OP
Another one added to my library:
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Reloading Manuals - whose and how many?
- Thread starter TheTexasRAT
- Start date
Cal30 1906
Single-Sixer
I have @ 25 , some old stuff including books that list discontinued powder and bullets that come in extremely helpful when using some of the older components.
Cal30 1906
Single-Sixer
That looks like my collectionGotta look close. 8th book from the left on the lower shelf. But this is just the reloading manual portion of my library. Probably only about 20% of my total gun library. And many of the other references contain loading info I pull from occasionally as well.
A good library is worth it's weight in gold.
LDB
Blackhawk
I am a future reloader. I hope to learn enough and be confidant enough to start in 2026. My growing manuals/books collection is Lyman 51st, Lyman cast bullets, which I will never do but have bought from Missouri Bullet Co. who does an excellent job, Sierra VI, Speer, Hodgdon, Hornady 11th, Lee 2nd ed, Pet Loads, The ABC's of Reloading, The Beginner's Guide to Reloading Ammunition and Handloaders Manual. I also have a couple of others in ebook I don't recall titles on right now.
I like the fronts of the manuals more than the recipes although those are required and their main reason for existing. I will be adding more as I find those that interest me. I will be getting newer versions of some of the ones I have although probably not every year as that would get expensive in both monetary and space required costs. And for my choices, .22 Hornet and the .32 revolver family I don't see major changes year to year.
I happen to like the Lee company and except for a few things all my equipment is Lee. My current favorite "manual" is Hodgdon due to the convenient size and ease of use. I find Sierra VI tolerably usable now that I have a second binder and it is divided into handgun and long gun volumes but rarely use it as it is still humongous, just with enough room and free space to turn pages without tearing them. Lyman is equal to Hodgdon as best but is much more unwieldy and less usage friendly. Speer I rarely touch but it was on major sale. Hornady is Kindle for iPad making it user friendly but I am not a big Hornady fan. Oh, I also have a couple of the small comb bound manuals that are caliber specific for my .22 Hornet and .32 H&R Magnum. I like them as they include everyone, not just there own "brand". I also use Alliant and Vihtavouri (sp?) websites and load data online.
I'm a first year first semester in the pursuit of reloading knowledge and education. If/when I make it to second year I'll start applying it. Until then building kit and kaboodle is a lot of fun even if I never throw a single charge of powder. And there's no such thing as too many books.
I like the fronts of the manuals more than the recipes although those are required and their main reason for existing. I will be adding more as I find those that interest me. I will be getting newer versions of some of the ones I have although probably not every year as that would get expensive in both monetary and space required costs. And for my choices, .22 Hornet and the .32 revolver family I don't see major changes year to year.
I happen to like the Lee company and except for a few things all my equipment is Lee. My current favorite "manual" is Hodgdon due to the convenient size and ease of use. I find Sierra VI tolerably usable now that I have a second binder and it is divided into handgun and long gun volumes but rarely use it as it is still humongous, just with enough room and free space to turn pages without tearing them. Lyman is equal to Hodgdon as best but is much more unwieldy and less usage friendly. Speer I rarely touch but it was on major sale. Hornady is Kindle for iPad making it user friendly but I am not a big Hornady fan. Oh, I also have a couple of the small comb bound manuals that are caliber specific for my .22 Hornet and .32 H&R Magnum. I like them as they include everyone, not just there own "brand". I also use Alliant and Vihtavouri (sp?) websites and load data online.
I'm a first year first semester in the pursuit of reloading knowledge and education. If/when I make it to second year I'll start applying it. Until then building kit and kaboodle is a lot of fun even if I never throw a single charge of powder. And there's no such thing as too many books.
OP
Cool to hear you are studying up on the art as opposed to just throwing stuff together. As those that study before jumping in have a much better idea of what they are wading in and can navigate more appropriately.
Good to see another Texan getting into the art of Handloading!
A picture of your reloading library would be nice too.
