Digital Record Keeping

[Rockydoc]

Do any of you use a database or other digital record keeping method?

I am terrible at record keeping. I believe if I had a computer program that I could fill in the blanks I could do a better job.
I have a program for creating a database, but I don't know anything about creating a database. If I had access to a database that someone else has created for keeping records of my loads I believe I could fill in the blanks.

 

[oscarflytyer]

not a dB. But I inventory all my molds in a spreadsheet. Getting ready to do same with all my powder and also bullets. I know I am good on brass, and have more than I know I have. Primers I can eyeball. I do keep a gun inventory on an app.

I have a whiteboard that I keep my gun/ammo zero info on for hunting.

And last, I have a spreadsheet for every gun, by serial #, I own and all reloading data and shooting results on. Also keep hard copy targets in big folders.

If you are interested in not reinventing the wheel, let me know and I am happy to send you a cpl XL templates I use. Building them is the tedious part. Once built/formatted the way I want and so they print on a single page, it is easy.

 

[Brad]

I tried it once. I sucked at electronic record keeping too.

 

[Rick]

I just made forms in Word, keep blank copies of the form and fill in as needed.

 

[Joshua]

Nope!

I also have a log book that I started to use and then stopped.

What I do do is write down my load info on cards that go with the cartridges. If that load works well then it gets pinned up on the wall in my reloading room.

I keep telling myself that I should write this stuff down.

I’m better about keeping all y’all up to date on my loading adventures. I have actually searched for my older posts both here and on the other site to remind myself what I did.

JM

 

[dannyd]

I use Cal in open office or Libreoffice. Data base is not hard but I find Cal (Off brand of Excel) works best for me.

 

[Ian]

I tried it once. I sucked at electronic record keeping too.

Ditto. I've tried composition books for each gun, three ring binders for each, a reloading logbook for the loading bench, printed load sheets, computer files, you name it. The only thing that really worked was keeping targets with data, 3-hole punching them, and putting in binders for each caliber with tabbed dividers for each gun.

 

[popper]

Xcel spreadsheet for all. Loads, fps, size, alloy & results. Purchase price, SN, description.

 

[462]

Can't help you, Doc, I prefer paper and pen.

I'm very organized till it comes to paperwork. For too many years, I've been putting off making some sort of a reference library of my guns that'll eventually go to my son. Maybe that could be an upcoming Winter project.

Oh, wait, that requires updating of purchases and sales. Never mind . . .

 

[Hawk]

I have set up an index card format in Word.
I record all the pertinent info, including rifle , on the card and print it out, and store it in a box made to hold index cards. I have a partition for each caliber.
That way i have it in the computer and printed on an index card.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

No nOt digital. Just my notes dating back to the mid 1980's. I wish I started doing it when I began some ten years previous.

My brother and I enter into a journal daily in hunting season since we was boys. My pop suggested it. Now he asks for the journals to read them. The memories they recal are most appealing.
CW

 

[Rick H]

I started with spiral notebooks with the pages that I lined vertically with heading on top for the information I wanted. The categories changed some as the years went by and I started printing pages with the divisions with Excel. Put them in a 3 ring binder with dividers for each caliber. When I started casting I put in another page with mould/alloy/ weight as cast/bhn/coating and space for further notes. The information is numbered so on the load data I refer to 125LeeRF #1 or #2 to indicate the particulars of the cast bullet used (#1 BLL, #2 PC) I have to go to the cast page behind the load pages to see the particulars of the cast bullet.
I suppose I could do it all with my laptop but I use pen and ink and keep the 3 ring binder in the shop. I can look up every load and shot fired in my 7mm Magnum/7x30 Waters/Savage Model 11L 223R/ and 22 Hornet, since they have never fired a factory round.

This works best for me. When I load ammo I just mark it with Caliber bullet weight, Load Number, number of rounds, and date loaded.

 

[Rockydoc]

I use Cal in open office or Libreoffice. Data base is not hard but I find Cal (Off brand of Excel) works best for me.

I use Apple computers and have an open office for Macs called NeoOffice. It contains a spreadsheet and database, a word processor and other stuff. I tried it’s “Database Wizard” to create a record but I didn’t understand the terminology to define the fields.

 

[Rockydoc]

I use Cal in open office or Libreoffice. Data base is not hard but I find Cal (Off brand of Excel) works best for me.

What I was looking for is a searchable database of load data with the following fields:

Cartridge
Date
Powder brand
Powder weight
Bullet mould and weight
Bullet alloy and BHN
Case
Primer
OAL
Number of rounds
Velocity
Accuracy in MOA
Comments

With this being searchable I could query “What is my most accurate load in 30-30 Winchester using a 170 grain bullet?”
And stuff like that.

 

[Cherokee]

If I were starting new, I would use a DB system. Since I started 50+ years ago, I put my paper data info into MS Word documents back in the 80's and they have proved adequate for me. I could answer your question by selecting the correct Word folder for 30-30, then opening the index I made of the many loads, note the 170 gr bullet load name (load number), then open the word document with that name. I would have all the desired load data and how it performed and when for each of my 30-30 rifles. Not a one step process but works for me. I did not use Excel because it is numbers orientated and does not handle text as well as Word does.

 

[oscarflytyer]

What I was looking for is a searchable database of load data with the following fields:

Cartridge
Date
Powder brand
Powder weight
Bullet mould and weight
Bullet alloy and BHN
Case
Primer
OAL
Number of rounds
Velocity
Accuracy in MOA
Comments

With this being searchable I could query “What is my most accurate load in 30-30 Winchester using a 170 grain bullet?”
And stuff like that.

Doc - my spreadsheets have all that info, + cpl other things. will get them to you

 

[Rockydoc]

Thanks Oscar.

 

[popper]

With this being searchable I could query Lots of work to make a searchable DB (DBIV) with a google type search. You can import target pics into Xcel or clones. Links also work but break easily. I keep a separate 'sheet' in Xcel for each gun, case data (saami stuff), particulars to each load and results. Scrub anything that is bad. Mould/bullet in first column with powder, load, size, alloy, fps, etc horizontal. If working up a load, use chart function to 'see' what works. If you enter accuracy as MOA you can sort the sheet to bring accuracy to the top. If you put 'hunt/plink/target/test' in a column, desired load is easy to find.
You can use a query in DBase to get the info but the language of the 'query' has to be specific. Xcel just lets you do the 'query' visually. Faster for me.

 

[Rockydoc]

With this being searchable I could query Lots of work to make a searchable DB (DBIV) with a google type search. You can import target pics into Xcel or clones. Links also work but break easily. I keep a separate 'sheet' in Xcel for each gun, case data (saami stuff), particulars to each load and results. Scrub anything that is bad. Mould/bullet in first column with powder, load, size, alloy, fps, etc horizontal. If working up a load, use chart function to 'see' what works. If you enter accuracy as MOA you can sort the sheet to bring accuracy to the top. If you put 'hunt/plink/target/test' in a column, desired load is easy to find.
You can use a query in DBase to get the info but the language of the 'query' has to be specific. Xcel just lets you do the 'query' visually. Faster for me.

I definitely don't speak the language.

 

[popper]

something like this