Shooter Shooter – Operation ManualLast Updated: March 26, 2026

Table of Contents


Overview & Requirements

Shooter is an accurate and intuitive ballistics calculator for Android™ and iOS™ that has been trusted by thousands of shooters for over 15 years since its original release in 2010. It is developed by Kennedy Development Group.

Getting started with Shooter is straightforward:

  1. Create a Firearm Profile for your rifle
  2. Add an Ammo Profile underneath that firearm
  3. Select the ammo profile and enter your current conditions and target data
  4. Tap Calculate and view your trajectory in a Solution Screen, Trajectory Table, or Target Card

Requirements

Not Required


Firearm Profiles

Shooter saves all of your firearm and ammo data into profiles so you only need to enter this information once. Each time you open Shooter you can simply select the gun and ammo you are shooting and proceed directly to your trajectory calculation.

Adding a Firearm

To add a firearm, open Shooter and tap the Add Firearm button. You will see a form with the following inputs:

Name – An identifying name for this firearm (e.g., “.308 Winchester”). This is the name shown in your firearm list.

Barrel Twist – The twist rate of your barrel. For a 1:10″ twist, enter 10; for a 1:11.25″ twist, enter 11.25. This is optional and only needed if you intend to calculate spin drift. Leave it blank if you do not know it or do not need spin drift calculations.

Twist Direction – The direction of the rifling in your barrel. Most rifles are right-twist, but left-twist is available. This is only relevant if a Barrel Twist is entered.

Sight Height – The height from the centerline of your bore to the center of your sight. To measure this on a scoped rifle: measure the radius of the barrel just ahead of the scope bell, plus the radius of the scope bell, plus the gap between the bottom of the bell and the barrel. Typical values are 1–3″.

Sight Offset – The lateral offset of your sight from the centerline of the barrel. Positive values are to the right, negative to the left.

Elevation Unit – The angular unit for elevation (vertical) adjustments. Check your scope turret markings — the options are MOA (Minutes of Angle), IPHY (Inches Per Hundred Yards), and Mils.

Elevation Turret Graduation – The amount of adjustment per click of your elevation turret. Select from preset values (1/20, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/5, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 5/8, 1, or 2). This should be marked on your turret or found in your scope’s manual. If you set this to 1, the click count in the Solution Screen will be hidden since each click equals one full unit and the angular value alone is sufficient.

Windage Unit – The angular unit for windage (horizontal) adjustments. Options are the same as Elevation Unit. Typically the same as your elevation unit.

Windage Turret Graduation – Same as Elevation Turret Graduation, for your windage turret.

Elevation Correction Factor – A multiplier to correct for scope turret clicks that are not precisely what they claim. For example, if your “0.25 MOA per click” scope actually adjusts 0.23 MOA per click, enter 1.087 (0.25 ÷ 0.23). Shooter will multiply the calculated solution by this factor. An asterisk (*) will appear next to corrected values in the output. Set to 1.0 to disable. Inaccurate click adjustments are more common than you may think — don’t take this for granted.

Windage Correction Factor – Same as Elevation Correction Factor, for windage.

After entering your data, tap Add to save the profile. You will be returned to the firearm list.

Editing a Firearm

From the firearm list, swipe left on a profile (iOS) or touch and hold (Android) and tap the Edit option. You will see the same form as when adding, with all fields pre-filled. Make your changes and tap Update. On iOS, you can also enter Edit mode by tapping the Edit button in the toolbar and then tapping the firearm you wish to edit.

Duplicating a Firearm

Swipe left on a firearm (iOS) or touch and hold (Android) and select Duplicate. You will be prompted to enter a name for the new copy. The duplicate will include all settings from the original as well as copies of all associated ammo profiles.

Deleting a Firearm

Swipe right on a firearm (iOS) or touch and hold (Android) and select Delete. Deleting a firearm will also remove all ammo profiles associated with it.


Ammo Profiles & Bullet Library

To manage ammo profiles, tap the Firearm row on the main screen and select a firearm. Then tap the Ammo row to see all ammo profiles for that firearm.

Adding an Ammo Profile

There are two ways to add an ammo profile:

  1. From Bullet Library – Select from hundreds of bullets organized by caliber (diameter), then manufacturer, then specific bullet model. If a bullet has both G1 and G7 data, you will be asked which drag function to use. Most bullet-related inputs will be auto-populated, saving you time and ensuring accuracy.

  2. Add Manually – If your bullet is not in the library, choose this option to enter all data by hand.

Name – An identifying name for this ammunition. If you used the Bullet Library, this will be pre-filled but can be changed to whatever you prefer.

