Developer(s) | Hartmut G. Brömel |
---|---|
Stable release | 3.9 |
Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
Available in | German and English |
Website | www |
QuickLOAD is an internal ballistics predictor computer program for firearms.
For computations apart from other parameters,
must be entered for calculating an estimated maximum chamber gas piezo pressure, muzzle velocity, muzzle pressure and other relevant data.
QuickLOAD has a default database of predefined bullets, cartridges and propellants. The database of the more recent versions of QuickLOAD also include dimensional technical drawings of the predefined cartridges and for most cartridges photographic images. Data can later be imported or entered by the user to expand the programs database. The default database contains more than 2,500 projectiles, over 1,200 cartridges, over 225 powders and dimensional drawings and photos of many cartridges. The default database however contains some errors, so measuring sizes, weights and case capacities of components intended for use and if appropriate correcting default provided data is wise to avoid surprises and make the predictions more accurate.
Some default data is incomplete, since it was not released by the manufacturer or when components that are neither officially registered with nor sanctioned by C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L'Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portative) or its American equivalent, SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) come into play. Such wildcat cartridges have no official dimensions nor other performance related specifications.
Besides the standard entered information, the actual internal volume or cartridge case capacity of the used cases is an important parameter for QuickLOAD to obtain usable predictions. The internal case volume has to be established by weighing empty once-fired cartridge cases from a production lot, then filling the cases with fresh or distilled water up to the point of overflowing and weighing the water-filled cases. The added weight of the water is then used to establish the liquid volume and hence the case capacity. This liquid volume measurement method can be practically employed to about a 0.01 to 0.02 ml or 0.15 to 0.30 grains of water precision level for firearms cartridge cases. A case capacity establishment should be done by measuring several fired cases from a particular production lot and calculating their average case capacity. This also provides insight into the uniformity of the sampled lot.
A water case capacity test measurement of 4 fired .35 Whelen Remington cases resulted in:
Measured case capacity (ml) | 4.57 | 4.54 | 4.52 | 4.60 |
Average H2O case capacity (ml) = 4.56 |
---|
The case capacity of different cartridge brands of a particular chambering can significantly vary between cartridge case manufacturers and even production lots. The default database of QuickLOAD for example contains 5 different .300 Winchester Magnum case capacities for 5 different cartridge case manufacturers.
QuickLOAD mainly helps reloaders understand how changing variables can affect barrel harmonics, pressures and muzzle velocities. It can predict the effect of changes in ambient temperature, bullet seating depth, and barrel length. However, QuickLOAD has limitations, as it is merely a computer simulation. It does not account for different brands of primers for example, and its ability to predict the effect of seating bullets into the rifling is crude. A QuickLOAD user most certainly should not just "plug in" a cartridge, bullet and powder and use that load, assuming it is safe. It is good practice to double- or triple-check QuickLOAD's output against reliable load data supplied by the powder producing companies. Of course the best way to check firearms cartridge loads are actual proof test measurements at certified test facilities.
The QuickLOAD interior ballistics predictor program also contains the external ballistics predictor computer program QuickTARGET. QuickTARGET is based on the Siacci/Mayevski G1 model and gives the user the possibility to enter several different BC G1 constants for different speed regimes to calculate ballistic predictions that more closely match a bullet's flight behaviour at longer ranges in comparison to calculations that use only one BC constant.
In 2008 QuickTARGET Unlimited was introduced as an additional part of the QuickLOAD/QuickTARGET 3.4 version software suite. QuickTARGET Unlimited is an enhanced beta version of QuickTARGET that can take several long range factors into account to make the external ballistic predictions more accurate. For this it can use several drag models; G1, G5, G7, etc. and a custom drag function that uses drag coefficient (Cd) data. In January 2009 the Finnish ammunition manufacturer Lapua published Doppler radar tests derived drag coefficient data for most of their rifle projectiles. [1] [2] The predictive capabilities of the custom mode are based on actual bullet flight data derived from Doppler radar test sessions. With this data engineers can create algorithms that utilize both known mathematical ballistic models as well as test specific, tabular data in unison. Besides the data for Lapua bullets QuickTARGET Ultimate also contains Cd data for some other projectiles that are often used for extended range shooting.
