Standard Logs

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Logs (Tables)

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Brass Loading Log and Bullet Casting Logs

The Brass Loading Log and Bullet Casting Logs allow you to store an even greater amount of data about your loads. The logs deal with the fatigue factors and other relative aspects of working with loads and by being databases, you can work with them to look up certain facts about your loads. For example if you normally resize 5x but only once when you neck size then you can call up the neck sized records and retire that lot after they are fired.

To use the Brass Loading Log select Brass Loading Log from the Logs Menu of the Main Window or press the Ctrl and L keys Simultaneously. To use the Bullet Casting Log select Bullet Casting from the Logs Menu of the Main Window or press the Ctrl and K keys Simultaneously.

Enter your data in the corresponding fields and then click the Add Record button. You will see your data displayed as a record in the database at the bottom. If you would like to change an entry of a record Simultaneously display the record you want to edit by scrolling the databases arrow to the record you want to edit or click you mouse in the far left side of the database to make the arrow appear in the row you want. Once the record you want to edit is display retype in the field you want changed in the upper text boxes. Click the Edit Record Button and if all information is correct select YES. Your changes will be saved in your Log's database.

To delete a record or have it printed out to your printer Simply select which row you want to delete or print and click the Delete Record Button or the Print Record Button.

You can save your data records as text for ease of reading or csv files to export into any other spreadsheet program you might have. Simply make sure the row that you want saved as a text or csv file is select with the arrow being beside it and click either Save As Text File or Save As CSV File. In the window that pops up add a name for your file using no extensions. Your file will be saved in the Ballistic Basics/data folder and you may open it by selecting the Open Saved File or Open CSV File Buttons. All saved text files will have a .bra extension and all csv files will have a .csv extension. When you first open a saved CSV file you will need to tell Ballistic Basics your default spreadsheet program location the first time you open a saved CSV file. If you need to change the default program to open your csv files you can change it by selecting it from the Log Menu at the top of the Brass Loading Log window.

If you would like to clear all text box fields and add another record just click on the Clear Text/New File Button and input your new data in the corresponding fields then click the Add Record Button to add it to your database.

Once you have some records added you can use the Search Button to find and display the record(s) that you want. To search for certain records in your database, click the Search Button. From the new window select the Field you would like to search for your record(s) from the Fields List by clicking on it with your mouse or using your arrow keys then in the bottom search string text box type in which text to search for. You can use wildcards such as the * or ? keys . For example if you wanted to find all entries that you entered in October simply select Date from the list and type in 10/*/99 . All records with an October date will be displayed in the database window. To restore you database to show all records again just click on the Show All Records Button at the bottom of the Log Window.

If you would like to create a label for printing from one of your records in your Brass Loading Log, select the record by clicking on it, then click the Make Label Button. The Box Label window will open and the corresponding data will have been placed in the text boxes.

Inputs: (Brass Log)

Caliber

Date

Brass Lot #

Number of Cases

Reload #

Tumbled

Resize Method

Trim Method

Primer

Powder

Powder wt.

Bullet Manufacturer

Bullet Style

Bullet wt.

Bullet seating depth

OAL or Cal

Crimp

Load pressure

Load data source

Notes

Inputs: (Bullet Casting Log)

Date Cast

Mould #

# of Bullets Cast

Alloy Components

Casting Temperature

BHN or Veneer Scale

Heat Treated

Weight Range

Diameter Range

Sized To

Lube

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Gun Inventory Log

The Gun Inventory Log allows you to quickly enter the most important information about your guns in case of fire or theft. If you have a scanner or digital camera, you can choose to add a photo of your gun or item in .bmp, .gif, or .jpg format. For information on converting digital files consult your scanner or camera instruction manual, or consult the help file in your photo editing software. Most programs allow you to choose save as, with a variety of choices.

To add a photo to the current record select the photo from the file list box. If the photo is the one you wish to use, choose assign and the Path to the file will be added to the correct input box.

For maximum security the copy command was added, so you can copy the file to your Ballistic Basics Folder, where it can be included in your backup.

Example:

Inputs:

Make: Remington

Model: 760

Serial Number: xrv-345-klp123

Description: 243 Winchester Rifle

Value: 175.00

Picture Location: C:filespicsgif

Commands:

New Record:Clear the boxes and enter new data.

Add Record: Add the data in the boxes to the table.

