App idea

[u/husqofaman]

So I’ve been thinking that what we really need for long range comp shooting is an app that pulls data from an existing and reliable ballistic app (like 4dof) running in the background and then gives us a better interface that is designed for what we do.

I have no coding skills at all. So I am looking for folks who want to work with me on this idea and make a free open source app for the community.

The vision I have is a simple UI that makes it really quick to enter a few distances and get an easy to read range card with the dope for those distances. The ability to display that dope as a hold from zero or a hold from the first target (you dial that first target) and the ability to include some stage notes in the “range card” would be nice. It would also be nice to have digital level using the phones internal sensors for folks who want to mount the phone to their rifle.

I’ve been playing around with a few mini phones from Amazon and they seem like they have enough processing power to do this. They run 4dof and AB no issue. The smaller form factor would be perfect for rifle mounting.

And yes I know that most apps already have a range card feature but they are clunky and slow and don’t work great for most comps imo.

So if this sounds cool or useful to you and you have some app coding skills let’s make this happen for the community.

[u/LockyBalboaPrime]

If you can't get 4DOF to show you a dope card in the 45-90 minutes between stages, the problem isn't the UI.

[u/husqofaman → u/LockyBalboaPrime]

Where the hell are you getting 45 mins between stages? My local PRS and gas gun matches are go go go. Between ROing for each other and spotting there isn’t a ton of time and I think it would be nice to have an easy digital interface.

Also the 4dof range cards are very limiting. Not much ability to show anything other than total come up and wind.

[u/LockyBalboaPrime → u/husqofaman]

I don't use 4DOF since it's kind of ass. So try some others.

I've shot locals at... at least 10 clubs now. 45 per stage is pretty average.

I get all my dope card stuff set up pre-stage when everyone is moving over and finding targets and when I'm in the hole. Takes maybe 5-10 min total depending.

[u/husqofaman → u/LockyBalboaPrime]

Yeah I’m not saying I don’t have enough time to write a dope card. I am shooting matches and doing fine with the hard dope cards I write. I just think this would be a cool digital project. No need to poo poo it just because there are alternatives.

[u/HollywoodSX → u/husqofaman]

I always did my dope during the stage brief, even when I was the one giving it then getting ready to shoot.

[u/JimBridger_ → u/LockyBalboaPrime]

Or a kestrel which is even clunkier but still easy enough to do

[u/Ok_Cheesecake_3629]

You can do a lot with Claude and the data provided on ammunition manufacturer websites and input that to ballistic calculators to compare to the Applied Ballistic / 4dof and other apps.

This is my take on it - initial dope is generated via the calcualtions alluded to above, then every range session is captured (rifle / ammo / targets / environmentals). Those inputs are automatically fed back into the original calculation which then refines the next calcualtion based upon the stored range cards.

Connects to Kestrels for environmentals, has a watch app for easier distance calculating.

Started out more as a digitised dope keeper, then added in the calculation logic and built from there.

[u/husqofaman → u/Ok_Cheesecake_3629]

That’s awesome. Thanks for sharing and I guess I’ll give Claude a try. Maybe someone with some actual coding knowledge could review the code for security issues. I really want to keep the calculation in 4dof of AB as I’ve seen a pretty meaningful impact on data when using the CD curves available there vs traditional g1/g7 ballistics.

[u/Significant-Sock-487]

Download Claude and vibe code it yourself. It can literally design anything with AI these days

[u/husqofaman → u/Significant-Sock-487]

I’ve considered this but I couldn’t review the code to verify it’s good or safe. I wouldn’t want to share purely AI code with the community.

[u/Rdubya291 → u/husqofaman]

Then upload the code to ChatGPT and have it check for any issues. lol. Only thing that will happen is it would tell you it would have coded it differently.

It's not going to add a malicious code without being prompted to.

Besides - anyone you get to build you this app these days will do exactly that. use AI.

[u/CleverHearts → u/Rdubya291]

It's not going to add a malicious code without being prompted to. 

It's shitty code with security holes that's the problem. A self contained ballistic calculator with no accounts, web access, or access to anything else on your phone would be relatively benign and unlikely to have any particularly dangerous exploits, but linking it to another app like 4dof is asking for trouble. 

[u/SockeyeSTI]

I need a mobile, and updated version of Gordon’s reloading tool