Planning ahead...

[memilanuk]

So... this might be something a little different. Maybe, maybe not. Sort of the opposite of @F Class John post on keeping records

I've been historically *terrible* about planning ahead, other than for my main competition guns. Everything else... has been very 'ad-hoc', and that's probably being generous. That results with me having a number of guns that *don't* have loads ready, which is a bit of a bummer - and something I'm working on.

Once upon a time, long, long ago... I remember reading a reloading book (for those old enough to remember those!) where one of the pics showed the author planning things out on a calendar, like these stages/steps of brass prep on this evening, more steps this other evening, etc. etc. etc. range trip on this specific date i.e. Saturday afternoon, etc. These days, the book probably would have had a freakin' Gantt chart, but this was back in the time of day planners and such

At the time, I considered that way too over-the-top detailed and/or rigid. I was more 'go with the flow, man' in my approach, feeling that it afforded me more flexibility to pivot with unexpected developments and/or time opportunities that popped up. Nowadays... I dunno. A little more regimented plan / schedule is starting to look more attractive.

I'm curious about what you do as far as 'planning ahead' for loading/reloading/testing?

 

[jds holler]

I'm horrible. trying to get me to make plans or schedule something is like pinning down a ball bearing. Ask my wife. jd

 

[GLShooter]

On a hobby that's the last thing I would do. When I was competing heavily in USPSA I'd set down and load bulk stuff way in advance. For my dedicated barrels and cartridge evaluation projects I will load as the need arises. Those are small batches but require an inordinate amount of time.

Greg

 

[CJ6]

My schedule is more like....Oh dang....we're shooting tomorrow.

 

[Krogen]

No plan survives the first engagement, said some famous person.

Personally, I do my best to plan ahead. I keep an Outlook calendar of things I've committed to do and reminders of things I don't want to forget. I don't want to let others down. I don't obsess over scheduling my own activities, though. It's ok if I let myself down. I just get up and start anew.

 

[joshb]

A week ahead. I plan on shooting next Thursday. I loaded some yesterday and today. I’ll be load testing for a few new guns. When I find a good load, I’ll put together a hundred or so rounds and put them on the shelf. Hunting type guns, not Custom bench guns. Those I load for the day before. When I have some free time, I’ll add rounds to the shelf. Usually pistol stuff and 223 plinking rounds. Can’t really have too much of that around. Anytime some kids come shooting, I lose a few hundred rounds down range.

 

[Dos XX]

I still use a day planner. I feel better for admitting it.

 

[JFrank]

I use to wait until after hunting season then when it’s freezing outside and no one’s at the range I start tuning for next season. The problem is that when it gets close to March I have to tune again so this last year I base tuned a new barrel in late summer and wrote the load on the barrel in sharpie, cleaned it and put on the shelf until March. Don’t know if that’s going to be better or worse but we’ll see.
The rest I just procrastinate until the barrel order arrives then figure it out.

 

[papajoe222]

I‘m old, old school. I have a list of the guns I load for. Of I have loads made up, there is a / next to that entry. When I exhaust them, it becomes a X and I highlite it.
a quick look and I know what I need. When I finish more rounds for that rifle, I add another /. When I run out of room on that line, I black it out and start a new line for it. Works for me.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I don’t like looking at empty brass, I basically try to keep it loaded with known loads.

 

[joshb]

I don’t like looking at empty brass, I basically try to keep it loaded with known loads.

Yup! Empty brass is a job left unfinished. I feel like a slacker if I don’t load it!

 

[K22]

Planning ahead, an admirable trait but difficult to accomplish in reality, at least for me. As I got older, I have a more of a "deal with what is in front of me" approach to life rather than making elaborate plans for the future.

The unexpected often rears its ugly head, especially when you're an old fart and have numerous physical problems. Then there is the weather that you can't predict.

However, I am fairly organized in my reloading planning because I have a rifle / pistol rotation that is seasonal so it's fairly easy to plan ahead with "rounds ready to go" if you are not worried about "bullet weld" and even if you are, just seat them out a bit then reseat before using them.

I also do a fairly good job restocking inventory and have "qualified" alternative loads for when component shortages appear. Based on my annual shooting, I have enough components to see me through 2026, assuming I am still around by then. I consider this issue essential for planning ahead if you want to keep shooting.

 

[Evan]

I don’t like looking at empty brass, I basically try to keep it loaded with known loads.

I like brass that is all prepped, in the trays and ready to load, but I am a tinkerer and constantly testing new things so a stockpile of loaded ammo wouldn’t suit me anyway. I also have a toddler in the house, and while everything is locked up, I feel better knowing that even if he got in there is no way any of my guns could be fired without the little guy loading up some ammo to shoot first.

I don’t have a rigid plan that extends more than a week ahead of when I plan to shoot, but I do plan how and when I will get ready for the shooting event ahead of time, because the wife and I have to coordinate toddler care and activities.

 

[divingin]

Once upon a time, long, long ago... I remember reading a reloading book (for those old enough to remember those!) where one of the pics showed the author planning things out on a calendar, like these stages/steps of brass prep on this evening, more steps this other evening, etc. etc. etc. range trip on this specific date i.e. Saturday afternoon, etc. These days, the book probably would have had a freakin' Gantt chart, but this was back in the time of day planners and such

Mental note to self: Buy a calendar...

My life is too hectic (and, yes, a lot of that is self-inflicted) for that kind of planning. I get around to most stuff though, often at the last minute. I'm not a competition guy though; if I don't get around to something, I shoot something else.