Shoot’n, Fish’n ‘n’ Hunt’n

QuickLOAD is an essential predictive internal ballistics program for any reloader of ammunition.

Reloading has become a very popular adjunct to the shooting and hunting sports. Some of us reload to reduce costs, others to obtain superior performance to what we can get from factory ammo. Still more reloaders do it because they simply enjoy it. At the heart of all ammunition reloading endeavours are the various reloading manuals that are produced by the bullet and powder manufacturers. Reloading, without these manuals, would be next to impossible. However, these manuals are so limited and lacking, in some of the essential information that you need, that it is a wonder that we find safe and accurate loads for our firearms at all. Fortunately, there is now a software program called QuickLOAD and this is, in my opinion, an essential tool for reloading.

What is QuickLOAD? QuickLOAD is a predictive, internal ballistics program. QuickLOAD allows you to input all of the parameters that affect ammunition reloading and to run simulations of those loads. It quickly show you which powders, projectiles and cases will work in your particular barrel length and it will also tell you how they work at various ambient temperatures. While QuickLOAD is only a predictive program, it has been my experience that it is extremely accurate and can help get you onto the best loads for your rifle, very quickly. With QuickLOAD, gone are the days of buying lots of different reloading components and working through dozens of different loads looking for the magic reloading formula for your firearm. With QuickLOAD, I can usually arrive at the best load for my rifle within one short range session and after testing only three or four loads – it is that good!

Now, let me make it clear that I am no expert on QuickLOAD and I still have a lot to learn in operating this program. QuickLOAD is such a powerful tool that it does take a concerted effort to learn how to use it to its full capability.  However, I have learnt enough to realise some stunning and very pleasing reloading results in only a relatively short amount of time.  These results have left me wondering how the hell we ever got by with just reloading manuals in the past. I am also left wondering how I haven’t blown myself, and some of my firearms, up with the dodgy data that most reloading manuals contain.

Through this experience, I have come to realise that reloading manuals are so limited, in the data that they do provide, that, on their own, they are almost worthless. I still use my reloading manuals but now I only use them to work out where to start with QuickLOAD and to double check my QuickLOAD entries for any obvious errors that I might have made when entering data. Remember, like all computer based systems, the results for QuickLOAD are only as good as the data that is input. The old computer adage ‘garbage in, garbage out’ is still very, very true.

This screen-shot, of the QuickLOAD window for a load for the mighty .416 Rigby, gives some idea of the depth of information that QuickLOAD works with and the data is delivers.

So what is the information that is missing from the reloading manuals and why is QuickLOAD so useful? The following is just a sample of the inputs and outputs available from QuickLOAD and there is a great deal more information to work with than what I will now discuss; but this is, at least, a start.

Ambient temperature:

One of the most important parameters, that the reloading manuals ignore, is ambient temperature. Ambient temperature makes a huge difference to chamber pressures and velocities. As a result of the impact of temperature, a maximum load that was developed during the winter months can be extremely dangerous when shot in summer. Alternatively, if you developed your loads in summer and head out on a winter hunt, then your loads may be well below the velocities that you are expecting and may produce poor external ballistics. In some cases, your summer load may perform so badly in winter that pressures might even drop into the realm of dangerous underloads. If you shoot or hunt over a wide range of climates or seasons then you really need to understand the effects that ambient temperature has on your ammunition.

I don’t know of a single reloading manual that even mentions the temperature for the loads they list. It is probable that the loads were developed at a standard, laboratory temperature but even if this was listed, in the manual, it doesn’t help us reloaders because it is doubtful that we would be shooting with the same atmospheric conditions as the laboratory. We need to know what our loads are doing at all possible temperatures.

One of the best features of QuickLOAD is the ability to input the full range of ambient temperatures, for any given load, and see the effects on velocities and pressures. We can use this to determine the best powder, to get the smallest variation between summer and winter loads or to determine the best, separate loads for each season. Yes, it may be necessary to develop different loads for summer and winter hunting. However, if you only go with a single load, and the weather changes markedly from what you expected when you developed the load, you can use QuickLOAD to prepare youself by knowing the effects of temperature on your loads and the resulting pressures and velocities.

I now work out my preferred loads starting with a worst case, summer temperature of 40^oC (104^oF). I then re-run the load parameters for a range of temperatures based upon the most likely temperatures that I will hunt in. Yes, 40^oC is a very high temperature and we are very unlikely to hunt in those conditions but, if my ammo is accidentally left in the sun or on the dash of a vehicle in summer, then the temperature can easily reach, and exceed, this level and so I want to know what my loads will do at that temperature. I then aim for a load at a lower, but hot, summer temperature so that I know my loads will always be safe. Then I run that same load through QuickLOAD but at winter temperatures.

