I have the Nosler guide #8 and hornady 9th edition. Is there a better current guide?
- Thread starter stradibarrius
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For what loads or information? There are usually a few calibers unique to each. Basic reloading info is close to same, though I like the Berger and Sierra best. I have the 9th HDY need to get 10th due to updated cartridges. Depending on bullets of choice, I'd stick to the relative bullet mfg book. Having the others allows you to interpolate powders sometimes if not listed in your manual.
In general not bad to build a library with Speer, Nosler, HDY, Berger, Lyman and Sierra. Little left to be desired on the Norma from a caliber perspective. Sierra three ring binder format I don't like but wanted a hard copy vs. the digital. Just realized though they have android and IOS digital formats.
If you want some other good reading find a copy of Ken Howell's Pet loads, the 2 PO Ackley volumes along with Zedikers Top Grade Ammo.
In general not bad to build a library with Speer, Nosler, HDY, Berger, Lyman and Sierra. Little left to be desired on the Norma from a caliber perspective. Sierra three ring binder format I don't like but wanted a hard copy vs. the digital. Just realized though they have android and IOS digital formats.
If you want some other good reading find a copy of Ken Howell's Pet loads, the 2 PO Ackley volumes along with Zedikers Top Grade Ammo.
I typically research the powders of choice among the top shooters by finding competition results then go to the website for my powder selection and download data for the appropriate bullet weight and profile. My latest adventure in reloading drove me to pick on Vitiv... powder since it seemed to be available. Their load data showed N133 as a good choice for .223 Rem for a wide variety of bullet weights. It's listed as an extruded single base powder popular among some of the bench-rest groups. Since I want to shoot 55 grain bullets I chose N133 because of the faster burn rate. The N135 would be the better choice for heavier bullets and longer unsupressed barrels. I own most of the reloading books and volumes listed above. I'm a reloading information junkie and can't get enough reading material. I snagged two 8# canisters of N133 and 5000 WIn match grade SR primers through Midsouth Shooter's Supply this morning.
Sierra came out with their VI edition recently. It's a big manual, lots of information. I'm a fan of it.
I'm a geek so I have books from several different mfgs. Some of these books belonged to my dad and date from as far back as the early 80s up to the present. My reason for this is because of the ability to get data for different powders that may not be listed in one particular book. I can say that the Lyman book is a mixture of data from several different mfgs, so this could save you some money if you are not interested in purchasing several different books.
99106 has it pretty well pegged. Every manual I have or have looked at is a wealth of information. The reloading information on technique and equipment varies and some manuals cover things others don’t. The load data is not consistent between some manuals and sometimes, like the Hornady 8th doesn’t seem to make sense.
Currently with all the new powders on the market, the internet is becoming the go to source for data as the powder manufacturers run the data prior to releasing the powders.
Currently with all the new powders on the market, the internet is becoming the go to source for data as the powder manufacturers run the data prior to releasing the powders.
I keep Lyman, Hornady, Speer and Hodgdon on hand at all times.
Another vote for P.O. Ackley's 2 volume "Handbook for Shooter's and Reloaders."
Another vote for P.O. Ackley's 2 volume "Handbook for Shooter's and Reloaders."
I'm just re-entering rifle work after an extended hiatus and have found most of my older manuals to be fine for some of the older, more traditional powders, but there's been a hell of a lot new powders introduced in the last few years, and I have no information on them. So it's time for a manual buying spree for me as well I suppose. The internet is an okay source for data, but I have experienced enough service outages for me to concede that the printed manuals are king. My plan is to buy a couple each month for the next 2-3 months, and the first one I'll order will be Sierras, most likely followed by Hornady. There are some important differences between the bullet profiles for the two companies, and since they are the most commonly available bullet brands in my area, these will be first.
Wow, I see some old friends there!
I have several but the ones that I go to the most often and the Lyman and the Sierra.
I have many of the same manuals. Speer 9, oh the memories...
Yup, call me Ye Olde Fashioned type, but I have many reloading manuals... like every darned one I found out about. Then add in some I have several editions of... and you get the picture... The wife and kids can stoke a bonfire when I am gone...
