IRON NEST Calculator Guide: Inputs and Outputs
Learn which target, ammunition, distance, and powder-charge values the in-game calculator uses, how to read its output, and why this site does not guess.
LAST REVIEWED // 2026-08-11
Quick answer
The in-game ballistic calculator turns a located target, ammunition choice, measured distance, and powder charge into a task card. That card supplies the elevation and timing information needed at the gun. The safest workflow is to finish the map solution first, enter every value once, print the card, and then make the loader and gun match it exactly.
This page explains the verified procedure. It does not pretend to be an external shot calculator while the underlying firing data remains incomplete.
Verified inputs
The demonstrated calculator interface records the target or firing task, the ammunition type, the distance measured from the IRON NEST, and the powder charge. The green charge indicators help identify which charges can reach the entered distance. More charge can lower the elevation required for the same range and shorten the predicted flight time.
Do not carry a spotter's bearing or distance directly into this panel. Use spotter information to locate the target, then create a separate red line from the gun to that target. The final gun-to-target range and bearing are the firing inputs.
Read the task card
After the values are set, pull the calculation lever. The printed task card is the transfer record between stations. Use it to confirm:
- target and ammunition;
- selected powder charge;
- required elevation;
- gun bearing from the final map line;
- estimated flight time shown by the firing console.
If you change the shell, charge, or corrected target position, calculate and print a new card. Mixing values from two cards creates a solution that was never calculated.
Transfer checklist
At the supply and loading area, acquire the required shell and charge. Commit them only after the card is checked; loaded shells and assigned powder cannot be freely returned. Close the breech, set the elevation and bearing, then verify the console's shell, armed state, flight time, and turret status before firing.
Troubleshooting
When the answer looks impossible, check the range origin, target token, ammunition, and charge in that order. When the gun misses despite matching the card, preserve the impact marker and rebuild the target position from the correction report before blaming the calculator.
Why there is no site calculator yet
A community video demonstrates a proportional manual formula with two successful examples, and third-party tools exist. Those examples are promising but do not cover all ammunition, charges, versions, and mission conditions. Until multiple formal-release samples match the in-game output, this field manual will teach the calculator rather than output an unverified shot.
For the current manual evidence, use calculate elevation.