@Yorric asked for some more Quickload information, so here y’are.
This is the process I use to tune Quickload to the powder I am using. Having communicated directly with Helmut Broemel in Germany (writer, owner) I’m happy with my process. It's a bit of a hack, but it works. Others will inevitably have different ideas, happy to hear them! Also remember I’m relatively new to Quickload, only been using it about 3 years or so.
Before we go any further, here’s the important bit. If you can’t drop test your loads at distances well past your zero, don’t bother with this. You need to do this. If you don’t, you’re stuck with your chronograph readings, which in my experience can be a bit off. I say this having tested Lab Radar, MagnetoSpeed and el cheapo Pro Chrono next to each other, and getting different readings. Drop tests are used to validate your trajectory, and assuming you have got your ES and SD down to low numbers, then drops data is very accurate. I use drops data over chrono data, and as you know then go out and shoot goats in the high shoulder at 600m+.
The process with which I validate trajectory is using Strelock Pro. Firstly, I carefully set all the meteorological variables to the weather on the day, and use the GPS to set altitude. I set up a board of sufficient height at typically 300m and 500m, place the cross hair on a large cross drawn on the board, then shoot a 5 shot group. I only do this in calm conditions. The average distance from the centreline of the cross to each POI is used as the value to enter into Strelock, which spits out a recalculated velocity. This is the number I use for all future ballistic calculations.
However, there are some other variables to consider. Minor differences in the BC of the bullet to published data are dealt with by altering velocity. But altitude, air pressure and temperature can all muck around with velocity and drops data, so if I move to new ground that is significantly different to where I normally shoot (e.g. 500m higher and 20°C colder) I will do a fresh drop test. The powder performance in extremes of altitude and temperature is very important to understand, and I do see tangible differences between mid-winter and mid-summer.
Also, I batch reload in increments of 100 or 200, and recently in 6.5 Creedmoor, 300. I don’t like running out of ammo on extended trips! If new brass and a new powder lot enters the equation, a new drop test is mandatory.
So to Quickload. The key here is to adjust the burn rate of the powder until your muzzle velocity matches your Strelock validated velocity. But you can only do this once you have set all the static variables correctly. These are:
The Weighting Factor is very important. This is a measure of the overbore-ness of the case. I use the following calculation, from post #3 in this thread:
Weighting Factor
The method of determining case volume to bore area ratio is described here, with a handy table:
Overbore calculation
So for 6mm Creedmoor, the two calculations are:
52 / 0.045338 = 1,146.94
500 / 1,146.94 = 0.435
Now to the important bit. Set your load in the top right screen. Helmut has explained to me in his fantastically German succinctness that he does not get to test all powders frequently. In fact, he tests some powders once in a blue moon, and I suspect it’s often a case of set and forget.
Now powder burn rates vary by lot. This is a given. So there’s no way Helmut can test every lot, eh. Over here in NZ there are frequent discussions about the variability of certain brands, ADI (Hodgdon) in particular. To counter this, I buy powder in bulk, all from the same lot.
The calculation will then spit out a velocity. This may or may not be close to your validated velocity. I have found that if I am spot on with all my static variables, then it won’t be too far off as long as I am using the most recent version of Quickload (3.9 is what I have here). There were quite a few powder updates between 3.6 and 3.9 and this has definitely improved matters.
Now, click on the button to the top left of the load screen. This then enables editing of the powder variables. Select the burn rate, and in small increments (0.005), either increase or decrease the value, and recalculate. Adjust until it matches your velocity.
In my experience of doing this, you’re generally within 0.01 – 0.02 of the listed burn rate. For example, my AR2209 (H4350) lot is published with a value of 0.5130, and my validated burn rate is 0.530. Once the velocity is reached, save your cartridge file. The custom powder you have created will be saved with a ? at the end.
I use AR2209 in several loads - .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor. I used the validated burn rate that I calculated from several drop tests in .243 and 6.5 CM, refining it every time, and when I came to set up 6mm Creedmoor for the first time I used this value and it calculated the velocity to within 5 ft./s of what Strelock predicted from the first drop test. That’s a 0.00176% variance. Not too shabby. I went out on the first post-load development shoot, and first shot in anger down the barrel went straight through the high shoulder of a goat at 420m. Bang on, press save, change nothing going forward.
I saw very similar results using this process in .223 with Benchmark 2 and H4895, and my .308 Varget loads are absolutely spot on after numerous drop tests with various bullets.
Righto, I think that’s all. The key learnings are:
Hope this helps one or two of you fellas. Happy Quickloading.
Here's a picture. Onwards.
This is the process I use to tune Quickload to the powder I am using. Having communicated directly with Helmut Broemel in Germany (writer, owner) I’m happy with my process. It's a bit of a hack, but it works. Others will inevitably have different ideas, happy to hear them! Also remember I’m relatively new to Quickload, only been using it about 3 years or so.
