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Old November 24, 2013, 09:12 AM   #1
hulley
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Recommend me a good loading manual

I currently use Lyman's 49th and Modern Reloading 2nd Edition and need to pick up another manual. Any suggestions?
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Old November 24, 2013, 09:20 AM   #2
MarkCO
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I like this one: http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

And this one: http://www.ramshot.com/wp-content/up...pec_7-2-13.pdf

Once you have one with the cartridge dimensions, the rest are pretty much load data. I have the same two and since everything is online, I use those.
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Old November 24, 2013, 10:26 AM   #3
dewcrew8
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Sierra has two out one for rifleand one for pistol. Then theirs accurate red book.
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Old November 24, 2013, 11:36 AM   #4
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If you are reloading jacketed bullets, go with the bullet manufacturer's manual (Hornady bullets, use Hornady manual. Sierra Bullets, Sierra Manual, etc.). If you want to shoot lead bullets, try Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook...
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Old November 24, 2013, 11:52 AM   #5
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Agree.....you will eventually want all of them!

Right now it may depend on what you can easily stock up on. IOW buy a stash of bullets....then a manual for them.
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Old November 24, 2013, 01:09 PM   #6
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If you shoot a lot of one manufacturers bullets then their manual would be best. I've had the latest versions of Hornady, Sierra, Nosler, Speer, Lyman, Accurate for many years. Recently bought Modern Reloading 2nd Edition by Richard Lee. I was surprised at the amount of data and bullet selections. Seems they compiled data from several sources and put it all in one manual. Very good manual to add to your Lyman 49th and it would be the one I'd pick if I was going to add just one manual to my library.
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Old November 24, 2013, 01:28 PM   #7
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I would think it all depends on what you are reloading. I am only doing 38spl and 9mm. I have the Speers #14 - like all manuals, it is good reading. I cast my own though and there isn't a whole lot in it in regards to that - some CAS loads, etc. I just sent in an order to Titan for some stuff so ordered the latest Lee Manual hoping that there will be more in it on cast bullets.

And of course there is the powder mfgs. sites as well - and some other good ones to get load data from.

I will say that I don't think any reloading manual is bad - I've really enjoyed reading the Speers and have learned a lot on rifle loads, etc. even though I don't reload or shoot them. I'd rather sit down and read a good reloading manual than watch the crap on the boob tube. There is always something new to learn!
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Old November 24, 2013, 01:55 PM   #8
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The more reloading manuals the better - old or new. Multiples are great for cross-checking loads. Personally, I like the one cartridge books. For example:

"Complete Reloading Manual 223 Remington" Paperback by Loadbooks USA

These are typically under $10 & consolidate a lot of loads by different mfgs, by bullet weight.

FWIW...

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Old November 24, 2013, 03:07 PM   #9
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Speer #14 is my favorite. It's always the first one I reach for.

I also have Sierra. It tends to be rather conservative on their powder charges.

And I have Hornady. It tends to lean toward slower powders; where I lean toward faster powders. I find myself not using it much. But it's always good to have lots of data, none the less.
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Old November 24, 2013, 03:22 PM   #10
hulley
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Well bummer, I stopped at a couple of shops and neither had powder or manuals, nor did they want to order powder for me.
Thanks for the suggestions and yes I want to add a few more manuals to cover more options. I'm thinking maybe I can order them online. I'll write down a list of manuals and go shopping from there.

thanks again
Steve
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Old November 24, 2013, 03:50 PM   #11
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+1 On the Hodgdon and Ramshot websites, these 2 seem to cover a lot of territory, Alliant also has good data. Combined with a manual or 2 you should have enough data resources to check against other published loads and all that.
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Old November 24, 2013, 05:06 PM   #12
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The Hodgon manual is for 3 different brands of powder and the Ramshot also covers Alliant, that is why those two free manuals are so nice.
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Old November 25, 2013, 08:44 AM   #13
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Quote:
I would think it all depends on what you are reloading.

x2
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Old November 25, 2013, 09:04 AM   #14
hulley
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Quote:
The Hodgon manual is for 3 different brands of powder and the Ramshot also covers Alliant, that is why those two free manuals are so nice.
Thanks MarkCO, I booked marked those pages and will definitely reference those on my next loads.
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Old November 25, 2013, 09:15 AM   #15
Brian Pfleuger
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With the amount of official data now available online, I wouldn't consider spending money on multiple paper manuals. QuickLoad is money much better spent. The one paper manual I do have is practically reserved for The End of the World when the internet goes away.
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Old November 25, 2013, 01:25 PM   #16
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I'm old school. I like manuals. I refer to them frequently. I tap the internet too; but manuals are my first choice.
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Old November 25, 2013, 02:00 PM   #17
Tony Z
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I have 4 or 5 Lyman manuals, with the 49th the most recent. I also have Lee 2nd edition. I also "accumulate" all of whatever the powder companies put out. However my favorite is Ken Water's "Pet Loads".
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Old November 25, 2013, 07:16 PM   #18
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Speer #14 is good, but the Lyman is better. Rod
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Old November 25, 2013, 08:06 PM   #19
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Yes, me too. Lyman's 49th. Best one ive used thus far.
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Old November 25, 2013, 08:17 PM   #20
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Lyman's 49th plus the manual for whoever's factory bullets you might be using. Either Speer or Hornady is a pretty good read. I prefer to have something "in paper" that I can take with me to the reloading room.

Lyman's cast bullet reloading handbook is the go-to if you do cast your own. I have it, plan to use it - still just a long-term goal yet, but am doing my research.
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