How does Loadscope decide your best powder charge and seating depth?
No single number tells you a load is good — a tight group that wanders in velocity will betray you at distance, and a flat velocity string over a wide group won't hold either. So Loadscope doesn't pick your best powder charge or seating depth on one stat. It scores every charge and every seating depth you tested across four things that actually show up on target.
Those four: mean radius (true group center, not one flier — falls back to group size when only that's available), velocity SD (shot-to-shot consistency), vertical (vertical dispersion — what costs you elevation at distance), and a light flat-spot signal (how little your average velocity moves across nearby charges).
Each metric is put on the same 0-to-1 scale (lower is better) so they're comparable, then blended into one composite score. Lowest composite wins — Loadscope tags it 🥇 and writes the winning charge or CBTO to the top of the tab. Every candidate also earns a "Best in:" tag for any single metric it topped, even if it didn't win overall.
The four aren't weighted equally, and the mix isn't a fixed table — Loadscope sets it from the distance you tested at. Up close, mean radius leads and velocity barely counts; at 1000 yards velocity SD takes over, because that's where a few fps of spread opens real vertical. Seating-depth tests lean on mean radius, since seating tunes group shape, not speed. Every weight is still yours — the app's Scoring tab is a set of sliders, and Use recommended weights hands the dial back to Loadscope. Read the full method →
How do I get my code, and how does buying work?
Click Get Loadscope, check out for $59, and your license key is emailed to you right away — it unlocks both the download and the app itself. One purchase covers up to two computers. Questions? support@loadscope.app.
Is Loadscope a subscription?
No. Loadscope is a one-time purchase — $59 at launch (going to $79 at full release). Pay once and it's yours, with free updates, not a yearly subscription. It runs fully offline with no account and no cloud. The iPhone & iPad companion is a free download.
How many computers can I run one license on?
Up to two — for example your bench PC and your range laptop. Both keep working offline once activated. If you move to a new computer and need to free a slot, email support@loadscope.app and we'll reset it.
How accurate is the predicted DOPE?
Loadscope uses a G7/G1 point-mass ballistic solver — the same model class as Strelok, GeoBallistics and the free Hornady/Berger calculators — checked against two independent references, JBM Ballistics and Applied Ballistics' own published range card. Measured-drag solvers like Applied Ballistics and Hornady 4DOF pull ahead deep in the transonic. Predicted values are an estimate, not a measurement — always confirm by live fire at known distances before relying on them for a shot that matters.
What's "predicted" vs "confirmed"?
Grey italic numbers are predicted by the solver from your bullet, muzzle velocity and conditions. At the range you type what you actually dialed — that row turns solid white = confirmed. Click Save DOPE and Loadscope writes both to your workbook: predicted rows stay grey italic, confirmed rows print solid. Predictions never overwrite confirmed data (only the reverse), and your printed Pocket Card carries a "verify at the range" banner until every row is confirmed.
Do I have to enter a ballistic coefficient?
The most popular match bullets have their BCs built in. For any other bullet, type its BC off the box or the maker's site once. It's not a source of published load data — you still cross-reference charges against current reloading manuals. The bullet database grows over time with no app update needed.
What chronographs and target apps does it read?
Chronographs: Garmin Xero — either plug it into your computer with its USB cable and Loadscope reads the sessions straight off it, or import a ShotView CSV export; both work, and neither one replaces the other — plus LabRadar, MagnetoSpeed and Athlon Velocity Pro. Target apps: BallisticX, OnTarget (PC/TDS), Silver Mountain (SMT) and ShotMarker — or skip the target app entirely and measure your groups from a photo right in Loadscope. The parser system is pluggable, so a new chronograph or target app is quick to add — send a sample export to support@loadscope.app and we'll fold it in.
Do I still need ShotView to get my Xero data in?
No. Plug the Xero into your Mac or PC with its USB cable and Loadscope notices it, tells you how many sessions are on it, and offers to read them — every session at once, straight off the chronograph. Since a Xero holds up to 50 sessions, it asks which ones belong to this ladder and lists them by time, shot count, average speed and SD, grouped by range day, with the likely block already picked for you. It never writes to or erases anything on the chronograph. The Xero stores its sessions as Garmin .FIT files, and Loadscope reads those directly — drag one in on its own if you've already copied them off.
And you don't need the cable every time. The ShotView route works exactly as it always has: export a session as a CSV from the app on your phone and drop it on Loadscope. Both paths land in the same place and score the same way — use whichever you have with you that day. Working with Garmin Xero data →
Do I need a target app to measure my groups?
No. Loadscope has built-in group measurement — photograph your target, set the scale off a known reference, tap your shots, and it works out group size, mean radius and vertical for you, then scores it. Shoot a whole powder ladder — or a seating-depth ladder — on one target sheet and measure every bull in one pass; you tell it which bull is which. Or measure on the iPhone in the field and pull the target groups into the load over Wi-Fi. Already run a target app? Import its CSV instead — your call. How measuring from a photo works →
Is my data going to the cloud?
No. Loadscope writes to a regular .xlsx file on your computer. No account, no sync, no telemetry. Your loads stay on your machine.
Do I need Microsoft Excel?
No. Loadscope does the work itself — your scored results, best load, predicted DOPE, and printable Load & Pocket Cards all appear right inside the app, no Excel required. Excel only matters if you want to open the underlying workbook and poke around the formulas yourself. Even then, the file is a standard .xlsx that opens just as well in Numbers (free on every Mac), Google Sheets, or LibreOffice. Excel is recommended for the full spreadsheet experience, but it's not required to use Loadscope.
Is Loadscope code-signed?
Mac: yes. Signed with a Developer ID Application certificate and notarized by Apple. macOS opens it without security warnings on the first launch — the same as any commercial app.
Windows: yes. Signed by Loadscope LLC with a Certum code-signing certificate and timestamped. Because the certificate is new, Windows SmartScreen may still show a one-time More info → Run anyway prompt until it builds reputation — the publisher reads “Loadscope LLC”.
What hardware does Loadscope run on?
Mac: macOS 10.13 or newer. Runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon (M-series) Macs — no Rosetta needed.
Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. No GPU required. Loadscope is a small app — runs fine on modest hardware.
Is there an iPhone app?
Loadscope Ballistics is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad — a field companion, not a phone port of load development. It carries your confirmed load to the range: a DOPE dial that re-solves live as conditions change, real crosswind math, your recipe at the bench, and round counts that sync back to the desktop. It's free to download — desktop owners unlock everything, and anyone else can unlock phone-side load entry for a one-time $9.99. The desktop stays Mac & Windows for the actual load-dev work.