Before we go any further, here’s the important bit. If you can’t drop test your loads at distances well past your zero, don’t bother with this. You need to do this. If you don’t, you’re stuck with your chronograph readings, which in my experience can be a bit off. I say this having tested Lab Radar, MagnetoSpeed and el cheapo Pro Chrono next to each other, and getting different readings. Drop tests are used to validate your trajectory, and assuming you have got your ES and SD down to low numbers, then drops data is very accurate. I use drops data over chrono data, and as you know then go out and shoot goats in the high shoulder at 600m+.
The process with which I validate trajectory is using Strelock Pro. Firstly, I carefully set all the meteorological variables to the weather on the day, and use the GPS to set altitude. I set up a board of sufficient height at typically 300m and 500m, place the cross hair on a large cross drawn on the board, then shoot a 5 shot group. I only do this in calm conditions. The average distance from the centreline of the cross to each POI is used as the value to enter into Strelock, which spits out a recalculated velocity. This is the number I use for all future ballistic calculations.
However, there are some other variables to consider. Minor differences in the BC of the bullet to published data are dealt with by altering velocity. But altitude, air pressure and temperature can all muck around with velocity and drops data, so if I move to new ground that is significantly different to where I normally shoot (e.g. 500m higher and 20°C colder) I will do a fresh drop test. The powder performance in extremes of altitude and temperature is very important to understand, and I do see tangible differences between mid-winter and mid-summer.
Also, I batch reload in increments of 100 or 200, and recently in 6.5 Creedmoor, 300. I don’t like running out of ammo on extended trips! If new brass and a new powder lot enters the equation, a new drop test is mandatory.
So to Quickload. The key here is to adjust the burn rate of the powder until your muzzle velocity matches your Strelock validated velocity. But you can only do this once you have set all the static variables correctly. These are:
- Bullet length: calculated from an average of 10 bullets
- Cartridge length: my chosen COAL
- Case length: calculated from an average of cases
- Barrel length: bolt face to muzzle
- Bullet weight: calculated from an average of 10 bullets
- Maximum case capacity: calculated from an average of cases, convex water surface (be very sure to tap out all the water bubbles just before you top it up)
- Weighting factor: see below
The Weighting Factor is very important. This is a measure of the overbore-ness of the case. I use the following calculation, from post #3 in this thread:
Weighting Factor
The method of determining case volume to bore area ratio is described here, with a handy table:
Overbore calculation
So for 6mm Creedmoor, the two calculations are:
52 / 0.045338 = 1,146.94
500 / 1,146.94 = 0.435
Now to the important bit. Set your load in the top right screen. Helmut has explained to me in his fantastically German succinctness that he does not get to test all powders frequently. In fact, he tests some powders once in a blue moon, and I suspect it’s often a case of set and forget.
Now powder burn rates vary by lot. This is a given. So there’s no way Helmut can test every lot, eh. Over here in NZ there are frequent discussions about the variability of certain brands, ADI (Hodgdon) in particular. To counter this, I buy powder in bulk, all from the same lot.
The calculation will then spit out a velocity. This may or may not be close to your validated velocity. I have found that if I am spot on with all my static variables, then it won’t be too far off as long as I am using the most recent version of Quickload (3.9 is what I have here). There were quite a few powder updates between 3.6 and 3.9 and this has definitely improved matters.
Now, click on the button to the top left of the load screen. This then enables editing of the powder variables. Select the burn rate, and in small increments (0.005), either increase or decrease the value, and recalculate. Adjust until it matches your velocity.
In my experience of doing this, you’re generally within 0.01 – 0.02 of the listed burn rate. For example, my AR2209 (H4350) lot is published with a value of 0.5130, and my validated burn rate is 0.530. Once the velocity is reached, save your cartridge file. The custom powder you have created will be saved with a ? at the end.
I use AR2209 in several loads - .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor. I used the validated burn rate that I calculated from several drop tests in .243 and 6.5 CM, refining it every time, and when I came to set up 6mm Creedmoor for the first time I used this value and it calculated the velocity to within 5 ft./s of what Strelock predicted from the first drop test. That’s a 0.00176% variance. Not too shabby. I went out on the first post-load development shoot, and first shot in anger down the barrel went straight through the high shoulder of a goat at 420m. Bang on, press save, change nothing going forward.
I saw very similar results using this process in .223 with Benchmark 2 and H4895, and my .308 Varget loads are absolutely spot on after numerous drop tests with various bullets.
Righto, I think that’s all. The key learnings are:
- Chronographs are valuable tools, but drop tests are real world data at the distances that matter.
- Drop test at least 200m past your zero, and ideally another 1-200m after that. If you are only shooting at 250m max, then 250m will do.
- Measure all your static variables carefully. Do it again for each batch of new components.
- If you see a massive difference in burn rates, something is wrong.
Hope this helps one or two of you fellas. Happy Quickloading.
Here's a picture. Onwards.
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