LDB
Blackhawk
Many of my books are laying flat but not with the spine facing out so not identifiable. Others are scattered in various places but I know where to grab whichever I want. Best I can do at the moment is this photo of my side table with my two Lymans and Hodgdon I keep at hand.
protoolman
Service-Sixer
Crockett12
Blackhawk lover
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2017
- Messages
- 206
I once counted I had something over 20 reloading manuals! Still buying them as I see new powders and cartridges!
OP
Can you upload a picture of them?
woodperson
Blackhawk
Hodgdon online for me.
volshooter
Buckeye
Wow. ya'll own a lot of books! I have 3 but only use the one I started with. A Speer number 9. Dated 1976. The hard back cover and spine cover are missing. All my notes on results are scribbled in the margins including the most accurate loads. When the occasion arrives for a new caliber/powder or bullet weight I use internet to research. I only load calibers that I've used for a long time. Only new rifle cartridge I've bought is a 450BM. I bought enough of that ammo to last me for 10 years.
I realize there are so many new powders but mine ain't broke so I ain't gonna fix it.
There is no way telling how many pounds of ww296, Bullseye, Unique, H380, 3031 I've used. First three being my go to for pistol.
My old reloading manual has more wear on it than my Bible, that's sad.
I realize there are so many new powders but mine ain't broke so I ain't gonna fix it.
There is no way telling how many pounds of ww296, Bullseye, Unique, H380, 3031 I've used. First three being my go to for pistol.
My old reloading manual has more wear on it than my Bible, that's sad.
I keep the old ones even when buying new. For some corporate reason, they drop rounds that fall out of favor in the revisions even though the research was already done. Sometimes it is nice to have that old data. Some examples that used to be around but now is more difficult to locate: 225 Win, 32-40, 32-20, 30-338 Win mag, 375 SM, 218 Bee, 7 mm WSM, 38-40, 7mm IHMSA Int, etc. Now I have data on all of these and books like PO Ackley's 2 volume set has a multitude of wildcats in them covering most of the stuff you may find in old cartridges. Besides it is amusing to see what was old being closely reinvented as something new.
Durango Dave
Single-Sixer
Most reloading books are not kept up to date. Everyone is now using the internet to find the latest load data.
Here's the latest handloading books from some sources:
Swift Reloading Manual #2 - 2015
Berger Bullets Reloading - 2015
Speer Handloading 15th edition - 2018
Nosler 9th edition - Jan 2020
Lyman 51st edition - Jan 2022
Sierra 6th edition - 2019
There are few handloading manuals that are being republished in a timely manner. Hornady did come out with their 12th edition this year but beyond that almost all handloading manuals are years old.
Here's the latest handloading books from some sources:
Swift Reloading Manual #2 - 2015
Berger Bullets Reloading - 2015
Speer Handloading 15th edition - 2018
Nosler 9th edition - Jan 2020
Lyman 51st edition - Jan 2022
Sierra 6th edition - 2019
There are few handloading manuals that are being republished in a timely manner. Hornady did come out with their 12th edition this year but beyond that almost all handloading manuals are years old.
contender
Ruger Guru
I have an extensive collection of reloading manuals. Hornady #12 was just gifted to me at Christmas.
I had a guy at a USPSA match a few months ago say he reloads,, but doesn't own any manuals. He said he gets all his data off the internet.
I politely asked him; "What will you do if the power is out or the internet is down & you need ammo? Such as what happened when Helene destroyed things around here!"
He had no response.
I had a guy at a USPSA match a few months ago say he reloads,, but doesn't own any manuals. He said he gets all his data off the internet.
I politely asked him; "What will you do if the power is out or the internet is down & you need ammo? Such as what happened when Helene destroyed things around here!"
He had no response.
LDB
Blackhawk
The internet is a toy and a luxury. A book is an actual asset capable of being touched and used. And appreciated.
I use a lot of sources but the books I use mostly are Lyman and the Hodgdon yearly mags. When I use Nosler bullets I go to their site...I check a lot of sources if I am starting a new project. These days not into new calibers....I do have a library of reloading manuals some dating way back....
