What's the most comprehensive book for data?

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CMV

CMV

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I have the Lee Modern Reloading 2nd ed & Lyman 49th ed. I see tons of recs here for the Lyman 49th ed (which is why I got it) and must say I'm very disappointed with it as far as load data goes. The upfront general info is good and the cast bullet or TC data is nice for those who want that, but I think I'm loading real common stuff with real common/popular components & I get very little use out of the Lyman data.

For example, I want to use 9x19mm 115gr FMJ & W231. Neither book has that & I'd think since 115 gr FMJ is such a popular commercial load & W231 is a popular powder, lots of people would use that for general plinking. As close as I can get is 115 gr lead bullet in Lee book & 115 gr JHP in Lyman - neither is exactly what I'm after. The Lyman has nothing I've loaded so far & I don't think it's real oddball stuff. .45ACP 230 gr JHP or XTP + W231, .223 55gr FMJBT + H335, 9mm 147gr JHP or 115gr FMJ - none of that in Lyman.

As I move into .380, .40, & .357SIG I'm thinking this problem is only going to continue so if there's a more comprehensive reference available, I should get it now. Is there a single book with a lot more powder/bullet combos & load data out there? Or do you end up with 4 or 5 to cover everything?
 
Join LoadData.com and get them all. Plus everything else that's ever been published in Handloader and Rifle magazines.
 
Since all of your powders are Hodgdon, try their website. http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp They also have some good data.

For the rest, you can substitute different bullet types in the same weight as long as they are the same material. FMJ for JHP, lead for lead, plated for plated etc. Don't swap lead and jacketed data. Since the profiles of FMJ and JHP bullets are not the same, be careful if you seat the bullets exactly to the min OAL listed. If the FMJ that you use is longer than the JHP Lyman used and you seat to min OAL, you'll have less room in the case and more pressure. The best way to avoid this is to seat longer than the min in data, start at the starting load and work up, or both.

From experience, I can say that some of the Lyman data is weak so I prefer Hodgdon's. Lyman has a start of 3.5gr of 231 for the 115gr JHP, while my XD starts to cycle reliably around 4.3-4.5gr. One difference is I set my bullets much longer than Lyman's data, so that may account for it.

I've used many of the other recipes in their data with good results.
 
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Page 532 of my Lee manual (2nd Edition) has load data for 115gr FMJ for HP-38 and Win 231 as well as some 25 other powders.

You are correct however that Lyman's 49th ignores this VERY common configuration, as well as 124gr FMJ - don't know why?

For newcomers especially it would be handy to have published data for the exact bullets/weights that new reloaders most commonly buy - and those I suspect are the plated and FMJ round-nose.
 
Page 532 of my Lee manual (2nd Edition) has load data for 115gr FMJ for HP-38 and Win 231 as well as some 25 other powders.
Click to expand...

Strange - mine doesn't have page numbers in the data section - only in the upfront chapters.

I have the hardcover Modern Reloading 2nd Edition. For 115gr "jacketed bullet" it has 17 different powders but no W231. For 115 gr "lead bullet" it has W231. It also has "copper plated" (no W231), XTP (has W231), & Barnes X solid (no W231) for 115 gr.

I don't expect every powder & bullet combination possible - that would be huge & probably take a decade of research. But something that covers real common & popular stuff shouldn't be that hard.

I did check the hodgdon site - no joy there either. LRN & GDHP only flavors of 115 gr with W231
 
I have the 2nd edition, and it's there on Pg 532. 115gr Jacketed data. You can also use data for HP-38, they are the same.
 
Agree with J
If you have two books for operating procedures and general information, you can get load data off the www or from powder company FREE literature.
Do not expect to find recipes for some specific combination of components. They can't test every possible combination.
This gets people terribly confused when their data is not for the brand of bullet they ordered and the OAL comes out funky. But that is where you make the move from reloading to handloading.
 
Maybe I'm missing something then. This is the Lee book I have & what's in it. I'm not seeing page numbers, but this is the 115 gr data.

book1.jpg

book2.jpg

book3.jpg

book4.jpg
 
One Book, One Caliber

Available for under $10 at Midway and other locations. It's a compilation of the data from all usual sources. It may not have the absolute latest information in all cases, but I've found it the most helpful to determine starting load information.

