Greg,<br><br>I think you're right about the 7000. <br><br>What I do for factory loads & handloads is just to assume the quoted or predicted velocity is accurate. If I have a significantly different barrel length from the norm for that cartridge, I try to allow for that. For factory loads, I also check the data for several similar handloads, and make composite estimates of the amount of gunpowder used. I know, those are kind of crude fudge factors but they seem to yield answers that jibe more or less with observed reality. You're right though; a chronograph would make it a lot more precise.<br><br>OBG,<br><br>I know what you mean. If you run the numbers, the .30-06 & 12 ga. seem to have about the same recoil force in terms of foot pounds of energy, but they really do feel a lot different.<br>And the recoil from black powder loads gives a very different feel from otherwise similar smokeless powder loads. It's more like a gradual push than a kick. Shooting a load in a gas operated automatic will also moderate the felt recoil in comparison to a gun that is not gas operated.<br><br>I find the formula most useful for helping to evaluate something I can't shoot for myself. For instance, I can't really judge the recoil in my son's short-stocked shotgun. I've got my arms wrapped all around it. And I frequently bang my nose with my thumb when the gun recoils. My own shotguns are different enough that shooting the same loads will feel differently in my gun than in his gun. That's where the formula helps to predict how it will feel to him, at least in comparison to other known satisfactory loads & guns. <br><br>I'm glad you guys like it.<br><br>John