Labeling your stuff

[GaryN]

I remember back when I first started loading I would only write down about 1/3 of the things I loaded. I even had a pile of 300 lbs of lino ingots that weren't labeled. Now everything I load gets written in a log book and I put a post it note in the shell case with all the particulars of the load. All my boolits have papers in there with them with the approx. alloy. All my ingots are marked with magic markers so that I know what they are. In other words I label everything. Part of it is because my memory is not as good. But most of it is because I want to know exactly what everything is. Why go to all the work of figuring out a load that works and then not have any notes?
Anyway, I was just wondering if y'all changed the way you keep track of stuff over the years.

[RickinTN]

I certainly have! One of the things I'm gettin' better at as I get older is dis-remembering things. I think it's normal. I try to label most everything as well.

[Iowa Fox]

I have often said the greatest mistake that I made in shooting and reloading was not keeping accurate written documentation in a notebook or dedicated file cabinet. I have some notes and targets but they are not organized. My ingots are all indentified and that a couple of tons worth. Everything I load anymore is identified with notes in the box of loaded rounds. I have been trying to organize slowly so that when I die the kids won't have quite as big of a mess. Its gonna take me a long time, years.

[Bullwolf]

I now label just about everything I do when reloading.

Not doing so has bitten me in the a$$ more times than I can count.

I have had to disassemble a few older "well known" loads, that I somehow managed to forget. Sometimes that wasn't even an option, and I got to do the whole development phase all over again.

I now own a label maker, and I use it frequently. I am also not afraid to type or print out something I've done that works really well, and keep a hard copy of it.

I try to label all the little things now like dates, loads, chrono results, charges, weights, lube, alloy, etc. I find the labels easy to make and read. They have been a big help for me after some time has passed, and I have forgotten whatever it was that I was trying to do in the first place.

New loads get a dated label, and are also recorded on a sheet. The good loads get a notation beside them, and so do the bad ones. (so I don't forgetfully revisit them again later)



- Bullwolf

[Lead Fred]

been using the ole mans method since the 60s, dont think ill be changing any time soon.
As long as I can still buy markers

[dromia]

I label stuff whenever I remember to.

[P.K.]

I label stuff whenever I remember to.

You and I both! ;-)

If it were not for duct tape and sharpies I'd have forgotten half of what was on my bench. The sharpies are for the ingots to mark the cooled alloy before stacking in individual piles. I like to use the tape for writing on my various brass storage containers whats in them and at what stage they are in during processing. I also use a small piece to tape it to the outside of my powder measures. It only takes one time of cross contamination to learn that lesson.

As for my loads, useful or not, into the log book they go for refrence and ease of access. I'm currently using a 3X5 card binder, when those are filled they go into the file box.

[**oneshot**]

I label everthing. Tape and sharpies mostly, dremmel(engraver) when needed.

[cbrick]

Good note keeping is critical, I keep notes on all of my loads including ones that didn't work for whatever reason. I try to chrono all my loads with notes including date, temp, elevation, all components, alloys, COAL, clean/fouled bore, groups, sunlight, particular dies used for brass prep - Everything. My biggest problem is remembering to put the date in, for some reason when going over my notes I find several with all of the info . . . Except the date.

If I didn't have these notes I wouldn't have tested half the loads that I have because I would be doing the same loads over and over. Several years ago I had gotten very lax about the paper notes and had everything in the computer, when the computer died so did 20 years of notes. That will not happen again, now all the notes are in two computers and both have Carbonite back up plus the paper notes.

Everything in the shop is labeled such as ingots etc. All that isn't really a change, I've pretty much always done that. I knew from the start that in a few years I would never remember that I tried a primer, alloy, charge weight etc change.

Rick

[Fernando]

I bought a cheap set of punches - less than 10 bucks.
I weighed and stamped all my dif alloys and ingots.
I also have changed to the metric system as percentages
are a lot easier to do based on 10's
Now I just have to wait til it's a little warmer to see if it
works.
Probably putting to much into this but what else to do
when it's crappy out.

[dragon813gt]

Lead is labeled with a marker. Loads are written down in a binder. Bullets/Loaded Rounds are in ammo can that are labeled with a label maker. And rounds that aren't in ammo cans are either in bags that are marked with a marker. Or MTM boxes that have labels from the label maker on them. I don't like not knowing what's what.