Edit Record: Basically the same as add, only the current record is changed, not added

Delete Record: Delete the record. This operation cannot be undone.

Print Record: Print the current record.

View Picture: View a thumbnail of the selected picture. Picture will probably look distorted, But this program makes no changes to the picture file.

Copy Picture: Copies the picture file to the Basics folder

Assign Picture:Grabs the selected file path from the list, and places the path in the picture location input box.

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Inventory Tracker

The Ballistic Basics Inventory Tracker will help you keep track of all your reloading supplies.

It will keep a running count of the value of your stock on hand, the amount needed to replenish your supplies and how much it would cost to restock one of each item in your inventory.

You can set the Inventory Tracker to notify you when a reloading component needs to be replenished and it will even print out a 'shopping list' of these items for you.

The Inventory Tracker makes use of a Powder Conversion Calculator that will convert powder weight from pounds to grains and give you total pounds used for any amount of loads you request. It will automatically calculate how many loads at a specified grain amount can be made from one pound of powder.

There is also a Cost Estimator which allows you to calculate how much it is costing you to make a specified number of loads using your component items, so you can calculate how much it is costing you to make yours.

You can access the Inventory Tracker by selecting Inventory from the Log Menu of the main window or by pressing your Ctrl and F6 keys Simultaneously. For a brief description of each field value that you must input you can simply rest your mouse cursor over each field name.

HOW TO ENTER YOUR INVENTORY DATA:

Your inventory should be entered keeping the following in mind:

Component: A brief description of each item.

Qty In Stock: Enter the amount you have of this item. Keep in mind, enter any powder amount per pound ie..if you have 3 tins of 1 lb powder you would enter it as 3 but if you have 3 tins of 5 lb powder you would enter it as 15. If you have 400 shells left of a lot that contained 1000 you would enter it as 400.

Price Per Unit: Enter the amount you paid for each component as in per box, per package, per tin or each if they were bought as a single item.

Unit Size: Enter the size of each unit by how much is contained in each unit ie. 1 lb tin of powder would be entered as 1. A 5 lb tin of powder would be entered as 5. A box containing 500 shells would be entered as 500 and a package of 5 items would be entered as 5.

Value In Stock: This amount will automatically be calculated based upon the price per unit and quantity in stock.

Alarm Qty.: Enter an amount when you would like to be notified that a component needs to be restocked ie..when there is only .5 lbs left of a one pound tin or when you have only 200 primers left of a 1000 lot box. Ballistic Basics will track this amount based on your Qty in Stock value and will notify you when it reaches the value you indicate.

After you have added the necessary information just click the Add Button. You will see your entry listed in the database window.

To clear the old values from the input boxes and add a new item, click on the New Button.

If you would like to change a value for a record that you have already added to your inventory, highlight the record by clicking on it in the database. The values will be displayed in the corresponding text boxes. Change the value(s) in the text boxes and then click the Edit Button.

To delete an inventory item click on the record you want to delete. This will highlight the record and it's values will appear in the text boxes. Then click on the Delete Button.

To print out all your inventory items to your printer simply click the Print Button and you will be asked if you want to print all the logs or just the one currently open. All inventory items listed in your database will be printed out according to your selection.

As you add items to your inventory you will notice the values totals on the left side of the inventory window. These totals will be automatically tallied and reflect the inventory items as follows:

Total Value on Hand: This is the total value of the quantity in stock column.

Replacement Cost (Used Inventory): This amount will adjust every time you adjust your quantity in stock value to show when an item has been depleted. It will let you know the value of the depleted stock so you will have a rough idea of how much it will cost you to replace these items to full capacity again. Keep in mind that if you purchase bulk items singularly it will only calculate how much for a single item..ie..if you buy 200 shot shells at .03 a piece it will adjust this total by .03 when you have exhausted your total supply. If you used up 1/2 of a 1 lb tin it will adjust this total by 50% of the unit price.

Total Unit Value: This amount will automatically calculate how much money would be required to replace one of every item in your inventory by keeping a running total based on your Price Per Unit column.

To adjust your Qty in Stock values as you use or replenish a component click the component record in the database window. When this record is highlighted you will see the values in the input boxes. Now you can subtract or add the appropriate amounts by clicking the + or - sign beside the Qty In Stock input box. For example, if you had an item originally entered as having 200 in stock and you use 100 of that item you would click the - button and input the number 100. This will adjust the record and totals accordingly. When you purchase 200 more of that same item and want to add that to what you have already listed you would click the + button and add 200 in the window that appears to adjusts the qty in stock value and your totals. For adjusting your powder levels use decimals to show a depletion of powder..ie..if you use 1/2 lb of powder it would be entered as .5 or 1/4 lb as .25.

