ArmA III Ballistics Overhaul

[Spartan0536 188]

BALLISTICS UPDATE! (9/30/2014)

9x19mm Parabellum RELEASED!

That's right I finally finished 9x19mm Parabellum, these are my FINAL values, unlike what I released back in March of 2014, these values represent real world stats including SMG length barrels! Lots of work went into this to ensure their accuracy and some of the data was really hard to come by, however they are finished for your shooting enjoyment!

Next up will be 6.8x43mm SPC, followed directly by 7.62x51mm NATO (I know RobertHammer, you have been waiting for over a month, I am getting to it, its just a TON OF WORK, you will see), after 7.62x51 is finished I will work on .357 Sig, then .40 S&W, followed by .45 ACP. From there I will refine my v2.0 5.56x45mm rounds using some new techniques to dial in the numbers more accurately (they will only change by about .5 - 1%) but they will be more accurate in terms of stats. Once that is complete I will finish .338 Lapua Magnum, then I will work on 5.7x28mm which will include SMG length barrels and that should complete 90% of modern combat SMG's out there.

[Spartan0536 188]

Ballistics Update! (12/10/2014)

6.8x43mm SPC v2.0 RELEASED!

V2.0 of my 6.8x43mm Remington SPC rounds has been released today, I have gotten these values as close to RL as I possibly can. The FMJ-BT rounds have a very poor BC, you can all thank Remington Arms Co for this, their BC is .292 for a 115 Grain FMJ-BT, to put that in comparison, the M855A1 a 62 grain FMJ bullet from a 5.56x45mm round has a better BC of .307. This is in part to the badly designed boat tail of the FMJ bullet. The OTM-BT has a very well designed boat tail and helps it achieve an excellent BC of .488 but its softer design makes it penetrate barriers less. Please keep in mind that 6.8x43mm SPC is NOT NATO approved and is not US Mil-Spec, you will be using purely civilian/LE rounds for this caliber, as such barrier penetration is not a priority for ammunition manufacturers!

[EricJ 724]

Good deal...

[blazenchamber 261]

Awesome spartan will put all this to use very soon..

ACR with 6.8

we also doing an AAC. we will use 300 blackout.

Thank you for all the hard work..

[Defunkt 431]

I very much approve of the degree of accuracy and authenticity being sought here. Thanks for your work, I hope it will continue to be widely adopted.

[Spartan0536 188]

Minor Ballistics Update! (12/12/2014)

5.56x45mm NATO updated to V2.1

I updated my ballistics code on 5.56x45mm NATO to hopefully properly reflect AI detection via VisualFire and AudibleFire parameters. I am assuming that a value of 1 = 100m, however I have not found any documentation regarding this, if anyone knows please get in touch with me, at this point its all an educated guess.

[EricJ 724]

Nice I'll add that shit in tomorrow, nice work...

[twisted 127]

absolute legend man.

[Spartan0536 188]

Progress Update! (12/22/2014)

7.62x51mm Officially Finalized!

That's right I have now officially finalized my 7.62x51mm NATO values, as I have checked and re-checked the values more times than I can count and have scoured the internet and bugged the hell out of my personal contacts and also most likely made the FBI/NSA watch list just to get these values where they are. Rest assured all of the data used to gather the information on these rounds was UNCLASSIFIED and was slated for UNLIMITED DISTRIBUTION, so ABSOLUTELY NO CLASSIFIED DATA WAS USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE VALUES.

Q & A Time for 7.62x51mm NATO...

Q: What the **** took you so long?

A: I do not get paid for this, this is all freeware, I have a life, a wife, and a job that pays my bills. Between my recent marriage, my job, my sick time (was not fun), and my spare time in which I also like playing games like ArmA, I worked on ballistics as time permitted.

Q: Why are there no "XXX" barrel values for the Mk 316 and Mk 319 rounds?

A: While any 7.62x51mm NATO calibrated weapon system can shoot these rounds, those rounds were specifically tailored to certain weapon system designs, the Mk 316 Mod 0 is designed for use in 20+ inch barrels and is designed as a long range "soft target" engagement round, its performance out of short barrels is very very limiting and would be under performing when compared with other rounds designed for shorter barrels. Like wise on the Mk 319 Mod 0, the bullet is NOT BOAT TAILED, this decreases its long range ballistic effectiveness greatly, it was more optimized for shorter barrels for CQC and lower mid range engagements with a maximum effective combat range of about 400-500 meters. While either CQC or SWS rifles can use both of these rounds, trying to make a round do something its not designed for and expecting positive results is like shooting your self in the leg to get combat medals, it's just not a good idea.

Q: Why did you push so hard for the M80A1 EPR when you had all the data for the M80 Ball, and why get rid of the M80 Ball?

