What reloading manual do guys recommend for cast bullets? I have the Lyman cast bullet hand book, but was looking for something a little more up to date. I also have the Beartooth Bullets technical guide, but that doesn't have any load data.

Sean...The Lyman is probably the most useful but as you pointed out, is out of date. The RCBS Cast Bullet book is in the same category. The new Lyman reloading manual has some updated data but is a regurgitation of an old manual with some updates. Probably, the Accurate manual has the latest loading data for cast but it's only with their powders.

To answer your question, there is no up to date manual.

The people on these forums, along with the powder manufacturers' sites and their data (particullarily Hodgdon)are the cutting edge of the cast technology.

I keep a "smart" book of articles and new data and use that more over most of the older manuals./beagle

Veral Smith wrote a book with a title somthing like Jacketed velocities from Cast bullets. I have not had the opportunity to look at it, but it has been very well recomended as a source book. Mr. Smith is the owner of LBT (Lead Bullet Tech) which made excellent moulds and an excellent lead hardness tester. You might also have a look at Richard Lees' book.

Beagle is right about Lyman's. It's the single most useful, but certainly not all inclusive by any means. Keep a sharp lookout for things like the 2001 Accurate freebie give away pamphlet that had lots of good cast boolit data. Even their newer one is pretty good. Also the Hodgdon manual that came in the dark red 3-ring binder has some jewels in it for us. Find the data wherever you can, but be sure of the source. sundog

This sounds bad, but it is about the truth. Veral's book was state of the art about 5-6 years ago and MOST of it is still modern gospel for high speed cast bullet shooting.

He fell behind though, in several ways when he went away. Lubes, both BP and high speed cast have seen some new developments and bullet fits have gotten a good bit tighter on properly "throat fitted" bullets.

Veral only fitted the main body and first engagement band, we (this group) have done bullets fitted on the nose, first engagement band and main body for absolute 3-point bullet to throat alignment.

Beagle's point is true, for the current state of the art you need to go internet and go to some group that specializes in exactly what you are asking your questions about for the absolute current answers.

Even though progress has been made since Veral went on "vacation" his printed book is still the most up to date printed book you can hold in your two hands though. Got to give him credit for currency in print.

Veral is very good reading, but for totally current you can ask here and likely get a real-world answer direct from a current expert or get directed to where you need to go to find that person.

Now, if Veral offered an updated edition with his new tricks in it I would buy it in a heart-beat, as he did update his stuff several times in the past (always better and more current).

Oldfeller

verals book is a must read!

All of you casting dudes coming over from Shooters are going to be a real boon to this board. I didn't look into here very often in the past,but that just changed. derf

If I remember correctly, there was an address over on sixgunner.com where you could by Veral's book. Great book, highly recomend it. I also think they were selling lube too. I always liked and used it. Never have made any felix lube yet. Will someday felix. This place will soon be one of the cutting edge places for cast bullet loads or I miss my guess. Shooters sure was. Sorry to see it go down but glad to see a regroup over here. Y'all take care. Sundog, I'm still gonna make it over to OC one of these days for a MBR shoot. Say hello to Kenny Hartfelder for me. Guy

Veral Smiths book does not have data--It's information only. It's a stretch to call it a book--maybe a phample. You can order it from him(atleast use to could)--$20 Judy/Veral Smith,HCR62 box 145 Moyie Springs,Id 83845. Lyman manuals have data and if you find any older Lymans buy them. If you load both jacketed and cast,I'd buy their regular manual--the Cast Manual has just a little more cast data than the regular manual.

I would add two classic texts, so you can see the history and development of CB shooting, most of which we still use today.

"The Art of bullet Casting" from Handloader and Rifle Magazine.

"Cast Bullets" by E. H. Harrison, an NRA publication. plus the Suppliment #1.
This book has Dennis Marshall's definitive article everyone now uses for alloying and heat teating lead/tin/antimony alloys.

Do grab any of the old Lyman manuals you can find at a reasonable price.

two others:
"RCBS Cast Bullet Manual"
buy on ebay for $3.00
Besides loads, a good beginners book for bullet casting, and a good article by Dennis Marshall on Heat Treating Alloys.

"Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets"
by Veral Smith
LBTisaccuracy@imbris.net
Order book and catalog by e-mail.
Do NOT call on phone!

oooppsss--left out the T--make that pamphlet. If misspells bother you--Don't buy Verals book--urr uhh pamphlet "Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets".

The old Handloader magazines had lots of good articles, collected into 2 "Handloaders Cast Bullet Annuals". Bill Ferguson had copies for sale, or try Ebay. The NRA Cast Bullets book is necessary, though dated, reading. Col E.H. Harrison did some serious, and I mean serious research. The Cast Bulet Associations old Fouling Shot mag is good if you can find back issues cheap or free. I wish they would gather all of Frank Marshalls articles together and publish them in book form. They guy would have fit right in here... at Shooters anyway. If the CBA ever gets it's act together and lowers the dues back to a reasonable amount they may get me to join again. Most of what appears in their current mag winds up on Sixgunner.com or some other website within a week or 2. Don't forget the basic stuff in your reading- Elmer Keith, Phil Sharpe, Earl Naramore, and J.R. Mattern. All dated but darn important reading. I also have a copy of " The Bullets Flight", the Wolfe edition with Harry Pope's margin notes. Get the coffee out and make sure you've got rain coming for a solid week if you make the jump to that one. "The Modern Shuetzen Rifle" is a current book with a lot of bullet alloy and fitting material that is incredible in it's research. No gas checks for the Shuetzen boys, but the idea is the same. You can probably het most of these, or a least a line on them, through "The Single Shot Exchange" mag or The American Single Shot Rifle Association. As far as laods go, the best info is gonna come from Lyman, Accurate, Hodgdon, etc and places like this. Make sure you check any loads you see on a website against a current relaoding manual. There's a couple of yahoo's out there who get a little generous with the powder.

Now Bret, neither Buckshot or I were never Yahoos, we were always Shooters -- now I can actually say I may be more Accurate now, something I couldn't really say before as my group sizes were always about three times as big as Bruce B's or Felix's (on my very best day).

Just kidding around of course, I never cracked the stock on my Mauser but I have leaked an occasional primer or two during run-ups, just to verify where that pressure ceiling really really was located on those undocumented mil-surp powders.

Hey Ray, I'm glad to see the Carpetman has made it on over to the new place. You will really like this list, you can actually go in after the fact and fix a mispelled word or a twisted, garbled sentence using the little note pad and pencil icon that is beside each post you make.

It lets the original poster fix his mistakes "after the fact". It is a very nice feature, one that I will use a lot with my missspellings and garbled sentences and all.

We all need to watch out and be careful though, somebody could accidentally feel like they were being teased and get all cranked up about it and then the party of the first part could sneak back in rewrite the orginal post completely, changing the wording into something that seemes to be totally innocent.

Not that anyone in this group of merry fellows would ever do something like that ....

So we all might all consider being a mite slow to get excited as whatever it was that excited you just might disappear like a snowflake in summertime Texas, leaving the innocent recipent looking "off-base" because of their over-reaction.

It behooves us all to try to be gracious guests while we learn the ropes of these new digs.

Oldfeller <g>

[ 08-23-2003, 23:26: Message edited by: Oldfeller ]

Info above about getting Verals book is correct, but price is $25. It's well worth it!!!

Here I am with my second post already. Thanks for the welcome guycromwell. It's a whole lot better than "There goes the neighborhood!" kind of thing. So....I found out about the closing down of the old site when I went to reply to a response message from Larry Gibson (Thanks Larry!) on a 30-30 load I had worked up. I am gonna try & up the charge of H-335 to 34 gr. from the 30 gr. load I got good accuracy with from the Lyman 311041 (sized .310", lubed with Liquid Alox, water quenched wheelweights, .301" on nose, Hornady check, CCI 250 Primed...didn't forget anything I think??). Then...I'm gonna try & get that Legacy '94 to shoot the 311291. I know it's gotta shoot! This is gonna be a fun year!
Newtire