Bullet Diameter – The diameter of your bullet in inches. Note that the bullet diameter is not always exactly the same as the cartridge name — for example, .223 Remington uses a .224″ diameter bullet.

Bullet Weight – The weight of your bullet in grains.

Bullet Length – The total length of the bullet (not the loaded cartridge). This is optional and only required for spin drift calculations, in which case your firearm profile must also have a Barrel Twist defined.

Nose Length – (Under “Advanced Bullet” disclosure) The length of the bullet’s nose (ogive). This is optional and may be used by certain ballistic engine calculations for improved accuracy. This field only appears when using a ballistic engine that supports it.

Muzzle Velocity – The velocity of your bullet at the muzzle. It is strongly recommended to measure this with a chronograph. If you do not have one, use the manufacturer’s published velocity and refine it by comparing calculated trajectories against real-world shooting results, or use the Calibration feature.

Atmosphere Standard – The atmospheric standard that your bullet manufacturer used when measuring ballistic coefficients: ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) or ASM (Army Standard Metro). Berger, Nosler, and Lapua use ICAO. Sierra, Barnes, Hornady, and Winchester use ASM. The difference is small, but getting this right improves accuracy.

Drag Model – The drag model of your ballistic coefficients (G1 or G7). Most manufacturers provide a G1 BC. For long-range boat-tail bullets, a G7 BC is generally more accurate. Some manufacturers provide both — for boat-tail bullets, prefer G7. Important: The BCs you enter must correspond to the drag model selected here.

Ballistic Coefficients & Minimum Velocities – Enter your bullet’s ballistic coefficient(s) along with the minimum velocity for each range. If you have a single BC, enter 0 for its minimum velocity. For bullets with multiple BCs at different velocity bands (Sierra is a well-known example), enter each BC with the bottom of its velocity range. Additional rows appear automatically as you fill in data. If you selected your bullet from the Bullet Library, this will already be filled in.

Velocity Variation

Powder Temperature – The baseline powder temperature that corresponds to your entered Muzzle Velocity. Only relevant if you also enter an MV Variation. For example, if you chronographed 2,850 fps at 55°F, enter 55 here and 2850 for Muzzle Velocity.

Velocity Variation / Degree – The change in muzzle velocity per degree of temperature change in your powder. This is optional. Advanced shooters who chronograph under various temperatures can enter this value to have Shooter automatically adjust muzzle velocity based on current powder temperature.

Zero

Zero Range – The distance at which you zeroed your scope. Defaults to 100.

Zero Height – How high or low you are at your zero range. If you zeroed 1″ high, enter 1. If 1″ low, enter -1. Dead-on is 0.

Zero Offset – How far left or right you are at your zero range from your point of aim. Positive values are right, negative are left.

Zero Atmosphere

If you zero at distances beyond 100 yards, it is important to enable this toggle and record the atmospheric conditions at the time of zero. Shooter will then automatically adjust your zero point when you shoot in different conditions (for example, going from 500 ft altitude to 10,000 ft altitude).

Altitude – Your altitude at the time of zero. Disabled when Pressure is Absolute is enabled, since station pressure already accounts for altitude.

Pressure – Pressure at the time of zero.

Pressure is Absolute – When enabled, the pressure value is station (absolute) pressure. When disabled, it is barometric (corrected) pressure.

Temperature – Temperature at the time of zero.

Humidity – Relative humidity at the time of zero.

Notes – A free-form field for any additional details about this ammunition.

Editing an Ammo Profile

From the ammo list, swipe left on a profile (iOS) or touch and hold (Android) and tap the Edit option. You will see the same form as when adding, with all fields pre-filled. Make your changes and tap Update. On iOS, you can also enter Edit mode by tapping the Edit button in the toolbar and then tapping the ammo profile you wish to edit.

Duplicating an Ammo Profile

Swipe left on an ammo profile (iOS) or touch and hold (Android) and select Duplicate. You will be prompted to enter a name for the new copy. The duplicate will include all settings and ballistic coefficient data from the original. This is useful when adding ammunition that is similar to an existing profile — just duplicate, rename, and adjust the few inputs that differ.

Deleting an Ammo Profile

Swipe right on an ammo profile (iOS) or touch and hold (Android) and select Delete to remove it.


Environment & Shot Inputs

The main screen of Shooter serves as your environment and shot input screen. After selecting a firearm and ammo profile, fill in your current conditions and target data, then tap Calculate in the top-right corner.

Target

Distance – The distance to your target. If generating a trajectory table, enter the maximum distance you want to calculate out to. You can tap the Calc button next to this input to estimate distance using your reticle: enter the target’s actual size and the size as measured in your reticle, and Shooter will calculate the distance for you.

