CMV
Member
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?
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?