Best reloading manual

[WK&U]

I've started thinking about reloading, a freind said he'd teach me but told me to get a book on reloading. Says he uses Hornady volume 8, but said to get the most current Hornady volume. He also said that's there other reloading books out there. So I'd like to ask you here what reloading manul that you all would say is the best for the type of (precision shooting) we like here. PS I need it simple

 

[melloyello]

Re: Best reloading manual

You can't have only one. I recommend you get at least 2 if not 3. You need to get info from everywhere you can before you start to work up a load. I have Lee and Lyman. I also look at other members recipes and check the bullet manufacturers site or call them if I feel the need.

 

[korykhunter]

Re: Best reloading manual

^What he said. I like Sierra and Berger but have others. Still looking for more.

 

[elfster1234]

Re: Best reloading manual

I use damn near all hornday bullets (big fan of amax, match, and interlock SPBT bullets) due to lower price vs performance, so I use hornday book all the time for loads. Next on my list would be Sierra.

 

[dlouie87]

Re: Best reloading manual

I bought the Lyman book first. I'm about to buy the Sierra and Hornady next.

 

[no1special]

Re: Best reloading manual

don't discount the imr/winchester/hogden online information. the powder people tend to have a little stouter loads.

 

[WK&U]

Re: Best reloading manual

I'm trying to get this straight in my head; So is the reloading manual that I need linked to the brand of bullet I want to shoot,Seirra, Hornady, ect. Not one manual for all brands.

 

[Rover31]

Re: Best reloading manual

The Lee manual has data for many bullets not just one brand.
I like it but you need more than one.

 

[Infinity]

Re: Best reloading manual

Please don't eat me alive for this one. I've read in a few places that having one reloading manual is more than adequate since the majority of manuals have online copies. Is this untrue? Be gentle, thanks,
Adam

 

[sidewaysil80]

Re: Best reloading manual

I'm new at reloading as well and I picked up the Lyman 49th edition. It contains a great deal, I mean step by step process on how to reload in addition to various recipes for every caliber.

 

[kb1]

Re: Best reloading manual

A lot of powder manufactures have data on their sites, but it is always good to have a couple manuals.

 

[Infinity]

Re: Best reloading manual

Fair enough, I'm obviously also new to the hobby. I'll go grab a couple good manuals.

 

[CharlieTN]

Re: Best reloading manual

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Infinity</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Please don't eat me alive for this one. I've read in a few places that having one reloading manual is more than adequate since the majority of manuals have online copies. Is this untrue? Be gentle, thanks,
Adam </div></div>

The powder manufacturers will have data online.

One reason I suggest multiple manuals is that there is a great difference in the max/min loads listed from manual to manual. Sierra is very conservative while some of the others, specifically Hodgdon's manual show quite a bit hotter loads. Of course the bullet manufacturers will only show their bullets in their manuals while the powder manufacturers will show many different types of bullets they cannot show all of them that are available.

As always, start light and work your way up. Each gun/ammo combination will act differently. A load that will show pressue in one gun may not show in another.

Charlie

 

[CharlieTN]

Re: Best reloading manual

Mean to add, I like the Lee manual for the basics of reloading. The Sierra manual is excellent if you really want to know what your'e doing. Tons of info, probably more than you care to know.

 

[280nosler]

Re: Best reloading manual

Lyman 49, followed by a manual from whatever bullet maker you intend to use.
If you are new to reloading, I suggest you get this as well: (ABC's of reloading)

Eventually you will start chasing down different powders, and different components and buy a few of these:

 

[gvanhyning]

Re: Best reloading manual

I would suggest reading Reloading 101 by doc76251 under the reloading forum here. Then read the Hand Loading for Long Range series by TresMon. There is a wealth of information right there. I got a Nosler manual when I first started and it sits on the shelf. I will say that QuickLoad is the single best tool I have for researching new powder/bullet combinations and I highly recommend it. I look at the loads that other folks are posting and run it through QuickLoad and see if it's something I want to try. Case in point, I shoot 6.5x47 Lapua and the available information is very limited. I was using Varget with Berger 130's and now that Varget is scarce I have discovered that IMR 8202 XBR is excellent. Try www.reloadersnest.com there are a lot of loads on there to look at. Good luck.

 

[ZiaHunter]

Re: Best reloading manual

I have close to a dozen hard copy manuals and use them all including Vitavouri's as well as the Sierra's software. The one thing I have noticed is there are differences in stated velocities for the same bullet weight and probably is due to different barrels used when testing loads. I usually check loads in the manuals against QL for consistency and most of the time they are pretty close. The Sierra manual has very good content on the basics of reloading.

 

[lovetsx]

Re: Best reloading manual

Watch all the u-tube vids on reloading. Hours out there. Ammosmith has some great ones. The videos taught me way more then the books. But I did borrow and read a Hornady manual before I got started.

Then when You are ready to reload pick your bullet. Then E-mail the manufacturer and asked for load data. They will e-mail you back a PDF right out of their manual. and make you own load book. Every manufacturer out there will do it except Lyman. Lyman will e-mail you back saying buy their book. Fuck that and every thing lyman I have bought is junk anyways... Barnes and Sierra will email you back with in 24 hours. They also have guys manning the phones. Sierra has a hole technical staff. Ask question on their facebook page. This is their job and they want to help.

I have called Barnes, sierra, Hodgen, Hornady all have top notch tech support that know what they are taking about. They will suggest a powder instead of you having to pick from 10+ in manual.

