Books about reloading

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mikemyers

mikemyers

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I assumed there would be lots of threads about reloading books, but I couldn't even find one. So, therefore, this new thread.

Question: What are some of the better books that have been written about reloading? I'd like to separate this into three categories:

a) General information about reloading, for those who are new to it,

b) The "mathematics" behind reloading, for those who are interested in that, and

c) Good technical information about powders, bullets, and so on, presumably so someone can find the best reloading setup for a given situation.


Personally, I'm mostly interested in "a", so I can learn all the things (not) to do, and why. It's way too early for me to get involved in the math, and the detailed specifics won't mean much to me until I learn enough to understand them.


If I've left something out, probably because I don't yet know enough to ask, just add it to this discussion.
 
I've gotten a lot out of Lymans reloading handbook 49th edition.
 
Speer makes a good manual. I've also read Lee's (not too bad) manual. The Lyman Cast Bullet Manual is great on learnign the technical stuff concerning lead. Also, the ABC's of realoading is a great read.
 
1. All of the major reloading manuals are chock full of 'How Too' stuff in the first few chapters. Just pick one, or several.

2. I am not at all clear on what 'math' you keep asking about?
There is no math or at least very little, involved with reloading.
You do need a basic concept of reading and weighing grains on scales. (7,000 grains = 1 pound.)
If you want to know how many loads you can get from a pound of powder, you divide 7,000 by the charge weight.)

You also need a basic understanding of measuring things with dial or digital calipers in 1,000'th inch measurements. (.001" = one thousandth of an inch = .1.250" OAL = 1 1/4", etc.)

3. Some reloading manuals give 'most accurate load' or 'Factory Duplication load'.
Lyman used to be good about that. Not so much anymore.
But I bet your older Lyman manual you mentioned in the other thread in reloading might have that in it.

rc
 
What are some of the better books that explain the basics of what to do, and how to do it safely. As 'marksg' just pointed out, the Lymans Reloading Handbook has a ton of information like that, along with a lot of things I don't (yet) understand.

In the 1980's, a friend of mine sold me his reloading gear, and taught me what to do. So, for ten or fifteen years, I just followed his instructions, never doing anything "more" or "less". I set the weight scale once, and never re-checked it. I never took the dies apart for cleaning. To me, it was as simple as placing oranges in a box - as soon as the box was filled, start on the next. I'm already learning many things I never knew about back then.
 
rcmodel said:
......I am not at all clear on what 'math' you keep asking about?......There is no math or at least very little, involved with reloading......
Click to expand...

Lymans Reloading Handbook, 46th edition, chapter 3.0 - "Exterior Ballistics Performance".

.....or "Statistics for Hand loaders", page 140.



It's all good stuff, and maybe I'll remember things from back at school eventually, but right now it's WAY over my head.
 
All the manuals offer a little something. Unfortunately many look at manuals just as reloading recipes.

You need to read the first chapters and appendix.

For Lead Bullets, Lyman Cast Bullet

Lyman 49

Speer

Hornady and

ABC's of Reloading

Those will cover about anything you need.

Lee is OK as it is the least expensive and has a lot on pressure. Most just use it as load data which has been taking from other sources some time ago.

People will spend a thousand or more on a press and components but cheap out on $100 worth of books.:scrutiny:
 
Rule3 said:
All the manuals offer a little something. Unfortunately many look at manuals just as reloading recipes.

You need to read the first chapters and appendix.

For Lead Bullets, Lyman Cast Bullet

Lyman 49

Speer

Hornady and

ABC's of Reloading

Those will cover about anything you need.

Lee is OK as it is the least expensive and has a lot on pressure. Most just use it as load data which has been taking from other sources some time ago.
Click to expand...

Also the Sierra manual.

Manuals from other bullet manufacturers will have instructional information to a degree.

The annual Hodgdon magazine has nice information in it but generally not "beginners" stuff.
 
Rule3 said:
......People will spend a thousand or more on a press and components but cheap out on $100 worth of books......
Click to expand...


I can't speak for others, but I really don't want to end up with a library full of reference manuals that will help me create a recipe for anything unique that I want to create. It's not the $100 or so expense - it's that for the next year, I'd prefer to have ONE source of information for any and all questions. When I know more, then I can expand.

What I want, and need, is one book, that I can literally read cover to cover, and which explains most of the things re-loaders need to know. Time after time, I've been reading things in this forum that I never knew about before. Even today, I was astonished to read here that if I buy a box of cases, I need to deburr them before loading them. It's that sort of information, that most of you probably just "do" without thinking about it, which someone like me has yet to learn. Hopefully the book I do buy will include all that general information, and a lot more!

(I've noticed the Lyman Reloading Handbook, 46th edition, has a LOT about the basics of reloading. I was so wrong - I thought it was just a book full of recipes.....)
 
How do you think a lot of use figured all that out all these years to answer the questions that get answered here every day?

Many of us started reloading before Al Gore invented the internet, and there was no way to learn except by reloading manuals and memorize everything they had in them!

Bottom level straight up truth?
There IS NO BOOK that covers it all.

And as you just concluded yourself?
Just one Old Lyman manual you have read has a lot of answers in it you didn't know you had questions about until you read it.

That is exactly what I have been trying to tell you all along.

rc
 
rcmodel said:
How do you think a lot of use figured all that out all these years to answer the questions that get answered here every day?.......
Click to expand...


