Any thoughts on keeping or taking range notes?

H

Hal

New member
Too hard core or common sense?
I have this discussion with a friend who is a Walleye fisherman, and he just can't fathom(pun partially intended)how anyone can even think of fishing without a notebook. I have started to take notes about certain loads that I have worked up, more for what seems to work best in general terms. It's easier and safer than to rely on my memory. I don't have a chronograph yet, so I don't even guess at velocity, other than judge the recoil vs a factory load/what the reloading book says.
Any thoughts pro or con/what is necessary/what is just too much info?
 
I always bring a notepad with me.
With the pistol:
I note load and number of rounds fired...
range and the pattern of hits. I also not the mags I used (they are numbered) and note any failures at the round count... and a guess at the cause of the failure. I also note at the round count when I did a cleaning.

For the Rifle:
Same as above - but I also note gun sight settings, weather conditions, light conditions...

Perhaps I note too much. But I am a Shooter. This is what I do. Computer crap is only my paycheck.


------------------
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
Hey, have I mentioned my new book? It is called:
MEN ARE FROM MARS and WOMEN JUST NEED TO DEAL WITH IT!
 
A rifleman is suppose to keep a range book for his rifle. On my precision rifle I do, on my fun guns (blast til the barrel glows) I don't.
 
George and Gary,
Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm after. I want to put together some kind of note book for each gun, mainly for reloading reasons, but I don't want to record, say, the number of cups of coffee I had that day or something like that. I'm afraid if I try to get too detailed, it will become more of a chore to avoid, rather than a means of keeping track and records. I'm thinking maybe:
Date
Factory or reload
Bullet-wieght-type-functionality
Powder-(lot# maybe?)
Brass-brand-new or reused-if reused, number of times

# of rounds fired

Indoor or outdoor-if outdoor,weather

Rate the accuracy on a 1 to 10 scale

Failures-type

Any resemblence between me and precision is mere chance ;) I shoot mainly for the fun of it, but with the different guns I've been shooting the last 2 years, I'm starting to lose track of what works and what doesn't. I'm after a sort of blueprint for what to buy, how much of it to buy, and what to use it for when I do buy it. To explain: it used to be OK to pick up a few boxes of ammo, shoot it up, and then do it again when the mood struck. Not much of a problem when I was only dealing with a few calibers. Now however, I find more often than not, I look at a box of ammo, or a box of bullets, and try to think if it's a good deal. Most of the time I just go ahead and buy the stuff, but more often than not, I find out after the fact that this was the stuff I swore never to get again for one reason or another.
Anything else I should add? To the list I mean, and not to my long winded Turkey hung over post ;)


------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net
Do what you C.A.N.

http://thematrix.acmecity.com/digital/237/cansite/can.html
 
I have numbered my pistol mags, so I can keep track of any stoppages and narrow down which mag is the culprit.

my entries are; date, gun used, ammo shot (mfgr, type, bullet wt), total rounds, and then a little table such as;
mag 1: 15x| || |
mag 2: 15x| || |
the | are those whatever-you-callem strokes where the 5th stroke is diagonal thru the previous four. each time a mag is loaded and shot, one stroke. the 15 is the number of rounds loaded in the mag. this way, I know how many rounds thru a specific mag, plus how many times a mag has been emptied to lockback.
 
I keep pretty complete records when doing load development and a notebook always goes to the range with me.
I record such items as:
Date
Conditions- temp, wind, etc.
Caliber, bullet make and weight
Powder, charge weight
Primer, make, type and size
Cartridge case make
Firearm used
Distance to target
I also number all targets and at the end of the day take them home and measure group size which is then noted.

Once I've settled on a given load in any caliber, I'll run it over the chronograph and check velocity. If that's where I want it, then all details are written on a 3X5 index card and filed away in my "Recipe box".
It may seem strange to some of you that I check velocity last, but I shoot at a public range and frankly trying to set up the chrono can be a bit of a pain. I usually wait until I have several loads to check so the extra effort is worth the trouble. Besides my goal is maximum accuracy within acceptable velocity.
 
Interesting that 2 respondents rate magazines and numbering them as a high priority. Do the magazines usually play such an improtant part?


Grayfox:
I agree with the velocity part even though I don't have a chornograph yet. Accuaracy is number 1, followed by consistancy for me. Velocity is pretty much a given for the most part. Some may disagree, but IMHO, an accurate load, that is consistant, is the one that hits with the most velocity, no matter what the graph says. I would much rather give up 2 or 3 hundred fps to an accurate consistant load.



------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net
Do what you C.A.N.

http://thematrix.acmecity.com/digital/237/cansite/can.html
 
I have found that it is more convienient to use a micro cassette recorder on the range and then to transcribe my recordings once I get home. By doing this I have more time to shoot. I also get a better quality of notes, i.e. more speciffic information. This technique has helped me out specially when I use a chronograph. Now I don't have to stop after each shot and write down the MV. I simply keep the recorder turned on and after each shot simply say the MV into the microphone.

Rob

RKBA!

------------------
It's amazing what a large group of stupid people can accomplish.
-----------------
 
What I do is write directly on the target all relevant info about the gun, load, range, etc., for those rounds shot into that target. Then, when I get home, I transfer the info directly from the target to a database using Microst Works 4.0.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top