Cabela’s Recon Hunt app for iPhones

Weatherby.com

Paso Robles, California – -(Ammoland.com)- Weatherby, Incorporated, long known for it’s magnum velocity cartridges and heightened ballistics, can now be found on the Cabela’s Recon Hunt app for iPhones and Android smartphones.

Along with many other features the app will display drop charts and energy charts for any load that Weatherby offers.

Download the app at your smartphone app store or go to http://cabelas.trimbleoutdoors.com/ for more details.

Founded in 1945, Weatherby, Inc.’s line features the popular Vanguard and legendary Mark V rifles (production and custom), Threat Response shotguns and rifles, semi-auto and pump shotguns, premium ammunition and security/shooting accessories. The company is based in Paso Robles, Calif., and invites all hunters and shooters to visit and join its free online community at www.weatherbynation.com .

Horus Vision

San Bruno, CA --(Ammoland.com)- Tired of lugging around several pounds of extra equipment just to acquire and maintain accurate ballistics data out in the field? To get real-time ballistics solutions, shooters have had to hassle with a PDA, a weather tracker, and accessories.

Not to mention having to remember to recharge all the toys the night before. Well, Horus and Kestrel teamed up for a solution.

Enter the HorusKestrel 4500NVH. We have integrated our state of the art ATrag ballistic software with the tried and true, Kestrel 4500 Pocket Weather tracker. The result is the 4500NVH, a light weight, ruggedized total shooting station providing the user with turn-key solutions for any shooting scenario.

Horus Kestrel 4500nv

The Kestrel 4500, one of the most comprehensive weather meters currently utilized by every industry imaginable, can measure EVERY environmental condition in the field. Combined with the Horus ATrag software, the user can quickly and efficiently deliver precision fire in seconds under the most adverse situations. With the HorusKestrel, the amount of essential equipment along with that unwanted weight can be reduced. Less weight, fewer batteries, and a more ergonomic design leaves the user feeling unecumbered.

The HorusKestrel fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, and while environmental data is being collected, you can plug in your data to the 4500NVH, and immediately integrate weather with ballistic requirements, providing you an instant solution! The HorusKestrel total station weighs just 4 ounces, and is powered by AAA batteries, meaning that you don’t have to look for an electrical outlet on the side of some mountain to recharge your kit.

More importantly, you no longer need to manually retrieve data from a weather tracker and type it into a PDA. That chore now happens automatically within the HorusKestrel minimizing data-entry mistakes. You can focus your attention where it should be; down range on your target!

A multitude of essential features are packed into this tough little unit. Designed to meet IP67 and MIL-STD-810G requirements, the 4500NVH is extremely rugged. The case is slip resistant, waterproof, and incorporates an optical filter to reduce overall brightness which preserves night vision, giving you military-grade low light shooting capabilities and durability for a fraction of the cost. The 4500NVH high-level wind and digital-compass precisely measure environmental conditions, using exterior temperature, humidity and pressure sensors. With its “snapshot” setting of target bearing and wind direction, you can instantly recalculate on the fly using “real-time” data. This means accurate engagements on the target every time!

Horus and Kestrel use the concept that “simple is better”. With that in mind, the 8 button control panel reduces the need for a larger, bulkier unit. Both Horus and Kestrel have exceeded the industry’s expectations integrating command features making this one of the most efficient units on the market. Saving Data of previous engagements has never been easier. And without much sweat, you can create up to five targets customized for location, distance, direction, declination and wind values.

Unlike most other ballistics software, ATrag takes into account gravity, bullet spin and coreolis effect. These subtle factors heavily impact where your bullet strikes in relation to your intended target for long-range shooting. It’s one of the main reasons ATrag has been repeatedly chosen by several Special Operations units serving our warfighters throughout the globe in hostile environments.

Feature Highlights

• • Powered by AAA batteries
• • Simple 8 button control panel
• • Blue tooth capable
• • Customizable data storage -50 gun/ammo combinations
• • “Snap shot” automated data population
• • Time and date
• • Easy- to-read Night Vision backlit display
• • Data Logger (automatic and manual – weather only)
• • Wind Minimum, Maximum and Average values
• • Multi-Function 3-line display
• • Humidity sensor with in-field recalibration capabilities
• • Exterior temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors for fast and accurate readings
• • Customize screens to display user-selected measurements
• • Flip-top impeller cover allows use of other functions while protecting the impeller
• • Upload to a computer (with optional interface)
• • Made in the USA

Conclusion:
The HorusKestrel 4500NVH combines high end technology in a light weight package, giving the shooter and edge when “second chances” are very rare! Every advantage must be exploited when your life is on the line. The Horus/Kestrel – first time, every time.

