A recent thread on another Forum about showing your "pet loads" got me to thinking. The thread featured several photos from various log books, which is the typical way many shooters keep track of what's what. Reading those posts made me glad that I don't keep a hand written log book.
Let us say your best recipe uses a Berger hybrid bullet. How about finding the best load recipe using a Berger VLD bullet during those times when the hybrid bullets are unobtainium? Where in the log book is that information? Hand written logbooks are not a good way to sort or search for data. The more obscure the data, the worse it gets.
Here is what I do:
When I make a batch of ammo, I start by producing a load log using M.S. Word. Each load has a serial number as well as a date. My .223 F/TR rifle uses logs starting with the number 1000; my 6mm BR load logs start with 600, and so on. This preliminary load-log serves as a guide during the loading process.
I use the previous log as a template and change the serial number, date, etc. I do not have to re-type all the information, only the new or different data, much of which is in the form of a table. I also write a short paragraph about why I am making a particular batch and mention any other factor(s) which might be important.
I copy part of the load-log data table and transfer it to a Photoshop file so I can quickly print ammo box labels. Again, this is a simple process once you have the first template made. I attach these labels to conventional plastic ammo boxes using clear packing tape.
At the range, I keep only the barest of hand written notes sufficient to keep me from confusing the data I'm recording. After I test the ammo, I go home where I scan and record every target group using On Target scoring software. I also extract muzzle velocity and standard deviation from the smart phone I use in conjunction with my chronograph. I transfer the scoring data from On Target into a M.S. Excel worksheet and add the chronograph data by hand along with a little bit of additional information like powder type and bullet weight.
Then I open the M.S. Word load-log again and I copy/paste important data from the On Target scoring software or from the Excel Worksheet. I often include a chart or two as well as a short narrative about the results. Finally, I print a copy of each load-log and these printed pages serve as the functional equivalent of a logbook. I keep these printed copies in my reloading room, but they are not optimum for searching and sorting.
Here's part of a load-log:
What is perfect for sorting, is an Excel Worksheet. In nearly every instance I sort the day's data by MOA and/or ATC (the same as mean radius) but I also sort by MV or SD or whatever parameter I happen to be testing. This set of numbers will reveal which combination shot best, but it is still hard (for me at least) to grasp the big picture from a matrix filled with a bunch of numbers.
Once the data is in Excel, it is a snap to turn numbers into a chart or graph. When I do load development, I nearly always graph charge-weight vs. MOA and ATC and sometimes "Height", which is the vertical deviation. There is nothing quite like a graphic to make this kind of data easy to understand.
Here is a sample chart:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/JpwzP2]
You can see that a load of 100% of max published is best, but only by a hair. The load of 104% of max is nearly as good and, of course, is associated with higher MV, so it is most likely the preferred load in this instance.
I save the day's Excel Worksheet in a special file folder for that gun using the date and load-log serial number as a file name. That way it's easy to find later on. When I'm done, I copy the worksheet for that day and append the data to a master file containing every group ever fired from that gun.
Here is part of a master file sorted by ATC:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/KkWMpr]
That master file is like gold. To use an odd example, ask me which powder provides the second best vertical dispersion with an 80gr Berger VLD bullet. In a matter of seconds, I can say that the vertical is .097" using Vihtavuori N-140, load-log serial #1040 on 1/16/2016. I can also see that the results are not quite as good as the .067" vertical dispersion shot with H-4198 that same day. Furthermore, by opening file #1040 I can tell you the neck tension, primer type, case capacity, and whatever else you might like to know. Try that with a hand-written logbook.
You can make your Excel Worksheet as fancy as you like. For example, I color code things like powder type, bullet type, and I mark good performance so that important factors are easy to spot. Use your imagination and fine-tune the look of your spread sheet as you get used to tracking your results.
All this sounds like a lot of trouble, and to some extent it is more work than a simple hand-written log book. But the digital information is so much more meaningful. I believe if you're going to chase the kind of precision you need to feel confident in a match, or if your goal is just to have fun shooting the smallest possible group at your local range on Sunday, you must not only gather data but you also need a record system which will let you study that data and make sense of it. In truth, once you have done a couple of load logs using Word and made a few worksheets and charts in Excel, it is not as much trouble as you might think. It sure beats the heck out of wasting time weight-sorting primers.[/url][/url]
Let us say your best recipe uses a Berger hybrid bullet. How about finding the best load recipe using a Berger VLD bullet during those times when the hybrid bullets are unobtainium? Where in the log book is that information? Hand written logbooks are not a good way to sort or search for data. The more obscure the data, the worse it gets.
