Reloading Literature

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Badbuzz

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Good day to all the reloading Gurus out there,

I am interested in getting into reloading, and was wondering if there is a "reloading bible" (sorry if that offends anyone) that generally is a "must have" for literature/data.

Are there different "must have books" for different types of guns?

Any advice would be appreciated :)

Thank you,

W.
 
Depends on what you are shooting. Some are much better for rifle versus pistol, or bought bullets versus home cast. In general, the Lyman books are pretty good, but so is MidwayUSA's LoadMap stuff. Each bullet and powder manufacturer also has reloading data that you should also consult and cross reference for good measure.
 
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Badbuzz said:
Good day to all the reloading Gurus out there,

I am interested in getting into reloading, and was wondering if there is a "reloading bible" (sorry if that offends anyone) that generally is a "must have" for literature/data.

Are there different "must have books" for different types of guns?

Any advice would be appreciated :)

Thank you,

W.
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Get the Hornady and Nosler reloading books.
 
Badbuzz said:
I would not be home casting, however, I would not rule out any literature if it were in there and it was seen as common staple for reloading
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Well I would forget about the "Bible" idea. There just isn't any single source that's comprehensive about bullet weights, OAL, calibers, bullet shapes, bullet types, and powders. Such a book would likely weigh more than you'd ever be able to lift if such a thing existed! Sadly for reloaders into rare stuff, calibers and bullet types are often left out of newer editions when they just aren't popular enough to justify a page in the manual.
 
The Lyman 49th Edition Reloading Handbook and Lee Modern Reloading 2nd Ed. are pretty good ones to start with for a wide variety of data. I find the Bullet Maker Brand books useful, but not as much as these two books if you are loading various types/brands of books. That said, I still own the Nosler, Hornady and Speer manuals but usually refer to them when loading their products.

The Lyman Shotgun, Cast and, Black Powder handbooks go more in depth on those specific topics. And I'm sure there are some other good ones I've left out.
 
Gun digest ABC's of Reloading. Has been considered the bilbe for decades, is frequently updated, and answers almost all of the questions I have ever seen posted on this forum. And, answers them with the collective expertise of experienced ballisticians.
 
I second getting either Lyman or Lee books, as they both contain general information. Buying all the major manufacturer's books is a good idea if you have the space and money for them.

On the net, reloader's nest is the best source to me.
 
I have several of the books mentioned in above posts, and they all contain good info. Having that said, Read the books, and try to buddy up for an hour or two with someone who already reloads and is in the process of. Seeing and doing, fills in so many of the blanks and missing puzzle pieces left from just reading alone, and saves on expensive mistakes for your equipment and brass cases.
 
I am a big fan of the mentor/apprentice approach. Obviously one would still have to use all the written data, but there is something to be said for the hands on approach.

I appreciate all the feedback on what literature people use and their "go to" books of choice. Keep em coming :)

I am the type of person when getting into something, i take the "go hard or go home" approach, so I will most likely pick up most if not all of the above.
 
Definitely start with the ABCs of reloading, it's a great intro into a most rewarding hobby. I've also picked up, through the years, reloading manuals from toolmakers Lee and Lyman, bullet-makers Speer, Hornady and Nosler, and powder manufacturers Norma and VihtaVuori. All seven of these reloading manuals contain valuable reloading data that I can easily cross-reference.

But the best part about owning a variety of manuals is the very different stories each one tells. Every one of them starts by recounting the history of their business and their impact on the shooting sports with their own brand of wit, humour and, of course, passion. Some also describe the loading and shooting process in varying levels of detail, Norma's manual in particular reads like a chemistry and physics textbook when explaining powder consumption and pressure.

All that to say that, if you're enthusiastic about reloading, which you seem to be, you'll want to get as many as possible, as they all have something to offer the others don't.
 
I would add that the MidwayUSA loadmaps are kinda cool. They apparently do all their own testing to come up with those numbers, so it isn't interpolation done by software.
 
Just 1, not a chance. A lee modern reloading came with my first press. Then came the Hornady 2 volume set. Then came a Nosler 6 reloading guide. Then came a Hornady seventh edition. Then came a Lyman cast bullet handbook. Plus I have all the powder company's small guides as well. There are 39 reloading sites in my favorites as well.
You can never have "too" many.
 
ykkid said:
Gun digest ABC's of Reloading. Has been considered the bilbe for decades, is frequently updated, and answers almost all of the questions I have ever seen posted on this forum. And, answers them with the collective expertise of experienced ballisticians.
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+1. Every reloader should have a copy of this book. The Lyman books are a good next choice, and the Paul Matthews (sp?) books next for casting info. - dan
 
This represents the majority of books I have and I still add to htem, esp when I find an older copy just for historic value, if nothing else.

You can't have enough or too many. Each one has its own brand of info to offer.

I, myself, like the older versions of the ABC's of Reloading, but the new one, I have #9 by Rodney James, just seems to be missing that "something" that Dean Grennell had. Or maybe that's just me because I have had Dean's 2nd,3rd, and 4th editions in the past. Seems like I loan them out and they never come back. Could be because I moved a lot with the CF, but I no longer loan out my books unless I have duplicates.
http://s697.photobucket.com/albums/...dcat/?action=view&current=Firstpicsted028.jpg

ETA: dammit, where's the pic?
 
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