Exterior ballistic programs may be very useful for competitive shooting and hunting, only if the ballistic program is easy to use and yields useful data. Silhouette Ballistics is that type of home computer program. It is easy to use and yields useful information for competitive shooting matches or hunting trips. One of the unique and useful features found in the trajectory tables is the correct sight setting for various shooting distances and environmental conditions. These are not sea level tables at standard atmospheric conditions, but sight settings adjusted from a known zeroing distance, muzzle velocity, bullet type, temperature, and altitude to any new shooting distance and environmental condition. The programmer has won a few Silhouette Matches and the 1997, 2001, & 2003 Michigan High Power Rifle State Championship with the aid of the competition tables generated by Silhouette Ballistics.

Individual Gun Files

Silhouette Ballistics contains a very comprehensive exterior ballistics program that is very easy to use and all your information on your guns and pet loads can be saved for reuse at a later date. Silhouette Ballistics uses individual gun files and these files are common to all the programs.  The interior and exterior ballistic programs open with a complete default listing and reference for the data needed to run the program. Just change the data to fit your needs and save it for later use. Individual gun files can be created, saved, and recalled for later use just like a letter file. Create a "MY Guns" folder in your My Documents Windows Folder and then create different folders for each of your guns with individual files for each load and bullet combination.

Trajectory Tables

Silhouette Ballistics, Exterior Ballistic Program has many tailored made trajectory tables to meet various shooting and shooters requirements.  Trajectory tables for competitive shooters, hunters, and plinkers.  Maximum Range Trajectory Tables range considerations.  Bench rest trajectory group simulations plotted on competition targets.  Determined optimum point blank zeroing distance.  Analytical trajectory tables and more are just a click away on the Trajectory Table drop down menu.

Distance gun zeroed at? If your gun is shooting high or low at some distance and you want to know the distance at which the gun is correctly sighted, Silhouette Ballistics can calculate it for you. Example if your gun was 2.5 inches high at 200 yards than it would be on at and 241 yards. It would also be on at 22 yards.

Point Blank Information - You can vary the impact height measurement and have the point blank distance listed.  You can also create tables with varying gun zero distances, altitudes, barometric pressures, muzzle velocities, bullet ballistic coefficients, and sight height above the bore to see the differences it makes to the point blank range.

Single Distance Trajectory Table - a quick single line trajectory table for those odd hunting distances.  Handy option if you take your computer hunting or to the range.  Enter your laser measured target distance plus the wind speed and wind direction from a Kestrel 4500 Weather Tracker and let Silhouette Ballistics calculate your exact sight settings and windage.

Variable Parameter Trajectory Tables - the optimum what if trajectory tables.  Create trajectory table at one distance and vary the altitude, barometric pressure, bullets ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, ambient temperature, or guns zeroed distance and view the results on screen. Great way to compare things and understand the variables.  See the affect of muzzle velocity on point of impact at 600 yards.

Bench Rest Simulation Trajectory Tables - simulate a 3 to 100 (any size) shot groups at any distance with vary wind speeds and wind directions and see the results in statistical form or have the data plotted so that it can be used with the target analysis program included with Silhouette Ballistics.

Simulate a group shot at any distance in feet, yards, or meters. You may vary the numbers of shots per simulated group. Input the muzzle velocity standard deviation and the program will randomly select a muzzle velocity. Input wind speed and wind direction and again the program will randomly make a selection within your limits.

All simulated shots are compared to a mean simulated condition shot. Then the amount high, low, left, and right from the mean shot is determined and listed. The simulated deviations from center or mean condition may then be plotted on a target for the appropriate distance. You may than see the affects on group size and score.

The plotted target coordinates may be saved and used with Silhouette Ballistics Target Analysis program for scoring the target and seeing the group on the target.

Competitive Trajectory Tables - my favorite table. These are the tables I take to all my competitive silhouette matches and 600 yard events. One table lists the corrected sight settings, in my case I use the actual scope knob numbers, for all competitive shooting distances with varying ambient temperatures (-20 to 120 °F) and varying barometric pressures. All I do is find the temperature and pressure at match time and have the corrected scope setting. If things change just check the table. It works!!!!

Competition Trajectory Tables produced by Silhouette Ballistics lists the correct sight settings for any shooting distance at selected temperature and barometric pressures or altitudes in an easy to use format. The corrected sight setting or required elevation may be displayed in minutes of angle, inches of holdover / under, sights clicks, or my favorite, actual scope knob numbers for scopes with target type knobs. The competition tables are a very unique exterior ballistic feature and only found in Silhouette Ballistics. This complex table of sight corrections may be computed for any shooting distance and any environmental condition. This table lists the correct sight setting for different temperatures. Each sight setting is adjusted from the gun’s actual zeroed in conditions and sight setting, so the sight setting in the table is corrected to the new environmental table conditions. The table or example shown below is from 0°F to 100°F and the user may easily change this range. The muzzle velocity may also be corrected or adjusted for the different temperatures. This table is very useful for the competitive silhouette shooter and is most useful at longer shooting distances, greater than 400 yards. Once you discover these tables and see the usefulness, you will want to generate them for all your competitive shooting or hunting distances. If you are a live varmint shooter then you will find the holdover / under tables at various altitudes very handy.

The table for 500 meters lists the required elevation in minutes of angle (MOA) required from the guns 200-yard zero setting to be on at 500 meters at various temperature and barometric pressures. I print these charts at the range conditions for each of the silhouette competition distances before I go to the match. Just look down the chart and find the temperature and just guess at barometric pressure. Temperature is most important here.

The table can also be made with varying altitudes in place of barometric pressures, and would be very handy on hunting trips. Just imagine a 650 yard shooting table showing the different hold-over and hold-under for your rifle zeroed 650 yards earlier when the weather was cooler and now it’s really getting hot down on the old prairie dog town. Good information is key and knowing what to do as the conditions change is very good information.

Analytical Trajectory Tables - these are somewhat like the Competitive Trajectory Tables but instead of listing the sight setting at various temperatures and pressures or altitudes the actual total bullet drop, target energy, striking momentum, target velocity, and wind drift is given.  See the affect that muzzle velocity has on the point of impact at 600 yards in terms of MOA from normal 600 yard zero.

Windage Tables - create your own windage tables or wind clocks for your muzzle velocity at your range conditions.

Wind Clocks - create your own wind clocks for your bullet, muzzle velocity, and range enviromental conditions.

Various graphs are also easily created from the Graphs drop down menus.

The table shown below is just one of many trajectory tables that are easy to select from a drop down windows menu.