How inventory, recipes, batches, and range connect

Loadatum is built around a chain: components sit in inventory, a recipe references those components, a batch is a production run against that recipe, and a range session logs how the batch performed. Each step feeds the next, and understanding the order makes the rest of the app straightforward.

Components in inventory

Brass, primers, powder, and bullets are tracked individually in inventory. Each has a quantity on hand. These quantities are the starting point for everything else. When you log a batch, all four are deducted automatically based on what the recipe calls for and how many rounds you loaded.

Inventory tracking is optional. If it is off, the rest of the app still works: you can log recipes, batches, and range sessions without any quantity management. See Your first five minutes for how to toggle it.

A recipe is a template

A recipe names the caliber, the components (primer, powder, and bullet), the charge weight range from your manual, and a target COAL. Nothing is consumed when you create a recipe. It is a reusable template that describes what a load is, not a record of loading anything.

A recipe can be used for many batches over time. The charge weight and COAL you actually use are recorded on each batch individually, so you can vary them between runs and keep a full history.

A batch is a production run

When you log a batch, you record the actual charge weight, quantity loaded, and COAL for that run. If inventory tracking is on, logging the batch immediately deducts from all four component inventories: brass is decremented by the quantity loaded (plus any retired cases), primer and bullet quantities drop by the round count, and powder is reduced by charge weight multiplied by round count.

A batch also creates a tracked ammo inventory record. That record starts with the quantity you loaded and is the link between your bench work and the range.

A range session consumes the batch

A range session logs a visit to the range. Within a session you record groups, each of which is tied to an ammo source, typically a specific batch. When you log a group, the shot count is deducted from that batch's ammo inventory. The group result (distance, group size, any velocity data) stays permanently linked to the batch and the load that produced it.

This connection is what makes the analytics useful: the app can trace a group size back to the exact charge weight, primer, powder, and bullet used, because every group references the batch it came from.

The order matters when inventory is on

Because batches deduct from inventory at the moment they are logged, the practical order is: add components to inventory, create a recipe, then log batches. If you log a batch before adding inventory, no deduction happens for that batch (there is nothing to deduct from). You can enter historical batches this way intentionally, but if you want accurate running totals, get inventory set up first.

Range sessions have no dependency on inventory setup. You can log sessions and groups at any time. Only the ammo deduction requires that a batch exists with rounds remaining.