QL cost $153 + shipping.
I would pay $10k if I had to.
I load over 60 cartridges, and never stop experimenting.
I own over 50 load books and no longer use them.
If you load the same cartridge(s) the same way you always have, QL will not do you any good.
Here is my spiel from 4 years ago about getting started:
1) Click on the Quickload icon on your desktop
2) Click on "continue".
3) select a cartridge
4) click on the 7th icon on the tool bar. It is the second image that is binoculars over a case.
5) click on "ok"
6) Click on "ok"
7) Click on "ok"
8) Click on "yes"
9) Select a bullet
10) select a powder
11) type in a powder charge
13) type in a barrel length
14) click on "Apply&Calc" in the charge section
15) Wait for 10 seconds for the velocity and pressure to appear
16) Click on the QuickTarget icon on your desktop
17) Click on continue
18) Click on "Receive Data from QuickLOAD"
19) Click on the 16th icon on the Quickload tool bar that says "1 2 3".
20) Enter a maximum pressure of 65,000 psi
21) Click on "Apply&Exit"
22) Find the powder in that list, that you own, that gets the highest velocity
23) Select that powder in the charge section
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3RkvTxW4lE
Kevin Adam
http://www.shootforum.com/forum/
http://www.6mmbr.com/quickload.html
I go further, but there are things I don't do.
I will tweak it so it matches the chronograph:
a) I have jug of H4350 that only matches velocity and pressure if I enter 4% less powder than I am actually shooting. But for case fill ratio, I enter the full amount I am using.
b) I will up the start pressure from ~2,000 psi to ~4,000 psi to represent jamming the bullet into the lands
c) I am mindful of the OAL I enter.
d) When I substitute bullets that are not in the QL library, I need the bullet length.
e) I enter the barrel length.
I use the Quicktarget that comes with Quickload to make my windage and drop charts for shooting long range.
I use the Quicktarget that comes with Quickload to choose bullets.
I use the Quicktarget that comes with Quickload to choose my next cartridge to buy the reamer and dies.
What I do not do, is enter the parameters for new bullet nor new powders. I simply call up NECO and order an update.
QL is extremely accurate at estimating velocity and pressure for bottle necked cartridges, but extremely inaccurate for estimating straight wall pistol cartridges with double loads.
I have Quickload on my computer and I bought another one for using on my brother's computer, 900 miles from here, where I hunt.