Reloading Diary / Journal

[SDStack]

I am new to reloading and relatively new to shooting.  I do not shoot in any competitions.  My wife and I just go out and have fun.  I do however want to get the most out of my investment in guns and reloading equipment.  I searched for journal and diary on this site but I did not find what I am looking for.  I basically need a starting point and procedures for testing loads.  In the past, I have just picked a bullet, picked a random charge based on the manual and started shooting.  It turned out OK, but I don't know how to find the most accurate load for each of our guns.  A diary would help if I new how to go about getting the data (aside from the obvious... charge, OAL, etc.) and what data is required.  Any help on procedures and required data would be most appreciated.  

Also, any shareware that would assist in this?

[Patrick Sweeney]

Your diary can be as detailed or not, as you wish.  (coming from a technical background, BS in chemistry, I tend to go overboard.)

My minimum:

Each caliber has a Main Page.  On the Main Page is:

Dies used to load, with the dies height above the deck and the center stem above the deck measured with dial calipers.  Basic crimp diamter as measured on a good case is recorded.

Then, on the following Load Pages, I record:

Brass:  Brand, new, once-fired, range pickup, etc.

Primer:  Make and production lot

Bullet:  Brand, weight, style, OAL,

Powder:  Brand, weight

Chrono:  Velocity average, SD, ES, PF.

Firearms used:  make, model, bbl length

Temperature:  within a 5 degree range.

Function:  Loud, quiet, ejection angle and distance, flash, etc.

The info lets you track changes, and prevents too much fiddling.  So, you favorite load didn't make Major?  Maybe it was because you just shot it in a Glock 36 at 22 degrees on a winter day?

Each ammo bin is labeled with the load and any specifics.  For instance ".40SW/4.2B'eye/lead180/1.130"/No Glock!-EAA Only/IPSC practice"

Or:  ".40SW/4.5B'eye/WC180/1.200"/STI/IPSC Practice"

One guy I know marks his ammo bins "9mm" or "40" and is happy.  But then he owns maybe one or two in each caliber.  I have 12 pistols in .45, seven in .40, 15 in 9mm, etc.

[shred]

Mine get marked by intended use most of the time "steel", "ipsc", "gssf", whatever. As I'm loading each 100 primers, I rip one side off the now-empty primer box and write the powder charge, bullet weight and OAL on it and drop it in the loaded round bin.

Those cards get moved with the loads to ammo boxes or bags as appropriate. As I test loads, I'll make notes on the card ("didn't work G27", "big flash", "173 pf", "3-in group", etc). Every so often, especially after a chrono session, I'll dump the load data, chrono data and comments into an excel spreadsheet that calculates PF, KE and such.

As for scientifically figuring out which is the 'best' load for any gun-- only change one thing at a time and see if it helps or hurts.

[George D]

You should be recording the variables outlined by Patrick and Shred for your loading procedures. Using published data is a good place to start. The choice of a projectile is often based on considerations such as suitablity for speed loading in a revolver or feed reliability in an auto. Talking to friends about their projectile, OAL, powder weight and brand is another good way to gain a starting point, with your published data as a safety check.

A machine rest is the only way to absolutely test accuracy of loads but often this is outside budget or impractical as it has to be bolted to a rock solid base. The next best thing is to use sandbags on as solid a base as possible. I shoot six shot groups at 50 yards and I record the size of the 6 and the best 5 and the best 4 shots in the group. You need to shoot enough groups to be statistically significant - at least 10 of each load. Vary the powder weight by 0.3 of a grain in each direction from your starting load (always bearing in mind the safety aspect re maximum loads) and if you find an accurate load, redo the testing by varying 0.1 in each direction. When testing different loads, shoot your groups in different orders to minimise the effect of eye fatigue.

Testing can be a very time consuming process, particularly without a machine rest as the operator errors will often give a false impression of the accuracy of a load. This is why a large number of test groups is necessary. I am currently testing for my 38 slab-sided revolver and have found 2 projectiles which are identical in design and weight but different in brand and lube coating to perform differently in accuracy with all other factors identical. Shred's suggestion regarding the spreadsheet can be an excellent way of analysing data.

I have detected some correlation between velocity/ standard deviaton and accuracy. Maybe some others can comment on this aspect.

