note Keeping

[atr]

We spend alot of time discussing loads and powders and methods of casting, etc. But we shouldn't neglect the importance of keeping accurate notes on the loads we develop. I've attached a photo of a note keeping sheet I've used for years. It fits easily in a 7x9 three ring binder....

[buck1]

YES SIR!
A un recorded test, is a test that will need to be redone latter.
I have used various forms but a simple notebook for each gun is what I have settled on now.
They are $0.10 each at chinamart when its back to school time.

[JeffinNZ]

I use the CBA target with the bull above the diamond and load details on the bottom. That way I have the holes in the paper with the load data.

[Boerrancher]

I am bad about not keeping notes. My only saving grace is that I do write down all the load data on a small piece of paper and wrap it around one of the rounds before that last round goes in the box. It works out quite well for keeping track of hunting loads for various rifles, but when one takes a long break and is half way around the world from his guns, ammo, and reloading equipment, things get lost, stolen, and thrown away (the ex-wife) and memory no longer recalls the load data.

The worst mistake I made was not listening to my current wife when she told me to get all of my stuff out of the farm house before letting the ex live there. One of these days I will learn to listen to my current wife in 6 years I don't know of a time she has ever been dead wrong, maybe a bit off on the details but never dead wrong.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[Bret4207]

Don'tcha hate it when they're ALWAYS right Joe?! Mine's good for about 60-75%, except when it comes to money.

I use a note book for every loading session. The biggest help I've found is writing down the specifics of what each mold likes. For instance- I have a nice 358156 that demands I pressure drop my alloy from a good 2" or I have base fill out issues. Another mould, a Lee 8mm of Buckshots design I think, demands contact pouring or it'll flash and I have to be very gentle when I empty the mould or the boolits will bend!. Others will make great boolits no matter what as long as they and the alloy are nice and hot.

Writing down sure saves a lot of monkeying around and wasting precious time.

[joeb33050]

I keep a notebook for each gun, and keep them when the gun goes down the road. I have little teeny notebooks, and medium sized notebooks.
I keep computer records, files.
There was another thread here, dealing with this and computerized record keeping.
NOTHING has been completely satisfactory to date.
None of these are horrible, just a pain.
Pre-printed data sheets require a 3 ring notebook for each gun, the holes rip, the book is big to bring to the range.
Pre-printed target and data sheet, same story.
Notebooks are messy, not too easy to draw conclusions from a lot of pages.
Keeping targets doesn't work, can't find or sort.
An EXCEL workbook is too narrow to hold all the data you want to keep, but it does make it easy to sort by, for instance, group size or powder or ???? Sorting is good!!
A data base program would solve all those problems, but I'm not a data base guy.

So, I have seen problems with a lot of the record keeping, and have changed things over the years.
Here's where I am.
My EXCEL workbook for cast bullets allows recording everything about each lot, calculates standard deviation and average of the weights of bullets, (I weigh almost every bullet cast), allows me to sort by various columns, and keeps records. This workbook now has records on 17,885 cast, mostly rifle, bullets.

For the two guns I'm working on now, a Savage Striker 308 and Competitor in 30BR, I have those black marbled 7 1/2 X 9 3/4 notebooks like the ones we had in school. Each time I load, I write the load info down, referring to the bullet as, for example, "31141 [3/24/08] bottom dot, .309", 3 step gc,size,lube 169.4-169.7" The date in square parentheses is the date cast.
I write down the date loaded.
I write down the date shot, shoot five 5-shot groups at 100 yards, mark the groups with an arrow up and the group size, cut them out and tape them in the notebook.
Then the notebook tells me or refers me to everything I need to know about the load.

I have an EXCEL workbook where I will keep all group, bullet and powder info, so that it can be sorted by column.

This isn't perfect, but is where I am now. Some day we'll be able to put all the info into a computer, scan the targets in, and sort by anything.

Notebooks should have sewn, with thread, binding, or maybe spiral-but we lefties can't use spiral well. Glued together notebooks have pages fall out.
I'd be happy to send copies of the load record or bullet record workbooks to anyone who wants to see them.
joe b.

