About Kettie

Kettie is an internal-ballistics simulator for reloaders, made by Kettie Ballistics (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. It models what happens between the primer and the muzzle: the powder lighting and burning, the pressure rising in the case, the bullet breaking free, running down the bore and leaving with a velocity.

What it does

Pressure and velocityPeak pressure and where it sits in the barrel, muzzle velocity, case fill and how much powder burns -- each given as a band, not a single number, and checked against the cartridge's rated ceiling.

SuggestionsThe powders and bullets that suit your chambering, barrel and twist, and the published maximum velocity for your chambering and bullet.

Ladders and barrel timeA charge ladder before you go to the range, and the barrel-time nodes that point to the accurate charges.

Your own rifleChronograph strings and target photos from the range calibrate Kettie to the barrel in front of you, not an average one. One rifle file keeps every load, string and target for that rifle.

Where the numbers come from

Powders are not typed in from a manufacturer's sheet: each one is fitted to thousands of rows of published loading data across many cartridges. Cartridge dimensions come from the CIP and SAAMI drawings, bullets from a catalogue of measured dimensions.

A calculator, not a load manual

Every figure Kettie shows is a model prediction. Start below the published starting load, work up in small steps and watch for pressure signs. If Kettie and a published manual disagree, the manual wins. If Kettie and your rifle disagree, your rifle wins.

Getting Kettie

Kettie runs on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), and Kettie Mobile on Android phones (Android 8 or later) with your rifles, trajectory and holds at the range. Create a free account to download both; Kettie on the PC updates itself when a new version comes out. Not on iPhone yet.

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