Your First IRON NEST Firing Solution

Before You Enter Any Number

Write down the gun coordinate first. That point remains the firing origin even when a spotter or another reference point appears in the report. Next identify the report type. A bearing and range from the gun is a direct report. A gun-to-spotter leg followed by a spotter-to-target leg is a relay. Two independent bearings or distances describe a triangulation problem instead. Confirm that every distance uses the same map unit and that every bearing starts at north and increases clockwise. If the game display uses mils, record which circle convention it expects before converting anything.

Do not begin by selecting a powder charge. Charge and elevation depend on final range, while final range depends on correct geometry. Solving those stages in reverse makes a transcription error look like a ballistics problem.

Step 1: Read the Complete Order

Separate the order into origins, measurements, units, and required output. Circle each coordinate and attach every bearing or distance to the point it starts from. A bearing without its origin is incomplete information. If the report mentions an observer, decide whether that observer supplies a second leg in a relay or an independent constraint for triangulation. Keep the original wording nearby while entering values so you can compare each field once rather than relying on memory.

Step 2: Plot Known Points

Use one north-up coordinate system. Enter the gun position exactly as recorded, then add the spotter or reference stations. Avoid rounding coordinates before the calculation. A small change at the origin can change both the final bearing and final range. If you only have a direct bearing and distance from the gun, open the Firing Solution Planner in Direct mode. If the report has gun-to-spotter and spotter-to-target legs, use Relay mode instead.

Step 3: Solve the Geometry

For a direct report, project one vector from the gun. For a relay, project the first vector to locate the spotter and the second vector from that spotter to locate the target. The final fire order must still be measured from gun to target. For two independent constraints, stop and use the Triangulation Calculator; do not force those measurements into relay fields. When an intersection produces two valid candidates, geometry alone cannot choose the mission-correct one. Compare both coordinates with the map and the rest of the report.

Step 4: Read the Result Before Copying It

Check the target coordinate, north-clockwise firing bearing, final range, and mil conversion as separate outputs. Make sure the target lies on the expected side of the gun and that the scale did not encourage you to judge distance by screen length. The printed values are authoritative for the tool; the visual plot is there to expose obvious direction and origin mistakes. If the bearing is roughly opposite what you expected, first check whether you reversed the vector.

Step 5: Build the Firing Card

Take only the final gun-to-target range to the Ballistic Calculator. It lists the charge and elevation combinations allowed by the site's labeled community-reference model. The orange curve is an illustration, not an exact simulation of shell speed, flight time, apex, or in-game physics. Verify the selected combination in the current game build before treating it as the load.

Worked Geometry Example

Suppose the gun is at (2, 2) and a training target is at (8, 6). This invented example exists only to demonstrate the workflow. The change is 6 units east and 4 units north, producing a final range of about 7.21 units and a north-clockwise bearing of about 56.31 degrees. Open the prefilled example below, compare the plotted direction with the coordinates, and then carry the displayed range into Ballistics.

Open the Worked Example in the Firing Planner

Common First-Shot Mistakes

• Using the spotter as the final firing origin instead of returning to the gun.
• Reading a mathematical angle from east while the tools expect a clockwise bearing from north.
• Mixing degrees, 6400-circle mils, and 6000-circle mils without recording the convention.
• Rounding a target coordinate before calculating final range.
• Selecting one of two intersections without checking the map.
• Changing charge to compensate for a geometry or transcription error.

Final Fire-Order Checklist

Read the order one final time: gun coordinate, target coordinate, firing bearing, angular unit, final range, selected charge, and verified elevation. Confirm that the values belong to the same solution and current build. After impact, recheck the copied order before changing anything. A disciplined correction changes one understood variable; it does not rebuild the entire solution from a guess.

If the impact is wrong, continue with Why Your Shot Missed. If the report contains two stations or two distances, read the Spotter Relay and Triangulation Guide.