Look Angle – The angle to the target from your position. Positive values for uphill shots, negative for downhill, and 0 for level ground. Tap the Get button to measure look angle using your device’s camera and accelerometer — point the device at your target and the angle will be captured automatically.

Target Speed – The speed at which your target is moving, along with a direction selector (Left or Right). This is used for lead calculations on moving targets.

Azimuth – The compass bearing to your target (0° = north, 90° = east, 180° = south, 270° = west). Tap the Get button to measure azimuth using your device’s camera and compass — point the device at your target and the bearing will be captured. The azimuth is used for Coriolis effect calculations and can also serve as a reference for the wind dial.

Coriolis Effect (COR)

To include the Coriolis effect in your calculation, enable the Coriolis toggle and enter your Latitude. Longitude is not needed. You can tap the location button next to the latitude field to auto-populate it from your device’s GPS. The Coriolis effect is relevant only at extended ranges. For more information, see Bryan Litz’s publications at Applied Ballistics.

Atmospheric Conditions

Atmospheric conditions can be entered manually or acquired automatically from external sources (see Acquiring Atmosphere Data below).

By default, you enter conditions using these fields:

Altitude – Your current altitude. Disabled when Pressure is Absolute is enabled.

Pressure – Current atmospheric pressure.

Pressure is Absolute – When enabled, the pressure value is interpreted as station (absolute) pressure and the altitude field is disabled. When disabled, pressure is interpreted as barometric (corrected) pressure.

Temperature – Current temperature.

Humidity – Current relative humidity.

Alternatively, if Use Density Altitude is enabled in Settings, the altitude, pressure, and humidity fields are replaced with a single Density Altitude input. Temperature is still required because the speed of sound (which affects trajectory accuracy) depends on actual temperature.

Wind

Wind Speed 1 – Your primary wind speed.

Wind Speed 2 – An optional second wind speed. This allows you to bracket your wind call with a low and high estimate — Shooter will calculate separate windage corrections for each. Wind Speed 2 must be greater than or equal to Wind Speed 1.

Wind Angle – The direction the wind is coming from, entered in degrees (0–360) or clock position (1–12 o’clock) depending on your Wind Angle Unit setting. You can tap the wind angle field to open a visual Wind Dial for intuitive direction input. How this value is interpreted depends on your Wind Angle Unit setting: in Clock mode, the direction is relative to the shooter (3 o’clock = wind from the right) and azimuth is not factored in. In Degrees mode, the wind angle is a true compass bearing interpreted relative to your target azimuth. The Wind Dial illustrates this — in Degrees mode, a red target indicator moves around the dial to show your azimuth, making it clear how the wind relates to your line of fire.

Powder Temperature

If your ammo profile includes both a Velocity Variation and a Powder Temperature, a Powder Temperature section will appear. When enabled, you can specify the current powder temperature and Shooter will automatically adjust the muzzle velocity accordingly. The adjusted velocity is displayed for reference. The temperature defaults to the current ambient temperature but can be overridden with a custom value.

Spin Drift (SD)

If your firearm profile has a Barrel Twist defined and your ammo profile has a Bullet Length defined, a Spin Drift toggle will appear. Enabling it adds gyroscopic (spin) drift to the calculation. This correction is generally negligible at shorter ranges but can be significant at extended distances.

Aerodynamic Jump (AJ)

When spin drift conditions are met, an Aerodynamic Jump toggle will also appear. Aerodynamic Jump accounts for the vertical deflection that occurs at the muzzle when a crosswind acts on a spinning bullet, causing it to launch at a slightly different angle. This produces a constant angular offset at the muzzle, resulting in a vertical deflection that increases with distance.

Acquiring Atmosphere Data Automatically

Shooter supports three external sources for automatically populating atmospheric inputs. On the Solution Screen, tap the weather icon in the toolbar to acquire data from any configured source.

  1. Weather Station – Uses your device’s GPS location to download current conditions from a nearby weather station via the internet.
  2. Kestrel – Connects to a Bluetooth-enabled Kestrel 5000-series or DROP-series weather meter to load readings directly into Shooter.
  3. WeatherFlow – Connects to a WeatherFlow Tempest or wind meter via Bluetooth to import atmospheric readings.

Each source has independent settings for which fields it populates (altitude, pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction). These are configured under Settings > Atmosphere Acquisition.

