Gentlemen-
I've been playing with Quick Load for a few days and am impressed with some of the results. Experience tells me it is close, if not spot on with some calibres/loads, but I remain suprized at some of the velocities this program tells me are possible.
As for my experiments, I will not know the results until I get to the range next week. Have your experiences with programs like this been good, or otherwise?

In bottle neck rifle cartridges, I often predicts a velocity that is in the middle of the spread I measure with the chrono.

In staight wall pistol cartridges, it often predicts 1,000,000 psi and 2,500 fps in loads that do not pierce the primer. The program cannot deal with powder blowing out of the barrel before it burns. A big fire ball at the range, means an over estimation by Quickload.

I have really enjoyed Quickload in rifles. It does many things, like the quick target [that comes with it] that calculates wind drift and trajectory.

Good 90% of the time. Way off the other 10%.

When it comes to safe reloading, being right 90% of the time is not good enough.

It has worked very well for me when predicting loads with near 100% load density. For example, max loads with WW296 or H110 in revolver cartridges.

It also has done pretty well at near 100% load density in bottleneck rifle cartridges.

The failures have been with less-than-optimal-for-cartridge powders at less than optimal load density. For example, 3031 and 4895 in the 30-06, which may have only 80% or so load density. Loads that QL predicted to be 60,000 psi turned out to be 75,000 psi. That really soured me on Quickload.

Overall, I get the impression that QL gives too much weight to load density. It seems to think that "if the load density is low, that will lower pressures, but if the powder is compressed, that will raise pressures." In reality, some powders are sensitive to load density and some aren't.

One QL fan likes to brag that QL is always within 50 fps. There's two problems with that claim. First, that 50 fps error could correlate to a 5000 - 10,000 psi pressure error. Second, it's not always within 50 fps. I've had it be off as much as 200 fps (with non 100% load density loads).

Another issue is that Quickload does not predict secondary pressure spikes. No one knows how to predict them, of course. Just be aware that if you are pushing cast bullets with a case full of slow burning powder, you are likely getting high secondary pressures that QL doesn't tell you about.

Also, QL has no way to predict the influence of the primer.

My honeymoon with QL is over. I still use it for the 357 mag and WW296, where it seems to work well, but have largely abandoned QL for rifle cartridges.

No matter what, it's still only a basic guide (NOT gospel!) and shouldn't be considered anything more than that.

Every firearm is a law unto itself, and variables in each given situation must be considered, for there is no room for guesstimation or errors when it comes to reloading.

quote:

No matter what, it's still only a basic guide (NOT gospel!) and shouldn't be considered anything more than that

I agree 100%. I see Quickload, Loadtech etc as nothing more than a loading manual with the ability to vary some issues. Without testing you will still never know. Just like the old load manual. As they say WORK UP to limits with caution. A lot of data in the old manuals was calculated not actually tested. My old Hornady manual goes into a lot of detail talking about powder curves were developed and extrapolated.

The various programs are nothing more than another tool to give you a starting point.

I appreciate the feedback gents...

It seems a perfect match for 308 Win.

In my 416 Rem it over-estimates velocity.

In straight-walled cases even the QL designer says it over-estimates velocity and pressures. I think in the straight-walled cases the primer plays a much bigger role in pressure profile than in bottlenecks like the 308. My version of QL does not model primers at all.

It is a tool like any other. Good for some things and not for others.