@barnfrog - the point I was trying to make isn’t that any single process design which can be described to ONE objective cannot and will not fit the objectives of all, or even most reloaders. When I teach reloading classes or mentor new reloaders, we define their specific objectives, then design a process and subsequent equipment package to deliver against those objectives. One size does not fit all - and thousands of dollars can be wasted if new reloaders don’t realize the manuals’ recommended processes don’t fit their goals.
Manuals describe, almost unilaterally, loading on a single stage press, typically using hand tools for most brass prep - which is a fine description of how to make small batches of generic ammo. But a 3 gun competitor shooting 20-50,000 rounds per year won’t be well served by a single stage press and trimming by hand. Benchrest competitors will employ all kinds of brass sorting and prep processes which ONLY apply for their game, and obviously, their process won’t look anything at all like that of the 3 gun shooter, once you peel deeper than “size, prime, charge, seat, repeat.”
We also do see some manuals with dated recommendations which have not survived since their drafting. For example, recently it came up here that the Lee manual touts neck-sizing-only as the pinnacle of precision, which is based on a fad in the 1990’s in which a lot of BR competitors and subsequently EVERYONE ELSE chased one dude who won some matches by just neck sizing… but BR matches and records have been set since then, and were before then, predominantly with full length sizing… but still, new reloaders get recommended Lee’s manual, and they might unfortunately buy neck sizing dies and think they’re doing themselves a favor… then end up stranded with loaded rounds which won’t close in their rifles, all because Lee didn’t update his manual to correct that FL sizing (with custom dies matched to your rifle chamber) is producing the pinnacle of precision and didn’t address the risks of using the outdated method in field applications by unwitting newbies…
So were I to write a reloading process guide for publication, the resulting product would be just as wrong for just as many reloaders as any manual.
But luckily, we live now in the age of virtual networks, so connecting directly with mentors and advisors to gain access to objective-relevant guidance is easier than ever.