The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hi guys I have been on amazon looking for this book the most up to date volume is authered
by C.Rodney James is this the one to get or go with an older one?

sign92 Craig

I bought this book when first starting out and I have to say that I am not convinced that it was necessarily a good purchase - although if I had not purchased it I would have always wondered if I was missing something. In my opinion too much of the book was given over to other subjects which had no interest to me like black powder & handgun hunting as well as a reasonable section on shot-shell loading.

Forum members may well point you in a different direction, I know the question came up last year and was well responded to.

Personally I found that between using the Internet, manufacturers own information on the web and with the instructions that came with their products, I had enough information to make safe ammunition.
Getting a re loading buddy - other than the forum - is also a sensible step, just make sure they are not still learning themselves, most clubs can point you in the direction of someone who is considered a safe teacher.

Returning to books, don't forget that your local library may have a book on the subject in the archives, well worth checking out their search engine and ordering for you to borrow,

DM

+1 on that. Glad I read it or I would have had a nagging doubt that I may have missed something but really not impressed by the book. Several of the reloading manuals are particullarly good such as the Vhitavouri and especially useful is the Nobelsport reloading manual for the various reference sections, though both of these are a little limited as they only give loads for their respective powders.

You should find the books by Glenn Zedicker very good as you get deeper into the subject... they are superb in terms of content but a hard-read if a beginner!

PLEASE ensure that you read up on Headspace measurement & control via your dies as a priority along with Cartridge overall & trim length and its impacts .

sign92 For all the help I was also thinking of getting the Lyman manual as they dont make reloading gear so a more indipendant guide but the Lee modern reloading guide has been recomended as well.

I think most my gear to start with will be Lee so is getting there manual a good idea?

sign92 inadvance Craig

Lyman do make reloading gear. I would lay out for an Speer manual. I've got Number Ten which was published back in 1982; I think the latest is about £29. Lots of good background 'how to' stuff and then load data for all their bullets.

Could some one tell me the companey that prints a manual but does not make reloading gear
I heard there was one but I might be wrong sign92 .

Good question Honsu, nothing springs to mind but I have posted so I can see the replies

I would recommend the Lyman, although they do make reloading equipment its all pretty generic stuff and unlike the Lee it isn't shoving their stuff down your throat. The Lyman has a very good powder and bullet selection and is good for cast boolit information, their cast bullet handbook is even better for this. I think that the Lyman's how to reload sections is one of the better and clearest laid out for the beginner of all the reloading books.

I tend to stay away from powder and bullet manufacturers handbooks as they do seem to be limited to their own products, but the Hodgdon books have been good in the past.

The Lee is an entertaining and contradicting read being very much a Lee product promotion book in the vein of the old Herter's manuals. Lee don't develop their own load data so what you get is from other sources that have had their loads pressure and velocity tested so their data doesn't add anything to the body of load data knowledge.

honsu wrote:Could some one tell me the companey that prints a manual but does not make reloading gear
I heard there was one but I might be wrong sign92 .

There are many reloading manuals produced by companies that don't make reloading gear - instead they generally make either powder or bullets.