Best ballistic program

[goodgrouper]

I have been using several different programs for years and I like them all for varying reasons, but I find that the Sierra Infinity software is the easiest program to show beginners how to use. However, I have found that with several different guns it is off a minute or two at 1000 yards plus. I think that is because it uses the old G1 drag function that supposedly is less accurate with todays bullets. So my question is what is the most accurate ballistic program, and why is it better than another?
Thanks

 

[DANTEC]

id that for home use I use mostly JBM sofware ( free on eskimo web site on line

as field software oehler is good , sierra is good BUT carefully avoid transonic aera most software ecpet professional as MPM follow drag curve and drag curve is OK from 1.2 mach to 3.5 mach try to compute transonic velocity is not reallistic

good shooting

DAN TEC

 

[goodgrouper]

Thanks Dantec.
I spent several hours yesterday inputing a gun's trajectory into about 12 different ballistic programs and they all came up slightly different! I was out shooting the day before yesterday at my gong at 1000 yards, and I had my laptop there and my chronograph. I used sierra infinity to input the data directly from the chronograph into the MOA on my scope. Then, out of curiosity, I went up 1 more minute than what Infinity said and my first shot hit at 3 o'clock and missed the edge of the gong by an inch. Why was Infinity off so far? I have shot many guns at 1000 that were off a little too, so I know that it wasn't just that gun/bullet combo had a lower bc than what is published. It seems to me that Infinity is just a little off at longer ranges.
So I inputed that same gun into 12 other programs yesterday, and they all had a slightly different number for come-ups. Infinity said come up 19.2 Moa, and I was looking for a program that would say 20.2 Moa as that was what I actually had to use to hit the gong at 1K. Dave Kings program, Pejsa's program, and Exball were the closest to 20.2 Moa, so I am deducing that they might be the most accurate. What is everyone's feeling of these findings?

 

[Guest]

Exbal

 

[JBM]

MPM Programs

DANTEC -- if you have a professional MPM program, I would appreciate any feedback you can give me about how my free MPM program compares (numbers wise, I'm sure their interfaces are better since my is commandline!). Thanks!

 

[goodgrouper]

Re: best ballistic program help?

I have been playing with Exbal a lot lately (thanks Brassbender!) and have found it to be a good program. However, I have a few questions.
Does Exbal show charts in actual inch drop, or just MOA?
Does Exbal run off newer ballistic tables, not Ingles?
Does it have a "calculate zero" window?
Does the angle compensation work directly into the MOA drop it gives you, or do you have to get a Bullet path difference in inches on another screen like Infinity?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have a cow elk hunt this weekend, and I would like to know all the tricks to this software before I start using it in a real hunting situation.
Thanks.

 

[Mikecr]

Re: best ballistic program help?

How do you have so many questions about something you have been using lately? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Exbal is a GOOD program for local field use, once you've tweeked it's G1 BC to match your results. It is not a nats behind program with every bell & whistle(like coriolis comp, or various drag curves). I have found it's angle compensation is applied very well. It does have the ability to discern your new zero, such as when shooting in a different state than zero'd from.
It matches most of the other external ballistic programs out there, But I don't know about it's relationship to Ingall's/Pejsa's.
I'm waiting for the field version of Precision Workbench to become available. Blaine has put alot of thought into it.

Oh yeah, Exbal will resolve in inches and/or MOA. You can also set your scope click values, and set it's resulting clicks based on IPHY or MOA(like 1/4"/click/100yds or 1/4MOA/click).

 

[goodgrouper]

Re: best ballistic program help?

I can't find the window to tweek the G1 bc chart. Can you explain it further? Also, can you tell me if it will read in inch drop? I can only find MOA and MILS.

I have a copy of precision shooters workbench. I don't know if it is the field version or not. It is a pretty complicated program, so it is probably not the field version. It seems to be a good program, but I am liking the layout of Exbal just a bit more.

 

[fjennie]

In the 1980s I wrote the Exball program (DOS). I
also released a demo version at that time. I see
references to Exball today and I am wondering if
these references are to my program. Anyone?

 

[Mikecr]

Re: best ballistic program help?

GG
Under OPTIONS: Sight in conditions: you set your actual zero data. Uncheck "same as field conditions" if they are not(like shooting in another state).
OPTIONS: Sight adjustment: Here you set all parameters mentioned above as far as inches/MOA/click values, etc.

You simply enter BC to correct for disparities.

 

[goodgrouper]

Re: best ballistic program help?

thanks mikecr!
I'll try it out.

 

[goodgrouper]

Re: best ballistic program help?

I finally got Exbal on my Compaq pocket pc and I have to say it ROCKS! It is a very good set up for range/hunting use and is very straightforward. The only thing I could say I didn't like was putting the program on the pocket pc. It took quite awhile to sync the pocket with my laptop, and then I had to create 2 new directories and sync them too. All in all, it took about 4 hours to get Exbal off my laptop and onto the handheld, but I think it will be worth the while.
Any of you long time users of Exbal found a way to get the program to graph trajectories like Infinity or Quickload??
I am very interested if you have.
Thanks, --goodgrouper