Reloading manual

[Coon]

Old Lyman manuals are gold. They'll have obsolete powders that us senior citizens have been hanging on to for 40 years.

Ain't that the truth. I can't believe the "new" powders that are out there, not to mention the old ones that aren't available anymore.

 

[Havok1]

I usually use either Lyman or data from hogdons website since I mostly use their powders. i rarely use data from bullet manufacturers manuals. You can also call hornady, and probably others and ask for load data if you don’t have it in your manuals.

 

[MrRobot]

Quickload doesn't run on Linux and GRT is a potential trip to dependency hell. To wit -



Of course, that won't stop me from trying it.

Thanks for the pointers.

Did someone say Linux lol.....

 

[Dermako]

Reinstall Windows and try again

Oh I remember those days.
The reloads (at least once a year), upgrade compatibility and viruses.
Those were the days.

 

[Dermako]

Pulled out an old Hodgdon today to compare current to former load data.
Lee and Lyman will fill the vast majority of your load data needs.
Something I found about a year ago was https://shootersreference.com/
Everything I reload and the powders I use I have verified to be correct. A lot of information that is filterable to your needs. powder, bullet and much more. Find myself using it more often than not now for current load data

 

[Coon]

Pulled out an old Hodgdon today to compare current to former load data.
Lee and Lyman will fill the vast majority of your load data needs.
Something I found about a year ago was https://shootersreference.com/
Everything I reload and the powders I use I have verified to be correct. A lot of information that is filterable to your needs. powder, bullet and much more. Find myself using it more often than not now for current load data

Thanks. That one looks pretty good. Easy to navigate.

 

[Mike_from_Texas]

Quickload doesn't run on Linux and GRT is a potential trip to dependency hell. To wit -



Of course, that won't stop me from trying it.

Thanks for the pointers.

Fair enough but how many people are running Linux?

And the folks that are can likely figure out a work around.

Load manuals are useless for folks that run non mainstream cartridges and wildcats. At least with predictive software you can get your simulations pretty close as long as accurate data is entered.


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[MrRobot]

@Mike_from_Texas very true not a lot of users are running Linux. Such a easy OS to run and play around with it.

But if I had the software ;-) to test I could figure it out.

 

[Deavis]

People still use manuals?

Quickload and GRT software is 10x more versatile.


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Manuals are more than just loading data, the front has how-to and usually blurbs on advanced techniques that change from version to version. The old ones are more, ahem, "mythology" in some cases but there are still some interesting things contained in them. I have a bunch of the old Lyman but really liked the setup on the old Sierra ones in the binder.

 

[Txhillbilly]

Reloading manual's are a great source of information. I've always tried to get updated versions of the ones that I use the most because they will have reloading info on new bullets in them, as well as the newer powder's that come online.
Thee are also some very good reloading sites available on the internet. One that I use a lot is XXL Load Database. It is a yearly subscription- around $20, but there is tons of reloading data on many cartridges that aren't mainstream on there as well as almost any bullet & powder made in the world.

 

[Mike_from_Texas]

Manuals are more than just loading data, the front has how-to and usually blurbs on advanced techniques that change from version to version. The old ones are more, ahem, "mythology" in some cases but there are still some interesting things contained in them. I have a bunch of the old Lyman but really liked the setup on the old Sierra ones in the binder.

There’s also tons of digital articles and even better videos available as well.

My beef with load manuals is they cost a fair amount of money, the data is limited typically to that manufacturer’s bullets, is behind on powder revisions and is inconsistent across similar data.

Software based allows nearly unlimited load possibilities if you know how to use it.


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[plinkr]

How well will the software perform during the zombie apocalypse?

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[benenglish]

My beef with load manuals is they... (are)... inconsistent across similar data.

While I am in no way advising that this mindset is a good thing, I think this is the reason a lot of us oldsters like printed manuals. Look long enough and you'll find a manual that tells you what you can get away with when you want to push the limits.

For example, an out-of-date Hodgon manual I have shows that you can just keep stuffing powder into a 6mm-.223 until you get velocities equal to the 6BR. I think some reloaders view that as cover for what is known in the benchrest game as "jug-tipping".

 

[reddog]

I've been using loaddata.com for years now. Been loading for 50 years and have lots of manuals but when you see the data available on loaddata you'll want to forget the manuals and go on line.

 

[Mike_from_Texas]

How well will the software perform during the zombie apocalypse?

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If you need it DURING the apocalypse, you waited too long anyway.

But to play along, you can print your data once you confirm it.


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[Lonesome Dove]

I've never had data from a book not work to my desires. Maybe a week here and there but that will always be regardless of sources. Never saw a need to clusterfuk anything that didn't need it.

 

[plinkr]

It's pretty clear from all the above that there is no shortage of good reloading information. My take is that whatever manual, website, or software you use is just a starting guide, it's up to you to work up the best load for your gun and application. In this regard a chronograph is a useful tool.

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[Moonpie]

Always keep a few around. They don’t go bad.

 

[paknheat]

I got a shelf or two full of manuals from Nosler, Speer, Hornady & Hogdon.

I never depend on just one, but rather look through them all and figure my start data from a average from them all.


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[iamjimd]

I have a stack of manuals that I haven't touched in years. It's so much faster to to just search for reloading data online.