Handloads.com also has tons of information, and you will usually find the manufacturers information listed there too. As with any information found on the net, use with caution and at your own risk. I've also subscribed to loaddata.com.
 
Hodgedon probably still has the most extensive volume of data. Lee probably still has the most extensive range of powders. Lyman probably still lists the most cartridges. (I say "probably" because new editions come out frequently and I don't care enough to keep up with them all.)

The "Load Books" for one caliber seem to duplicate - one at a time - what Lee has for all calibers in a single book. Two "Load Books" pretty much equals the cost of the Lee book.
 
I'll have to wait till I get home to compare - but can you post a pic the first page in the book that shows the publishing dates?

Mine has page numbers and if memory serves has NO frangible bullet data.
 
For just handgun loads I like the Lyman Pistol & Revolver lll. It has data for 231 and a 115 gr. jacketed bullet but that bullet is an XTP. I would use that data for a FMJ and find my OACL by averaging the 100 FMJ and 130 FMJ (both listed) and then testing in my individual pistol barrel. In this case the OACL estimate would be 1.133" and I'd probably round it up to 1.135". ;)
 
book5.jpg

Picked up Hornady 8th ed today. From glancing thru it briefly, it has a lot of what I want although the max loads seem very conservative. Maybe among the three I'll be covered...
 
For example, I want to use 9x19mm 115gr FMJ & W231. Neither book has that & I'd think since 115 gr FMJ is such a popular commercial load & W231 is a popular powder, lots of people would use that for general plinking.
Click to expand...

My Lyman book is packed away for moving, so I can't give you an exact answer. However, I think this is a terrible misunderstanding and that you simply need a few tips to get you headed in the right direction.

► Win 231 is the exact same powder as Hodgdon HP-38. So the load data you're looking for could simply be listed as HP-38.

► It's the weight and construction you're looking for, not the exact brand or shape of the bullet. In your case 115gr FMJ would be the same as 115gr Hollow Point or 115gr RN jacketed. As long as the bullet weight is 115gr, and the construction is a copper jacket over lead core, then the load information is going to be equivalent. The minor differences are ironed out by beginning at the "starting load" and working up in small steps.


As close as I can get is 115 gr lead bullet in Lee book....
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No, that's not good. The data for 115gr lead is not going to work for 115gr jacketed. Sorry, bad idea. It's not the nose shape that's important, it's the construction and weight.


....& 115 gr JHP in Lyman - neither is exactly what I'm after.
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But it is. You're looking straight at it and yet don't understand. But don't feel too bad, we all made these novice errors.


Hope this helps!
 
@rfwobbly:

I really don't understand that then. Why not just list everything as 115gr jacketed & leave it at that if it doesn't matter if it's FMJ, HP, or any other profile?

I noticed in the Hornady book that's pretty much what they do - they show the different OALs for different types but the actual load data gos for either one. I can look at that & understand. Just wasn't until today that I saw the data presented to me that way.

It makes it look like the data you want isn't there - if they're saying this data is for a JHP to me that's the same as saying it is NOT for an FMJ or SWC or anything else that isn't a JHP.
 
CMV, I learned last year you just can't read a manual and start loading. There are many things, one being bullet profile and construction that can be misleading. The more you read the more you will understand. I was one that wanted to read a powder measurement, load it and shoot it. It doesn't work that way. Now when I set up and start reloading I am actually creating a load out of all the info and parts I have purchased. I can do many things with that bullet, primer, casing, etc. and various powders that I never thought of when beginning. rj
 
Aha, you have the very latest edition, revised and reformatted in 2011. Mine is the 2008 reprinting of the 2nd Edition which has the page numbers and the 9mm jacketed data.
 
I noticed in the Hornady book that's pretty much what they do - they show the different OALs for different types but the actual load data gos for either one. I can look at that & understand. Just wasn't until today that I saw the data presented to me that way.
Click to expand...

Hornady data defers to the safest common denominator. This means the longest bullet at the shortest OAL. Knowing this, one can safely exceed their published max load depending on the OAL used.
 
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