Shooting Voodoo

Efficient Data Book Use

By Ian Kenney

 

There has been somewhat of a back and forth debate on whether or not the data book still has any relevance in long range shooting.  Many argue that a single PDA can replace several data books since it can store a rifle’s information and contain accurate ballistic programs for numerous loads.  This is all very true, however, I feel that the data book is still a valuable tool for long range shooters of all kinds as long as the shooter understands how best to use it.    To me the data book is just another tool that can be utilitzed to get hits on target faster and more efficiently just like the PDA, the wind meter, and the laser rangefinder.

 

 In this article I’m going to go talk about efficient data book use and specifically the idea of keeping all of the trajectory data and other information in one of two data book categories; one being a field/mission book and the other a range book.  In the paragraphs below I will discuss the advantages of the “two book” method as well as how it can be applied to both modular and traditional-style data books.

 

The Data Book Advantage

 

Despite the fact that many regard the data book as obsolete, or “old school” at best, I feel that the data book holds some distinct advantages over more technologically superior methods.  One advantage is that since it is so “low tech” there is very little to go wrong or fail when it is needed most besides possibly leaving it at home or in the car.  It is also not as susceptible to damage from being dropped or submerged in water as a PDA or laser rangefinder might be.   The data book also won’t die unexpectedly because the battery life got too low, potentially cutting you off from your trajectory data or keeping you from getting an accurate range to the target.  Now, I’m not saying that just because something has batteries and electronics that it is not field worthy and should therefore not be used.  I use a laser rangefinder and wind meter as much as I can however I don’t think that it should be the only means available to obtain the necessary information.  In many ways the data book can be thought of as a back up to all the other things one might carry to come up with a firing solution.  A good data book will have pages that can help determine the distance, wind speed, and the necessary elevation and windage corrections for different conditions.  That is if the shooter takes the time to collect good data, note any trends, and keep everything organized.

 

Two Data Books?

 

I first read about the practice of keeping two data books from an old Sniper Country post dating back almost 12 years.   In the original thread from Sniper Country the actual discussion was about keeping two completely separate books with one data book for mission/field work and the other simply for range trips.   I imagine that twelve years ago the availability of aftermarket data books was pretty limited and nothing like what is available today.  From what I have seen most of the data books were spiral bound or kept the pages permanently secured in other ways so that there was very little that could be done to tailor the book to individual needs short of ripping out pages.  

 

I have a military issued data book that was given to me during a course several years ago and after flipping back through it I realized just how basic it really was and ill suited for actual field use.  For starters it’s constructed out of pretty plain printer paper with a card stock cover so it was not waterproof, or even water resistant, in and of itself. In the front there are some generic wind data tables, a mil relation chart, and zero summary charts but not much else.   The bad thing about these some of these charts, along with most of the other ballistic tables that I’ve found in data books, is that they rarely match up to what the shooter will actually need. 

 

 

 

 

Wind chart in a military issued data book

 

There are also a few blank pages in the data book that can be used to write some additional information down but it would be scattered at best and inefficient to get to in a hurry.  Another annoying feature of this data book is that half way through the pages are inverted for some reason so to look at something in the back you have to flip the book upside down. 

 

 

Note how on one side the targets are right side and on the other upside down.

 

There are also only target pages for only two kinds of targets, “square” zero targets and something that can only be described as a silhouette.  So if the shooter was engaging a pepper popper or round steel target they wouldn’t be able to accurately plot hits without drawing in the target themselves somewhere on the sheet.  The downside of this is that not everyone is an artist and the effectiveness of having a true target representation on your sheet can be diminished.

 

 

 

 

This data book is far from perfect but it filled a particular need for the military and if I were still using this kind of data book I’d definitely keep a separate book handy for strictly fieldwork and competitions.

 

After going through the entire Sniper Country thread I almost immediately saw the merit in this two book concept since it could allow the shooter to access the information they really needed much more quickly.   By having one book for a specific task there would be less confusion and flipping through multiple pages in order to find what was needed.  I can also definitely relate to that since I was at a competition last year where I wasted a lot of time during a stage flipping through my data book, trying to come up with the information that I needed.  The problem was that I set up my data book just like all the other data books I’d ever used with conversion tables up front, the good data in the middle, and the less important stuff towards the end.  Even with tabs that marked out the different sections I learned that it just wasn’t that great of an arrangement.  After that experience and the very informative post on Sniper Country I decided to reshuffle my data book to better reflect the two-book concept.  I split the data book into two sections; a field data book and a range data book.  Now what I took away from that thread was that the field/mission data book should be a simple affair with only what is needed to get a hit on target. 

