Is the Hornady reloading book worth it?

JEBruns said:

There is a rich amount of reloading information on YT, and the internet in general. This forum is a great resource also.

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There a Ton of great Information on YT! I don’t know why people hate on it!

Mark_Mark said:

There a Ton of great Information on YT! I don’t know why people hate on it!

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There is also a lot of idiots

Rule3 said:

There is also a lot of idiots

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You beat me to it.

I've found an average of 1:3 on YT... that is, one of three vids might have relevant (or correct...) information in an understandable form.

Rule3 said:

There is also a lot of idiots

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I have never really ran into a reloading idiot on YT. Most of the stuff is basic how to start, then they have the moderate casting and sizing guys, then the advance PRS reloading guys.

But all in all, they are informative and good source for beginners who don’t learn well from books or reading a manual

Kaldor said:

I generally use the powder manufacturer's data but I will never not look at other sources.

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I have a few bullet mfr's manuals but mostly just for a crosscheck. I have several Hornady manuals but only use their .224 bullets.

The nice thing about the powder load data is they test using many different bullets and it's free online. I find it much easier to find a bullet/powder match. I try to use Alliant powder exclusively so that helps. Their reloading data goes back a long ways. Their old published data is out there if you look.

Nature Boy said:

Load a enough of a variety of different cartridges and bullet brands and you’ll find a need to reference the manuals from time to time, including Hornady.

But, for instance, If you’re just loading .223 using pull down surplus bullets for range fodder, you don’t need a lot of reference data.

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Rule3 said:

There is also a lot of idiots

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Charlie98 said:

You beat me to it.

I've found an average of 1:3 on YT... that is, one of three vids might have relevant (or correct...) information in an understandable form.

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True, but the RCBS and Hornady videos were very helpful to me. I reloaded a little back in the 70s, started up again about 6 or 7 years ago.Between ABCs of Reloading, YouTube and this website, learning to reload (still learning new things) was alot easier than back in the day going to the library and magazines.

irishlad said:

True, but the RCBS and Hornady videos were very helpful to me. I reloaded a little back in the 70s, started up again about 6 or 7 years ago.Between ABCs of Reloading, YouTube and this website, learning to reload (still learning new things) was alot easier than back in the day going to the library and magazines.

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I think YT is great for making Reloading more equitable for people who can’t read english or are poor. Reloading is a Right!

Mark_Mark said:

I have never really ran into a reloading idiot on YT. Most of the stuff is basic how to start, then they have the moderate casting and sizing guys, then the advance PRS reloading guys.

But all in all, they are informative and good source for beginners who don’t learn well from books or reading a manual

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Yes but you have to know which ones to weed out. What is their background or credentials? Granted I have found a lot of useful info on other things as I am a do it yourself person Several on complete detail strip of firearms, but never used any for reloading. Worst are UNBOXING table top reviews!!

If the video starts out with dramatic music, tactical actions and the guy says Hi there You Tubers, then introduces you to his dogs and cats, I click off as fast as I can!

Rule3 said:

Yes but you have to know which ones to weed out. What is their background or credentials? Granted I have found a lot of useful info on other things as I am a do it yourself person Several on complete detail strip of firearms, but never used any for reloading. Worst are UNBOXING table top reviews!!

If the video starts out with dramatic music, tactical actions and the guy says Hi there You Tubers, then introduces you to his dogs and cats, I click off as fast as I can!

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LOL! Some of those Guntubers go though a YT class were they are encouraging to act excited about there coffee and 5:11 jeans ( great jeans).

I don't cheap out when it comes to reloading.
If I think I might need it I buy it.

Rule3 said:

Yes but you have to know which ones to weed out. What is their background or credentials? Granted I have found a lot of useful info on other things as I am a do it yourself person Several on complete detail strip of firearms, but never used any for reloading. Worst are UNBOXING table top reviews!!

If the video starts out with dramatic music, tactical actions and the guy says Hi there You Tubers, then introduces you to his dogs and cats, I click off as fast as I can!

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That's true with almost everything on the internet. That is why I used the RCBS and Hornady videos.Heck, look at this thread(most threads) about The Hornady manual, a variety of view points. The OP will have to read the info and decide.

These threads do take many twist & turns with a little drama mixed in sometimes.
I like the reads on the different colors, some make me laugh.
As long as they get the information they are looking for and no one gets hurt, it's all OK.

Is the Hornady reloading book worth it?

I guess it all depends on what you load. I have several hard cover reloading manuals a few of which are older manuals but considering at my age I no longer look for new powders or cartridges what I have does just fine. I do have a Hornady 9th and do load plenty of Hornady bullets so it works fine for me. I also load quite a few Speer and Sierra bullets and like their manuals. I also have the Lyman manuals and some of those one cartridge manuals. So in many a case yes, the Hornady manual(s) are worth it to me. Not to say they would be worth it to you. With today's Internet there is a plethora of load data out there to be had for the looking. That wasn't always the case so there was a time when a good loading manual was a gold standard. Much of it also comes down to what you are shooting in what gun.

Just My Take
Ron

I load with several different manufacturers so the need of all is best. Hodgdon is good for generic, but also have VV on as I use Lapua bullets in conjunction with VV powders.

