Hornady has announced the launch of its new Hornady Ballistic Calculator App that includes the advanced 4DOF (4 Degrees of Freedom) calculator and a standard typical ballistic coefficient (BC) calculator for hunters who want to get the most out of their firearms’ ballistic capabilities.
The free Hornady Ballistic Calculator App allows users to calculate trajectories in the field without wireless connectivity from their phone or tablet. Originally introduced in a website version in 2016, Hornady’s 4DOF ballistic calculator has gained a following of hunters looking to maximize their firearm zeroes, particularly for long-range hunting.
The Hornady 4DOF ballistic calculator provides trajectory solutions based on projectile Drag Coefficient (not ballistic coefficient) along with the exact physical profile of the projectile, including its mass and aerodynamic properties. Wind drift and the vertical shift a bullet experiences when impacted by a crosswind are also accounted for.
“Current ballistic calculators provide three degrees of freedom in their approach; windage, elevation and range, but treat the projectile as an inanimate lump flying through the air,” Hornady Chief Ballistician Dave Emary said in a recent press release. “This program incorporates the projectile’s movement in the standard three degrees but also adds its movement about its center of gravity and subsequent angle relative to its line of flight, which is the fourth degree of freedom.”
Utilizing Doppler radar, Hornady engineers have calculated exact drag versus velocity curves for every bullet in the 4DOF calculator library. When combined with the physical attributes of the projectiles, the 4DOF calculator is more accurate for long range hits than using other measurements derived from a limited data collection points.
The 4DOF ballistic calculator is used with pre-populated bullet files that include long-range hunting style bullets, as well as match bullets, including Hornady’s own ELD-X and ELD Match bullets, as well as other long-range bullets from various companies. To see the projectiles available, visit hornady.com/4dof.
The Hornady Ballistic Calculator App still features a standard BC-based calculator for use with other bullets. Users can enter their own BC values (both G1 and G7 figures) or can choose from the entire lineup of Hornady bullets and ammunition in easily-filtered, pre-populated lists. The Hornady Ballistic Calculator App is Bluetooth enabled and will work with certain wind meters. The App also allows users the ability to create “favorites” (rifle/scope/ammunition combinations) and save them for repeated use.
To download the free Hornady Ballistic Calculator App, visit the Apple App Store for iOS devices or the Google Play Store for Android devices.
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