If that load then performs poorly, during winter temperatures, then I look at developing a separate load for winter or I look for a compromise powder that will work for both seasons. I then run each of my loads, summer and winter, through an external ballistics program and document, and label, each load carefully. This might seem a little complicated and a lot of work, for some reloaders, but the results speak for themselves.

The clear lesson, learnt from playing with temperatures in QuickLOAD, is that there is no such thing as a load that performs well in both summer and winter, which is why factory ammo is always a compromise; and often a very poor compromise. In addition, the notion that some brands of powders are not affected by ambient temperatures is just nonsense and QuickLOAD clearly demonstrates this.

Case Capacity:

Case capacity is never mentioned in reloading manuals but it has a huge effect on the pressure, performance and safety of our reloads. For example, if you work up a maximum load in Brand X cases, which use thinner brass and so have a large case capacity, and then load the same load into a Brand Y case, with thicker brass and less capacity, then you are very likely to experience excessive pressures.  QuickLOAD allows you to input different case capacities in order to get the most accurate pressure and velocity predictions for particular brands of cases.

All reloaders should realise that there are often large variations between case capacities, for a given cartridge, when you compare different brands of case. To give a good example of this issue, one only has to weight the case capacity of a couple of different brands of .300 Winchester Magnum cases. For reasons known only to the makers, the variations in case capacity, for this calibre, can be huge and can take a safe load, in one brand of case, and turn it into a dangerous load in another brand of case. The only way to know we are reloading safely, and for the best results, is to always measure the case capacity of our chosen cases. You do this by weighing the cases empty and then weighing them full of water and noting the difference between the two, which is your capacity.

To get the best results from QuickLOAD, you must get into the habit of measuring the case capacity of the cases that you use. I now always weigh a sample of my cases, at least ten (10) cases, as the very first step in any load development. If those ten cases are fairly consistent, I accept the measurements of the ten. If there are lots of variations, then I look at weighing a larger number of cases and perhaps weighing and batching all of my cases. However, if the variations within any brand of case are that large, and require so much work, then I would be looking to switch to another brand of cartridge case with consistent case capacity.

If I had to put a name to one brand of cartridge case that, in my experience, has very inconsistent brass thickness and therefore case capacity, I would have to say that Remington brass is one of the worst. I have experienced extremely large variations in case capacity with Remington brass and I have had to weigh and batch all of my Remington cases just to get acceptable results. Needless to say, I do NOT buy Remington brass anymore. You would think that a company with the reputation and history that Remington has would be able to get this right, but they don’t. Premium brands of cases should be consistent but you cannot assume that and must still test your cases; no matter the brand or how much they cost you.

Projectile brand, design and construction:

While most reloading manuals are created by bullet makers, and so are very specific about the projectiles that are used in their load data, the problem is that the data cannot be transferred to other projectiles without some risk.  Just because you are using the same weight and basic design of projectile, doesn’t mean that you can substitute any bullet of the same weight and design and expect the same results. There are many other issues that affect how a projectile works in any given load. These issues go beyond the approximate shape and weight of that projectile. The actual metallurgy of the bullet material, the exact dimensions and the precise shape, the thickness of the jacket, the composition of the core or whether it is a homogenous projectile, are just some of the issues that make simple substitution, of projectiles, ill-advised.

One of the big advantages of QuickLOAD is that it contains a huge library of projectiles, from all bullet makers including many custom bullet makers. This library also contains very precise and accurate data on each of these projectiles. This allows us to run load predictions without the need to purchase lots of different projectiles to test and often, only to find that, many of them are just not suitable for our favourite rifles.

Barrel length:

Reloading manuals always quote the velocities that they obtained with a particular firearm and, therefore, they work for one specific barrel length. However, our own firearms do not necessarily have the same length barrel. This can make quite a difference for our handloads and not just because it will affect the velocities, that we can expect, but also the choice of powder.

In general, short barrels require fast burning powders and long barrels require slower powders. However, the only way you can find the best powder, for your barrel length, is to run a range of QuickLOAD simulations after enterring the barrel length of your firearm. There are other parameters and predictions, that QuickLOAD works with that can help select the best powder. You can specify the weight of powder, in grains, or you can specify the percentage of case fill. The, with these and the other parameters, QuickLOAD will determine the percentage of powder burnt, for which barrel length is important, and, therefore, the ballistic efficiency of your load.

In summary, QuickLOAD is an excellent and, in my opinion, indispensable reloading tool. You can buy QuickLOAD from this link: Buy QuickLOAD here. QuickLOAD, at USD$152.95 plus S&H, is not a cheap program. However, the savings in reloading components, wear on your firearm, reloading time and time on the range will make it the cheapest reloading tool you will ever buy.

Copyright © 2017 - Robert Pretty - Shoot'n Fish'n 'n' Hunt'n.