In the Hi Point Challenge thread at Tam’s, someone asked me about round count. I know I’ve talked about tracking rounds before, but here’s a copy of a single page of the spreadsheet that I use.
Link to Spreadsheet here.
This has worked very well for me to keep track of what I’m shooting, when I’m shooting it, etc. As you can see, the list of guns from 2009 is kind of psychotic – I spent a good chunk of 2009 going back and forth from one gun to another, until I settled on my S&W 625 near the end of the year. But the round counts and the malf counts are pretty accurate – I never go to the range without a pencil and a notepad, so that if something happens with a gun then I’m 100% aware of what’s going on with it. Another to note on there is that with the exception of the rounds I shot at Gunsite, I didn’t count .22 LR. It’s just not worth it to keep track of that, because I can go through 1k rounds of .22 like it’s not even there.
Now, my wife would say that I’m a spreadsheet geek (I am), but there’s value in this. If something happens to my gun at the range, I can look back at this and see if it’s a new problem, if it’s a problem that only occurs with this type of ammo, which means I can take measures to reduce the problem in the future. For example, my ParaUSA Tac-5 had continued failures to extract using 115 grain FMJ ammo, but when I used the hotter 124 grain NATO ammo it ran like a top. My 625 and S&B primers didn’t get along, so I didn’t use S&B ammo in my 625. The list goes on and on. Don’t like my format? That’s okay, because you can get one of your own!
I never used to do that but when I bought my CZ-75 I determined to keep a log of not only round count but any malfunction I experienced, even if it seemed to be minor, and how and when I cleaned it.
I came from the fact that every single damn gun mag will review a gun and declare it 100% reliable after shooting it 200 rounds. That’s hardly enough to declare it reliable. So I decided to start keeping a log with my guns.
Caleb,
I bow to your superior geekiness.
Blame my personality. I do this with workouts, food, and obviously at the office. It’s more that I’m gay for spreadsheets.
I remember that you bought this up about 6 months ago here…
I’m still not counting rounds/types, but I do track my practice sessions (scores, times, etc – kinda like a Crossfit workout!) and do note any malfs/impressions in a journal. (The reality is that there haven’t been any malfs since I’ve got a boringly reliable heater…)
Great article. I use http://www.rangelog.com
I also use range log. It has great reports, you can list multiple guns and keep track of how often you clean, repair it and shoot it and for different types of matches.
Awesome article – if you want to succeed at something, you need to track/chart your progress! I also use http://www.rangelog.com because I can not only chart progress over time, but also compare with friends
I do log my rounds on most handguns and rifles. I do it on paper instead of electronically because I can keep that with me at the range. I also record maint items like spring replacements (I’m anal about changing pistol recoil springs every couple of thousand rounds).
I don’t do it on most rimfires for the reason you gave- I just don’t see the need to bother.
I do log them for the rimfire I use for casual offhand practice. I have a suppressed Ruger 77-22 I keep handy, and will now and then shoot a magazine or two out the back door at a pair of small swingers 65 yards across the yard by the woods. I keep track of my hits and misses to monitor progress or decline.
I don’t do it on shotguns because I’m not much of a shotgunner and it isn’t worth doing.