new to reloading reading list

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OFFGRID

OFFGRID

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ok so as the thread directs, the very first thing i ordered was books. im gonna tell you right now the ABCs of reloading was a terrible book.
really, im not interested when gun powder was invented and what it was made from. secondly i dont feel a newb needs ten whole chapters in detail about every reloading tool ever made and last, HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GONNA PRINT THE SAME STORY ABOUT THE PRIMER AND CHAIR LEG?!? lol, not to mention how he just kinda blows right by important safety issues and barely touches on them. the only thing i took from it was the ability to catch a cratered or flattened primer.

it was a pain to finish and honestly i ended up skipping the chapters on handgun and shotgun loading because i dont have any plans of doing that anytime soon....and maybe i just couldnt muster the fortitude to read them and not take a bath with a toaster afterwards.


so on to the next book recommended by a friend who reloads. its the lyman book and i find it alot more informative with less suicidal tendency from reading it. it seems to be very focused on safety, working up loads safely, and spotting issues with brass before something bad happens. im not finished with it yet but i feel like its been very informative.

next on the list is the lee book. it should be here in a couple days. are there any other good books i should read?
 
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The Hornady manual will be helpful when you start to reload.
When you get into the lee book be ready to read about him slapping his own bak over & over & over again.
Once you get into reloading you will understand things a lot better.
With the different manuals you will have different references for different types of powder to use.

How much equipment do you have so far?
 
Do you really need another book?

I dearly love the folks on THR, but some are reloading book zealots.

I find the reloading manuals and the ABC’s books redundant and boring.

get the info you need, load data from a safe source, watch some videos from your press and die companies, and start loading safely.

This stuff ain’t rocket science. It can be dangerous, but not really that complicated as long as you stay in the safe zones…
 
Highland Lofts said:
The Hornady manual will be helpful when you start to reload.
When you get into the lee book be ready to read about him slapping his own bak over & over & over again.
Once you get into reloading you will understand things a lot better.
With the different manuals you will have different references for different types of powder to use.

How much equipment do you have so far?
Click to expand...


i told ya, the 2 books and one on the way.
:D


working on a shopping list. the reloading sets dont seem to be well recieved and im thinking i can put together a budget kit with better stuff for less if i omitt the stuff i dont need in those kits, like a powder drop, silly priming attachments for the press, and a cheap beam scale. figure ill do fine with the scoops that come with the dies, and a digital scale at first.
 
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From a different thread but on the same topic:
“Like the man said, it’s not complicated. Just tedious. Some folks get bored real easy and start taking shortcuts. That’s not good.
I’d start with reading up on what the folks did who developed the loads in every handbook. I’m not suggesting doing what they did - that would be reinventing the wheel, also not good considering some of them blew guns up - but read up on the basics and methods. Like I said before, (in that other thread) start with old manuals and work up to the more modern methods. You don’t have to assemble a single round to do research. But it’s not going to be a thrill.
Let us know if you need any references. I already suggested a few: the older Ideal and Lyman’s books.”
The Ideal and Lyman’s manuals, as noted, from the 1940’s up to around 1974 - when they still used proper English and the testing was done with real guns, not Universal receivers and under-bore test barrels. I’ve never found them boring, nor have I ever become suicidal reading one - but that’s just me. YMMV

At this point you might want to start writing down all of the notes you find interesting. They will come in handy later when you’re trying to remember where you read about … whatever it is you’re trying to do.
 
Buzznrose said:
Do you really need another book?

I dearly love the folks on THR, but some are reloading book zealots.

I find the reloading manuals and the ABC’s books redundant and boring.

get the info you need, load data from a safe source, watch some videos from your press and die companies, and start loading safely.

This stuff ain’t rocket science. It can be dangerous, but not really that complicated as long as you stay in the safe zones…
Click to expand...
And we love you too…
We all have our own ways of teaching. Sometimes the student doesn’t react well to one way, so we try another.
 
If you read the front of the Lyman manual your good imo. That will give you all the mechanics you need. I read every manual I can get my hands on and with few exceptions nothing major is different. The one section in the older Lyman 45th is the exception. It talked about how loads were tested and criteria to meet the load manual. A hands on mentor is the next best option in line other than practical experience. If jonnys reloading bench loads the cartridge your interested in, that might be a good walk through.
 
