hey,

anyone know of a program (software or free online) that acts as a chronograph?

like inputting parameters like"

specific powder used & how much
bullet wt.
primer used
brass...com. or military
firearm used: rifle, pistol, bolt-act, or semi
bbl. length.

i would be nice if there was such a program that would give an estimate of what to expect
before you would go out and use a chrono.

Quickload does what you want, but it isn't free.

Neither are designed to replace a chronograph, but can give you an impression of what might happen...

Gordons reloading tool......

https://www.grtools.de/doku.php


or Quickload......

https://quickload.co.uk/?currency=GBP

If you have a laptop and lots of wire and a few microphones
Read this https://thefiringline.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-521897.html

i have seen Quickload  (i believe $159.00 currently ) i will look at Gordons reloading tool

thank you!

Honestly though with all that rigmarole you can just buy a cheap but decent chrono, 100 buck range, and there ya go.

Beat me to it… Gordon’s reloading tool. He’s no longer with us but the program he designed lives on thanks to his wife and friends.

i have two...brand new garman doppler & an older CED.

I just wanted to see if there was software out there that would give an idea what a person would be working with
before starting out to the range.

just tried out the program on a current load i`m looking for in 308 using 2520
& a 150 gr bullet.

what i came up with using an 18in bbl, 43grs of 2520, seating depth i`m using...
basically it told me that it has an insufficient burn rate for use. what up with that? LOL

This message usually results from a powder charge problem - too much powder, too little powder, too slow a powder,...

THE MOST CRITICAL THING to watch in the plots is PEAK PRESSURE.

If you take the time to measure case water weight capacity and all the other details, GRT can yield surprisingly accurate results.  

A GRT SUCCESS STORY

I was using GRT to evaluate a bunch of new powders before buying some to try.  I found one for which GRT predicted lower peak pressures and higher muzzle velocities than my originally selected powder.  That is exactly what I got.  My runs were within just a very few (6 fps?) of what I actually measured during live fire testing and there were no signs of the high pressure I used to get with the original powder.

thats what threw me...the pressure from the graph, if i understood it correctly...it was ok. i`ll go back and see if i missed something or made an error.
when i added more powder 48 to be exact...the message went away.

if one of you want to try what i used, maybe i did something wrong.

.308/7.62x51
aa2520 43.0grs
150gr Hornady BTHP.
18in bbl.

I've found GRT to be incredibly close in predicting velocities compared to actuals. Always under 10fps difference.

i got out my ledger i use for most of my personal load data that was chrono`d.
i used my 5.56 & 7.62 data to compare.

came really close to a few of the loads i use.

only difference is powders i used for both were "mainstream"

i never tried 2520 in 7.62 in either 150 or 168gr.

Attached File



here is a snipit of what i get

You have relatively low internal pressure and you may get a low temperature, incomplete burn which could result in variable velocities.  The tool does not show you the range which you might see in testing.  In your case, it is not a dangerous condition but probably isn't optimal.

The "Burnout after muzzle passage" means your barrel length is too short to contain the bullet until the powder is finished burning = flame thrower!!!  

yeah, i thought of that already! but, i need to get rid of 2 lbs of this stuff. if i can get min of chest @ 100yds or so...i`ll be happy!!!

I have been using GRT also and find that if you take the time to input exact details it does a remarkable job of predicting the V0 within a few fps of reality. I have to assume the pressure graph is pretty close too... If you use the default dimensional data for case, powder and bullet, the results are likely to be way off...
Since it is a Euro product, it doesn't have as fine a grasp of US powders as it does those frequently found over there - so you have to learn to massage the powder US models to fit your use.  Its difficult trying to work up a new load without prior data but it can be done if you first go conservative then come back and plug the data in and go from there... it will be more accurate.
Like you I have a CED and a Garmin, The only things to watch out for with the CED is wind shaking your screens (giving false readings) and sometimes the sun angle causes missed shots.  The Garmin is very good but has PITA software.