About:
Horus brings cutting-edge technology to long-range shooting to help you shoot farther with ultimate accuracy. Horus reticles, scopes, ballistics software and accessories offer a simpler solution for making fast, precise, bulls-eye hits consistently. Our easy-to-use reticle design and targeting software deliver dramatic improvements no matter what your skill level. Visit: www.horusvision.com

Winchester Ammunition’s iPhone Ballistics Calculator

Winchester Ammunition

East Alton, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- Two years ago, Winchester Ammunition introduced the world to the Ballistics Calculator at Winchester.com.

Now the program that made a breeze out of calculating shot placement
is improved for iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The original version of the Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator for the iPhone and iPod Touch allowed users to choose centerfire rifle ammunition and compare up to three different Winchester cartridges with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs.

You could customize shooting conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature and adjusting zero marks for sighting in.

Winchester Ammunition Expands Capability Of Ballistics Calculator

Now the ballistics calculator has been improved to also help users to discover aiming points, impact points and trajectories for rimfire, shotgun slug and handgun hunting ammunition – just in time for fall hunting season.

“Our customers were impressed with the original ballistics calculator for centerfire rifles, but they wanted more,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing and sales. “We listened to the great feedback we received and now the Ballistics Calculator is improved for millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users.”

To download the Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator for the iPhone and iPod Touch, visit www.winchester.com/ballistics.

With a heritage dating back to 1866, the Winchester brand was there for the taming of the American West, the Allied Forces’ victory in World War II and through the years, millions of fond memories made in the great outdoors. Known as The American Legend™, Winchester Ammunition is a global leader in sporting, law enforcement, military and personal defense ammunition production. Winchester continues to raise the bar with new products like Blind Side® waterfowl and PDX1™ Defender™ personal defense ammunition.

For more information about Winchester Ammunition, visit www.winchester.com, or connect with The American Legend on Facebook at Facebook.com/WinchesterAmmunition.

Winchester Ammunition

East Alton, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- The award-winning Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator recently received an upgrade—providing shooters and hunters more bullet types to choose from and adding shotgun slugs, rimfire and handgun ammunition to the menu.

The Winchester Ballistics Calculator allows users to choose their type of ammunition and compare up to five different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs.

Users can customize ‘shooting’ conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in, then print or save the ballistics for later reference on the range or in the field.

Winchester Ammunition Expands Capability Of Ballistics Calculator

“The Winchester Ballistics Calculator is an outstanding tool for all hunters and shooters; it’s simple to use and absolutely perfect for understanding ammunition ballistics,” said Brett Flaugher, vice president of sales and marketing for Winchester Ammunition.

“We expanded our product assortment on the calculator, and we continue to research new technologies that will make this tool widely available to shooting and hunting enthusiasts.”

The calculator is live at www.winchester.com/ballistics and is also available as an app that can be used on iPhones, iPods and iPads.

The Ballistics Calculator uses Microsoft Silverlight, a cutting-edge technology that integrates seamlessly into Web browsers and allows users to run highly advanced software applications over the Web.

For more information about Winchester Ammunition and its complete line of products visit www.winchester.com.

Winchester Ammunition is proud to be a leader in conservation.
NILO Farms, established by John M. Olin in 1952, is Winchester’s prestigious hunting preserve providing guests with quality hunting on more than 640 acres of natural habitat. As one of the finest hunting and shooting facilities in the country, NILO Farms represents the best in game management and safety. Many of the land management practices developed at NILO have proven to be an example for other waterfowl and upland game bird preserves to follow. For more information about NILO Farms, visit www.nilofarms.com.

AmmoLand Gun News

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Likely to be the first exposure most people had to forensics, the widely televised O.J. Simpson trial not only piqued public interest in criminal investigation, but its popularity also convinced many that this technology was ready for “prime time.”

Today, the growth in amateur fascination with forensics has inspired a variety of dramatic and reality television programs designed to feed this increasing public appetite. The most positive aspect of increased public awareness in forensics is that the laypeople that sit on juries during criminal trials no longer feel like they need to have a criminal justice degree to comprehend the implications and significance of expert testimony and evidence.