To search for a particular record first select the field you want to search in by clicking any record's field cell. For example, if you want to search for any records that the quantity in stock is 100, you would click on the first cell under Qty In Stock in the database. This will change the 'current search will be in X' label to the proper field to search in. Now type in the amount or word to search for. You may use wildcards (*, ?) such as 1** for any amount from 100 to 199 or d* for any component that starts with the letter d. Then click the Search Button. You restore your inventory records to show all items again after a search, click the All Records Button.

If you would like to automatically input any inventory component name to the main windows bullet brand, powder type, primer or case input box select the component item from the inventory database by clicking on it and then click the Export Button. Select the input box you would like it to appear in and then click Export. If you close off the inventory window you will see that this items name is now in the main windows input box you selected.

You can use the Powder Calculator to help you convert grains to pounds and calculate how many grains of powder you will use for a specified amount of loads expressed in pounds. For example, if you want to know how many pounds or partial pound was used to make 20 loads click on the Powder Calculator Button. In the first window input the amount in grains that you use for each load. In the second window input how many loads you made. The calculator will then tell you how many lbs or partial pound was used to make your load and how many loads you could make using that grain amount for each one from one pound of powder. You can also use this same calculator when using the Cost Estimator by clicking the Convert Grains to Pound Button.

When a component's quantity level has reached the Alarm Qty value you will receive a message that it has reached or is below this level. If you would like to check which items are at or below the alarm quantity level then click on the Check Alarms Button. Any inventory items found will be listed along with the quantity you have left in stock. You may choose to print this list out by clicking the Print Button in the Alarm List box.

The Cost Estimate Button allows you to calculate how much it is costing you to make your own loads. If you click this button a new window will open that lists your component items you have entered in your inventory. Select each component you use to make your loads by clicking one at a time and pressing the >> key to add that item to the Selected Item list. For each item selected you will be asked how many or how much of that item you will be using. For example you would enter 20 if you were making 20 loads. To calculate how much powder you would be using to make 20 loads use the Convert Grains to Powder button and input the number of pounds it tells you will be needed to make 20 loads..ie... .17 pounds will be used to make 20 loads if each load contained 58 grains. To deselect a component from the list click on the item you want to remove from the select item list and then click the << button. When all the component items and amounts have been selected click the Get Cost button. Your calculated cost will appear in this window. If you would like a print out of the selected components and calculations just click the Print Button.

If you would like to adjust your inventory items whenever you make and save a load calculation in the main window select the 'Adjust Inventory on Save' item from the Options Menu of the main window. This will automatically open the inventory window for you to adjust your components each time you save a loads file. You can also add an inventory items component name to the Bullet Brand, Powder Type, Primer or Case Manufacturer input boxes in the Main Window by resting your mouse cursor over the labels for these input boxes. Your cursor will change to a file icon and when you click your inventory window will open allowing you to select the component name and use the Export Button to send this information to the appropriate text box in the main window.

Groups:

You can choose to sperate your inventory items into groups. This is helpful if you use the drop down lists to input data. To create a new group click on the + component group button. A box will appear for you to enter the name of your component, examples would be:

Rifle Powders

Bullets

Primers

To Access data in the new group double click the group name in the list box.

To move components to different groups, select the records to move by using the Ctrl key and a left click in the grid. When all the records you wish to move are highlighted, click on the Move Components button. You will then be asked where to move the records, select the log to move them to and press OK.

If you have adjust inventory checked in the options window, you need not enter all your data into this log. When you save a file in the main window, or a record in the shot gunners log the program will scan all the logs and search for your items. If the item(s) are not found you can choose to enter them at this time. When an item is not found you will see the following:

choose the log to place the component into or create a new one.

Next you will be asked to input the standard values for the inventory log, as we need some data to adjust. You will be asked for each item, then the items will be verified and the log built and updated.

At any time you can choose to cancel, and the adjust procedure will be halted. If all has gone well you should see a screen similar to the following:

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Manufacturer's Load Data

The Factory Data Tables offer data for many of the manufacturers.