Kestrel Bluetooth Setup

iOS (Kestrel 5000-series or DROP-series)
  1. Enable Bluetooth on your iOS device.
  2. Turn on your Kestrel and ensure Bluetooth is enabled on it.
  3. In Shooter, go to Settings > Atmosphere Acquisition > Kestrel and select your device.
  4. On the Solution Screen, tap the weather icon and choose Acquire Kestrel.
  5. Kestrel data will begin flowing into your atmospheric inputs automatically.
Android (Kestrel 5000-series or DROP-series)
  1. Enable Bluetooth on your Android device.
  2. Turn on your Kestrel and ensure Bluetooth is enabled on it.
  3. In Shooter, open Configure Kestrel from the menu and select your device.
  4. Navigate to the Environment screen and acquire atmosphere data.
  5. Kestrel readings will begin updating automatically.

Solution Screen

The Solution Screen displays your calculated trajectory corrections in a large, easy-to-read format designed for use in the field. After tapping Calculate, this is one of the output views available (along with the Trajectory Table, Target Cards, and Velocity Calibration).

The Solution Screen shows four primary correction values:

Each value is displayed in both angular units (matching your scope turret settings) and clicks. If a turret graduation is set to 1 in the firearm profile, the click count for that axis is hidden since each click equals one full unit.

Additional information is shown at the top of the screen: remaining velocity, time of flight, energy, and other ballistic data.

There are two display modes, selectable in Settings or via the toolbar menu on the Solution Screen itself:

Field Mode – A streamlined layout optimized for speed in the field. Correction values are displayed prominently in horizontal rows. Below the corrections, picker wheels allow you to quickly adjust distance, wind speed, wind angle, and lead without leaving the screen. A Lock button can freeze all picker wheels to prevent accidental changes. You can toggle between showing Windage 2 or Lead in the bottom row.

Advanced Mode – A full-featured layout that displays corrections in a 2×2 card grid. Below the cards, expandable sections let you adjust atmosphere, wind (including an interactive wind dial), target speed and direction, look angle, azimuth, and toggle effects (Coriolis, Spin Drift, Aerodynamic Jump). A scrollable distance picker sits at the bottom of the screen.

In both modes, the trajectory recalculates in real time as you adjust inputs.

The Solution Screen is also where you acquire atmosphere data from external sources. Tap the weather icon in the top-right toolbar to pull conditions from a configured Weather Station, Kestrel, or WeatherFlow device (see Acquiring Atmosphere Data for setup details).


Trajectory Table

The Trajectory Table displays a detailed ballistic table from zero out to your specified distance (or vice versa, depending on sort order). Each row shows data at a given range increment.

Columns include:

Linear path and drift columns can be hidden via Settings if you prefer to see only angular values.

When Show Data Inputs is enabled (via the menu or Settings), a summary of all firearm, ammo, atmosphere, and shot inputs is displayed above the table for reference or record-keeping.

The trajectory table can be shared via email using the share button in the toolbar. The email includes the full table along with the data inputs summary.

Table behavior can be customized in Settings: distance step size and sort order (ascending or descending).


Target Cards

Target Cards let you define up to 12 pre-configured targets — each with its own distance, look angle, and azimuth — and compute shot solutions for all of them at once using your current firearm, ammo, atmospheric conditions, and wind. This is useful for known-distance shooting, competition stages, or any scenario where you need solutions for multiple target positions simultaneously.

Because the calculations use your currently selected firearm and ammo profile along with the current environment inputs, you can switch between different firearm/ammo combinations or update atmospheric conditions and see all target solutions recalculate in real time.

Creating a Target Card

Tap the + button in the toolbar on the Target Card tab. You will be prompted to enter a name for the card. You can create multiple cards and switch between them using the picker at the top of the screen.

Adding Targets to a Card

With a card selected, tap the + button to add a target. Each target has the following fields:

A card can hold up to 12 targets. Each target displays its calculated elevation and windage corrections based on your current firearm, ammo, atmosphere, and wind inputs. Corrections update automatically when any of these change.

Editing and Deleting Targets

Tap a target to edit its fields. Swipe right on a target to delete it. To delete an entire card, use the delete option in the card picker dropdown.


Calibration

Calibration (truing) allows you to refine your ballistic profile by entering observed drop data from real-world shooting. Shooter supports two calibration modes: Velocity Calibration and Drag Calibration.

Velocity Calibration

Velocity Calibration determines your true muzzle velocity from observed drop data. This is especially useful if you do not have a chronograph.

The calibration screen shows your current muzzle velocity at the top, along with a summary of the assumptions used in the calculation (look angle, altitude, pressure, temperature, humidity, wind, etc.).

