Excel Users - Powder Needed Calculations

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JohndeFresno
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 4559
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:52 pm

Excel Users - Powder Needed Calculations

Post by JohndeFresno »

Brother/Sister Levergunners,
This entry is probably only of interest to Excel or similar spreadsheet program users. It shows a method of getting a ballpark figure of powder supplies versus what is needed for your stock.

The example below is not really a representation of what I have on hand, either in bullets or powder. I am not convinced that it is a good idea to advertise what is on my shelf. But you have an idea here.

There has been a thread or two about choosing and consolidating a smaller list of your favorite powders for handgun and long gun, due to the diminishing supply problem. Unique, for instance, is still difficult to find at our local stores; you have to come early and at the first day of the shipping week to snatch it up in the Central Joaquin Valley area.

But most handloaders likely have several powders on hand for various reasons, making it difficult to assess if there is sufficient propellant for their stock of bullets.

This is what I did:
1) Counted the number of bullets in each caliber that I own or load for, regardless of type.
2) Averaged out the number of grains of powder for loads that I use. *
3) Separated powder into "Handgun" and "Rifle" types. **
4) Recorded amount (in pounds) of each powder in stock.
5) Finally, the power of the spreadsheet helped me to roughly verify that I have sufficient powder for my intended loads.
I use a database for all of this, so it makes things a bit easier than just pencil and paper. Some of you might use one, or a spreadsheet, to track your loads and components.

Although the initial assessment of the average powder charge for each load is time consuming, I will now be able to change the tables immediately as the bullet or powder supplies change (in my actual spreadsheet).

I am reassessing my supplies in light of the possibility that our wise National leadership succeeds in curtailing mail order and possibly store sources of reloading components. This is already a hot topic in my beautiful and enlightened State of California.

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Your loads may be different ("YMMV" as one poster likes to say); but you can enter whatever you consider is "Avg_Grs" for the Average Grains of powder used in your loads. Or if you have several distinctly different loads like light target, defense, and heavy game loads, you might want to break down your categories further, like:
.44 Magnum Lt Tgt / Avg. Grs 9 / 100 bullets
.44 Magnum General / Avg. Grs 12.5 / 150 bullets
.44 Magnum BHwk Hunt / Avg. Grs. 14 / 100 bullets
...or whatever, just off the top of my noggin.

Footnotes:
* I have favorite loads that vastly outnumber test loads or (for instance) high power hunting loads. I was a bit surprised to discover that the amount of grains for most of my loads - using various powders - is pretty close to the same, given the uses that my ammo is intended for. So, for instance, the .45 Colt standard loads are less than 10 grains of a few powders, but the .45 Blackhawk strength loads are a bit more.

** Although there is definitely a crossover with powders like Unique, 2400, and N110, I ascribed my more common usage to these powders, e.g. Unique for handgun loads, 2400 for magnum pistol loads. I don't use 2400 for any rifle or carbine loads, anyway.

This is a very rough estimation; but it has helped me (using my real figures) to determine if I need to shop a bit more or if I'm good for the pending storm.
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