Which manual(s) to start?

IMO when loading lead bullets I like the Lyman 4th Edition Cast Bullet Handbook best.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/867465/lyman-cast-bullet-handbook-4th-edition-book

If you are going to load mostly Hornady bullets get their manual.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/57...tridge-reloading-9th-edition-reloading-manual

The new Lyman 50th Edition Manual is also a very good choice, it's brand new...
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1064661989/lyman-reloading-handbook-50th-edition-reloading-manual

Midway is offering free shipping on them right now. That is a very big savings.

You won't go wrong with the Lyman manuals. They have a lot of information besides loading data, which is especially helpful for someone just starting out in reloading.

Hope this helps.

Fred

ReloaderFred said:

You won't go wrong with the Lyman manuals. They have a lot of information besides loading data, which is especially helpful for someone just starting out in reloading.

Hope this helps.

Fred

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Yes for sure. Don't forget to read the front of the load manual. Many reloaders go right to the data and bypass all the information in the front of the book. That is very good advice from Fred.

The full Lyman load manual is not mostly lead bullet load data but it does have more that any other manual which is a plus, not a minus.

Unless you buy every manual forever bullet manufacturer, every companies primers and a lot if different brass you will never match the load data exactly, and you don't need to. Use data from a bullet of the same weight, profile and composition and you will be fine. That is the reason there us a load range given instead of one charge.

Welcome to your new and seductive hobby.

The powder manufacturers publish load data for the use of their products in various calibers. This data is generally available for free on the internet.

The bullet manufacturers publish load data for their use of their bullets. This data is generally available in published volumes and must be purchased.

The reloading equipment manufacturers also publish load data to facilitate the use of their equipment, such as the Lyman manual that ArchAngelCD recommends.

I concur with ArchAngelCD that if you are going to use bullets from one of the branded manufacturers, you should probably use their manual. Whatever manual(s) you use, please read it(them) thoroughly. I recommend formulating written reloading procedures based on what you read and updating them as you gain experience.

Please start out with powder weights well below maximum, closely inspect your brass after you shoot for signs of excessive pressure and work your way up.

Lyman.
No other manual gives such a wide aray of jacketed and cast bullet data.

Lyman #49 for instance.
30-06
17 bullets, ranging from Sierra 110 to 220 grain Hornady jacketed.
And 115 through 200 grain cast.

.40
10 bullets, ranging from 135 Nosler to 190 Sierra jacketed.
150 to 175 cast lead.

.45
8 bullets, ranging from 185 Remington to 230 Speer jacketed.
200 to 225 cast lead.

No other manual offers such a wide spread of bullets brands, types, and construction.

rc

You need a manual to learn how and why to do the loading.
Powder charge data is all over the place. The Hodgdon online or magazine will have a lot of info on HP 38. And with commercial cast bullets, too.

If you want Hornady "recipes", Hodgdon and Lyman have some, Hornady has a lot.

Lyman has alot of good info in the front of the book, by far the best on powders, bullets, seating etc. Lee has a lot of data. Hornady has a lot of data, however found them "conservative" compared to the other manuals when loading 9, 40 and 45.
Every manual has different things. When working up a new load, I look through all three and then go to the manufacturers site also for data.

Hornady manual will serve you well for their Jacketed bullets ,
I'm kinda partial to cast use , so I go with any of these,,
Click pic,,,

Have you Actually READ any Reloading Manuals??

Maybe I'm wrong, but reading between the lines of your first post, it seems to me that you are starting blind (and very dangerously). Your main issue is NOT needing specific load data, but rather that is seems that you do not have a clue about where to start and what you do not know that you do not know!

Before you do anything else, buy either the Lyman reloading manual or Richard Lee's Modern reloading and READ ALL OF THE TEXT in the first half of the book. Besides actually learning something to keep you safe, either of those manuals also have a huge amount of excellent specific load data. And every question that you have so far asked will be answered.

And as a new reloader, do NOT extrapolate ANYTHING trying to get good data to start with - if you cannot find the exact data in a PUBLISHED MANUAL or MANUFACTURER'S WEB SITE, DO NOT try and make up a load. And I put those things in caps for a reason - DO NOT believe any load data you read in any user forum - if you cannot verify it by finding it in a published source, it is pretty much BS.

At the risk of beating the dead horse, I will try to repeat - the DATA is NOT what you need to be safe (or at least it is only a small part of it).

The issue is that you DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW; therefore, you have absolutely no clue where you might be heading for danger. I am glad you have at least read something on Lyman's web site. However, that might be giving you a false sense of knowing something. Although I have not personally looked at the introduction you reference, I am quite certain it cannot be comprehensive - after all, the full text in Lyman's 48th is over 120 pages, and Lee's information (I actually think is it is the better source) is 150 pages. In all that text, you will not only learn much, but you will begin to see just what it is you still do not know and how to tell when you are treading on dangerous ground.

What you do not know can hurt you and any others around you. If you actually understand that you do not know something (just one example: although pistols are usually no where near as strong as rifles, why is it that pistol powders quickly blow up a rifle?), then it only takes a small bit of intelligence to STOP and do some research before moving forward. On the other hand, if you have no clue at all that there is something about fast powders that causes them to react that way, then you could quite possibly plow forward to a disastrous conclusion.

Those are all reasons why I implore you to not be so concerned about just finding the data to start playing with explosives until you actually learn so much more about WHY the right data is so important.

OP-

As stated above, there are two parts to a manual.

