Tag Archives: Applied Ballistics Kestrel

Austin Orgain, a 2-time PRS champion and overall PRS points leader from the past 5-7 years, gives us an exclusive look into the contents of his backpack that he carries at a pro-level rifle match. While we often see what rifle and gear someone uses, it's a rare opportunity for a professional shooter to unpack their bag and discuss the complete inventory. In this article, Mr. Orgain not only unveils what's inside but also imparts practical tips on how he uses each item and shares his perspective on why carrying this gear improves his chances of standing on the podium once more.

This article shares what pro shooter Austin Orgain uses to calculate his ballistics (which will surprise you) and how he tests his ballistics and trues his velocity and bullet drag so his ballistic calculator lines up with his actual impacts in the field. It also covers exactly how he writes down his adjustments for elevation and wind for a PRS stage and how he uses it while he’s on the clock. This article talks directly about some of the bigger differences between a pro shooter and an amateur, so you won’t want to miss it!

Reigning PRS Champ Austin Buschman shows us everything he carries in his backpack at a pro-level rifle match. While we often see what rifle and gear someone uses, it’s rare to have a pro shooter empty their pack and tell us about everything they carry. In this article, Austin does just that! He also shares how he trues his ballistics and shares a ton of practical tips! This article gives a ton of new info and insight that I haven’t ever seen published anywhere else. I bet you guys find it as interesting as I did!

A few months ago, I published an article about the devices and apps the top precision rifle shooters were using to calculate their ballistics. We saw that 76% used a Kestrel Ballistic Weather Meter, and 22% used some kind of phone app (see the data). However, most shooters don’t ever touch a Kestrel or their phone while they’re on the clock shooting a stage at a rifle match. Match directors create stages with tight time constraints and/or barricades to intentionally induce stress. Fumbling with buttons and electronics under stress is not a great plan, and inevitably that’s the kind of ...

“In the past 4-5 years we’ve made quantum leaps when it comes to predicting bullet trajectories.” –Dave Emary, Ballistician Ever wonder why you center punch targets at some distances, but your dope is a couple clicks off at other distances? Maybe your shots are dead on at 600 yards but off at 1000 yards, or vice versa. In those scenarios we often blame the rifle, scope, ammo, or ourselves, but is our firing solution as accurate as it should be? This article gives practical insight into some important nuances of predicting bullet trajectory, and shows what drag models the top ...

Ever wondered what ballistic app the best shooters use? Here are the answers! This article covers the ballistic apps the top precision rifle shooters are running to calculate their firing solutions for first-round hits at long range. The data is based on a recent survey I conducted of the top-ranked shooters across the country in both the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and National Rifle League (NRL). (Learn more about the PRS & NRL). This is a very unique data set, because it includes a wide sample size (170+ shooters) who also represent the leading experts in the field. (View all ...

This is the last post in a series highlighting the major challenges related to extreme long range (ELR) shooting. Along the way I’ve shared a few tips and products to help you overcome those challenges. I grouped topics into a few categories, and here is what we’ve covered so far: Optics & Mounts – Accounting for an extreme amount of bullet drop Spotting Shots & Ranging – Seeing your bullet impact and getting an accurate range Ballistics & Time of Flight – Advanced/unique things that happen when a bullet stays in the air for a long time In this post, ...

When you extend shots into extreme ranges (like 2000+ yards), you’ll face some new obstacles. A few factors that could be safely ignored inside of 1000 yards become critical to getting rounds on target. You’ll face new equipment challenges that may not be obvious. As your bullet’s time of flight extends up 3 seconds, and possibly even up to 6+ seconds, priorities shift. In this series of posts I’m trying to highlight a few things that make extreme long range (ELR) challenging, and pointing out a few products worth checking out that might help. In the first post in this ...

The goal of this field test was to quantify the temperature stability of the popular Hodgdon H4350 and Varget powders and compare those to IMR’s new Enduron line of powders. To do this we carefully measured muzzle velocities of meticulously loaded ammo over a huge range of temperatures. This test was conducted by Patrick Middlebrook. Patrick is passionate about the art of precision rifles. He’s a great shooter who has competed in numerous local matches, and several national PRS matches. He is also a 5-star handloader. I’ve learned a ton from him! Patrick has become a good friend of mine (Cal, ...

Surgeon Rifles has teamed up with a few manufacturers to offer up an amazing rifle package that is valued at over $12,000. The package will be raffled off on March 17, 2014, and proceeds will go to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper Association. I talked to Surgeon Rifles about this raffle a few weeks ago at SHOT Show 2014, and they said the money will be primarily used to to assist the families of fallen scout snipers. So not only will you have a chance to win this amazing rifle setup, but you could help worthy families in ...