The technology used to test blood samples found at the murder scene in the Simpson case, and to identify the DNA of Amanda Knox on the knife used to kill Meredith Kercher have been standard practice in criminal investigation since 1985. However, in the early 1990s, the naissance of bullet cytology introduced advances in the ability to decipher ballistics evidence. By testing tissue cells found on bullets that pass through a body examiners can identify which organs were struck and determine whether a shooting victim’s injury was survivable or fatal, even without the presence of a body.

The determination of bullet trajectory is an important part of crime scene investigation and reconstruction. By measuring the angle of entry of projectiles found lodged in ceilings and walls, forensic examiners can conclude the location of the shooter when they fired the gun. The older method of verifying bullet trajectory is to insert a rod into the hole and the slant by which the rod protrudes from the hole determines angle of entry. The modern technique to determine trajectory employs laser beams, which are more accurate and easier to use over long distances.

Similarly, investigators can also use technology to get a better understanding of whether the bullet ricocheted or not when the shot was fired. Bullet ricochet regards deviation of bullet trajectory following contact with an object. If proven a bullet struck the victim as a consequence of ricochet rather than aim, the shooting is deemed accidental rather than intentional. When bodies are dumped away from crime scenes, particles picked up by bullets and transferred to a victim can tie the murder to a specific location.

During autopsy, the use of entry and exit hole geometry enables forensic medical examiners to ascertain the position of a victim’s body when struck by a bullet. Generally, entry wounds are smaller than exit wounds and increase in size with higher caliber weapons. By comparing entry and exit wounds to gun caliber, investigators can establish the victim’s distance and angle from the shooter when the bullet made impact.

The evolving sciences of bullet cytology and trajectory examination are important forensic techniques through which crime scene investigators can reconstruct a crime. Combined with forensic technology connecting a weapon to a particular person, the results of these tests can serve to confirm or eliminate suspects. However, the most important service offered by forensic evidence is in the trial stage, providing an attorney the capacity to not only prove or disprove witness testimony but to secure convictions for the guilty and exonerate the innocent.

By-line:
Marie Owens works in security logistics. In her spare time she teaches a female self-defense course and studies law in Washington state.

Horus Vision

San Bruno, CA --(Ammoland.com)- Horus and Kestrel are now together in one unit! Horus technology is now embedded in Kestrel 4500 NV Pocket Weather Meters, eliminating the need for a PDA.

This compact instrument can fit in a pocket, has auto weather input capability, and still contains all the valuable features of ATrag, including an extensive gun list, customizable targets, and truing.

Why Horus ATrag Ballistics?

With all the different brands of ballistics software on the market, why would Horus Vision’s ATrag be the engine of choice to embed within a Kestrel?

One of the obvious reasons was because of the military contract Horus Vision was granted, outfitting the Army with ATrag as the exclusive ballistics software of choice. If ATrag was trusted for our troops in the field, then ATrag would be a good fit for Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters.

The biggest factor differentiating ATrag from other ballistics software is the truing capability, taking your factual data and modeling an accurate outcome of bullet drop, rather than a predictive one.

What is the benefit?

The two-in-one integration of the Horus Kestrel eliminates the need for a ruggedized PDA (which comes with a number of accessories you would have to lug around, as well) to calculate ballistics in long-range shooting. Since the ballistics software is embedded within the Kestrel unit, environmental data automatically inputs from the Kestrel side to the ATrag side for accurate and instant solutions. It is light-weight, compact, and all it takes to run are two AAA batteries- no chargers, plugs, or over-sized energy sources.

About:
Horus brings cutting-edge technology to long-range shooting to help you shoot farther with ultimate accuracy. Horus reticles, scopes, ballistics software and accessories offer a simpler solution for making fast, precise, bulls-eye hits consistently. Our easy-to-use reticle design and targeting software deliver dramatic improvements no matter what your skill level. Visit: www.horusvision.com

Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator

Winchester Ammunition

East Alton, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- Winchester has taken the best ballistics calculator in the industry and made it better.

We take suggestions and feedback from our customers very seriously.

So when you told us you wanted to see Slug, Rimfire and Handgun ammunition added to the award winning Winchester Ballistics Calculator, we went to work.

