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Posted: 6/1/2013 7:36:58 PM EDT
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So I have a 7th edition Hornady, and that book taught me how to reload, and it has a decent selection of powders and bullet weights for every caliber I could ever wish for. Now since I'm spreading to 300 AAC I decided I wanted a published book to check online data against, so I knew the Hornady and Nosler books had 300 AAC data. So I opted for something new and went with the Nosler book.
I'm a bit underwhelmed with what I got. It seems to lack powder and bullet weight choices. Such as the 9mm data only has info for 115 and 124gr projectiles, they don't mention 147gr anywhere? I also expected them to include newer powders such as XBR 8208 with the .223/5.56 data, which they didnt! Not sure if I made the right choice with the Nosler book, but the book overall is put together well and has a nice layout. It is annoying though that the Table of contents doesn't put the data as a priority as it tells you to go to another page to get a listing of data. So I guess the point of this thread is, in your opinion which reloading book has the best spread of powders and bullet weights, and also has the most consistent powder choices (ie. the nosler book lists powder charges for blue dot for 115gr, but not 124gr!) |
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I generally just look on the powder manufacturers websites. I've got a few load manuals but rarely use them. I also use a lot of loads I find in the forums. Cross rederencing, common sense, and modest load work up will keep you out of trouble. Millions of 300/221 300 whisper etc were loaded before it was ever in a book.
The lee book is one of the best primers for someone getting started, has good data, and isn't a coffee table sized book. |
| The Lee and Lyman manuals have a pretty large bullet variety. The Speer, Hornady and Sierra manuals are excellent, but as bullet manufacturers, they only list their own products. For instance, the Sierra listings for .357 Sig are piss-poor, because they admit that their .355 bullets arent ideal for that cartridge, and therefore they didnt spend much time working up loads. |
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I keep going back to the Lyman 49 for most stuff, but it does not cover newer loads like the 300 blackout...I use powder manufacturer sites for the "newer" calibers.
I keep hearing the Hornady 9th edition has a wide variety of stuff, its been sold out most places so far. |
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No such " One Book " exists IG. I realize budget may be tight, struggling student or whatever and every dime spent is valuable. The best compilation of data is free, found online. Two basic books are Lee and Lyman, Lyman I could live without, Lee is my go to manual.
Above said, any one manual is useless to me. When I go ballistic shopping a new cartridge load, all of my manuals are used along with online resources and Google shopping through pages of internet posts in forums I've never heard of. I can spend a few hours to a few days researching a ballistic model. Nosler is a good book, IF you're loading Nosler bullets. Nosler book is useless to me if loading Sierra or any other brand. Ken Waters books on pet loads are really good for old calibers. These newerish .300 subsonic calibers are best researched on line and with the help of ballisticians over the phone. I realize this is the digital age and no one uses actual dialogue for load work anymore, if ever. I wouldn't trade my industry phone list for all the manuals ever made. I'm amazed by the contacts I've developed first name basis dialogue with over the last five years. You don't have to be an extrovert to pick up a phone and ask for help working up new loads. dc. |
But GD is everyone! 
Honestly it didn't even cross my mind as reloading related. I figure most people browse by clicking active topics and would have seen it, there was only 60 in stock and they sold out within a few minutes. Go to uncle sam's retail outlet and sign up for their emails. I got the email 12 hours before I posted the thread, I just didn't check my email until 12 hours later. But they usually have the cans for $8 a piece. The 20% sale only saved you $1.60 a can. You just have to wait a few weeks for them to come in stock. They will show up HERE when they are back in stock. ETA: Unless its a forum specific item, I always throw my "deals" threads up in GD for everyone to see. |
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Quoted: But GD is everyone! Honestly it didn't even cross my mind as reloading related. I figure most people browse by clicking active topics and would have seen it, there was only 60 in stock and they sold out within a few minutes. Go to uncle sam's retail outlet and sign up for their emails. I got the email 12 hours before I posted the thread, I just didn't check my email until 12 hours later. But they usually have the cans for $8 a piece. The 20% sale only saved you $1.60 a can. You just have to wait a few weeks for them to come in stock. They will show up HERE when they are back in stock. ETA: Unless its a forum specific item, I always throw my "deals" threads up in GD for everyone to see. Ok, you are forgiven.  I never look at active topics, I use My Board to hop on the forums I visit.
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Ill be honest my go to plan is as many books as possible from all the different manufacturers of bullets and powders.
here is a fantastic place for all kinds of data as always work up and cross check the info load data |
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I have a very recent Hornady manual, Lyman #49, an old RCBS manual, an old Sierra manual, and a really old Speer manual. I double check load data with the maker of bullets I use when they are available, and/or with the maker of the powder I'm using. Then I do a lot of critical thinking, because you'll find conflicting information when you go to that many different sources. Is this exactly the bullet I'm using? What gun did they use for testing the loads, and particularly what barrel length? Are there any "notes" or asterisked items in any of the load data?
Loading manuals are a good starting point for safe, fairly easy to build ammunition. After you learn the process and find some loads that work in your guns, you can start experimenting with minor changes like CCI instead of Winchester primers, or locally bought lead bullets instead of Lyman mold #XXX bullets, etc. Unlike shotshell loading, where the manual gives you a very precise "recipe" that you have to follow very closely, metallic cartridge loading is a much more open field, since there are actually fewer variables, but more choice in those variables. Start low, work higher in small steps, watching your cases for signs of high pressure at every step. Remember that it doesn't take "hot" loads to make high pressure, just the wrong combination of variables. Remember that you're loading for your gun, not "every gun," and that your handloads can be customized for a specific rifle or pistol very easily - but they need to go with just that gun. If you have more than one gun in a particular caliber and want to load for all of them, you have to test your loads in each gun before you can determine that they are safe in all of those guns. |
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When I start any new to me combination, I will consult at least three hard copy loading manuals. Then I will check the powder manufatures web data. This process has been very sound and proven with chrono results that have never been unexpected.
I do not believe in single resource reloading. |
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