Hey all, I'm just getting started in hand loading.
One of my main interests in reloading is to customize a load for my various guns. Obviously a load is going to shoot differently from my Charter Bulldog than it will from my 5" 629. I want to customize loads for each of them.
So, I heard of software program called "Quickload" that allows you to do just exactly that. It even tells you what percentage of the powder is burned by the time the bullet leaves the barrel. How cool is that? So I figured, this is just what I need... so I plunk down the $140 for the program and a few days later the disk shows up in my mail box. Cool beans so far.
So I install the program and start tooting around in it. I see a lot of listings for bullets of various shapes and sizes, and even a utility to create your own new "bullet data" record if you have something not listed. I notice they have the same ability for powders. Excellent, I think.
So, I go to plug in the numbers for a few loads I'm considering. I haven't gotten very far into this process when I go to tap in the numbers for a .40 cal load I'm considering using IMR 800x - and I can't find the powder in the list. I waste a few minutes looking around for a different powder file on the disk - nope, can't find one. I look for a way to download an updated powder file... nope, can't find one. So I go out to my bench and grab 3 powders at random - Alliant American Select, IMR 700x and IMR 800x, thinking there is data on the side of the bottle I can enter - nope, not there, and guess what the other two powders are not in the list either!!
By now I'm getting confused and a tad frustrated. These are main stream powders with load data in just about every reloading manual. I can understand maybe if it was something off-beat, like leftover Pakistani surplus or something. But these are COMMON powders. They SHOULD BE THERE in a product I have paid over $100 for.
As a last ditch, I figure the manufacturer MUST have the propellant data on their web site. I've been all over the IMR site, and no powder data was to be found.
What's the deal? I bought this program to be able to try out various bullet/powder combinations without having to do it Thomas Edison style (trial & error) and waste a lot of time and material finding 1000 ways it doesn't work. Now I find out that the program doesn't accomodate some of the most popular & available commercial powders on the market? Or is there something I just haven't discovered yet? Maybe there is a simple solution I just haven't caught wise to yet... that's why I'm asking here. Little help, please guys.
BTW I did my homework before purchasing, read at least 5 reviews of the product. No one said anything about major manufacurer's very mainstream powders being missing from the roster. I am feeling I am not getting what it was that I believed I was paying for at the time of purchase. I'm unhappy with the product right now and I'm hoping someone can shed some light to improve my mood.
Thanks for any help.
One of my main interests in reloading is to customize a load for my various guns. Obviously a load is going to shoot differently from my Charter Bulldog than it will from my 5" 629. I want to customize loads for each of them.
So, I heard of software program called "Quickload" that allows you to do just exactly that. It even tells you what percentage of the powder is burned by the time the bullet leaves the barrel. How cool is that? So I figured, this is just what I need... so I plunk down the $140 for the program and a few days later the disk shows up in my mail box. Cool beans so far.
So I install the program and start tooting around in it. I see a lot of listings for bullets of various shapes and sizes, and even a utility to create your own new "bullet data" record if you have something not listed. I notice they have the same ability for powders. Excellent, I think.
So, I go to plug in the numbers for a few loads I'm considering. I haven't gotten very far into this process when I go to tap in the numbers for a .40 cal load I'm considering using IMR 800x - and I can't find the powder in the list. I waste a few minutes looking around for a different powder file on the disk - nope, can't find one. I look for a way to download an updated powder file... nope, can't find one. So I go out to my bench and grab 3 powders at random - Alliant American Select, IMR 700x and IMR 800x, thinking there is data on the side of the bottle I can enter - nope, not there, and guess what the other two powders are not in the list either!!
By now I'm getting confused and a tad frustrated. These are main stream powders with load data in just about every reloading manual. I can understand maybe if it was something off-beat, like leftover Pakistani surplus or something. But these are COMMON powders. They SHOULD BE THERE in a product I have paid over $100 for.
As a last ditch, I figure the manufacturer MUST have the propellant data on their web site. I've been all over the IMR site, and no powder data was to be found.
What's the deal? I bought this program to be able to try out various bullet/powder combinations without having to do it Thomas Edison style (trial & error) and waste a lot of time and material finding 1000 ways it doesn't work. Now I find out that the program doesn't accomodate some of the most popular & available commercial powders on the market? Or is there something I just haven't discovered yet? Maybe there is a simple solution I just haven't caught wise to yet... that's why I'm asking here. Little help, please guys.
BTW I did my homework before purchasing, read at least 5 reviews of the product. No one said anything about major manufacurer's very mainstream powders being missing from the roster. I am feeling I am not getting what it was that I believed I was paying for at the time of purchase. I'm unhappy with the product right now and I'm hoping someone can shed some light to improve my mood.
Thanks for any help.