We are excited to announce that we have added five new ammunition categories to the ballistics calculator: Shotgun Slug, Rimfire Rifle, Rimfire Handgun, Handgun Hunting and Handgun Target/Personal Defense.

Winchester Ballistics Calculator

Winchester has also expanded our online ballistics resources. We have leveraged the latest technologies to generate an interactive and educational experience for our customers.

Learn more about ammunition ballistics through our online ballistics calculator, iPhone app, or online ballistics glossary.

Let Winchester’s ballistics calculator improve your shooting abilities! Visit: www.tiny.cc/61ntw

New iphone App For Nikon’s SPOT ON Software

Nikon Hunting

Melville, NY --(Ammoland.com)- Nikon’s ballistic matching program, Spot On, is now available as an app for your iPhone.

Spot On allows users to select from the largest database of factory ammo and reloading components ever assembled to build the perfect plan for dialing in their rifle, handgun or muzzleloader.

Shooters around the world now have a tool to help them match their preferred load to their style of shooting and to their style of riflescope and reticle.

“Spot On has been a huge hit with shooters and hunters around the world,” said Jon LaCorte, senior product marketing manager Nikon Sport Optics.

“Now with the new iPhone app they can access it anytime they have their phone.”

Available options include:

• Detailed sight-in info to match the user’s goals
• Ballistic reports for the bullet and load
• Trajectory, field references and ballistic graphs
• Adjustable atmospheric conditions
• Adjustable magnification for the ultimate dialing-in of BDC reticles
• Determine point blank range for Nikoplex reticles with adjustable target/vital size

While nothing can replace time spent shooting on an actual range, Nikon’s Spot On technology/program allows shooters to decide from thousands of load and sight -in options for specific hunts or shooting styles. Never before have so many variables been brought into one tool for rifleshooters.

Nikon’s Spot On app is available as a download from the iTunes app store for $4.99. Spot On is also available to use for free at nikonhunting.com/spoton.

Nikon Inc. is the U.S. distributor of Nikon sports and recreational optics, world-renowned Nikon 35mm cameras, digital cameras, speedlights and accessories, Nikkor lenses and electronic imaging products.

For more information on Nikon’s full line of Riflescopes, Binoculars, Spotting Scopes, Fieldscopes and Laser Rangefinders, please contact: Nikon Sport Optics, 1300 Walt Whitman Rd., Melville, NY 11747-3064, or call 1-800-645-6687. www.nikonhunting.com.

Vortex Optics

Middleton, Wis.--(AmmoLand.com)- It’s a huge trend and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Seemingly everyone today wants to maximize the full potential of their rifle and extend their effective hunting range.

Vortex optics met the high level of interest in long range shooting and hunting head on by launching its Long Range Ballistics Calculator (LRBC) program and Trajectory Matched Turret (TMT) custom turret service on its Web site.

Anyone can use the LRBC program to generate custom drop charts for specific rifles and preferred loads – and it’s free. Use the charts as references while hunting, to make ballistic comparisons, etc. The data is yours. Data entered is stored and can be accessed and adjusted in each users individual account.

Custom, laser-cut TMT turrets are built using data entered into the LRBC program. Vortex TMT turrets give hunters and shooters the ability to quickly and accurately dial elevation when presented with a long range shot. Range the target, turn the turret to the corresponding marked yardage and hold dead on – it’s that simple. Of course, there is the human element involved. That’s where practice, knowing your equipment and learning to judge variables like wind velocity come in.

The new web services are a natural fit for Vortex – After all, you can’t hit what you can’t see and many of Vortex’s riflescopes are ideally suited for long-range work.

“It’s a great tool for our customers,” said Joe Hamilton, Vortex Optics national sales manager. “Today’s rifles, calibers and modern ammunition coupled with an appropriate riflescope give hunters and shooters capabilities unheard of just a few years ago. 300 yards used to be a pretty long shot – today, armed with the right equipment, knowledge and practice, accurate shots 600 yards and beyond aren’t uncommon.”

To check out the exciting new programs, visit www.vortexoptics.com and click on the LRBC button.

American owned, Middleton, Wis. based Vortex Optics designs, engineers, produces and distributes a complete line of premium binoculars, riflescopes, spotting scopes, tripods and related accessories. Dedicated to exceptional quality, value and unrivaled customer service, Vortex backs its products with its unconditional, transferable, lifetime VIP-warranty. Built on more than 20 years of experience in the optics industry, Vortex is rapidly emerging as a leading brand in the optics market.

Vortex – The Force of Optics | www.vortexoptics.com

Winchester Ammunition’s iPhone Ballistics Calculator

Winchester Ammunition

Morgan, UT –-(AmmoLand.com)- iPhone users can now download Winchester® Ammunition’s award-winning Ballistics Calculator for free.

Winchester has taken all of the features and functionality from its Web site version of the Ballistics Calculator and developed a user-friendly interface for the iPhone.

The iPhone version of Winchester’s Ballistics Calculator will allow users to choose their type of ammunition and compare up to three different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs.

You can customize shooting conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in.

The Web based calculator is also live at www.winchester.com/ballistics.

“With so many of our customers using iPhones these days, it’s only fitting that we provide this feature to them,” said Brett Flaugher, vice president of domestic and international marketing and sales for Winchester Ammunition. “Having the Ballistics Calculator plugged into your iPhone while you’re at the range, or in the field will be a valuable tool. Users will be able to plug in conditions, test their ammo and then make adjustments, if necessary.”

Winchester teamed up with Quilogy, a St. Charles, Missouri-based IT and Marketing consulting company, to develop the state-of-the-art ballistics calculator for the iPhone. The Winchester ballistics calculator for the iPhone was designed to leverage the latest iPhone technology, such as the touch and tilt features; providing Winchester customers with a rich end engaging experience.

For more information about Winchester Ammunition and its complete line of products visit www.winchester.com.

Winchester Ammunition is proud to be a leader in supporting charities
Winchester® Ammunition is partnered with The Kids & Clays Foundation to develop programs and host shooting events across the country to help raise money for Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms and the Ronald McDonald Mobile Medical Units. Ronald McDonald Houses are non-profit organizations that provide temporary lodging for families whose children are being treated in nearby hospitals.

For more information about the shooting events or to learn how to become more involved with the Kids & Clays Foundation, call 219.874.2100 or visit www.kidsandclays.com.

Weaver Optics

ONALASKA, Wis. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Whether it’s a stiff breeze on a 300+ yard shot or a howling gale on a 75 yarder, wind drift can be a real shot spoiler.

Caliber, bullet weight, distance and wind speed all combine to determine bullet impact. Some scope reticles, like the Weaver® EBX™ feature wind drift marks to help shooters decide where to hold on windy days.

If you hunt in windy country, practice in wind and make sure you understand how wind affects your bullet flight

Check out the Online EBX Ballistic Chart.

About Weaver® Optics
Weaver Optics and Mounting Systems bring more than 77 years of innovation and expertise to the shooting experience. Engineered to be the most reliable Optics systems, Weaver offers a full line of scopes and mounting systems. Weaver rings set a standard for which many mounting systems are still measured and continue to provide precision shooters with the most important part of their setup. For more information and product images, visit www.weaver-mounts.com.

Winchester Ballistics Calculator

East Alton, IL - -(AmmoLand.com)- The new Winchester® Ammunition Ballistics Calculator is the most innovative program on the market, using cutting-edge technology to offer ballistics information for shooters and hunters.

The Winchester Ballistics Calculator allows users to choose their type of ammunition and compare up to five different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs. You can customize shooting conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in – then print the ballistics for later reference on the range or in the field. The calculator is now live at www.winchester.com/ballistics.

“The Winchester Ballistics Calculator is the most interactive program on the market and is available to anyone who visits our site,” said Greg Kosteck, director of marketing for Winchester Ammunition. “The technology used in this program makes understanding ballistics and bullet performance easy; and it’s the ideal resource for shooters and hunters.”

Winchester teamed up with Quilogy, a St. Charles, Missouri-based IT and Marketing consulting company, to develop the state-of-the-art ballistics calculator. The ballistics calculator was built using Microsoft Silverlight, a cutting-edge technology that integrates seamlessly into a Web browser and allows the user to run highly advanced software applications over the Web.

For more information about Winchester Ammunition and its complete line of products visit www.winchester.com.

About:
Winchester® Ammunition is an industry leader in advancing and supporting conservation, hunter education and our country’s proud shooting sports heritage. For more information about Winchester and its complete line of products, visit www.winchester.com.

Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator

Winchester Ammunition

East Alton, IL - -(AmmoLand.com)- The Winchester Ballistics Calculator allows users to choose their type of ammunition and compare up to five different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs.