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I use books for my primary reference. Note that just because a book is a few years old or older than dirt, it doesn't suddenly go bad... That said, I haven't had to crack one of them in years now since I have my primary loads for all my handgun cartridges with a raft of backup loads if I ever run out of favorite powder. Internet btw, is just another source. Always have at least two references when working a load. The world is going to be a sad place when the Internet is 'the' source for everything....
Load on a different day? Not sure what the odds are of a blackout happening on the very day one is planning load development, but I expect fairly rare. I have enough ammo loaded up to get past a delay of several months, perhaps years.
Nothing wrong with using the internet for load research......they sell printers, paper and binders. Make your own book with your favorite recipes.
Crockett12
Blackhawk lover
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2017
- Messages
- 206
Our youth tends to rely on electronics far more that us older folks! I lost custody of my son years ago when fathers never got custody and when I reconnected with him after he got older, I took him hunting for his first time! That was about 15 years ago, and when I asked him if he had a compass, he said he had a Garmin GPS and that would be enough! First lesson even before we got in the field -- I bought him an actual compass for his backup in case his Garmin batteries failed! He said he'd never thought about that!
Case in point! When we experienced the Clinton primer shortage, I knew that was a sign we'd have other shortages in future years and I spent a lot on money on 8 pound kegs of powder when a keg only cost $100.00. One of the kegs I bought way back then was a keg of H450! I also bought primers, brass and a Corbin press along with bullet dies and jackets and lead wire for the Corbin press!
I've downloaded a lot of load data from the internet and used that data-- but I also have over 20 handloading manuals that I've bought over the years and still rely on some of them for old powders that are out of production -- namely my keg of H450 that we can no longer find data for in the newer handloading manuals!
When the net goes down and electricity goes out -- we'll need those old manuals!
Case in point! When we experienced the Clinton primer shortage, I knew that was a sign we'd have other shortages in future years and I spent a lot on money on 8 pound kegs of powder when a keg only cost $100.00. One of the kegs I bought way back then was a keg of H450! I also bought primers, brass and a Corbin press along with bullet dies and jackets and lead wire for the Corbin press!
I've downloaded a lot of load data from the internet and used that data-- but I also have over 20 handloading manuals that I've bought over the years and still rely on some of them for old powders that are out of production -- namely my keg of H450 that we can no longer find data for in the newer handloading manuals!
When the net goes down and electricity goes out -- we'll need those old manuals!
contender
Ruger Guru
"Not sure what the odds are of a blackout happening on the very day one is planning load development, but I expect fairly rare."
Well, when we lost power, internet & phone during the Helene disaster,, we were limited to things we could do manually.
Reloading is manual.
I never try & remember load data,, but instead, always use the books to make sure I'm loading the correct charges. Yes,, I have a reloading logbook, but to deviate from anything,, required the printed books.
And yes,, I have a fair amount of ammo already loaded,, but it was a good quiet time to try & work up new stuff.
In some peoples cases,, they may NOT have ammo already loaded & need to load stuff. If the electronic stuff is down, especially for days & weeks, (our internet was down for a month during Helene,) could prove to be a problem.
I enjoy electronic stuff myself. But I do not rely upon it as the only source for information. Kinda like I use my GPS all the time,, but I have several compasses that are always close by.
Well, when we lost power, internet & phone during the Helene disaster,, we were limited to things we could do manually.
Reloading is manual.
I never try & remember load data,, but instead, always use the books to make sure I'm loading the correct charges. Yes,, I have a reloading logbook, but to deviate from anything,, required the printed books.
And yes,, I have a fair amount of ammo already loaded,, but it was a good quiet time to try & work up new stuff.
In some peoples cases,, they may NOT have ammo already loaded & need to load stuff. If the electronic stuff is down, especially for days & weeks, (our internet was down for a month during Helene,) could prove to be a problem.
I enjoy electronic stuff myself. But I do not rely upon it as the only source for information. Kinda like I use my GPS all the time,, but I have several compasses that are always close by.
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