When I started reloading, some of your parents weren't even born or had gotten to second base and definitely the internet was not available to the public. I had no mentor so I learned on my own. As many novice reloaders will find out, load data will become very confusing and all the different manuals for some reason their data will not parallel that of the other manuals. For my sanity, and to avoid confusion I found out that it was easier to buy manuals according to the bullet manufactures as they were the ones that designed and developed the bullets and tested all their bullets with different powders. So if I used hornady bullets I reach for the hornady manual and so on. After all they have done the work for us.
 
You’re all right, don’t read anything! Ignore it all. Reading’s hard. Don’t clutter your mind with knowledge.

Instead, Google it or ask a bunch of strangers in an online forum (and how many other forums you may be participating in) an endless number of questions long ago answered in the various books you’ve never read. (But, keep to the plan and don’t read their answers either.)

And then, one day when the power goes out and you have a question you can rely on that vast storehouse of your own mind. Shouldn’t take long.

Or, when someone else has a question, be sure to share with them everything you’ve learned from reading.

A little sarcasm to go with your morning coffee. Unless you didn’t read how to make coffee. You can Google “sarcasm.”
 
Blue68f100 said:
When I started out, books was the only options I had. There is a place called a "Library" that houses books. I found what I needed there. The Lyman Load Data book has some good info in the front section with load data in the back.

You may find some in the 1/2 price reseller book store.
Click to expand...
Papyrus was it for me—library at Alexandria
 
The one area I don't think has good information is powder. I bought propellant profiles by Wolfe publishing and it did have some ok information, but the details of selecting powder and how each one acts is very much information based on repeated experience. One of the reasons you may be recommended unique is because it's modesty accurate in most pistol cartridges I've tried at every load range. It doesn't really shoot good in a small window and then fall apart like most others.
 
I read the Lee book, the Hodgdon book, and some others.
Then I came to THR where guys like ljnowell, walkalong, and slamfire straightened me up on the the stuff that I read that was either wrong or misinterpreted.

While I agree with comments about 'stuff on internet forums' a discerning person can tell the difference, especially when data is posted to confirm results.

We learn from our elders, but unless you have one personally teaching/mentoring your reloading you need a base/foundation from manuals and then add their wisdom, in my opinion.
 
I’m a vocal opponent to learning reloading via the guides found in reloading manuals. At a fundamental level, the processes are all the same, but the specific processes offered by each respective manual lack the customization and optimization individual reloaders need in their processes to serve their purposes. Wanna make ammo? Sure. Wanna make the specific quality and volume of ammo you need for your specific firearms applications? Eh, most manuals largely suck for this. So new reloaders end up buying the wrong gear and make incredibly generic ammunition which is safe and reliable, but isn’t particularly well fit for their actual firearms.

So in that regard, if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all, and equally, in doing so, have learned very little which is applicable for your real-world needs.

Rather - find folks doing what you’re wanting to do with your firearms, and learn how they’re loading.
 
As a relative newb (now about 2 years), you read the manuals to get the basics, but you will learn a lot more by the actual doing. Be very methodical, go slow and be thinking the "why" of it with every step. Be prepared to make mistakes, and fix them.

Eventually, you will chamber and with great trepidation, fire your first reload. It will go BANG and if you are still alive (you will be), you can take comfort in knowing you did it, and can do it. Keep going and you do get better over time. Just don't get cocky and at all times be aware of what you are doing and why. And once you have loaded a few rounds, go back and read thru the manual again. It will make a lot more sense the 2nd time.
 
I like reading books. Books are an essential part of my existence. I refer-to them often when I have questions or need guidance.

Not all books are the same. Some are more entertaining than others while others are more informative.

When it comes to handloading, the first book I ever read on the topic was my Grandpappy's 1st Edition of Handloaders Digest. He bought a new edition each year after that then my Dad did the same and I've since done the same so .... I think I have every edition ever published and they are, as a set, a wealth of information. (When it warms-up a but I'll go out to the man cave and take a picture.)

I've got a lot of books on handloading ... including some old originals of this and that my Grandfather owned. I cannot think of a single book in my reloading library that I would toss or otherwise dispose-of. I've learned something from all of them, some I refer-to more often than others.

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