Saturday, March 31, 2012

MiGuns iOS App Review

MiGuns Review

Quick Review


MiGuns is an inventory app only. It does what it claims to do.

MiGuns compared to Gun Log SPC shows Gun Log SPC has many more features than just the weapons inventory of MiGuns.




If you just compare feature for feature, since both apps currently cost the same, Gun Log SPC is the better value if you want to track more details about the firearm and other items such as ammunition.

Please read the review for the details.

Info from the App Store


MiGuns
By RB Consulting

$1.99
Category: Utilities
Updated: Mar 20, 2012
Version: 1.1.2
Size: 2.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: Robert Beroza
© 2011 RBConsulting, All Right Reserved
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Description
MiGuns allows you to have a complete database of your weapon collection on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Powerful security features keep your data safe. Could you locate your serial numbers if your guns were stolen? If thieves could take your guns, wouldn’t they also take your computer? So how safe is that computer list you have? Could you describe all your stolen guns and provide their serial numbers to the police? Are you keeping a record of to whom and when you sold a weapon? These are all important questions that MiGuns addresses. You can watch a YouTube demo at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzOlEWC7iQ

CONVENIENCE
• Adding Companies, Gun Types, Calibers and Gun Finishes is easy with our drop-down menu.
• Customize all drop-down menus to fit your personal needs.
• Pre-populated drop-down menus reduce your typing.
• Add a Company, Gun Type, Caliber or Finish once and MiGuns puts it into the drop-down menu in alphabetical order.
• Remove Companies, Gun Types, Calibers and Finishes that you don’t use from your drop-down menus.

IDENTIFICATION
• Thumbnail photos make ID easy when you’re looking at your Gun List.
• Take photos you shoot with your device, grab from the net or your photo library.
• Photos you shoot with your device are stored in MiGuns not filling up valuable space in your Camera Roll.

POWERFUL SEARCH and SORT TOOLS
• You can sort any drop-down field.
• Sort and re-sort your Gun List as needed
• Sort your list by Company or keep your list by Caliber.
• You can even sort your list by Purchase Date or Amount paid.
• Search any word in your data and MiGuns will find those entries.

SECURITY TOOLS
• All your data is kept only on your iDevice.
• Data security is completely controllable with a set of robust tools.
• You can setup MiGuns to always need a Passcode.
• Determine your own Auto-Lock times and Lock-Out attempts.
• For insurance purposes you can email a CSV file that can be opened in any word processor or spreadsheet program.

GENEROUS NOTE FIELD
• Keep track of when and to whom you sold a weapon.
• Keep a list of all the modifications you’ve made to your guns or rifles.

USER FEEDBACK
"As a retired Deputy Sheriff I always thought it puzzling that people didn't record their firearm info..."
"This app will finally get me to make the list I should have done years ago."
"All my data is now in one convenient location."
"I have my whole gun inventory on it. Easy to use."

Features


MiGuns description from the App Store accurately describes the features of the application.

Screen Shots









Adding A Firearm

Just tap the "+" button.


Tap each entry in the table.


Here is the company picker.


You can add a new company. I added RIA for this review.




Typed in a model.


Pick the type.

Pick the caliber.

Pick the finish.

Here is what we have so far.

Type in a barrel size.


Type in a serial number.

Pick a purchase date.

Type in an amount.

Type in notes.


This is what we have to this point.


Pick a photo.




Here is the results so far.


Back to the Gun List's main Screen.


Here is the report email. You get a csv file.


Here is the tools area.






Thoughts


I like the app. Pickers to reduce typing is a must for any serious app and this app has them.
The app only stores gun information. There are no maintenance lists/histories, there are no ammunition area or firing session areas. The is only the one report option.

Here is the feature matrix of MiGuns compared to Gun Log SPC for the Weapons Area. 

 



I do not go into every field of the ammunition area, the firing sets, the reports, or the ballistic calculator to show that MiGuns does not have those features. It would make the feature comparison table very long.

MiGuns does what it says it will do. When rating an app on the App Store I think that is really the only thing one should rate. Using the App Store to request features and give it a bad rating because of some feature you want isn't really fair.

Gun Log SPC is designed around recording firing sessions and improving accuracy, tracking failures, reporting ammunition available and many other related activities and data concerned with firearms and shooting.

MiGuns focus is a weapon's inventory and more akin to the Gun Inventory App. I rank MiGuns to be superior to Gun Inventory.


Screen Shots of Gun Log SPC and the Data you can enter for a Firearm

Here is the main weapons view.

Scrolling down a weapon entry to show all of the fields available.





Back to the top, now to enter data.


Here is the configurations area. Multiple configurations is possible.






A configuration can have multiple accessories associated.


Back to the weapon, check out Maintenance.






Now enter data.














Here is what it looks like on the main screen.


You can go back in and change any value.





Updated Screen Shots from version 7.1.0


Main views of Gun Log SPC version 7.1.0

Here are some updated screen shots of Gun Log SPC and some comments.


Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Entering a new Firearm

Tap the "+" button at the top right.

Gun Log SPC

Tap the "Make" button...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Entering more data...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Back at the top use the buttons to go to Configurations, Maintenance, and other associated data.

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Notice that a Configuration can have multiple photos and associate accessories.

Gun Log SPC

Scrolling down through the Configuration fields...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Maintenance details...

Gun Log SPC

Notice the "quick fields" for indicating common maintenance activities.

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Entering ammunition...

Gun Log SPC

Tap the "Make" button...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Enter in more information...

Gun Log SPC

Round count, Price, and more information...

Gun Log SPC

For ballistics calculations make sure you enter muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient. Often these values are on the ammo box.

Gun Log SPC

More ammo fields...

Gun Log SPC

Back to the top after entering data...

Gun Log SPC
Tap Increase/Decrease to go to this view...

Gun Log SPC

Entering a new Firing Session. Firing sessions are the heart of Gun Log SPC.

Gun Log SPC

Entering information...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC
A Firing Session can have multiple Firing Sets. Tap "Go to Firing Sets..."

Gun Log SPC
Add a Firing Set...

Gun Log SPC

Pick the Firearm you are using, the configuration, and the ammunition.

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

The details thus far...

Gun Log SPC
Tap the "Camera" button to take a picture of the target or choose one from your photo album...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC


Make sure you enter the rounds fired and group size...

Gun Log SPC

You can save many more details in a firing set...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Going back to the list of Firing Sets...

Gun Log SPC

Go back into the firing set and enter "failure" details...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Back out to Firing Sessions...

Gun Log SPC

Go to Reports to calculate a ballistics drop table.

Gun Log SPC

You can save the drop tables...

Gun Log SPC

Here is a newly created drop table, just enter your data...

Add caption
Pick a firearm, the configuration, and the ammo...

Gun Log SPC



Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

After you have picked the firearm, config, and ammo, scroll down further...

Gun Log SPC

After scrolling down tap the calculate button, the button on the left...

Gun Log SPC
Scroll through the drop table...

Gun Log SPC

Gun Log SPC

Firearms can have multiple photos too. These photos can be used in reports.

Gun Log SPC

Here is a firing set report using the firearm photo and the target photo.


Gun Log SPC



Here we are, back at the main view after entering some data.

Gun Log SPC

Reporting

Gun Log SPC excels in reporting. Almost every view can generate some type of report. You can generate expense reports, range reports, group size reports, failure reports, and many more.

Here are two real world reports from my own data. This is not "made up" data, but actual data from two years of range reports.

Here is a group size report for a CZ 85B.


Here is a failures report sorted by ammunition maker.