 

In my opinion, a basic field data book would have the following pages, although the actual combination would depend on the actual needs of the shooter.  The information should also be quickly and easily accessible for those times when stress and time are a major factor.

 

Zero Summary Chart	This sheet is used to keep record of changes in elevation settings due to density altitude or temperature.
Wind Chart	This sheet is used to keep record of the wind’s effects on a particular bullet at different distances.
Custom Data Card	This card can replace the above two if it is accurate enough.
Movers Zero Summary Chart	This sheet is used to keep record of the holds needed to engage moving targets moving at different speeds.
Hold Over Data Sheets	This sheet is used to keep record of the hold-overs and hold-unders needed to engage multiple targets at different distances.
Observation Logs, Range Cards, Sketch Sheets	These can be used to record what is seen during a mission, competition, or outing.
Reference and Conversion Sheets	These are used as quick reference for things like metric conversions, wind and mover calculations, as well as nine-line MEDEVAC procedures or call for fire.

 

 The range data book contains pages that are normally associated with a traditional data book such as the following:

 

Cold Bore Data Sheet	This sheet is used to track the deviation of the first shot out of the barrel from the rest of the shots.
Target Data Sheet	These sheets are used to record the elevation and windage settings used to engage different targets at distance.  The atmospheric conditions are also recorded on this sheet.
Barrel Log	This sheet is used to record the number of rounds down a barrel.
Load Data Sheet	This sheet is used to record the basic load data for the ammunition being used.  This applies primarily to handloaders.
Notes Sheet	This sheet is used to take additional notes.

 

These pages are pretty much exclusively used at the range when collecting data in various conditions that help build the information needed for the field data book.  So in many ways you have to have one in order to have the other.

 

Luckily, there are currently many more data book options available than there were in the past that can take the concept of keeping two data books to another level.  This is especially true with newer modular data books since the shooter can rearrange pages to tailor the data book to their needs.  In addition to tailoring the data book the shooter can take the information that would’ve required two separate books in the past and roll it into one book that is a lot easier to keep track of and store.   I’ve taken the idea of the two-book concept and applied it to my personal data book, which I will be going through below.

 

The “Field Book”

 

When I set about reorganizing my data book in hopes of making it more efficient I tried to make it so that the pages were arranged almost like a checklist.  I did this by going through the steps that I go through from the moment I get behind the gun to observe a target to the time I touch a shot off. 

 

The first thing I need to know is how big is the target that I’m looking at? So that being the case, the first page that my eyes fall upon is the target dimensions sheet.  This page has a collection of dimensions for everything from steel targets to license plates.  If I don’t have the actual targets dimensions chances are I’ll have the size of something close by that I can get a range off of.

 

 

 

After I know how big the target is the next thing I need to know is how far away is it?  Normally I use a Mildot Master or a calculator to obtain this data but I set my data book up so that I could get by without them if I had to.  Calculators die and Mildot Masters can get lost or even “broken” if they get too wet so having an alternate means of range estimation is cheap insurance.  To accomplish this I have a mil relation chart that should get me close to the actual range of the target depending on its size.  The downside to the mil relation chart is that if the specific target size isn’t listed you have to go to the next closest size and make a guess from there.  A more accurate chart can be custom made on Excel without too much effort that is tailored to specific targets, such as the one I did for the Allegheny Sniper Challenge.  This custom chart will make for more accurate range estimates versus a pretty standard type of chart.  I set my mil relation charts up in 1/10^th mil units since I’m using a mil-based reticle and it keeps the overall size of the chart down so it will all fit onto a RITR loose-leaf sheet for easier reference in the field.  It isn’t perfect or quite as accurate as using a mildot master or LRF but it is definitely better than guessing.

 

 

 

Now that I know the size of the target and the distance I need to look at some of the other factors that will affect the shot such as whether or not the target is up or downhill from me? What are the wind conditions like? And is it moving?  To address those questions I have a slope dope page that should get me close if I have nothing else available to give me a more accurate angle reading.   I also have reference sheets for wind and moving targets that I can use for manually estimating and calculating holds and corrections. 

