The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hello all,

Just wanting to pick peoples brains about what they use/info they record etc for a handloading record. As I now handload all of my fullbore ammo as well as shotgun slug from this year i'm going to keep a record of everything I load as well as info when i'm testing it.

Other than;

Cartridge 'name'
Case
Primer
Powder (jnc weight)
Bullet (inc weight)
OAL
Firearm used in

What other details, if any do you record?

Then when it comes to actually testing the ammo do you record anything other than the above, plus velocity, location and weather conditions?

Any info appreciated, or a photo from a log would be great

We have a hard copy information of every single round we have ever made and shot and we also include the date of loading and weather, temperature and humidity inside and when I shoot at distance I record temperature and barometric pressure as well.

I use this one.

https://www.redding-reloading.com/image ... taSht4.pdf

I have never bothered keeping a round count and haven't a clue how many rounds I have loaded/fired over the last 50 years
(quite a few I suspect!)
But I do keep a range log noting firearm used, load data, performance, weather conditions etc.

I transpose this info into a loose leaf binder for reference.

ukrifleman

Ballistol wrote:I use this one.

https://www.redding-reloading.com/image ... taSht4.pdf

Great!

I note the source and issue where the load data has come from.

Why? I have always reloaded all of my CF ammo---starting in the mid '70s in volume production although i did load a few before that.
Never recorded anything other than the information on the label when the round went in the box. Never needed to, never wanted to, never wanted to look back on what I used to shoot.
Fred

FredB wrote:Why? I have always reloaded all of my CF ammo---starting in the mid '70s in volume production although i did load a few before that.
Never recorded anything other than the information on the label when the round went in the box. Never needed to, never wanted to, never wanted to look back on what I used to shoot.
Fred

I'm pretty much with Fred on this... I have a notebook that I record my batches for load development, and then score the loads for accuracy. The most accurate becomes my standard load.
The ammo box then has the bullet + weight, powder + weight, make of primer and COL written on it... i don't record anything else apart from my attendance in the range log.

I list the following in a small notebook
Date
bullet
powder and charge
case
primer
COAL
amount made
just occasionally velocity and whether a given load is causing flat primers/wipe marks
this serves to act as an aide memoir for future sessions

When I start to develop a new load, the first samples are routinely chronographed and the results fed into a spread sheet which records, velocity. energy and standard deviation. Notes are added recording the results on the target. The best load is not often the highest velocity, but the one with the smallest standard deviation. I have not done this for some years, but as soon as the covid allows, I will be checking out loads for my recently restored 360 x 2 1/4 rifle. I checked out my old chronograph the other day and it has died from lack of use. Doesn't really matter as the club has a better one!
Fred