[jlchucker]

I make my labels for ammo boxes by using my computer, and printing them off on pre-made labels. It took a bit of learning, but once you get the hang of it, and save your labels to your documents file you can run them off a page at a time or one at a time. We've all got computers or we wouldn't be posting on this website. I've made pages of labels using my computer's Microsoft Works program. When I got a newer computer, it didn't come with Works any more. So I foolishly bought and loaded up a Microsoft Office package--a lot more complicated to use. I could have saved myself the cost of that Office package just by getting a free download of a program called Open Office. It does everything the Microsoft thing does, and it's free.

[winelover]

Grease Pencils (China Markers)in various colors, are my choice for labeling plastic containers / MTM box lids. I like them because they can be erased when changes are necessary, unlike stick on labels that are sometimes impossible to remove.

Winelover

[Jon]

I have a set of punches for my ingots.

A box of labels is pretty cheap for almost everything else.

[runfiverun]

I love grease pencils too.
and note books.
it's about time to do the load inventory again and see if I missed putting any in the notebook.

I tried labeling other stuff.
but the kids all told me they already knew it was mine and I didn't have to label everything as 'mine'.

[MT Gianni]

I had all mine on 5 1/4" floppies.

[boltons75]

I had all mine on 5 1/4" floppies.

Wow, you still have something that reads those? :eek:

[mdevlin53]

I was pretty good at labeling my loads but then I would write the results on the targets. sifting through targets to see how the loads did was a pain. Now I keep a load book divided into chapters by caliber. After each entry I leave space to record the results and sight settings for different ranges. It is cool to be able to pick up a box of cartridges and be able to put them on paper the first time you shoot them after a while.

[oldfart1956]

I label everything. Test boolits get dropped into 1/2 pint clear containers with a note describing what they are...and a tight fitting lid. It's a must. Just for the Trapdoor right now I have 1 boolit (lee 405h.b.) dropped in soft lead/50-50/and Lyman #2. There are air-cooled and water dropped and oven tempered. Then they're also divided into Reclused and Felixed. So that's what...24 different boolit configurations from 1 mold? (I should have jotted that down) And ya'll taught me long ago the keep careful records in a log book. Each load, good and bad, written down on an MCM data sheet. Once I get a promising group it goes over the chronograph. Audie..the Oldfart...

[Hawkeye45]

I label everything period. People in my house think I am OCD about it, but when you have been a pharmacist for 40 years it becomes natural. I also have records of my loads going back to the middle 60's.

Mr. Ed

[TXGunNut]

Notebooks, Sharpies and stick-on labels. Not exactly hi-tech but I still try to rewind DVD's.

[vogironface]

Rickin,
you are not dis-remembering. The older we get the better our forgetter works. That stuff takes years to perfect.

[flipajig]

I use a load book good bad and otherwise go in the book. Loaded rounds are labeled with masking tape and a ink pen primer,OAL,Powder,charge and Boolit size and GC or not
Cast Boolits that are sized and lubed are marked on the container with a sharpie alloy lube used and what size.
Powder measures are cleaned out after each loading session don't want a chance of a mix up
I save all my good tgts with all info written on them for another reference.
Flip

[mac45]

Load data goes in a book as soon as I load 'em. Results good or bad get noted after a trip to the range.
Boolits go in a plastic bin after sizing, with a note as to size date etc.
Powder measures get a label stuck on 'em to note powder.

[Adam10mm]

More practical and more organized as the years go on.

I keep two alloys on hand, one is 12 BHN and one is 15 BHN. The ingots in the muffin shape are fifteen BHN. Muffin shape, has the F sound, same as fifteen, so the muffin are the 15 BHN alloy ingots. Stupid but it works for me.

I'm spoiled with one powder type and charge for two cartridges I load. 10mm 175gr or 180gr SWC or TC, 45 ACP 200gr SWC, 230gr TC, or 230gr RN are all loaded with 6.0gr WSF. With those two cartridges I'm set and don't want anything else as far as testing or developing. That's done and that's the conclusion of my testing.

I pretty much keep my ammo specific to loads identifiable by the bullet type.