Quickload software. is it worth it?

[Litrfoot]

Quick-load is Pc only at this time. That being said Computers are cheap now and one can pick one up for a few hundred bucks. Just use that computer for reloading. This is a must if you are going to push the upper limits of loads and safely get the most out of your reloads. Take some time to learn the ins and outs of the program. This is not plug and play! With a few measurements and the capacity in water weight for the brass used you can come up with a great safe load. There is a massive data base of bullets and powders that covers pistol and rifle. Quick-load as mentioned, is very helpful when working with wildcats and custom chambers. Very good investment!

 

[DDB TX]

I have used QL on 9 or 10 calibers, to include a 30-25 WSSM wildcat I designed in the program from the 25 WSSM data. (This was before Olympic Arms came out with their variant of the cartridge). It has a huge number of variables, as it was written by a German powder engineer for light cannon predictions originally, and then expanded to include predicted data for almost every bullet, cartridge, and powder in the world. Unless you are comfortable with finicky engineering type details, and are going to use it on multiple rifles and calibers, I would not suggest it for a beginner. You would be better off just using existing data sources and working up a good OBT/OCW load.

 

[Montana Marksman]

I love books...manuals with gobs of data I can pick up anytime and refer to, highlight, bookmark, etc. Been reloading since 1982, and am meticulous about record keeping. Got my first PC in 1988, and have been crossing back and forth between paper and electronic references for many many years....building my own spreadsheets of recipes, exchanging with friends and fellow reloaders....until 2010 or 2011, when I tooK the Load Data plunge (www.loaddata.com) and have never looked back. especially useful for "new-ish" calibers that are up and coming before they ever hit mainstream, but I wanted to play with them (300 AAC BLK after Whisper,-when you had to cut own brass from 223, 224 Valkyrie, 204 Ruger in 2004, and the recent slew of Nosler introductions are available at your fingertips long before print availability, and sortable to your taste and preferences. $30.00 annually is, as mentioned previously, CHEAP when you break it down by use....and an INVESTMENT. not a cost, in my opinion....give it a try along with or as an alternative to QL.....

 

[Duhawk]

I've had it for about a year now, and it saves a ton of time, powder and barrel. Load up with whatever powder/bullet you want to try. Shoot through a chrony and record your avg velocity. Adjust the burn rate on QL to get the same velocity based on your starting load....once you have that, adjust the load to get your OBT. From there it's just a matter of tweaking your seating depth or primer for ES and tighter groups.
You can do that with any powder/bullet combo, even some you'll never find in reloading manuals.
Accurate data on your brass, bullet and H2O case fill comes into play as well for precise data.....once installed you'll get into all of that as you get used to it.

BTW....I've a 6.5-06AI so QL was a must for me and I also use it for my 7mag.

 

[DDB TX]

I used it to work up an elk load for my Tikka T3 Lite in 300 WSM. Got a heck of a flinch in the process, but had 180 grain Partitions inside an inch at 100 going 3050 fps from 10 feet past the muzzle. That said, that was with a bolt action; the sticky bolt is the best field tool for saying "slow down, partner". With a semiauto it is scarier. (I never had a sticky bolt with that loadup either.)

 

[smokin502]

I don't have QL, but had some questions before making the investment. Can you input all you calibers and loads for each and save them? Will the updates erase them? Thx guys.

 

[Frank Kalisz]

My understanding is QL only works with windows operating system. But I might consider it if it becomes available as an ios app.

 

[CLP]

I don't have QL, but had some questions before making the investment. Can you input all you calibers and loads for each and save them? Will the updates erase them? Thx guys.

I can't speak about updates erasing saved data but you can save independent information for each load.

As others have said, you will have to order a CDROM disk and load it onto your machine. It does only work with windows. I put off buying it for a long time and after pulling the trigger I wish I had gotten it much sooner. It's fairly easy to navigate after about an hour of using it.

 

[smokin502]

I can't speak about updates erasing saved data but you can save independent information for each load.

As others have said, you will have to order a CDROM disk and load it onto your machine. It does only work with windows. I put off buying it for a long time and after pulling the trigger I wish I had gotten it much sooner. It's fairly easy to navigate after about an hour of using it.

Thanks for the info, I to have been waiting to pull the trigger. I read on here that updates erase data. Just not sure about the saved guns or loads.

 

[Rhett Crider]

I have a folder saved on every rifle I own but on my hard drive and backed up on a memory stick. Each folder has multiple spread sheets from the build including serial numbers and cost of everything, picture or two, spread sheet on the measured OAL and BTL w/ the bullets of caliber that I have or may load, and a screen shot of the finished loads off QuickLoads along w/ my range data. I update every two years.

 

[Robert M Boren Sr]

I wouldn't be without it, you can customize it to your brass, like max fill capacity with water, and use real info to get your loads right where you want them. It's well worth it in my opinion

 

[coop2564]

My take is if you tend to keep a gun and use lightly over time. No! If you and gun nut or target guy thats consonantly changing things up, wearing out barrels, trading guns...yes!