Load date and How To.

On load data Lyman is more all encompassing for various bullets and loads than the others. NO manual that I have seen gives you a magic recipe for your caliber. It will be trial and error no matter which manual you get. Nosler and Alliant do give recommended loads but for only the gun tested.

Lyman's manual is by far the most comprehensive in explaining to the beginner what to do, in what order to do it, has illustrations and also what not to do. I urge you to read the front "how to" part thoroughly and repeatedly until you fully understand what to do and to remain alive and unmaimed before, during and after doing all the steps in the reloading process. Ignore self imposed speed minimums in making a round. Haste will make waste and is dangerous. This is not a race but a process to make safe and accurate rounds for your firearm. Your first attempt at making a round, including reading, digesting and practice may actually take a week to produce depending on your leisure time.

If you are confused AFTER reading and trying, do not hesitate to post here with your problem.

I was wanting to know which books will give me the data I need to be safe, WITHOUT extrapolating. I wasn't sure if manuals give exact data for specific setups, since I have seen references to using "cast data for bullets that look like yours" and "matching jacketed load data for similar profiles".

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In answer to your question, there is a lot of exact component matched data for the more popular name brand bullets, and those bullet makers publish load data manuals that mostly focus on their bullets.

General reloading data sources, such as power mfgs will require more extrapolation, but usually list more popular bullets.

When you get into cast bullets, it will all be extrapolation, because each bullet maker can vary greatly even with the same bullet, and most offer little or no load data. Box lead bullets like Speer and Hornady offer are soft cold swaged lead, much softer than what most people cast with. Lyman sells reload equipment, and sell far more casting equipment than anybody else. This is why the Lyman manual is praised for it's cast data. Their data is based on bullets from their molds, cast with materials they offer. They also offer data for a large selection of popular manufactured jacket bullets, and that's what I'd recommend, and before buying powders and 30-06 bullets, so you can choose bullets and powder listed as opposed to choosing a manual that has your bullets and powder.

The how to section of Lyman's manual is great. I used the Speer #9 data manual way back when to get stared, and its how to section was far more helpful to me than the entire ABCs of reloading book that didn't have load data.

I also recommend sticking with one DATA manual to get started, or you'll be totally confused, since none of them agree on much of anything. you can buy the 2nd manual when you run across something not in your first manual.

Probably the best advice is to get several manuals. If you check out Amazon sometimes there are used manuals cheap. Your gonna need several so why wait?

BTW, it is impossible not to extrapolate some load data. Why? Because there are literally 1000s of different bullets and 40 or 50 shotgun/pistol powders to choose from. Many more if you are going to load rifle ammo.

In my opinion, and this is just my opinion and others might disagree, but if you want exact bullet specific data then consider the Hornady manual and use Hornady bullets to start with. Or the same could be said about Barnes or Speer.

Others have said, rightly, that the manuals serve dual purposes: a collection of load data and instruction on how to set up your press/process your components into useable ammo. I would say that the Lyman book covers the processing aspect well.

As far as data is concerned when it comes to sheer numbers of loads probably the R. Lee book is the best for popular calibers. However this strength is off-set by the fact that the data is a collection of other published data and the section on set-up and processing ammo is cluttered with a promotion of Lee products. I find this annoying but you might feel differently.

For a beginner fine tuning ammo is a few weeks away at best. You might be better off trying to get serviceable ammo and concentrate on learning the art and getting a handle on just exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish. Handloading is not hard and many find it enjoyable. But there is a learning curve, actually several curves that run in parallel to each other.

Using myself as an example. I think I make fairly good ammo that shoots well in my guns and reliably chambers but when I first started this adventure I had several disasters. And it's not because I wasn't trying to do well, it's just that it takes time to get an understanding of what we are doing at the bench. You will, regardless of how careful you are, have some rounds that will not chamber or have other issues. The trick is to figure out why and then to remove those rounds from the supply. For me I average 1% of my finished rounds that don't case gage properly. But I have approx. 100% reliability in the field, which is where it counts.

There are also several "How to" books out there. Actually there are many books on handloading, some are very basic and others quite technical. Examples of basic is the ABCs of Reloading by Rodney James and an example of a headscratcher book is Metallic Cartridge Handloading: Pursuit of the Perfect Cartridge by Mic McPhearson.

I'm personally more of a fan of McPhearson than James but others love the basic books. This is a hobby that will suck you into it's vortex so you may as well get used to opening up your wallet. So get some books before the rush.

Guys, back off a little already. The OP never said he was going to extrapolate anything or even hinted at doing anything unsafe. He didn't even buy components yet, that's why he asked which manuals to buy first. You are jumping to conclusions that seem to have nothing to do with the OP. I think he did exactly what he should, ask which books to buy and read first.

Badkarmamib, which cartridges are you going to be reloading for?

From the OP:

Which manual(s) will have exact load data for these? Is there such a thing, or do you have to do a lot of extrapolation with similar dimensions and weights to get exact data? I can't find anyone around with up-to-date manuals for newer bullets, and don't want to buy a whole bunch of manuals to find the one that has the few loads I am working with.

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Have a nice day.

One of my favorite rifle cartridges is the 30-06 and you are lucky because it us fairly easy to load for. Most of my handgun loading us the .38 Special, the 45 ACP and the 45 Colt. They are also easy to load for. Any questions at all do not hesitate to ask me personally and the forum. There are many good reloaders on this forum who are more that willing to help.