You can customize shooting conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in — then print the ballistics for later reference on the range or in the field.

About:
Winchester® Ammunition is an industry leader in advancing and supporting conservation, hunter education and our country’s proud shooting sports heritage. For more information about Winchester and its complete line of products, visit www.winchester.com.

Let Fly Ballistics Calculator for iPhone

Let Fly Ballistics Calculator

LetFlyBallistics.com - -(AmmoLand.com)- Let Fly computes drop and drift for rifle shots based on weather, scope, cartridge and range conditions.

Integrate rangefinders and weather instruments with your rifle scope clicks for improved accuracy in all weathers.

Let Fly is a ballistics calculator for modeling the flight of a rifle bullet. Let Fly is useful for adjusting aim when making long shots in all weathers.

Let Fly is simple to use in the field. We hope you enjoy it.

Latest News: version 1.2 is now available at iTunes.

Let Fly Ballistics Calculator Info

Winchester Ammunition – -(AmmoLand.com)- Will unveil a state-of-the-art Ballistics Calculator Spring 2009. The new Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator is considered the most advanced ballistic calculator on the market; users can choose their type of ammunition and compare up to five different bullet types with easy to read and high-tech ballistic charts and graphs. Enter specific conditions like wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in, print out or save the ballistics of your favorite load; and let the Winchester ballistics calculator help improve your shooting ability.

Winchester Ammunition Ballistics Calculator

Ballistics Calculator – Explained
1. Choose your ammo – select the cartridge, brand and bullet weight

2. View product description, details and images

3. Choose/edit your shooting conditions – set your own sight-in range, cross wind, temperature, altitude and sight height

4. Hit the “Shoot” button to view the point of impact and bullet trajectory

5. View and print a detailed ballistics chart illustrating key information such as bullet trajectory, muzzle velocity and much more.

About:
Winchester Ammunition is proud to be a leader in conservation

Winchester Ammunition prides itself being a leader in conservation efforts. The company is involved with numerous partnerships at local, state and national levels. For more than 12 years Winchester has been a proud sponsor of Whitetails Unlimited. During this partnership Winchester has contributed funding to support P.O.L.I.T.E (Permission of Landowner in Order to Enter) and Chronic Wasting Disease projects. In addition, the Winchester Library is housed at Whitetails Unlimited headquarters and Winchester supports many local and state Whitetails Unlimited chapters. For more information about Whitetails Unlimited, visit www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

The TAS Ballistics Calculator in Action

Tactical Adjustment Systems Limited

England – -(AmmoLand.com)- Long-range rifle shooting doesn’t get much more demanding than F Class, with its half MOA V bull – just five inches in diameter at 1000 yards. Taking your rifle out of the slip, setting-up, assessing the wind, making that vital scope adjustment then squeezing off the first round is always a bit of a ‘shot in the dark’ for me – desperately hoping that the first sighter is at least on target, otherwise your whole shoot could be compromised. My home club gives out a special key-ring for first shot hits in the V bull – we don’t give out many!

Of course, F Class is just a bit of fun and shooting does indeed get a lot more demanding  – ask any soldier or police firearms officer. Often, one shot is all they will get – no sighters, no wind-flags, no butt-crew spotting your fall of shot.

Even though we have our sight-settings from last time we shot, our ammunition is identical and we know the range, why is that first shot always a gamble? What could possibly go wrong? The answer? Plenty!

TAS Ballistics Calculator

How many external forces influence our shot? Gravity and the wind are the obvious ones and the most influential. It doesn’t take much to blow a bullet several feet at 1000 yards. What else? Temperature of course. Temperature affects velocity and thus elevation. In the UK we are lucky in that we don’t get massive temperature shifts from summer to winter but sufficient to make a difference of maybe 5 or 6 MOA  – enough to have your shot go over the top of the target.

There are a few other things as well – humidity for example. Difficult to measure so difficult to allow for. Elevation (above sea level) is another and of course the angle you shoot at, though this doesn’t become significant until we get to serious uphill or downhill shots, which we are unlikely to encounter on formal ranges. We also have a few other influences which will contribute to your frustration in attempting to hit that five-inch V bull at 1000 yards. If you have a right-hand barrel-twist, a wind from the left will tend to lower the impact point and conversely, a wind from the right will lift the shot.