QuickLOAD/QuickTARGET 3.6 version and up is compatible only with the Microsoft Windows 7 to Windows 11 operating system. The software suite can be used with metric units and imperial units/United States customary units and was created and is maintained by mechanical engineer Mr. Hartmut G. Brömel in Babenhausen, Germany. QuickLOAD is distributed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand a by NECO (Nostalgia Enterprises Company) and Europe except Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and Ukraine by JMS Arms.
This is a table of selected pistol/submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load.
External ballistics or exterior ballistics is the part of ballistics that deals with the behavior of a projectile in flight. The projectile may be powered or un-powered, guided or unguided, spin or fin stabilized, flying through an atmosphere or in the vacuum of space, but most certainly flying under the influence of a gravitational field.
The .338 Lapua Magnum is a Finnish rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It was developed during the 1980s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military snipers. Due to its use in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, the cartridge has become widely available.
Internal ballistics, a subfield of ballistics, is the study of the propulsion of a projectile.
6.5×55mm Swedish, also known simply as 6.5×55mm, 6.5x55 SE, 6.5x55 Swede, or in its native military as 6.5 mm patron m/94, meaning "6.5 mm cartridge model 94", referring to 1894, is a first-generation smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The cartridge has most users in the Scandinavian countries, where it is known as the 6,5×55 or just "the 6,5".
In ballistics, the ballistic coefficient of a body is a measure of its ability to overcome air resistance in flight. It is inversely proportional to the negative acceleration: a high number indicates a low negative acceleration—the drag on the body is small in proportion to its mass. BC can be expressed with the units kilograms per square meter (kg/m2) or pounds per square inch (lb/in2).
The 5.45×39mm cartridge is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge. It was introduced into service in 1974 by the Soviet Union for use with the new AK-74. The 5.45×39mm gradually supplemented and then largely replaced the 7.62×39mm cartridge in Soviet and Warsaw Pact service as the primary military service rifle cartridge.
The 7.92×57mm Mauser is a rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was adopted by the German Empire in 1903–1905, and was the German service cartridge in both World Wars. In its prime, the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was one of the world's most popular military cartridges. In the 21st century it is still a popular sport and hunting cartridge that is factory-produced in Europe and the United States.
The .300 Winchester Magnum is a belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard rifle action. It is based on the .375 H&H Magnum, which has been blown out, shortened, and necked down to accept a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet.
The 7mm Remington Magnum rifle cartridge was introduced as a commercially available round in 1962, along with the new Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle. It is a member of the belted magnum family that is directly derived from the venerable .375 H&H Magnum. The original purpose of the belted magnum concept taken from the .300 H&H Magnum and .375 H&H Magnum, was to provide precise headspace control, since the sloping shoulders, while easing cartridge extraction, were unsuitable for this purpose. Improved cartridge extraction reliability is desirable while hunting dangerous game, in particular when a fast follow-up shot is required. The 7mm Remington Magnum is based on the commercial .264 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum, and .458 Winchester Magnum, which were based on the same belted .300 H&H Magnum and .375 H&H Magnum cases, trimmed to nearly the same length as the .270 Weatherby Magnum.
The .408 Cheyenne Tactical is a specialized rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire cartridge for military long-range sniper rifles that was developed by Dr. John D. Taylor and machinist William O. Wordman. The round was designed with a possible military need for a cartridge for anti-personnel, anti-sniper, and anti-materiel roles with a (supersonic) precision range of 2,200 yards. It is offered as a competitor to the most common military NATO long-range service cartridges such as .338 Lapua Magnum and the .50 BMG.
The .416 Barrett (10.4×83mm), centerfire rifle cartridge is a proprietary bottlenecked centrefire rifle cartridge designed in 2005. It is an alternative to the large-caliber .50 BMG in long-range high-power rifles. It was designed in response to a request for a medium/heavy rifle cartridge combination that was issued from Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in late 2004.