[shred]

Think about is what do you consider "good enough"? For me it's "makes major and lands in the a-zone at 50 yards". Your choices there and level of ability determine what level of effort you should put into load development.

Generally speaking, lower powder loads are often more accurate than heavier loads for a given caliber.

[EricW]

If anybody is interested, I put together a database in Filemaker called "Load Base."  The concept is cool, the application is a touch rough in places.  You can create pet loads, then track those loads by lot.  You can print up labels to attach to the containers, so you know exactly what you've got.  Then, you can track how each load performs.  If you're so inclined, you can even scan in a copy of your target.  It's Filemaker, so it works on PC's or Mac's.  If enough people show interest, I'll put it up on my FTP space for download.  

The price:  Free to forum users in exchange for constructive feedback.  

E

[George]

Another option is commercial software. I bought a good ballistic software program and found that it had complete reloading records, firearm logs, printable targets and much more. Runs on PC & Mac. It was 89 bucks when I got it, just checked the website and it has gone up to 99 smackers. I think it's worth it. RSI Shooting Lab @ http://www.shootingsoftware.com/

Regards,

(Edited by George at 2:53 pm on Nov. 20, 2002)

[EricW]

LoadBase isn't designed to provide load data or ballistics. That's been done to death.  It *is* designed to record *your* loading information, provide you easy traceability of your lots, and is available at the unbeatable price of nothin'.  Let me know if there's any interest.

E

[George]

BTW, There is a free 30 day trial version of the Shooting Lab software available for download at the RSI website. Be careful about trying it though, you might be unable to resist buying it after you find out what it can do. That's what happened to me, I said 89 bucks for ballistic software, Right! Next thing I knew, I was ordering the full version.

It tracks firearm inventory & usage, has a complete loading data management system that also handles your chrono data & keeps ammo inventory, it prints targets, does target analysis,  and much, more.

I think it's the easiest way that I have found to manage my firearm inventory & all of my loading/chrono/target data. It is also the best ballistics program I have found. It's BC handling is closer to correct than anything else out there.

Jim Ristow @ RSI is an active rifle shooter, and writes the software himself. Spend a few minutes talking to him and I guarantee you will learn something new & interesting to help you in your own accuracy quest.

Regards,

[SDStack]

You guys have been a lot of help.  It is amazing how things just seem like the "common sense" thing to do "AFTER" you hear them.  I love the tear off the primer box idea.

EricW I would love to have a copy of your filemaker program for MY data.  Feel free to email it to me.  I have a fast connection so it won't matter about its size.  

By the way...  Where on the Internet can I find out the definitions of all the shooting lingo and as required, how to calculate it?  ie: SD, ES, PF, etc.

Thanks again.

(Edited by SDStack at 3:39 pm on Nov. 20, 2002)

[George]

Here is a link to PACT's website with some info on chronographs and related terminology.

http://www.pact.com/prochro.html

It says a little bit about Extreme Spread.

(I decided I had to expand on SD, so I came back with some more info)

Standard Deviation is a statistical term used to define an average of variance, it is typically referred to as RMS or Root Mean Square in electrical engineering (heres the math a processing chronograph does for you to generate a SD http://mathworld.wolfram.com/StandardDeviation.html ). In a nutshell (a way simplified nutshell), it throws away both ends of a set of varying measurements (ie, chronograph results) and averages whats left to give you an indication of the typical/average variance, as opposed to the worst case variance you can expect in the long run (whew). The worst case is usually the Extreme spread.

Power Factor is the Bullet weight in grains, times the velocity in feet per second. It is used to determine scoring priveliges in IPSC, and to compare various cartridges kinetic energy levels in terminal ballistics discussions.

The following link has some of the best ballistic dissertations I have found anywhere (Internal, External & Terminal Ballistics). Scroll down to the "Fr. Frogs Shooting Pages" section, select the "Ballistics" link, and hold on to your hat. All questions will be answered in full.

http://home.sprynet.com/~frfrog/froghome.htm

(BTW, I have found the Fr. Frog link to be intermittently unavailable, so keep trying)

Lotsa other good stuff here too. You will probably find the terminal ballistics section rather interesting (Q: what is the IPSC power factor of a HEAT anti-tank round, A; surprising).

Enjoy,

(Edited by George at 11:10 pm on Nov. 20, 2002)