Most of us now have access to ballistic software and these computer programmes can be very useful, especially if you have a new rifle. Providing you know the muzzle velocity, the bullet’s BC and the wind strength and direction, any half-decent programme should get you on target even at 1000 yards. Trouble is, our computer isn’t on the firing-point, it’s usually at home. Yes, you may be lucky to own one of those dinky palm-tops and if you load it up with a good programme you can input many of the aforementioned factors and make that first shot a bit less of a gamble.

For the professional shooter, like the military sniper, such devices are available but if electronics are involved, moisture will inevitably be a problem or even sand and of course it’s fragile. What would we give for a device which was portable, robust, weatherproof and would give us all this information and not rely on battery power?

Amazingly, I have such a device in my hand at this very moment. I’m about to shoot my 22 Dasher at 900 yards – something I’ve never done before. I normally use it out to 600 yards but today we are a good bit further back. I’ve just taken the air-temperature (51 degrees F) and wind-speed (13 mph) with my Kestrel meter and made a good stab at the wind direction – about 30 degrees over my right shoulder. I’m 1000 feet above sea level and I’m shooting up-hill about three degrees.

I need to wind-on 19.2 MOA according to my TAS calculator and my wind adjustment, for a 13 mph wind at 30 degrees is worth a tad over 4 MOA. No adjustments are needed for inclination but it’s ten degrees colder than my ‘zero’ data, so I need to add 4 MOA. Let’s take the shot.

It would be a miracle if I had hit the V bull but it’s a good solid hit and I’m quite impressed. No batteries, no wires, no phone, nothing to get wet, frozen, baked or broken in the TAS. Can you believe it?

You want one? Sorry, it would be no good to you because this one is specifically made for me – or at least my rifle – my Stiller Predator chambered in 22 Dasher. It’s based on an 80 grain bullet with a BC of 0.420 and muzzle velocity of 3250 fps. This data was collected at 60 degrees Fahrenheit by Dougie Lorimer of Tactical Adjustment Systems (TAS) by chronographing my ammunition. In other words, it’s tailor-made for one rifle/cartridge combination and this is what separates the TAS from other such devices. The TAS is dedicated to your rifle and ammo – full stop.

Yes, you could input all the same information into any ballistics computer programme and print off a few sheets of paper. You could even laminate that paper to weatherproof it and stuff it in your gun-bag. The TAS calculator is nothing more but it is offered as a very neat and very robust package about the size of a CD which will slip into your pocket. It’s made from a very tough plastic – polycarbonate – that looks as if it would stop a bullet! OK, maybe not but you get the picture. It would certainly stand up to police or military use in any climate.

All your ballistic information is engraved on this plastic disc. The engraving is deep so it won’t wear or rub off. You can take it apart in seconds if you have to. You can wash it if you need to. You can have a disc dedicated to each of your rifles or, if you are a military or police user, one disc would serve several identical rifles using the same ammunition.

I have no idea what the British Army sniper uses to make sight-adjustments for his long shots but it can’t be better than this and it certainly can’t be more reliable, robust or quick and simple to use. I would hope that our guys have at least something as good. Similarly, every police force should issuing a TAS to its tactical rifle shooters – lives could depend on it. These guys aren’t punching holes in paper!

I have no idea what the British Army sniper uses to make sight-adjustments for his long shots but it can’t be better than this and it certainly can’t be more reliable, robust or quick and simple to use. I would hope that our guys have at least something as good. Similarly, every police force should issuing a TAS to its tactical rifle shooters – lives could depend on it. These guys aren’t punching holes in paper!

I came across the TAS by accident. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I assumed that as this was a police/military spec. unit that it would be totally out of the price-range of a civilian shooter. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The unit, with a dedicated disc for your own rifle and ammunition is a paltry £95 plus VAT. If you want other discs dedicated to your other rifles, they are just £35 each.

When you compare this to some of the ballistic software on sale, there is no comparison. Yes, it’s nice to play with the software on your computer in the comfort of your home but honestly, how much use is it out in the field? The TAS is with you at all times – there to use, to give you the essential information that you need to make that first shot count. For the stalker/hunter, who often needs to take those up or downhill shots, it will not only help you make your kill but make a clean kill more likely.

Have a look at the TAS website on www.globalsecuritymarketing.com and if shooting is your job or your passion then you owe it to yourself to have a closer look at this innovative device.