The .300 Lapua Magnum (7.62×70mm) is a rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire cartridge developed for long-range rifles. The parent case of the .300 Lapua Magnum is the .338 Lapua Magnum necked down to a smaller caliber. The .338 cartridge case was selected to withstand high chamber pressures. Combining these high pressures with smaller, lighter bullets than its parent case, .300 Lapua Magnum loadings have high muzzle velocities.
The spitzer bullet is a pointed projectile that is primarily used in small-arms. The pointed nose shape, which was developed for military purposes in the late 19th and early 20th century, was a major design improvement compared to earlier rounder or flatter-tipped bullets because pointed nose shapes were less susceptible to external ballistic factors like drag. By adding a point, projectiles made for fully-powered and intermediate rifle cartridges obtain a lower drag coefficient, which makes them decelerate less rapidly. Lowering the drag coefficient leads to improved external ballistic behaviour.
The 7.65×53mm Argentine is a first-generation smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridge developed for use in the Mauser Model 1889 rifle by Paul Mauser of the Mauser company. It is also known as 7.65×53mm Argentine rimless, 7.65mm Argentine, 7.65×53mm Belgian Mauser, 7.65mm Belgian, and 7.65×53mm Mauser.
The 6.5mm Creedmoor (6.5×48mm), designated 6.5 Creedmoor by SAAMI, 6,5 Creedmoor by the C.I.P. is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced by Hornady in 2007. It was developed by Hornady senior ballistics scientist Dave Emary in partnership with Dennis DeMille, the vice-president of product development at Creedmoor Sports, hence the name. The cartridge is a necked-down modification of the .30 Thompson Center.
The .338 Xtreme cartridge, is based on a necked down .505 Gibbs cartridge case with a sharper 35 degree shoulder angle. Introduced in 2008 by Xtreme Machining of Grassflat, Pa, the cases, commercially produced by Bertram Bullets, have a length of 3.030" and a head diameter of 0.640". Case capacity is 167.5 grains. Factory loads drive a 266 grain bullet at 3350 feet per second from a 30" barrel. The factory loads are loaded with a Tellurium Copper alloy solid very-low-drag bullet, These projectiles are manufactured by Xtreme Machining and of a patent pending design. The secant ogive projectile measures 1.808" long, including a 6 degree boat tail of 0.285". The patent refers to a "dual diameter" aspect of the projectile, where the main cylindrical portion of the bullet measures 0.331", 0.001" greater than the lands of the rifling. About 1.440" from the tip, the diameter increases to 0.338", creating a 0.15" "driving band". This both reduces driving force required for the high muzzle velocity as well as improves accuracy.
The 4.6×30mm cartridge is a small-caliber, high-velocity, smokeless powder, rebated, bottleneck, centerfire cartridge designed for personal defense weapons (PDW) developed by German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in 1999. It was designed primarily for the MP7 PDW to minimize weight and recoil, while increasing penetration of body armor. It features a pointed, steel-core, brass-jacketed bullet.
A ballistic table or ballistic chart, also known as the data of previous engagements (DOPE) chart, is a reference data chart used in long-range shooting to predict the trajectory of a projectile and compensate for physical effects of gravity and wind drift, in order to increase the probability of the projectile successfully reaching the intended target. Ballistic tables commonly are used in target shooting, hunting, military sharpshooting and ballistic science applications.
The .375 Swiss P or 9.5×70mmRB, designated 375 Swiss P by the C.I.P., is a rebated rim, bottleneck, centerfire rifle cartridge. It was developed during the late 2010s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military snipers and the law enforcement sector. The loaded cartridge is 14.93 mm (0.588 in) in diameter (rim) and 93.5 mm (3.68 in) long. It can penetrate better-than-standard military body armor and has a maximum supersonic range of about 1,600 metres (1,750 yd) with C.I.P. conform FMJ factory ammunition at sea level conditions. Muzzle velocity is dependent on barrel length, seating depth, and powder charge, and varies from 860 to 870 m/s for commercial loads with 22.7-gram (350 gr) bullets, which corresponds to about 8,500 J (6,300 ft⋅lbf) of muzzle energy.