Applied Ballistic's Weapon Employment Zone (WEZ) software is designed to show the real life effectiveness that can be expected from a platform in real life. It offers the capability to calculate and predict the distributive spread of many shots with incredible accuracy. What sets it apart is its comprehensive approach, factoring in an even broader range of variables. This software accounts for not only the standard factors like wind, temperature, and altitude but also delves into the specifics of your rifle setup, including the intricacies of your particular barrel, ammunition, and optic characteristics.
The WEZ software's meticulous calculations go a step further to define an even more precise danger zone. This is a series of diagrams done with the WEZ software to show the various effects of increasing the distance based on a set of variables. It comes from Bryan Litz's incredible series of books about long range shooting.
SECTION 7: Realism and Responsible Shooting
It's essential to bring a dose of realism. A three shot group is practically worthless. Banging away at steel after you get the wind call on your home range is good, but unless you hunt there, it won't matter that you learn the wind patterns.
Cold bore shots with a virgin wind call in a new location are all that really matter. If you want to be the best you can be in that situation, you can start "in the classroom" with Brian Litz's books. He has some great videos on YouTube that can get you started learning as well. And, nothing can replace lots of bullets at long range in as many conditions as you can. I LOVE to go to the range in the wind, cause it keeps me honest and humble.
The proof is in the pudding, and if you don't know the ingredients and recipe, your pudding will suck. And, there is no pudding mix that delivers 1000 yards out of the box. Wind is the great equalizer, even if everything else is spot on.
If you play with the ballistic calculator, you can see the effect of the top 10 variables that make a 1000-yard shot challenging, in no particular order.
SECTION 1: Believe the Bullet
"Believe the Bullet" is a philosophy that every long-range shooter should embrace. Bullets don't simply find their mark on their own. Instead, they follow a precisely calculable path based on the principles of physics, mathematics, and environmental conditions. If you "do your part" science can model where the bullet will land. If you know the input, you can predict it pretty well. But, garbage in, garbage out.
If you miss, I've seen so many cop out with "I must have pulled that one" instead of doing the hard work of repeatedly firing.
Full disclaimer, I'm not an expert marksman, and there are better shooters out there. But, I have done the work to know why I miss and my own limitations. I am realistic about my skill.
You can learn a lot just by playing with a ballistic calculator and changing one input just a little and see what happens. Try it with wind, and you'll quickly see why its the great equalizer on the range.
SECTION 2: The JBM Ballistic Calculator
For the modern long range marksman, rangefinders and ballistic apps are critical. An even more robust tool like the JBM Ballistic Calculator has become indispensable. This online resource harnesses the power of complex algorithms and the input of various environmental factors to predict a bullet's trajectory. By utilizing this calculator, shooters can achieve a level of accuracy that was once unattainable.
SECTION 3: Numbers Don't Lie
It's crucial to remember that in the world of ballistics, numbers don't lie. Science yourself up. The JBM Ballistic Calculator takes into account several critical variables to ensure the highest degree of precision. These variables include bullet shape, bullet weight, velocity, wind speed, and atmospheric conditions. Armed with these calculations, a shooter can confidently make the shot and predict where it will hit, within a "margin of error" that depends on many things.
SECTION 4: The Top Variables of Ballistics for a 1000-Yard Shot
Shooting a thousand yards away from your target is a daunting task, even if you remove the human factor from the equation. There are many variables that you can't fully account for with 100% accuracy. Here are the top variables that can affect your shot and can be measured in a ballistic app, in no particular order:
- Wind speeds and directions (multiple wind conditions)
- Temperature
- Absolute/Station Pressure
- Humidity
- Bullet BC (Ballistic Coefficient) and variation
- Bullet weight and variation
- Muzzle Velocity and variation
- Coriolis Effect
- Aerodynamic Jump
- Range Estimation/Accuracy
One of the cool features of the JBM Ballistic Calculator is its ability to calculate the "danger space" which will tell you how much of an error you can make in the range estimation. This term refers to the whether the calculated bullet path will hit above or below the target area depending on how close or far it is. For instance, if the target is 10 inches tall, JBM will tell you the closest range for the target and still hit the top, and then the furthest range for where the bullet will hit the bottom of the target.
That will give you an idea of the importance of ranging exactly how far the target is away. The further a target, the more precise you need to be to hit the target.
Then, stack the ranging error on top of the possible muzzle velocity variation which, on top of a little aerodynamic jump, on top of ballistic coefficient variation, on top of lots of other little variable and you can start to see the compounding effect of errors.
There is a way to visualize the way all the possible errors stack up, and that's what is listed next.
SECTION 6: Leveraging Applied Ballistic's WEZ Software
In the quest for unparalleled precision in long-range shooting, Applied Ballistic's Weapon Employment Zone (WEZ) software is designed to show the real life effectiveness that can be expected from a platform in real life. It offers the capability to calculate and predict the distributive spread of many shots with incredible accuracy. What sets it apart is its comprehensive approach, factoring in an even broader range of variables. This software accounts for not only the standard factors like wind, temperature, and altitude but also delves into the specifics of your rifle setup, including the intricacies of your particular barrel, ammunition, and optic characteristics.
The WEZ software's meticulous calculations go a step further to define an even more precise danger zone. This is a series of diagrams done with the WEZ software to show the various effects of increasing the distance based on a set of variables. It comes from Bryan Litz's incredible series of books about long range shooting.
SECTION 7: Realism and Responsible Shooting
It's essential to bring a dose of realism. A three shot group is practically worthless. Banging away at steel after you get the wind call on your home range is good, but unless you hunt there, it won't matter that you learn the wind patterns.
Cold bore shots with a virgin wind call in a new location are all that really matter. If you want to be the best you can be in that situation, you can start "in the classroom" with Brian Litz's books. He has some great videos on YouTube that can get you started learning as well. And, nothing can replace lots of bullets at long range in as many conditions as you can. I LOVE to go to the range in the wind, cause it keeps me honest and humble.
The proof is in the pudding, and if you don't know the ingredients and recipe, your pudding will suck. And, there is no pudding mix that delivers 1000 yards out of the box. Wind is the great equalizer, even if everything else is spot on.