[1Shirt]

I use groups that I cut out and I record the data on the target next to the group on the range when I pull the targets. I record the following:
Rifle/handgun
Case
Blt (dia sized if cast)
Primer
Group size in inches.
OAL
Date/Temp on date fired.

It takes but minutes at the range, and I don't have a time lapse of forgetfulness if I get tied up when I get home and maybe mix up targets ets.

I tape them on a page in a 3 ring notebook, after I get back from the range or have the time. I also add comments adjacent to the cut out groups for future reference/guidance etc.
I seperate the pages with tabs for different cals and ctgs. Years ago I kept a notebook but it just never seemed to work out well for me. However, by going to a page for the ctg I am loading and seeing the actual groups, I find it to be most convenient for me. Guess it is a bit of to each his own, but the above works for me. I kind of like visual aids, the groups offer that to me.
1Shirt!:coffeecom:coffeecom

[NSP64]

I post my notes here so I can find them later:wink:

[KYCaster]

I tried a couple of different targets with space for the load data and didn't care for any of them that I could find so I made my own.

10639

A post-it note with all the info I think I'll need goes in the baggie with the loaded rounds. At the range, chrono data goes on the back of the note and an alpha-numeric code goes in the corner with the same code on the corresponding target. The note goes back in the baggie with the empty brass.

Back home I just have to match the code on the target and note then transpose the info from the note to the target. The target goes into a three ring binder indexed by caliber and gun.

Minimum of paper work at the range and very little chance of confusion back at home.

I have the heading for the target in a MSWord file and use various shapes for the aiming points created in Power Point and imported to Word.

It's working pretty well for me so far.

Jerry

[waco]

i use index cards that i put in a recipe box.
quick and convienent

[clodhopper]

Index cards do it for me. My goal is to find a good load, then make a bunch of them. My reason for loading is to shoot.

[Gunfixer]

joeb33050, (quote)"or maybe spiral, but we lefties can't use spiral well"
Just flipit over and use it LEFTY (backwards) Then let a righty try to read it

[Junior1942]

I have a spiral notebook for each gun I shoot. I save targets by folding them in half and sticking them between notebook pages.

[redneckdan]

YES SIR!
A un recorded test, is a test that will need to be redone latter.


The story of my life.....:roll:

[Boerrancher]

You guys are making things too complicated with spiral and 3 ring notbooks, excel spread sheets and the like. I just store it all between my ears, that way it is always with me.

Now was that 66 grains of Holy Black for the 45-70 and 78 grs of AA3100 for the 300 win mag, or 66 grains for the 300 and 78 grains for the 45-70? :???:

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[Jim_Fleming]

Guys forgive me for barging in like this...

I've gotta question for you target shooters, tiny group seekers, and all the rest of you crazy rascals that measure group sizes down to the .001 of an inch, like me...

What do you do with your fired targets, *after* you take those critical (kidding!) close measurements... In this day and age of scanners and spreadsheets and computers, etc...

Does anyone bother scanning the actual targets and keeping the archived for a particular gun, etc...?

What do y'all think...? I see that several, if not most of you record keepers keep physical records, but the idea of scanning the targets seems a whole lot neater and cleaner to me... But i'm asking for *y'all's* opinion, not my own...

I'm going to post this in several other places, I guess it'll be a sort of unscientific survey...

Thanks Guys,

Jim

[crabo]

yep, I put colored paper behind them when I scan. I am also putting more information on them now with the blank target being the one I use now. I'll need to add chrongraph info once I get it out and learn how to use it.

[Jim_Fleming]

crabo, you make 4 out of 4 guys that like scanning...

Thanks!

Jim

[Blammer]

I used to scan stuff to "keep" and have fancy spread sheets on the puter and track stuff. Then computer died and that was that.

So, I write my test load data on a note card, put with ammo.

Shoot targets; then make note on the targets what the test data is. Then get back home, Tape note card to notebook page and put the targets behind it. On the page I'll note things about the loads I like didn't like, etc.... One notebook per gun.

Then I scan a few targets to show what I've been doing so I can post them here.

Like so...

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/No_8.jpg

[MT Gianni]

For me it has to be a great target to make it past the range dumpster. I usually record all data in two places. I have notebooks for each gun and the 3.5 floppies are replaced with a cd that needs to be transfered to a thumb drive.

