Danjet500":36dtbqpi said:
First and foremost, you need to pick up a good reloading manual.
Hi,
Yes, and this is one case where "If one is good, more are better!" It's hard to have "too much" information in this hobby.
You can get lots of "recipes" to let you see many powder/bullet combos you might be interested in for free, too. Look at the powder mfrs' pamphlets, most of which are available online. Alliant is at
www.alliantpowder.com, and Hodgdon's, IMR and Winchester data is all available starting at
www.hodgdon.com for starters. Remember, these are "recipe" booklets meaning it's assumed you already "know how to cook" so they don't substitute for the "big" books.
One reason to keep these in mind is that a lot of reloading components have run from "difficult" to "impossible" to find in the last year. So I doubt I'm out of line in suggesting you may want to have a couple of "contingency" loads in mind for times when you just can't find exactly what you want.
Some of the standard books you'll see suggested include the Lyman series, "The ABCs of Reloadaing," the Hornady, Sierra and Speer books, and Lee's "Modern Reloading." Most of them are revised on a somewhat regular schedule, so you want the latest editions you can find. All are good, none perfect. The more reading you do, the more you'll see what is good info in each, what's opinion or subliminal advertising.
Any chance you know someone who's already a reloader who could "mentor" you a bit as you get started? Not everybody does, but if you do, he/she will be an invaluable resource. Sometimes asking around a range will lead you to someone willing to take you under their wing for a bit if you're short of folks to talk to...
Rick C