ParallelCode said:

They send you the physical book or a PDF?

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Back before #11 came out they made it available for mobile devices (not pc or laptop) that you could buy data for $1.99 a print (electronic form). If you pre bought the manual by paying the full price of electronic data (complete use), then when the print was released the #11 edition was sent to you free. I did this only for new powders and a wide range of bullets I use from them. With Speer being free online it isn't a complete list. Reason I know is I own the #15 manual. Now the issue with Speer is some of the bullets listed in the manual aren't available (27cal 115tmj). Sierra in #6 still list unavailable bullets which are most of what I used in the past (not being in production anymore). I was able to buy from their site under discontinued section while still in stock.

Rule3 said:

Yes but you have to know which ones to weed out. What is their background or credentials? Granted I have found a lot of useful info on other things as I am a do it yourself person Several on complete detail strip of firearms, but never used any for reloading.

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That's what I meant by the 1:3 ratio. I assembled my first AR lower off of a YT video... but I had to go through a few to find one that was coherent, and with video I could use. And, like you, that extends to everything from changing brake rotors on a 2500HD, assembling a PC, or disassembling a Polaris booster pump. At the end of the day, however, I like reading data off of a piece of paper... or out of a book. I regularly reference Hodgdon's online data... except, I print off the recipes and have them in my reloading file folders.

Rule3 said:

Yes but you have to know which ones to weed out. What is their background or credentials? Granted I have found a lot of useful info on other things as I am a do it yourself person Several on complete detail strip of firearms, but never used any for reloading. Worst are UNBOXING table top reviews!!

If the video starts out with dramatic music, tactical actions and the guy says Hi there You Tubers, then introduces you to his dogs and cats, I click off as fast as I can!

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I agree with the "weeding out" approach.

Personally, I never watched any Y/T reloading videos; I learned the hobby long before (I had) the internet, let alone Y/T.

The one thing that I believe makes the videos worthwhile it that most people (especially the younger generations) tend to be visual learners.

You can read something 5 times and maybe still don't have a grasp of it but, as soon as you see it the lightbulb comes on.

There are a lot of Hornady pages that are useless, because their special bullet will require a shorter case length. The XTP data is good, no special brass, and I use it. Their lead data is not very useful, because their bullet is a soft, swaged thing with no crimp groove. They don't push it.

Y-T71 said:

I agree with the "weeding out" approach.

Personally, I never watched any Y/T reloading videos; I learned the hobby long before (I had) the internet, let alone Y/T.

The one thing that I believe makes the videos worthwhile it that most people (especially the younger generations) tend to be visual learners.

You can read something 5 times and maybe still don't have a grasp of it but, as soon as you see it the lightbulb comes on.

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these videos are are pear reviewed and if their is an issue, they get called out

RealGun said:

There are a lot of Hornady pages that are useless, because their special bullet will require a shorter case length. The XTP data is good, no special brass, and I use it. Their lead data is not very useful, because their bullet is a soft, swaged thing with no crimp groove. They don't push it.

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You're talking about the FTX bullets. I have some for a 45-70 and use brass cases just for those that makes it easier to keep separate from the nickel plated for my other loads. I did have some for 44mag, but gave them to another person.

JEBruns said:

I ended up downloading the app and buying the one caliber I was interested in, as suggested above. The data was even more generic than I expected, lumping 5 different Hornady 129-135gr 6.5CM bullets into one load table. Still good to have as a reference, but not what I expect from Hornady.

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Makes me wonder if they really check coal as most in a 4 or more in a group having the same coal and 1 or 2 a bit longer because of bullet style. Nosler and Sierra at least show based on their test with their guns most accurate load and/or best for hunting. Having a large group of bullets in 1 lump of data isn't a downfall, it is still helpful. When you get into the 150 and 180 weight 30cal bullets there is 7 in that category (given within 2-5 grains).

small town life said:

Makes me wonder if they really check coal as most in a 4 or more in a group having the same coal and 1 or 2 a bit longer because of bullet style. Nosler and Sierra at least show based on their test with their guns most accurate load and/or best for hunting. Having a large group of bullets in 1 lump of data isn't a downfall, it is still helpful. When you get into the 150 and 180 weight 30cal bullets there is 7 in that category (given within 2-5 grains).

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I think it's like any other loading table: they show you what they tested. Your mileage may vary. I really don't doubt the testing labs at Hornady use the same COAL for bullets in the same cartridge family. They're probably struck from variants of the same die just with different tips and cores. A phone call to Hornady or an email to their CS might get an answer.

JEBruns said:

I ended up downloading the app and buying the one caliber I was interested in, as suggested above. The data was even more generic than I expected, lumping 5 different Hornady 129-135gr 6.5CM bullets into one load table. Still good to have as a reference, but not what I expect from Hornady.

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I think you are kind of missing the point. Hornady can't work up a perfect load in their test equipment for your rifle... that's up to you. They provide you a guide... data... for you to work your own load up safely. 6grn difference between 5 different bullets would not amount to much ballistic difference, assuming the bullets are not constructed differently... say a jacketed bullet vs a solid, etc. It would be a waste of paper to have 5 separate tables for 5 almost identical bullets, and chances are they tested each of those bullets separately and got, basically, the same 'answers.'