This data can be used for calculations on boxed ammo or in Quick Compare to compare the boxed ammo with your "super loads".

To open the Factory Load database select Manufacturer Load Database from the Log Menu or press your Shift, Ctrl and F12 keys simultaneously. Select the manufacturer from the listed manufacturers by clicking on one of the selection boxes. You can scroll down the table to find the load you want or you can have the program search for you.

To use the search feature click on a field name to search by, by clicking on one of the field names listed at the top of the table..ie. caliber, bullet style, bullet wt. etc. In the find text box type in your text or number to search for. You can use wildcards as well. Examples would be .17 Remington or *Remington or *Rem* or .17* or *17*. The * would be a wildcard and denotes any text or number.

Click on the Find Button.

Any records matching your search criteria will be displayed in the database window.

When you have found the load you are looking for, simply click on the Export Data Button and all the information from the table will be inputted into the corresponding text boxes of the Main Window for you to run calculations on.

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Reloader's Log

The Reloader's Log stores on your request all your reloading data from the main window into it's own table. All of your saved text files data will be imported into the new table except for any notes you had added to your saved file. If you would like all future saved files you create in the Main Window Calculations to be added to the Reloader's Log choose Always Save to Log from the Options Menu of the Main Window. You may also add records to the log right from the Reloader's Log by clearing any text from the text boxes and then typing your load data into the corresponding text boxes at the bottom of the Reloader's log. After you have typed in your data simply click the Add New Button.

The Reloader's Log gives you the ability to search, sort and delete from this table. You may add or edit notes to your files from the Reloader's Log. Simply type in the notes you want added or edited and press the Edit Button.

This is a true log of just data. It will resemble a factory data log if you choose to print it out. To access the Reloader's Log select Reloader's Log from the Log Menu of the Main Window or press the Ctrl and i keys simultaneously.

You may also create a label for printing from one of your records in your Reloader's Log by selecting the record by clicking on it, then click the Create Label Button. The Box Label window will open and the corresponding data will have been placed in the text boxes.

You may search for particular loads using the Search Button. Wildcards such as *Win* can be used to find any records that contain the letters 'Win' in them. You can search by any field you desire by clicking in a field's record in the database window. This will automatically change the field to search in. To show all records after you have completed a search just click the All Records button or click one of the field names of the database.

You may sort the records in alphabetically descending order(Z to A) order or ascending order (A to Z) by simply clicking on the field name at the top of the database window.

To delete a record from the log click on the record you want to delete in the reloader's log database and press the Delete Record key.

To export a records data to the main window of Ballistic Basics, click on or scroll to the record you want to export then click the Export Record Button. The record's data will now be sent to the main form for you to run calculations on.

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Shot Gunner's Log

The Shot gunner's log allows you to enter your load data and add components to the inventory log.

To enter a load simply type in the values for the load and click on add.

List boxes have been added to allow you to enter information quickly. To use the list boxes, click on the label next to the input box (your mouse will turn to a rt bent arrow) and select the log and hit OK. Your list will now be filled with all the components in that log and you may select them by clicking on them. To set all of the logs at once click on the set all logs button, and you will be asked to choose the log for each component input one at a time.

(The inventory will be automatically adjusted when you add a new record, if you have adjust inventory on save selected in the main options. This would be when you would encounter items not found and will be given the option to create a new log)

and then asked if you would like to set up the new log...ie add the values for the item. selecting yes will walk you through the inputs for the new item in the same fashion as in the inventory tracker log.

(Hint on setting up logs: if you use the drop down lists set up your logs to reflect what you want in the list ie: Shot, Wads, Powders etc.)

Enter the number of rounds you loaded, and click ok.

You will see a window like the following:

Because of the table structure you cannot add values that include single or double quotes (" or ') these values are reserved in the SQL language and are used to sperate values. So to enter a case such as Active 3" you must use Active 3 inch or Active 3 in etc.

To select multiple records, simply press and hold your Ctrl key and click on the records.

The log can print one or all of your loads, and all printouts are set up to ignore blank values. If you want the input name printed, but do not wish to enter a value, use a dead character such as the colon, then you can write the data in later.

You can set the drop down lists to grab files from a particular log, by clicking on the description next to the input box.

To edit a record, simply type over the existing text and choose edit. The new values will be saved.

To quickly add a component without leaving the log click on components, select a log to add the component to, or create a new log.

Ballistic Basics by BazoeSoft TM