 

 

 

After I have taken all of the other factors into account I need to know how much elevation to dial in and how much windage to hold for.  I have several charts and tables that are set up specifically for my rifle to help me figure this out.  First up is a density altitude data card that gives me the elevation and windage corrections needed out to 1100 yards.  I prefer to use density altitude since it takes several environmental factors and rolls it into one number. That table is followed by the hold over data sheets that I use as a reference in case I can’t dial in the elevation correction needed and have to use just the reticle.  It won’t be as accurate but it’ll work and the dope is proven from previous range trips and competitions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the end of my “field book” section I inserted the sketch sheets with sketches of the places that I commonly shoot at.  Some are marked with distances to targets; some aren’t since the position of the targets can change.   This part of the field book would also be good for range cards or other mission essential logs and reference sheets.   Some of those might be observation logs, nine-line MEDEVAC references, or call for fire references for those that go into harms way.  At the tail end of my field book are the reticle subtension diagrams and conversion sheets.

 

 

 

 

That is pretty much it for the “field book” section of my modular data book.  All of the information that I really need is up front and easy to get to and the modular data book makes setting it up this way pretty easy.  Now even if you don’t have a modular data book, a pretty good field book can be created from the data book pages provided here at Shooting Voodoo and the truth is they don’t even have to be printed on Rite-in-the-Rain paper. 

 

The “Range Book”

 

The “range book” section of my data book is essentially the stereotypical data book with target data sheets and the barrel log that I can fill out.  I see this section has more administrative in nature but no less vital to the overall data management scheme.  I say that it is administrative in nature because the sheets in this section have to contain a lot of information for a relatively small amount of rounds fired.  The information also has to be as detailed as possible so that trends in how the rifle and ammunition perform under certain conditions can be seen.  Now some people might get confused about exactly what kinds of trends in rifle and ammunition performance to look for.  I can’t speak for everyone but when I start compiling data for a rifle I’m really looking to see how close the elevation settings are to the ballistic program as well as how they might be effected by different environmental conditions.  I started using density altitude last year as a better means of tracking data since it takes the air temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and altitude and compiles it into one number.  Normally, pilots use density altitude, however it’s finding favor among many accomplished long range shooters.  I’ve found it much easier to spot trends when looking at a single DA value compared to sorting through multiple pages with different temperature, pressure, and altitude values penciled in.  Some other trends to look for is the amount of deviation of the cold bore shot from the following shots as well as how different temperatures, shooting positions, and lighting conditions affect your accuracy.  For example after a few range sessions using different sling supported positions I’ve noticed that within 300 yards using either the sitting or kneeling position works well enough to get hits on target.  However, past 400 the percentage of hits goes down if I try to use the kneeling position while the percentage of hits stays pretty consistent if I use a sitting slung position.  I call this a trend and I can use that information to give me a better chance later on at a competition if I have to take a shot using the sling or in some other aspect of precision rifle shooting.  Additionally the trajectory data that I collect while shooting in different conditions can go towards creating accurate data summaries for my field book that is much easier to use than trying to flip through numerous target sheets.  Now the process of spotting trends doesn’t happen after just one or two range trips but over multiple trips and only if you go back over the data afterwards.  

 

 

Something else that I don’t do with my data book is keep a lot of target sheets in the range book section of my data book.  Generally, I’ll have ten or so target sheets for the ones that I shoot the most often and a few blank data sheets thrown in so that I can draw in a target if I don’t have the right page.  I do this because it keeps the thickness of the data book down for easier stowage and reduces the amount of clutter that has to be sorted through when looking for specific information.  From time to time I’ll remove the target sheets that have already been filled out and secure them together with a binder ring.   I only do this after I’ve gotten all of the information from it that I need for data summaries though.  This is done for the same reasons that I only keep a few pages in the range book, it keeps everything neat and trim without a lot to sort through.

 

 

 

Among the last pages in the range book section is the barrel log and I put it here because the number of rounds that I’ve put down the barrel isn’t necessary information to make a shot at a competition or in the field.  I use it as more or less a reference for when the rifle has to be cleaned or for when I might want to start considering having it replaced.  A notes section can also be added to the range book section so that thoughts or observations from the day at the range can be added and reviewed later.  These notes might point out areas of improvement or how you and/or the rifle performed in a certain position.  Whatever information is collected at the range should be as detailed as possible though because it will only improve the quality of the information in the data summaries, which is really what it’s all about anyway.

 

In The End

 

Whether you are setting up a modular data book or one with permanently bound pages, using field book/range book method make sure the two are distinctly identifiable.   That way there will be no confusion as to which one you are looking at or grabbing for when the time comes to use it.  For now I’m using page separators between the field and range book sections of my modular data book, however in the future I may go with different color pages to make them more distinct.  The most important thing to remember though is that good, detailed information going in to the data book will yield good, detailed information coming out of it which means more first round hits downrange.