[Southern Son]

I used a ring binder for ages, then the removalists lost it on one of my moves. Then I started using a note book, but that one went missing in another move. I started using a computer program that I down loaded from the net for free, and that worked well, but the computer I was using has started playing up. I also had a free program that would store scanned copies of targets, and you could use the program to measure the group.

[Recluse]

I'm a notecard guy as well as having a spiral notebook with literally ALL the loads I've ever tried. I also save (good) targets and file them by caliber.

:coffee:

[winelover]

I have two three ring binders, one for rifles and one for handguns. The divider tabs have the gun name on one side, no not Lucy or Donna, Blackhawk .45 , Diamondback etc. The serial # on the other side. On the inside of the dividers other info is written, Max OAL for what ever boolit I might load, groove dia. and such. As loads are tested, the load info is written on the targets and the chrono info is stapled to it also. When i come across a keeper load that target goes into the binder. Works for me.

LongPoint

I pretty much do as Longpoint does. I also put climatic data on my targets, such as temperature, wind speed and direction.

Winelover:Fire:

[TCFAN]

I have a 3 ring binder for each gun that I have. All targets go in the binders even the bad ones. Don't want to repeat any bad loads. All info is wrote on the targets for that load.

In each binder I use dividers for each boolit that I use for that gun.............Terry

[Wayne Smith]

[QUOTE=Bret4207;467713]Another mould, a Lee 8mm of Buckshots design I think, demands contact pouring or it'll flash and I have to be very gentle when I empty the mould or the boolits will bend!.QUOTE]

Just to keep attributions straight, if that mold is the MidSouth special order Karibiner or Frankenstein it was Oldfeller, not Buckshot, that designed them. That was back in the days of Shooters.com, I believe.

[jsizemore]

I use spiral 3x5 index cards. All my guns load data and sight settings. Have 1 in the range box and 1 on the load bench. When I go in the field it fits in my pocket, so I always have info no matter which gun I grab.

[spqrzilla]

I keep bound notebooks for my handloading notes. I currently have notes going back more than 30 years. I use a fresh page for each new reloading project. My second note book is just about full and will need to buy a third soon.

It helps a lot to have all my past notes in one place. I've found that it prevents a lot of reinventing the wheel.

[Jim_Fleming]

Again Gents, thanks and keep the replies coming the survey is up to about 8 out of 15 in favor of computerizing records, and the rest favor physical records.

It's getting close to a toss up... lol! :kidding:

[TCLouis]

I was working up some loads with a powder a while back that was reasonably accurate and would fireform the brass I was forming.

Wrote notes of the powder number and weight directly on the target.

Got ready to load up a hundred or so to fireform a couple of three weeks later and am not sure which batch of WC 820 I used, looking at the weights possibly/probably both (HS7 speed 820F and AA#9 speed 820M).
I can work them up again, but if I had kept better notes rather than depending on memory, I could have shot the ammo, fireformed the brass and gotten some good practice. Beter notes heck, just complete information.


Notes, NOTES, write down good notes, it may be longer in between sessions than your memory can handle and loads from memory could get exciting.

Where to keep them?
On paper and in an excel spread sheet (think backup copy).

[JIMinPHX]

There seems to be 2 threads discussing this right now. This is the other.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=72731

[exile]

I keep my stuff in a computer log. I also keep a separate file with completed load data once I settle on a particular load combination. That makes it easy to find. Only problem with this could be if your computer crashes.

exile

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

YES SIR!
A un recorded test, is a test that will need to be redone latter.
I have used various forms but a simple notebook for each gun is what I have settled on now.
They are $0.10 each at chinamart when its back to school time.

I use the same thing...except I cut them in half, to get two of them out of one.
but the main reason is the small size stalks nicely with my reloading manuals.
each loading session gets a batch number, the the ammo boxes get the basic info plus a batch number so I can easily go back to the notebook.

I like the idea of the notes for each casting mold...I am just starting casting.
I need to make sure I keep good notes.
Jon

[Taylor]

I use a note book,but I also try to take pictures of the targets.That way I can view them on the computer or store them for use later.