Home Forums Reloading Reloading Software What do you use QL for?

this may be an easier way for me to find out what the program does.

so.... what do you use it for? What features appealed to you during the purchase decision?

Among other things,

� to determine the optimum powder to use for 90�100% case fill and designated maximum chamber pressures

� estimated recoil

� estimated trajectories at designated points and ranges (using the included, interactive exterior-ballistics program QuickTARGET)

� miscellaneous included information such as point of "all burnt," percent of powder charge burned, muzzle pressure at bullet exit, effects of load variations, ballistic efficiency, etc

� pressure and velocity curves, from the ignition of the powder charge to the exit of the bullet


Unparalleled way to explore the ballistics effects of all the "what if?" scenarios that I can imagine!

Be prepared to be overwhelmed by your first exposure to QuickLOAD. It's not a namby-pamby, shallow, or hit-or-miss program. Its learning curve is not for the impatient or lazy. It demands a lot of input, and of course it gives you garbage if you feed it garbage to munch. But although it's powerful and demanding, it's a joy to use.

Having four complicated windows on your screen at once can be rather disconcerting at first � but once you understand 'em and see why they're there, you'll love 'em.

QuickLOAD, I think all users will agree, is addictive. I can not imagine anyone ever out-growing it. And I'm amazed that it doesn't cost a lot more.

thanks for the info.

to me it seems like something I would RARELY use....

as I'm not into wildcatting and off book reloading...

I consider QuickLOAD a vastly superior substitute for a collection of handloading manuals.

Each manual reports results from one gun for each cartridge � a poor basis for assuming that the listed loads will produce similar results in your one other gun.

QuickLOAD, on the other hand, uses equations that ballisticians have laboriously derived, over many years, from the results from millions of loads in thousands of guns and cartridges. So it has a definite edge over a report of the results from a very limited number of loads from only one gun and one cartridge.

As a predicting device, QuickLOAD is vastly superior to manuals, IMHO. It's as useful for factory cartridges as it is for wildcats.

Anyway, this forum (as I understand it) isn't an ad to persuade shooters to buy QuickLOAD � it's for owners and prospective owners of QuickLOAD and other ballistics software to post their tips, questions, and other comments.

I agree that this forum is not for advertising, but if I don't know what QL does or can do how am I to ask questions?

I with Blammer I have read about Exbal and a few others but I don't know Quickload

Please don't be defensive, my friend. Nobody here has any intention of scolding you. My comment re advertising was meant as definition for everyone, not admonition aimed at you.

If this forum flies, all that you have to do is watch, and you'll see (I hope!) a lot of helpful commentary on any number of ballistics programs. Then you'll know what questions to ask, and you'll see others ask a lot of 'em before you do.

no offense taken at all!

didn't mean to "sound" that way...

I'll be watching for sure!

thanks!

Blammer, did you look at the info on the Neconos web site?

http://www.neconos.com/details3.htm

I'm assuming that QL allows the user to plug in various non traditional powders for a cartridge of choice.

Examples would be IMR 4895, H4895 & IMR 4064 in the 270 Winchester.

These powder have proven to be extremely accurate in my rifle in NRA Silhouette shooting but are almost entirely ingnored for this round in board discussions and in some manuals.

Just found this from Tod in another thread. What say you, Mr Howell.

BTW, thanks Tod.

I don't know anything about QL, but I've always wondered if it would do what "284LUVR" suggested, which is analyze non-traditional powders for certain cartridges.

Also, I came into a bunch of Vectan powder, but the Vectan manual doesn't list loads for some cartridges which seem natural to the "speed" of the powder--I'm wondering if QL would be of some help with that type of situation.

I hope this forum takes off, too. I'm sure there are things some of the programming gurus at the Campfire have done in Excel and other programs not normally associated with reloading that would be pretty interesting.

Where can one purchase QL?

Order it from Neconos. It's $150, but well worth it if you do a lot of experimenting when reloading.

I use it and QuickDesign to see if wildcats are worth pursuing.

The latest version of QuickLOAD includes SNPE powders Vectan 7, Vectan 9, Vectan 10, and Vectan 11.

Your can add other powders if you know the technical specs or characteristics of them.

You can get QuickLOAD (which includes QuickTARGET) and QuickDESIGN from the importer, Nostalgia Enterprises (NECO) in Benicia, California. They're German software, but never fear � their displays are in excellent English.

As Ken said these are my primary uses�
� estimated trajectories at designated points and ranges
� pressure and velocity curves, from the ignition of the powder charge to the exit of the bullet

PLUS
Using bullets which do not publish Load data.. for example a Rem 300 Gr. .458 cal bullet in a 450 Marlin� I start with beginning loads for a Manual like Speer� and run the numbers. Then I have a starting point� I would buy it if this was all it did.

Ken Howell:
Based on my somewhat limited experience using Quickload, and a measure of common sense, I am convinced of the following.

Quickload is a poor substitute for even a SINGLE loading manual.

Quickload predicts pressures. On the basis of �equations�, it can�t always predict correctly, what your pressure will be, as well as a Loading Manual does, BUT you will have a tendency to believe the predictions, especially after a few times when you find that your pressures/velocities are very similar to what Quickload predicted for you.

You will learn to trust them too much, and that�s where you can get into trouble.

Loading Manuals are based on actual testing, and are written to err on the safe side, and that�s a better way to go even for the most learned handloaders, IMO.

I consider it irresponsible to recommend that someone use Only, Quickload for a loading guide. They do so at their own risk.

Thanks
Smitty of the North

I consider it ANOTHER tool for developing loads, not a replacement for manuals and chronos.

I will add that I had four or five load development samples where the QL readouts mirrored my crude pressure indicator notes almost to a 'T'. i.e... where QL said 'hot load', I started getting pressure indications. The velocities that QL calculated were also within 40-80fps of my chrono'd results.

Again, I would say that it's just another tool for load development. A very good tool at that, but I still like to look through three or four manuals just to get my comfort level up.

Also, FWIW, once your start inputting your own data, you might be surprised at the variations between case capacities of your brass. You will notice that slight changes in case capacity can have significant changes in the calculated results which is what many folks preach about when asked for 'pet loads' on internet forums.

kelbro:
I guess, I'd have to agree.

My caution is that it's so easy to skip the loading manuals, and use only QL. You can encounter pressure signs with a load that QL says is perfectly safe. I think it would be much better to test your load, and then put it into QL.

QL allows you to imput your case capacity, and that's seems like a prudent thing to do.

I think that things like bearing surface, bullet hardness, and which primer, could be significant too. As I recall, none of these things can be input.

My experience in using it, was such that I decided to stop using a "computer model" for my handloading, and elected to not buy my own copy of the program.
Smitty of the North

Yeah Smitty, reading my post over again, I failed to convey that idea very well.

I got a copy of QL and checked their data against loads that I had already developed and saw the correlations.

The loads I check against quickload showed that QL was pretty conservative.