- Messages
- 376
- Reactions
- 157
You think you spend a lot of time reloading now? Wait till you dive into load development software.
Ever hear of Quick Load? I never felt it was that important to spend the $159 for it.
Those of us who reload have run into situations where a particular cartridge/bullet/powder combination wasn't documented.
IMR vs Hodgdon's powder is a classic example. Similar name/number but the recipe is different.
Rather that build and test every combination, what if you could play "what if" on the computer?
I have a lot of Enduron powder that is now discontinued, and want to use it before it goes bad.
Varmint hunting seems like a great way to use the odd components I have so they don't go to waste.
While researching Quick Load, I came across a free program called Gordon's Reloading Tool.
A few years back, ok a decade ago, I looked into it and promptly set it aside.
Wrong frame of mind and work was seriously interfering with my spare time.
Now I'm motivated to explore. Having seen a few exploded guns, I have a renewed sense of safety.
Here's some info on Gordon's Reloading Tool. RIP Gordon.
Gordon's Reloading Tool
Don't freak out. It is overwhelming in the beginning. The program starts out metric but switching to imperial is fortunately very easy.
I run this from a USB key on a laptop from 2012 that I keep near my reloading bench. I can move it to a more modern computer but don't need to.
Though the SW is no longer being updated, it has a surprising amount of current data. New items like bullets can be added to your "user" database.
Adding new powder is probably mission difficult. They have all the Enduron powders that recently were added then canceled which is why I'm exploring this tool.
Default values for the bullets are pretty accurate but the case volumes for brass can be off and unfortunately tend to be larger.
This is what I have seen so far. Smaller case volume means higher pressure.
Note the two pictures. One is for Virgin Brass that I actually measured with water and a digital scale, the other is the default for 22-250 brass.
If the case volume is larger in the program than your actual cases especially when they are unfired, the pressure will be higher in your actual load and not reported by the tool.
A couple of grains of water less than the default can equate to several thousand additional PSI.
Using this software not only helps avoid over or under pressure loads it enabled me to find out something that is easy to ignore ie bullet RPMs.
When they spin too fast ... copper mist...My 22-250 is 1:14 twist where my .243 is 1:8 twist. The .243 loves to blow up light thin jacketed bullets.
Ever hear of Quick Load? I never felt it was that important to spend the $159 for it.
Those of us who reload have run into situations where a particular cartridge/bullet/powder combination wasn't documented.
IMR vs Hodgdon's powder is a classic example. Similar name/number but the recipe is different.
Rather that build and test every combination, what if you could play "what if" on the computer?
I have a lot of Enduron powder that is now discontinued, and want to use it before it goes bad.
Varmint hunting seems like a great way to use the odd components I have so they don't go to waste.
While researching Quick Load, I came across a free program called Gordon's Reloading Tool.
A few years back, ok a decade ago, I looked into it and promptly set it aside.
Wrong frame of mind and work was seriously interfering with my spare time.
Now I'm motivated to explore. Having seen a few exploded guns, I have a renewed sense of safety.
Here's some info on Gordon's Reloading Tool. RIP Gordon.
Gordon's Reloading Tool
Don't freak out. It is overwhelming in the beginning. The program starts out metric but switching to imperial is fortunately very easy.
I run this from a USB key on a laptop from 2012 that I keep near my reloading bench. I can move it to a more modern computer but don't need to.
Though the SW is no longer being updated, it has a surprising amount of current data. New items like bullets can be added to your "user" database.
Adding new powder is probably mission difficult. They have all the Enduron powders that recently were added then canceled which is why I'm exploring this tool.
Default values for the bullets are pretty accurate but the case volumes for brass can be off and unfortunately tend to be larger.
This is what I have seen so far. Smaller case volume means higher pressure.
Note the two pictures. One is for Virgin Brass that I actually measured with water and a digital scale, the other is the default for 22-250 brass.
If the case volume is larger in the program than your actual cases especially when they are unfired, the pressure will be higher in your actual load and not reported by the tool.
A couple of grains of water less than the default can equate to several thousand additional PSI.
Using this software not only helps avoid over or under pressure loads it enabled me to find out something that is easy to ignore ie bullet RPMs.
When they spin too fast ... copper mist...My 22-250 is 1:14 twist where my .243 is 1:8 twist. The .243 loves to blow up light thin jacketed bullets.
Last Edited:
