Reloading Manuals

I have a collection of Reloading manuals and they are great for reference and general knowledge of case length, over all length, etc.

As far as recommended loads from such manuals there is no one manual that does it all and is basically obsolete as soon as it is printed.

Looking at .44 Magnum pistol loads for 429421 bullet and 2400 powder you would think that since this is the bullet that was specifically designed by Elmer Keith for the .44 Magnum that all the reloading manuals would be in agreement with the correct starting and maximum loads. I just checked 8 manuals and 3 were the same and the other 5 were not with none of the 5 agreeing.

Well 2400 powder has changed and some of the reloading manuals/manufactures use different test setups to pressure test there ammo.

So my bottom line is, I look up a specific load in a manual and double check with another manual and then go on to the website of the powder manufacturer to confirm the loading.

The websites are the most up to date and accurate.
 
Recce21 said:
I use Hornady bullets almost exclusivly. Does this mean that the Hornady reloading guide should be my best bet?
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Not necessarily; it's definitely good to have (mainly because their info regarding COL might be more accurate and useful to you), but like Silverado said, you can't go wrong cross-checking Hornady's data with that of other manuals.

Recce21 said:
Should I buy something other than the Hornady manual?
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Funds permitting, I would recommend getting as many others as possible. Like sbtennex said earlier in the thread, they all have an interesting and unique take on the reloading process. If you're more of a strictly practical reloader and only see it as a means to an end, then you definitely have enough with the Hornady manual and on-line resources.
 
Which (if any) manuals will list more "oddball" loads?

For example: I've read, in more than a few places, about using Blue Dot in .223 loads. Will any manuals out there list this type of thing?

I've got Speer and Sierra and they are pretty "normal", very little on even reduced loads. I think Lyman is my next one, I hear all good things
 
Sapper33 said:
Which (if any) manuals will list more "oddball" loads?

For example: I've read, in more than a few places, about using Blue Dot in .223 loads. Will any manuals out there list this type of thing?

I've got Speer and Sierra and they are pretty "normal", very little on even reduced loads. I think Lyman is my next one, I hear all good things
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No manual will confirm that it is OK to use Bluedot in rifle cases, the powder manufacturer won't either but many thousands of us use it. Only internet folks can give you good data for reduced loads. Accurate reloading .com, look for a guy named Seafire, he is the reduced load guru for the whole world. FS
 
I have found that there is no real 'winner' for bullets.

I have used Nosler, Hornady, Speer, Berger & a few others. I usually just go with the one that is the most accurate in my hunting rifles. They all seem to perform in the 'acceptable' range.

Pick one and go with it, as long as you are using a 'brand name' bullet you should see good results. Once you have one powder & bullet combo worked out.... try another, and another, and another.......

Its a never ending R'n'D battle that is reloading..... That is what makes it fun :D (and it's own hobby)

I usually start with Nosler bullets for my first load in a new rifle, but in the cases when I didn't, the experiance was not a bunch differant.

Cheers!
 
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