Wanted: Rangefinder with terminal ballistics calculator

[308rws]

Dear Bushnell, Delta, Hawke, Leica, Leupold, Meopta, Swarovski, Vector, Vortex, Wulf, Zeiss etc. herewith a market opportunity.

Please manufacture a terminal ballistic Rangefinder which determines both the range and the backstop (e.g. in mils elevation of rising ground above the target) required to catch a specific bullet (calibre, construction, muzzle velocity, energy) fired prone or at height above ground level and direct or at elevation to the target, for differing terrain types .i.e. desert, forest, hill, marsh, mountain, plain etc. Designed to assist shooters to learn about what constitutes a safe backstop before taking a shot.

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

Think that bits is your job…

No rangefinder can tell you the construction of a backstop and whether its going to capture your errant round

Finger rule

Hold your finger horizontally at arms length
Backstop/horizon/ground level less than a finger width above your target?

Probably not worth the risk…

 

[HonestJohn]

never going to happen, sorry to say.

 

[308rws]

Evening Ed,

If you use your judgement to estimate range, it's your opinion of the range - it's not the actual calculated range to the target range.
If you use your fingers held horizontally at arms length (I use two for my bullet and calibre), it's approximate - it's not an exact terminal ballistic calculation of mils elevation.

Particularly thinking of novice shooters requirement, why would you allow 2 potential human errors of judgement into backstop assessment when the technology exists to mitigate those errors precisely?

I grant you that any automated terrain factor calculation would be an approximation, but surely 2 out of 3 is better than none?

The industry is all over external ballistics technology, but it's all for nought if the terminal ballistics calculation isn't safe!

 

[HonestJohn]

I work specifically in that industry, and I can say firmly that no manufacturer will produce an item that will indicate if a shot is safe or not, even if it’s just an indicator for personal assessment, the legal ramifications of a lawsuit going against the manufacture is too great to make it worth it, even if can be done

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

Because at some point the fleshy thing behind the gun needs to take personal responsibility for pulling the trigger
At whatever range and terrain

 

[308rws]

Whether we are recreational or professional deer managers, it's healthy and necessary to challenge assumptions, our industry, equipment manufactures and ourselves in order to improve.

 

[Saracen666]

Dear Bushnell, Delta, Hawke, Leica, Leupold, Meopta, Swarovski, Vector, Vortex, Wulf, Zeiss etc. herewith a market opportunity.

Please manufacture a terminal ballistic Rangefinder which determines both the range and the backstop (e.g. in mils elevation of rising ground above the target) required to catch a specific bullet (calibre, construction, muzzle velocity, energy) fired prone or at height above ground level and direct or at elevation to the target, for differing terrain types .i.e. desert, forest, hill, marsh, mountain, plain etc. Designed to assist shooters to learn about what constitutes a safe backstop before taking a shot.

Dear Bushnell, Delta, Hawke, Leica, Leupold, Meopta, Swarovski, Vector, Vortex, Wulf, Zeiss etc. herewith a market opportunity.

Please manufacture a terminal ballistic Rangefinder which determines both the range and the backstop (e.g. in mils elevation of rising ground above the target) required to catch a specific bullet (calibre, construction, muzzle velocity, energy) fired prone or at height above ground level and direct or at elevation to the target, for differing terrain types .i.e. desert, forest, hill, marsh, mountain, plain etc. Designed to assist shooters to learn about what constitutes a safe backstop before taking a shot.

Please don't ever use an electronic device for a backstop. If you can't see that your safe backstop is genuinely safe, which a rangefinder can't do anyway, you have no right to even raise your rifle and consider pointing at it.
)b)

 

[308rws]

According to the 2009 'Best Practice' Firearms Safe Handling, a safe backstop is one of the 10 principles of 'Taking a shot'. Not to be confused with safe target identification, bullet flight path and the other principles.

As such, the industry definition of "A safe backstop is one that could reasonably be expected to capture a bullet and bullet fragments without causing ricochet, damage or danger." So, based upon the industry definition:

• How do you know that your backstop is as safe as reasonably practicable?
• How do you calculate backstop?
• What metrics do you measure it in; degrees, mils, MOA, penetration, what?

All of us use ballistics calculators to ensure the accuracy of our bullet at a given range, terminal ballistics calculation of a reasonably safe backstop is no different.

 

[Saracen666]

According to the 2009 'Best Practice' Firearms Safe Handling, a safe backstop is one of the 10 principles of 'Taking a shot'. Not to be confused with safe target identification, bullet flight path and the other principles.

As such, the industry definition of "A safe backstop is one that could reasonably be expected to capture a bullet and bullet fragments without causing ricochet, damage or danger." So, based upon the industry definition:

• How do you know that your backstop is as safe as reasonably practicable?
• How do you calculate backstop?
• What metrics do you measure it in; degrees, mils, MOA, penetration, what?

All of us use ballistics calculators to ensure the accuracy of our bullet at a given range, terminal ballistics calculation of a reasonably safe backstop is no different.

They should also make it clear that clearly seeing the area is very important.
Wherever you aim and fire, should be clearly seen to avoid relying on dead ground. By this, I mean woodland, hedgerows, extremely high grass etc, which, regardless of whether you wouldn't expect people to be there, or not, can't be considered dead ground / safe.

According to the 2009 'Best Practice' Firearms Safe Handling, a safe backstop is one of the 10 principles of 'Taking a shot'. Not to be confused with safe target identification, bullet flight path and the other principles.

As such, the industry definition of "A safe backstop is one that could reasonably be expected to capture a bullet and bullet fragments without causing ricochet, damage or danger." So, based upon the industry definition:

• How do you know that your backstop is as safe as reasonably practicable?
• How do you calculate backstop?
• What metrics do you measure it in; degrees, mils, MOA, penetration, what?

All of us use ballistics calculators to ensure the accuracy of our bullet at a given range, terminal ballistics calculation of a reasonably safe backstop is no different.