Enter up to 5 observations, each consisting of a Distance and an observed Drop (in your elevation angular unit — how far below your point of aim the bullet impacted). The more observations you provide at different distances, the better Shooter can fit the muzzle velocity.

Tap Calibrate to run the solver. Shooter will calculate the muzzle velocity that best fits your observed data, taking into account all current environmental conditions and enabled effects (spin drift, Coriolis, etc.).

The results show:

If you are satisfied with the result, tap Use MV to save the calibrated velocity to your ammo profile.

Drag Calibration

Drag Calibration uses the same inputs as Velocity Calibration — observed drop data at known distances — but instead of adjusting muzzle velocity, it scales the ballistic coefficient(s) to best fit your real-world observations. This can be more accurate than velocity calibration at longer ranges, especially when your muzzle velocity is already well-known from a chronograph.

Enter up to 5 observations, each consisting of a Distance and an observed Drop. Tap Calibrate to run the solver. Shooter will calculate a drag scale factor that adjusts your ballistic coefficient(s) to match the observed data.

The results show:

Important: Drag scaling calibration should only be performed after confirming the accuracy of both scope tracking and muzzle velocity, and after collecting data from multiple shots with verified actual drop. Inaccurate inputs will produce a misleading scale factor.

If you are satisfied with the result, tap Apply to save the drag scale factor to your ammo profile.


Settings

Settings allow you to customize Shooter’s behavior and display. Access Settings by tapping the gear icon on the main screen.

General

Theme – Choose System (follows your device’s dark/light mode setting), Light, or Dark.

Default Calc Display – Choose which output view opens by default when you run a calculation: Solution, Table, or Target Card.

Units of Measurement

Distance Unit – Yards or Meters for all distance measurements.

Atmosphere Unit – Imperial or Metric for atmospheric values (temperature, pressure, altitude).

Other Unit – Imperial or Metric for other measurements such as bullet length, sight height, muzzle velocity, etc.

Wind Angle Unit – Degrees or Clock (1–12 o’clock) for wind direction input. This setting also affects how wind direction is interpreted. In Clock mode, wind direction is relative to the shooter (e.g., 3 o’clock is always from the right) and azimuth has no effect. In Degrees mode, wind direction is a true compass bearing and is interpreted relative to your target azimuth — so the same wind will produce different windage corrections depending on which direction you are shooting.

Input Options

Save Last Inputs – When enabled, Shooter remembers your most recent environment inputs (distance, atmosphere, etc.) so they are pre-filled next time.

Use Density Altitude – When enabled, atmospheric conditions are entered as a single Density Altitude value plus Temperature, rather than separate altitude/pressure/humidity fields.

Speed Precision – Whether speed inputs (wind, target speed) accept integer values only or tenths.

Atmosphere Acquisition

Weather Station – Configure automatic atmosphere population from nearby weather stations via GPS and internet. Choose which fields to auto-populate.

Kestrel – Configure your Bluetooth-enabled Kestrel weather meter. Select your device and choose which fields to auto-populate.

WeatherFlow – Configure your WeatherFlow Tempest or wind meter. Select your device and choose which fields to auto-populate.

Shot Solutions

Solution Display Mode – Choose between Field (streamlined) and Advanced (detailed) layouts for the Solution Screen.

Field Lock Initially – (Field mode only) When enabled, the Solution Screen opens in a locked state to prevent accidental input changes.

Use Plus/Minus – Enables +/− buttons for adjusting distance on the Solution Screen.

Distance Step Size – The amount to increment or decrement distance with each +/− tap on the Solution Screen.

Keep Screen On – Prevents the screen from dimming or locking while on the Solution Screen.

Output Precision – The precision of displayed correction values: Tenth, Hundredth, or Nearest Click.

Trajectory Table

Show Data Inputs – Show or hide the summary of input data at the top of the trajectory table.

Hide Linear – Hide the linear path/drift columns (drop/drift in inches or centimeters) from the trajectory table.

Distance Step Size – The range increment for each row in the trajectory table.

Sort Descending – When enabled, the table displays from maximum distance down to zero. When disabled, it displays from zero out to maximum distance.


Cloud Sync

Cloud Sync allows you to synchronize your firearm profiles, ammo profiles, and target cards between devices. This is useful if you use Shooter on multiple devices (including across iOS and Android) or want to back up your data. Cloud Sync requires an internet connection and a Shooter account. Access Cloud Sync by tapping the cloud icon on the main screen.

In addition to syncing between devices, you can manage your profiles from any desktop computer by logging in at manage.shooterapp.net. From there you can view, edit, add, and delete your firearm and ammo profiles using a full-sized keyboard and screen.