A: The M80A1 EPR is an excellent middle ground bullet, it has AP qualities without completely sacrificing damage to organic targets, it was optimized across a wide spectrum of barrel lengths thus making it a perfect default bullet. The M80 Ball while a larger bullet was quite limited in performance, especially at range, and through barriers. Here is a prime example of why I wanted to get rid of the M80 Ball; the M855A1 EPR from a 14.5 inch M4A1 barrel will penetrate 7.32+mm of RHA at 350m, the M80 Ball from a 24 inch barrel WILL NOT. Now the M80A1 EPR has 30% better penetration at range and due to its higher grain will retain a much higher damage rate than the M855A1 EPR as its effectively 2.1x the grain weight. When I got all the data I needed to get the M80A1 EPR going and I threw out the M80 Ball, I was also able to get rid of the M993 Armor Piercing round, this lowers the amount of additional work I had to do.

Q: Why did you get rid of the M993 Armor Piercing round, I like AP bullets, they are cool!

A: The M993 AP round is a TUNGSTEN CARBIDE bullet, this makes it dense as hell, thus making its damage transference MINIMAL, and I do mean MINIMAL. It was so minimal in fact that a 10.5 inch M855A1 EPR bullet was doing more damage than that M993 AP was from a 24 inch barrel. Now the M993 AP was capable of penetrating 16mm of RHA at 550 meters, however its effectiveness on "soft targets" was rather abysmal to say the least.

[blazenchamber 261]

Great work man.. Thanks

[galzohar 31]

It's still a bit unclear which of the rounds is the "standard issue" ones that you'd actually get in the US Army / USMC / etc, and which are fancier ones you'd only see in SF or in the hands of people who can otherwise choose their ammunition type.

[Brisse 78]

M80 Ball = Old standard issue

M80A1 EPR = New standard issue

[galzohar 31]

Is there an easy way to check if a mod is using the data? Which files/classes/whatever should I be looking for?

[stoffl 13]

no, there isn't. The moddders will create their own Ammo, which then uses Spartans values, so it's all in the config. The easiest way would be checking their addon page and look if spartan is listed in the credits :)

[EricJ 724]

Pretty much as I credit his work.

[Brisse 78]

You can always use the config viewer ingame, but it might be confusing for those without modding experience themselves.

[EricJ 724]

My changes (using 20-inch adjustments for the .300 Blackout Rounds)

FMJ:

hit=8.75630116816;

typicalSpeed=634.4;

Open Tip Match Boat Tail:

hit=11.2629040888;

typicalSpeed=681.2;

Open Tip Match Boat Tail Subsonic:

hit=7.16286298312;

typicalSpeed=324.48;

To get these I simply added 4% to the listed values. And the IAR I added 2% to the normal 14.5-inch barrel to get values for that as well.

Edited December 27, 2014 by EricJ

[EricJ 724]

And SAW Para (13.7 in.) Barrel values as I removed 0.8% from the 14.5-inch values for M855A1:

hit = 8.049664352;

typicalSpeed = 898.013952;

[EricJ 724]

Adjusted for 13-inch barrels for 5.56 M855A1 based off of the 14.5 inch values (-1.5%):

hit = 7.992862285;

typicalSpeed = 891.67716;

[DancZer 65]

Where can i download this mod?

[bakerman 247]

It's not a mod you can download, it's a resource for mod developers.

[EricJ 724]

BTW been testing/using your Mk262 20-inch on my Mk12 SPR and it's working good, again man great work :D

[EricJ 724]

hit = 9.891324972;

typicalSpeed = 810.22698;

Adjusted FMJ for the 6.8 SPC with a 16.5-inch barrel (+0.5%)

And same for the Boat Tail round:

hit = 11.8818695187;

typicalSpeed = 715.1199137787;

[EricJ 724]

6.8 adjusted for 14.5-inch barrels (-1.5%):

FMJ:

hit = 9.694482684;

typicalSpeed = 794.10306;

Boat Tail:

hit = 11.6454144039;

typicalSpeed = 704.334888;

[Spartan0536 188]

MAJOR BALLISTICS UPDATE! (1/13/2015)

5.56x45mm NATO updated to v2.2, .45 ACP v2.0 Released, and FINALLY 7.62x51mm NATO v2.0 RELEASED (INCLUDING SUBSONIC ROUNDS!)

That's right people, my ballistics are out and ready for use, about 120 hours of research, testing, and coding have gone into 7.62x51mm NATO and I think I even made the FBI watch list on this one.... For more information please look at the short Q&A I am providing below....

Q: What changed with your 5.56x45mm v2.2 ballistics?

