Pressure Trace II System

[LRJunkie]

Looking for anyone with experience with the Pressure Trace II System.
I have read all the information on the website and had a lengthy conversation with Jim about the system.
Any information you could provide from your experience would be greatly helpful.
Thanks for looking.

 

[MagnumManiac]

It is a great tool, I bought mine around 9 years ago.
I rarely use it now, my testing was completed 5-6 years ago, however I still use it when I buy a new rifle for initial testing or if my comp guns go out of tune.

I do not calibrate using factory ammo, there is no way to ascertain if the factory stuff is running at max pressure or not as they use a fudge factor against a known SAAMI reference ammo.

I use the max pressure shown as 'actual max' in my rifles. I rarely run right at max anyway as the accuracy node is nearly always slightly below max pressure.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

 

[bigngreen]

It's interesting more from a comparative tool than for getting definitive numbers since there is calibration that has to happen from some baseline. I think most kinda triangulate a calibration with multiple tools to narrow up your window. I haven't used mine in quite some time because I saw what I needed to and how it relates to the normal pressure signs we utilize and haven't seen the need to go through the trouble. Interesting though but only worth the money if things keep you awake at night wondering why.
To me the most useful application was running different powders and being able to see the effects of changing stuff like seating depth or neck diameter.

 

[LRJunkie]

Thanks MagnumManiac and bigngreen for for sharing.
Have either of you compared the pressure graphs between the PT2 and QL for comparison ? I completely understand QL is a prediction but still curious how they may be or not, in alignment.
Thanks any info is helpful and useful.

 

[fguffey]

I do not calibrate using factory ammo, there is no way to ascertain if the factory stuff is running at max pressure or not as they use a fudge factor against a known SAAMI reference ammo.

Don't do it, it can not be done, even if it was possible the reloader would not know what they were looking for. And the next group of boo birds claim it is not possible to measure.

I found an old Pratt & Whitney electronic gage that would do some serious measuring. It started out at .000005". It is the smoothest running piece of equipment I have. I found nothing entertaining about measuring anything that small so I took off the electronics then installed dial indicators and then used it as a height gage. So I never said I could not measure it, I said I did not want to, I do have a dial indicators with different ranges.

F. Guffey

 

[bigngreen]

Thanks MagnumManiac and bigngreen for for sharing.
Have either of you compared the pressure graphs between the PT2 and QL for comparison ? I completely understand QL is a prediction but still curious how they may be or not, in alignment.
Thanks any info is helpful and useful.

I think you'll find most guys with PT will also use QL with it, QL I think helps with narrowing down a cal for PT but then the graphs and stuff you see in PT is actual measurements of what's going on, you'll see the actual results of changes with PT, like different reflective pressures from muzzle brakes, the graphs in PT are interesting!!

 

[MagnumManiac]

I had QL first...found it too fiddly and didn't match my outcomes.
I used it for quite a while, then discovered it was a laptop version of the Powley program.

The Trace gives me raw figures...exactly what my guns produce without fudge factors.

No...It doesn't match up well with QL or even be in the same ballpark.

Cheers.

 

[LRJunkie]

Thank for the information gentlemen I appreciate your input... I now have one in hand.

 

[cdherman]

Holy necromancer -- I am going to bring this thread back to life.

So I am considering the Pressure Trace II system. Wife says no more guns, but equipment is OK! Couple of new questions:

-- Anyone ever get the Pressure Trace system to work adaquately with a Savage barrel nut? Their information says it *may* work, maybe not. Suspect I will be OK with my 7 RM, but my shorter 6.5x284 could be more challenging.......

-- The website and software seems to be aged. If support ends for the Pressure Trace system, it becomes potentially just another piece of electronics that is then headed to recycling. Does not seem to be a "large scale operation" shall we say. Same could be said of quickload I suspect.......

Thoughts?

 

[cdherman]

Is there truly no one using this system these days? Seems like a doubtful use of $800 if nobody thinks its any good........ Would be so great if it worked......

 

[MagnumManiac]

Why would you think it doesn't work?
I used mine all the time, it is a great tool and tells you many things, such as which primer is best with a certain powder, which powder gets the most gain per grains used etc.
Even if it is aged, piezo transducers are still available from the owner when I looked last.
Research the product, call them.

Cheers.

 

[JASmith]

Holy necromancer -- I am going to bring this thread back to life.

So I am considering the Pressure Trace II system. Wife says no more guns, but equipment is OK! Couple of new questions:

-- Anyone ever get the Pressure Trace system to work adaquately with a Savage barrel nut? Their information says it *may* work, maybe not. Suspect I will be OK with my 7 RM, but my shorter 6.5x284 could be more challenging.......

-- The website and software seems to be aged. If support ends for the Pressure Trace system, it becomes potentially just another piece of electronics that is then headed to recycling. Does not seem to be a "large scale operation" shall we say. Same could be said of quickload I suspect.......

Thoughts?

I haven't used my system in a number of years, but can help with your questions.

First -- working with barrel nut -- your case body needs to be long enough that there is enough body in front of the nut to allow the recommended 1/4-in clearance between the gauge and the nearest significant change in thickness. That, I think, means that cases with bodies shorter than that of the .308 Win may be a challenge with the strain gauge.

The website and software were aged in 2015-2016 when I wa actively using it. I may have a need to start again -- which explains my search for updates and alternatives.

 

[Seabeeken]

Charlie at GRT uses the system often when working on powder models