I've always thought that most of you learned by doing, just as I'm learning now. Books must have helped a lot, but I thought the majority of the learning was from other shooters. I've learned more about reloading in the past two weeks than I learned in the past 20 years.

I learn slowly from books, depending on how well they're written. I learn much faster when it's a "discussion". I learn faster yet when there are photographs, and the best way of all is videos such as what's on YouTube.

My prediction for the future, is that books will go the way of phonograph records, photographic film, video cassette tapes, newspapers, and so many other parts of daily life that are being replaced by new electronic media. There will still be "books", but they won't be printed on paper.

You're very right about the Lyman Reloading Handbook. It's sat on my bookshelf for 2015 - 1982 = 23 years!!! If my fuzzy memory is correct, John Dunn showed me how to look up the "recipe" for '44 and '45 one time, and I followed those recipes from then on. (I didn't need to look anything else up, as I would just discuss my questions with John.... it all seemed so simple to me, once I was actually doing it.) Now I pick it up, and see LOTS of things I want to read about.

My whole life has been doing things backwards..... I started out by asking questions in this forum, but I should have looked for a great reloading summary, that I didn't even find until just last night:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=238214
I really should have "read this first"!

I'll probably end up doing just what you suggested, and soon have a lot more books on my bookshelf, but this time I will do it one at a time. Thanks!
 
Suggestion for a separate "sticky"...

Suggestion to the Forum Moderator:

Seeing "Sticky: Reloading Library of Wisdom" didn't really catch my attention until last night.

I suggest you post that write-up for newcomers in a separate thread, titled "New Reloaders: READ THIS FIRST".

It's a wonderful write-up.
 
I got the Lyman manual when I started a little over a year ago and read a lot on here. Between the two things started making sence. I recently got the Hornady book and enjoyed the front part of it,I thought there was good info in it
 
mikemyers said:
What I want, and need, is one book, that I can literally read cover to cover, and which explains most of the things re-loaders need to know.
Click to expand...

Yes, Utopia would be nice, but welcome to the real world of reloading. ;)

Rule3 said:
All the manuals offer a little something. Unfortunately many look at manuals just as reloading recipes.

You need to read the first chapters and appendix.

For Lead Bullets, Lyman Cast Bullet

Lyman 49

Speer

Hornady and

ABC's of Reloading

Those will cover about anything you need.

Lee is OK as it is the least expensive and has a lot on pressure. Most just use it as load data which has been taking from other sources some time ago.

People will spend a thousand or more on a press and components but cheap out on $100 worth of books.
Click to expand...

What he said.
 
P.O. Ackley's reloading manual (2 volumes) and is still in print. Phil Sharpe's reloading manual is out of print but you will see it at gunshows and will probably be around $50 or more. very good information in both.
 
mikemyers said:
I can't speak for others, but I really don't want to end up with a library full of reference manuals that will help me create a recipe for anything unique that I want to create. It's not the $100 or so expense - it's that for the next year, I'd prefer to have ONE source of information for any and all questions. When I know more, then I can expand.

What I want, and need, is one book, that I can literally read cover to cover, and which explains most of the things re-loaders need to know.
Click to expand...

Read what rc said, read it again;)

As mentioned, manuals contain different information (no not load data, that is a whole different story, that's a cook book)

Lyman 49 has a section on powders that the others do not, some manuals have better info and pictures on head space, others explain pressure better etc etc.

Manuals are NOT JUST LOAD DATA, so many new reloaders all they want is load data with out understanding what is going on

No disrespect, but if you had Lyman 49 on page 52 you would know what that case deburring tool you asked about was.:)
 
Some of the easiest reading on reloading with an easy to understand overview is in Speer reloading manual No. 10. It's an old book that you can buy on eBay for less than $15.
 
Rule3 said:
Read what rc said, read it again;)........Manuals are NOT JUST LOAD DATA, so many new reloaders all they want is load data with out understanding what is going on..........No disrespect, but if you had Lyman 49 on page 52 you would know what that case deburring tool you asked about was.:)
Click to expand...


Don't worry about any disrespect - until someone mentioned the Lyman book, I didn't even remember I had THAT.

I understand what you're saying. It's just that I do better when I get one book or manual, and read it, and when I'm finished I get more.

I'm not really excited about "load data" (yet??). I want to find one powder that works well for me for 38 special, 44 special, and later on, 45 ACP. Then I want to know how to set up and use my existing reloading gear. I will NOT buy the new RCBS 5-station reloader until I'm comfortable with my Big Max. I'm in no particular hurry about any of this - and everything is coming along nicely, especially what I've been learning from you guys.
 
LET ME SEE HERE....I have a seven foot tall bookcase full of loading data and books on handloading and you cannot find a single book ?!?
Start with the names Phil Sharpe and Eall Naramore and after reading those two C-TO-C c'mon back and we'll get you pointed in the right direction after you pass the quiz and review on those two.
And so it goes..
 
I like "Reloading For Handgunners" by Patrick Sweeney.

No math though, it's about reloading for handguns.:D
 
The "mathematics" behind reloading is in the reference chapters of any reloading manual. Moreso in the Lyman books though. Read it just last night and still have a headache. snicker. Velocity x velocity x bullet weight / by 450240 = energy in ft/lbs. OWWWW.
 
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