A: It came to my attention through extensive testing and triple/quadruple checking of my ballistics code that my code posted to the forums was incorrect, it contained some typos and the penetration for the M855A1 EPR and Mk 318 Mod 0 SOST was not set correctly. I am not sure how this slipped my attention, but it happened and now its fixed. Pretty much my old way of converting 20 gauge mild steel to RHA was a 1.3 ratio, that was incorrect according to steel manufacturers, it should be exactly a 1.2 conversion rate. Somehow I forgot to implement this in my v2.0 - 2.1 ballistics for 5.56x45mm NATO and that messed things up a little bit, so the M855A1 EPR got a little bit of a penetration buff and the MK 318 Mod 0 SOST got a little bit of a nerf (explained below).

Q: Why did the Mk318 Mod 0 SOST get a nerf? I thought that your formula said the density we less?

A:Ok, so I had the Mk318 Mod 9 SOST set for 3/8 inch mild steel @ 200 meters, after watching some very informative videos and talking with a few people, I noticed on cinder block testing videos that the M855 "Green Tip" amm (NOT the M855A1), that they had the same barrier penetration, in fact the Mk318 Mod 0 SOST was designed to do exactly what the M855 was doing just give more lethality to "soft targets". Using this formula I was able to extrapolate the EXACT penetration capabilities of the Mk 318 Mod 0 SOST. The documented performance of the M855 "Green Tip" ammo from an M4 barrel is 3/8 inch mild steel @ 160 meters, I mirrored this exactly with the Mk 318 Mod 0 as they are identical in barrier penetration, this meat that I had over estimated its performance.

Q: I thought you were a ballistics expert, how do you make mistakes like this?

A:Seriously? I am HUMAN, I make mistakes, even the best ballistics experts screw up from time to time and not 1 person on this planet knows everything about ballistics, we are all learning and will continue to learn until we are dead.

Q:I noticed something weird with your 7.62x51mm SUBSONIC rounds, the airFriction values get smaller from shorter barrels with less muzzle velocity yet with supersonic ammo that is the opposite, what is going on here?

A:An excellent question, nothing is wrong here, in fact this is quite realistic. When something in our atmosphere crosses the sonic barrier it generates a high density pressure cone, this exponentially exerts more drag on the projectile causing it to slow down at a faster rate. When supersonic bullets are flying out of a shorter barrel they do not last as long due to less powder burn thus making their range shorter. If angled correctly with enough precision you can make a 7.62x51mm 147 Grain FMJ-BT bullet POTENTIALLY kill someone at 3 kilometers, and I do mean 3 KILOMETERS, drag is a funny force. When it comes to SUBSONIC ammo, these bullets start out below the trans-sonic barrier thus no high density pressure cone is generated and less drag is exerted on them, and they "drop like a mortar". Now most subsonic rounds are super heavy in grain for their caliber, and most manufacturers make subsonic ammo very "slippery" or drag efficient so they retain velocity and KE down range as far as possible, this also changes attributes in the much lower airFriction values.

Q:SUBSONIC Sniper Rounds? How effective can they be?

A:I have had the pleasure of having dinner with a "retired" USMC Scout/Sniper who served 5 tours total between Iraq and Afghanistan, and what he imparted me with knowledge wise I am sharing with you here. Subsonic sniper rounds are effectively USELESS. Most of the time you do not want to engage targets out to 150m with subsonic ammo due to its serious lack of power and high drop value. If you are a sniper using subsonic ammo shooting at targets within 100-150m or something similar you are asking to get captured or killed and YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. Relying on subsonic ammo to give you terminal performance down range is a VERY BAD DECISION that can easily be fatal to YOU.

Q:If Subsonic Sniper rounds are effectively useless why make ballistics for 24 and 20 inch barrels in 7.62x51mm NATO?

A: Not all rifles that have 24 and 20 inch barrels are sniper weapon systems, some might be DMR's or Battle Rifles and even Light Support Weapons. Also keeping in mind we are also talking about ArmA here, yes it's a "military simulator" but we all see those "special" people who do stupid things and try ridiculous things in ArmA that if given the chance in RL would not attempt them. Please remember 1 thing, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD. I have had people tell me that in ArmA they have killed an unarmored insurgent from 600m with a .300 AAC Blackout round, and while in RL this is possible, I would not use a .300 Blackout round at 600m and expect to get much done effectively. Yes you can fit a suppressor on a sniper rifle and use subsonic ammo to "snipe" targets at 300m, but someone else might use a supersonic sniper round like the Mk316 Mod 0 Special Ball Long Range with the same suppressor and shoot from the same position and kill more effectively with greater precision.

Q:Why did you only release .45 ACP, what happened to .40 S&W and .357 Sig?

A: I don't know of any military force that actively uses .40 S&W and .357 Sig in their service weapons, I wanted to get ArmA covered with the basics for now and then bring in the "specialty" stuff. Also the staggering amount of work I have just done also made me want to push .357 Sig and .40 S&W back a little in development, I like to have a gaming life too you know. :P

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope it has been informative, if you have any additional questions that the Q&A did not answer feel free to ask, and I will do my best to answer them, enjoy!

Edited January 13, 2015 by Spartan0536