 

[0311@LAR]

Re: Best reloading manual

I just checked the new Lee manual out today at Cabelas. It is laid out a lot better than the first one. I will probably pick one up soon. I also looked at the new Hornady version, and did not see much difference from last years version, so I'll probably skip the new Hornady one. I would suggest getting many different manuals, once you start comparing data between them, you will see how they all vary from slightly, to a good bit. That way you can kinda compare notes between them when you pick a point to start loading.

 

[lovetsx]

Re: Best reloading manual

1st lesson.The manuals are a base line. You have to work loads up. I shoot a load in my 25-06 that is 2grains over max in all the manuals. But thats what it wants with T-TSX.

Buddy ran out of Varget. I picked him a new pound. He loaded up some with his years ago receipt. BOOM. Blown primer and had to hit the bolt with a hammer. All he did was change to a new lot of powder.

 

[KTDLS7]

Re: Best reloading manual

You will never have enough manuals. The Sierra is more than just a "powder charge" reference. It has some good info on the processes, and has some interesting history on each round. The Sierra is loose-leaf allowing for updates/additions/personal notes.

Kevin

 

[slyfox]

Re: Best reloading manual

Lets look at it this way. Reloading can be extremely safe or extremely dangerous depending on the amount of knowledge and information you have. In my opinion you cannot have enough information to keep you safe. Buy a few of the manuals listed in this thread and read them all. Read this forum, especially the sticky posts up top, and don't hesitate to ask questions. I am still fairly new to this myself and find myself coming here often for extra information or a question.

 

[Shadowofjudgment]

Re: Best reloading manual

^^^What he said! ^^^^ Ive been reloading for a while and I almost think I know a lot just to realize the next day that I have a lot to learn..

 

[Deadshot2]

Re: Best reloading manual

I guess I just don't follow the crowd much. I am not one that collects all the books they can. I have a "Lee 2nd Edition" that I use for a quick reference and that's about it.

All of the Bullet Company manuals have one major drawback. While they might be good for basic instructions to a "newbie", they suck when it comes to load data. Only "favorite powders" are listed and whenever something new becomes available it's often years before it's listed in the usual manuals.

I prefer to rely more on the manufacturer's data that's available online and then develop my own loads from there.

Every possible variable that one can conceive like bullet dimensions, composition, case variations, rifle chamber, bore, barrel length, atmospheric conditions,and the way the shooter holds their mouth, cause variations in the outcome.

For beginners, focus on books like the ABC's of Reloading, maybe even the Lee 2nd Edition. "Load Data" books are out of date by the time they reach the shelves.

 

[fx77]

Re: Best reloading manual

Noe thing gleaned from this site is the OCW(optimal charge weight) method of loading...he thinks the Nosler manual has the mest starting charge weights for a given bullet...and recommends U begin with this(-7-10% of course)

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Re: Best reloading manual

I absolutely concur with the suggestion to buy "The ABC's of Reloading," by C. Rodney James. It has a wealth of information in it for the novice (and expert) reloader. I also believe it to be a good practice to have a reloading manual for each brand of bullet you are likely to use. I have Hornady, Speer, Sierra, and Nosler, currently, and will probably buy a couple new ones, namely Berger and Hodgdon, as I use several Hodgdon powders.
I use Quick-Load, too, and compare the data there with the other manuals. I found that Quick-Load seems to be quite conservative in their "Max-Loads," when compared to manufacturer data. I also use powder manufacturer websites to check stuff too.

 

[ED_RN]

Re: Best reloading manual

The answer is pretty simple!
For general handgun reloading your only choice is the Lyman 49th. It has jacketed and hard cast lead data.
You are cover for plated bullets with the hard cast data. Nothing else comes close.

The next answer is just as simple. But the manual for the rifle bullets you are using. Nothing magical about that.

No agonizing over anything! Of course one can never have enough manuals!

 

[bigedp51]

Re: Best reloading manual

One thing when looking at manuals, in the Lyman manual it might use a pressure test barrel and a universal receiver. This test setup will use a copper crusher or trandsducer and take direct readings. In another manual a specific firearm will be used and a strain gauge will be glued to the barrel to get pressure readings.

Bottom line you will see varying data in different manuals and the reasons are different pressure measuring methods,different type firearms and assorted other components used. This is why one manual might be 2 grains different from another manual in loading data.

Pick your components, start low and work up your loads visually reading the cases for pressure signs. Max loads are hard on your brass and your firearm and in most cases the most accurate load will be below the maximum load.

Reloading is like playing Black Jack, stay light and beat the dealer, that extra hit of powder can make you go bust.

 

[EddieNFL]

Re: Best reloading manual

Doesn't exist.

 

[rg1911]

Re: Best reloading manual

My opinion: If you'll reload for only one cartridge with one bullet and one powder, then I suppose one <span style="font-weight: bold">good</span> manual will work. I reload for about 15 different rifle and pistol (and soon shotgun) calibers and find lots of useful information in each of the different manuals. My preference is Lyman (particularly for cast bullets), Speer, Sierra and Hornady, although I also have a number of others.

I find that the cartridges that are covered in a manual can change from edition to edition. Some of my cartridges only appear in an old edition, but I just picked up a new Sierra manual to get .260 Remington data, which wasn't in the previous edition.

Of course, I operate on the rule that there is no such thing as too many references. This explains why I have 4,000 or so books.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Infinity]

Re: Best reloading manual

I picked up the most current Sierra manual earlier this evening. I've read it and see what everyone means about Sierra being conservative on their charges. Using SMKs with Varget and RL15, it doesn't even give an option for 2600 fps, which I've seen a lot on different internet threads.

I guess this is what everyone means about starting a load low and working your way up. Thanks all,
Adam