Watch App: Ballistics

This is the support thread for Ballistics app. Please add feature requests, questions, comments here and I'll do my best to answer them :)

Download the app here

Ballistics is a ballistic calculator. It's a perfect companion for hunters and long range shooters who occasionally need to accurately hit a target at a different range to what the rifle has been zeroed to. Distance to target can be set directly on the main screen with up and down buttons and the results can be read on the same screen when the calculation completes.

After installing the application you need to go over the settings in Garmin Connect mobile app and change the defaults to match your set up. Sight settings allow setting up all rifle related parameters: sight height from bore centerline, the range you've zeroed your rifle to and how many Minutes of Angle (MOA) each click on your scope is. Cartridge and bullet related settings also need to be configured before use. Drag function and drag coefficient depend mainly on the shape of the bullet you're using, this data can probably be found in the bullet manufacturer's data sheet (example from Lapua can be found here). The initial velocity is the speed the bullet leaves the barrel and can be found in the cartridge data sheet if you use factory-made cartridges (example from Lapua can be found here).

On first run and after changing rifle or cartridge related settings the app will pre-calculate some values which will take a while, even couple of minutes (a text "Initializing rifle" is displayed). The ballistics calculations itself can take some time (the more further the target, the more time it takes to calculate the result), but not as long as the initialization.

Quick start up guide

- on main screen "up" and "menu" buttons open main menu where all parameters are set. The "start/stop" button begins the calculations and eventually opens the result screen. On result screen only "back" button is active

- to set the cartridge properties open Garmin Connect on your mobile phone, go to Ballistics app info page (Garmin Devices / Device / Connect IQ Apps / Ballistics) and select Settings. Values are inputted in statute units, but displayed in the app in the unit of your preference.

Disclaimer: the application uses generic ballistics formulae which should be accurate enough for hunting use. For shots longer than 250m (or 270yds) the calculations should be verified at shooting range to make sure the calculated values match your specific cartridge and gun combination.

Known issues in latest version

- No known issues

Version info

1.39, 2015-11-14
- Added support for Fenix 3, D2 Bravo and Vivoactive (not tested with real devices though)
- Numeric inputs are now native
- Cartridge and sight settings are now managed in Garmin Connect (statute values)
- Settings can be viewed in the app (Menu -> Other). The setting list is scrollable.
- Results are adjusted by temperature, altitude and pressure values read from the sensors (can be turned off in the app settings)
- Added support for 0.1mil and 0.2mil scopes
- Smaller memory footprint

1.1, 2015-07-06
- Values can be now set a bit faster by long-pressing up (menu on Epix) or down (clock on Epix) buttons. This changes the values 10x.

1.0, 2015-06-29

- new look & feel

- optimized performance

- now indicates when calculating with a progress bar

- re-added windage/drift calculation

0.92R beta, 2015-04-26

- Reduced feature set version to fix memory issues (app not starting). No windage support.

- Missing features will be added once memory issues are fixed

0.91 beta, 2015-03-29

- Removed unused menu item

0.9 beta, 2015-03-29

- Initial upload. Not tested with real hardware.

Donate here
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 10 years ago
    Don't work on 920XT..! :-(
  • Apparently the application consumes more memory on real hardware than it does in simulator and it was exceeding the limits. I published a new version 0.92R-beta with the windage feature removed to cut down on memory use. I still don't have a device to test the app with, so the issue might still exist. Just let me know and I'll continue optimizing.
  • Any chance of getting it to work on the Fenix 3? Looks good on the screenshots
  • Yup - definitely. Going for the round screen is a bit of a design challenge and thought I'd tackle the memory issues before expanding the device support :)
  • Pushed out yet another version (0.93R-beta). Let me know if this one still has memory/crash issues!
  • I was going to try it out but realized it isn't available for Vivoactive. Maybe there could be a version for Vivoactive as well? Great idea.
  • Hi, I finally got an Epix for testing and verified that the app (somewhat) works. The problem is that it takes around a minute (even a bit more) to initialize and does not show any progress info - just a blank screen. So just open it, stare the black screen for a while and you should be good to go.

    I'll be fixing the app once I have the time and release the 1.0 version (probably with a new UX design), but in the meanwhile I'd appreciate any feedback regarding the usage in practice. So grab your guns and test the heck out of it ;)
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago
    Hi, I finally got an Epix for testing and verified that the app (somewhat) works. The problem is that it takes around a minute (even a bit more) to initialize and does not show any progress info - just a blank screen. So just open it, stare the black screen for a while and you should be good to go.

    I'll be fixing the app once I have the time and release the 1.0 version (probably with a new UX design), but in the meanwhile I'd appreciate any feedback regarding the usage in practice. So grab your guns and test the heck out of it ;)


    After waiting for 1 minutes the app was still too laggy to use under any condition.

    This app would be great for sheep hunting.

    Id definitely be willing to donate generously for a 100% working version of this app on the epix. Keep it up.
  • I restructured the app, made sure it worked with my Epix (fw 2.40) and released 1.0. Let me know how it works for you guys :)

    PS. The initialization still takes time, but the results are cached so it's a lot better now.