New to Reloading.... Which book?

[chad1043]

Lyman Reloading Handbook, 49th Edition


or


Abc's Of Reloading: The Definitive Guide For Novice To Expert


or

another book?


I am really new and will be starting with 30-30... With a Lee Classic Loader.


Chad

 

[ranger335v]

Loading with a Lee Classic Loader (wackamole) requires no book, you will be quire limited with what you can do but it will work fine. Simply follow the instructions included in the kit.

That kit ONLY neck sizes so you may run into chambering problems after your cases have been fired a few times.

 

[ambidextrous1]

Buy both of the books you listed; then look for others, especially at gun shows.

 

[rcmodel]

ABC's is "how too" with no load data.

Lyman #49 is "how too", with oddles and scads of load data for everything using jacketed and lead bullets..

If you can only afford one book, get the Lyman #49.

rc

 

[JimKirk]

You can never get too many Reloading Books, the more the better. You'll find you're using one or two as your go to books, but it never hurts to cross refence data.

Jimmy K

 

[pcwirepro]

If you can only afford one book, get the Lyman #49.

I couldn't agree more. The Lee books are as much about selling their product as they are about reloading.

There are small caliber specific manuals available for around $7.00 if you're on a tight budget.

 

[wow6599]

I have been using this site for a couple of months and don't know how I ever got by without it - http://www.loaddata.com/home/index.cfm?CFID=12271621&CFTOKEN=80153062

YMMV

 

[rfwobbly]

Buy the Lyman book and you'll never run out of data. Supplement that with free pamphlets and brochures from the powder companies.

Like....
http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

http://www.lapua.com/fileadmin/user_upload/esitteet/VihtavuoriReloadingGuideEdition8.pdf

http://www.accuratepowder.com/freeguide.htm

 

[James2]

I shoot lots of Hornady bullets because that is mainly what I see on the shelves of the local stores. So, I bought their book. It is great to have loads for a specific bullet. It also contains "how to" info.

I also cast pistol bullets, so I really like the Lyman 49th. This book is a great resource both for "how to", and load data.

You can get load data online from the powder manufacturers.

You can also get "how to" info from the RCBS site.

 

[Hondo 60]

The more the better.
Misprints DO happen.

My shelf includes:
Lyman's 49th, Modern Reloading (Lee), Hornady, Speer & Loadbooks USA for each caliber that I load.

And NO I don't have too many!

 

[oneounceload]

Get BOTH to START and go from there - having a library is not a bad thing

 

[FTSESQ]

the ABC's of reloading is very good. It answered a lot of "beginner questions" for me when I first started reloading. I would highly recommend it. I also like the Hornandy manual, but I'm sure that any manual from a reputable company will have plenty of good recipes in it.

Reloading for 30-30... I don't know if that will be in any paper books. I think all that data is still on the stone tablets. Ha ha ha. Just kidding. I reload 30-30 now too.

 

[ranger335v]

You guys do understand that the Lee Classic Loader is a hand die kit used with a mallet to drive the cases in and out of the neck sizer die? It has no scale and only a dipper for a measure. It includes a list of powders for each potential bullet weight. There's really not much a conventional manual can add. It's a good starter kit but no manual will be any help.

 

[Hardtarget]

Some of my books go back to the '60's...early part. I compare all the books when I pick up a new (to me) cartridge. Some times the older books give hotter loads...so I start lower with the new books. Safety first! The whole process is a learning event. Have fun...but be careful!

Mark

 

[qajaq59]

That kit ONLY neck sizes so you may run into chambering problems after your cases have been fired a few times.

True...Especially if your 30-30 is a lever action. They need to be full length sized.

 

[aerod1]

I agree with the more the better crowd. I have several (8 or 9) and I am always looking for more manuals, for cross reference.

 

[Buzzard]

ABCs of Reloading is where to start off. Get the whole front-end of the book into your head to start. Follow that up with Lyman's book because they go a bit further down the road than ABCs does. From there go grab Hornady and Sierra manuals as both make phenomenal bullets and I don't hear (or have) complaints about either. If Nosler or Barnes interest you, eyeball their manuals before you buy 'em to make sure your caliber/load is in it. Barnes Bullets last manual wasn't all that impressive on data to me, and I don't make enough money to shoot Barnes or Nosler regularly.

Try getting older manuals and old shooting magazines, too. In more than one old magazine issue I have, the authors of the reloading articles state they cross-reference a lot. In every case, they've said "book A had this load, but not book B or book C, while book D said the max charge was 9 grains less." When you start getting your loads towards the warm side, you need more than one reference. Oh, and take any loads listed on the internet with five pounds of salt. I've seen .45 Colt loads listed that would blow up any revolver, and one .243 load that would never get the bullet past the muzzle. Should you see one that interests you, cross-check it against every source you can find. An hour spent checking and rechecking is a hell of a lot better than a stuck bullet or a bulged barrel.

 

[Chasing Crow]

I started with the Lyman and still refer to it all the time. A lot of great info. But as so many have said, the more the better!! I have 5 currently and wouldn't hesitate to add.

 

[Lee Roder]

As stated, Lyman is excellent. I also liked Lee's Modern Reloading (2nd ed). ANd it's not because of the name Like much of Mr. Lee's stuff, it's not expensive (like $10 or so used) and, at nearly 700 pages, if not the biggest bang for the buck, it is certainly close. Loads of data.

I started out with the Lee Loader for my first reloads. The LL is not limited to just the powders listed on the card. Once you determine the bulk density for whatever powder (you do need access to a scale and volumetric standard for this) if you don't want to trust a published figure, fashioning a dipper specifically for any manual's given load is easy. Try stuffing a Dillon in your pack

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Might I suggest buying a used single stage press and a set of dies instead of the Lee Loader, especially for the 30-30. For only a little extra money with will produce much better ammo. Look around the gun shows, you will find something very inexpensive.

 

[LiveLife]

Might I suggest buying a used single stage press ... Look around the gun shows, you will find something very inexpensive.

+1. I find plenty of good used single stage presses in the $25-$35 range at local gun shows.