Here is what I do:
When I make a batch of ammo, I start by producing a load log using M.S. Word. Each load has a serial number as well as a date. My .223 F/TR rifle uses logs starting with the number 1000; my 6mm BR load logs start with 600, and so on. This preliminary load-log serves as a guide during the loading process.
I use the previous log as a template and change the serial number, date, etc. I do not have to re-type all the information, only the new or different data, much of which is in the form of a table. I also write a short paragraph about why I am making a particular batch and mention any other factor(s) which might be important.
I copy part of the load-log data table and transfer it to a Photoshop file so I can quickly print ammo box labels. Again, this is a simple process once you have the first template made. I attach these labels to conventional plastic ammo boxes using clear packing tape.
At the range, I keep only the barest of hand written notes sufficient to keep me from confusing the data I'm recording. After I test the ammo, I go home where I scan and record every target group using On Target scoring software. I also extract muzzle velocity and standard deviation from the smart phone I use in conjunction with my chronograph. I transfer the scoring data from On Target into a M.S. Excel worksheet and add the chronograph data by hand along with a little bit of additional information like powder type and bullet weight.
Then I open the M.S. Word load-log again and I copy/paste important data from the On Target scoring software or from the Excel Worksheet. I often include a chart or two as well as a short narrative about the results. Finally, I print a copy of each load-log and these printed pages serve as the functional equivalent of a logbook. I keep these printed copies in my reloading room, but they are not optimum for searching and sorting.
Here's part of a load-log:
What is perfect for sorting, is an Excel Worksheet. In nearly every instance I sort the day's data by MOA and/or ATC (the same as mean radius) but I also sort by MV or SD or whatever parameter I happen to be testing. This set of numbers will reveal which combination shot best, but it is still hard (for me at least) to grasp the big picture from a matrix filled with a bunch of numbers.
Once the data is in Excel, it is a snap to turn numbers into a chart or graph. When I do load development, I nearly always graph charge-weight vs. MOA and ATC and sometimes "Height", which is the vertical deviation. There is nothing quite like a graphic to make this kind of data easy to understand.
Here is a sample chart:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/JpwzP2]
You can see that a load of 100% of max published is best, but only by a hair. The load of 104% of max is nearly as good and, of course, is associated with higher MV, so it is most likely the preferred load in this instance.
I save the day's Excel Worksheet in a special file folder for that gun using the date and load-log serial number as a file name. That way it's easy to find later on. When I'm done, I copy the worksheet for that day and append the data to a master file containing every group ever fired from that gun.
Here is part of a master file sorted by ATC:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/KkWMpr]
That master file is like gold. To use an odd example, ask me which powder provides the second best vertical dispersion with an 80gr Berger VLD bullet. In a matter of seconds, I can say that the vertical is .097" using Vihtavuori N-140, load-log serial #1040 on 1/16/2016. I can also see that the results are not quite as good as the .067" vertical dispersion shot with H-4198 that same day. Furthermore, by opening file #1040 I can tell you the neck tension, primer type, case capacity, and whatever else you might like to know. Try that with a hand-written logbook.
You can make your Excel Worksheet as fancy as you like. For example, I color code things like powder type, bullet type, and I mark good performance so that important factors are easy to spot. Use your imagination and fine-tune the look of your spread sheet as you get used to tracking your results.
All this sounds like a lot of trouble, and to some extent it is more work than a simple hand-written log book. But the digital information is so much more meaningful. I believe if you're going to chase the kind of precision you need to feel confident in a match, or if your goal is just to have fun shooting the smallest possible group at your local range on Sunday, you must not only gather data but you also need a record system which will let you study that data and make sense of it. In truth, once you have done a couple of load logs using Word and made a few worksheets and charts in Excel, it is not as much trouble as you might think. It sure beats the heck out of wasting time weight-sorting primers.[/url][/url]
