For you experienced, long time handloaders, is there a handloading guru/authority who has written some good books on the subject for beginners, intermediate and advanced reloaders?

I have six of the standard manuals by the usual bullet makers, plus a couple of the Lyman Handbooks.

Problem is, I read in magazines & elsewhere(including here), of things which are conflicting (at times with each other & at times with the manuals). And, the manuals have differences of approach with each other.

I, generally, adhere to the manuals. But, sometimes I deviate where I believe it safe to do so. Example: For testing, I shoot three shot groups, rather than five, when developing big game loads.

Is there a standard reference book out there (or more than one) which most "experts" consider the "Bible" (or "Bibles") of handloading?

Elmer Keith

PO Ackley

For starters.

There is no "Bible of Handloading" that I know of. It sounds like you're doing pretty much what I do, i.e., compare multiple sources for information. As you continue to reload and learn, you will become the expert.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
There is no "Bible of Handloading" that I know of. It sounds like you're doing pretty much what I do, i.e., compare multiple sources for information. As you continue to reload and learn, you will become the expert.

I agree, everyone has an opinion & even experts will disagree. I substitute components all the time. I load for wildacts where no data is available so you have to learn to extrapolate data & powder burn rates, etc. A chorno helps, a pressur system would be invaluable, but most of us have to just look for the pressure signs.

One source, not in my world.
I have Hornady (old & new), Speer, Nosler, Barnes, Lyman, Sierra & Water's Pet Loads that I use for info. I also use the 6mmbr.com, AR, Hodgdon and Alliant websites. It's a plethora of info that will provide you what you need if you will use it. You can also call Sierra, Redding, RCBS, Hodgdon, Sinclair and others if you have a specific question.

quote:

Originally posted by Wm.S.Ladd:
Elmer Keith

PO Ackley

For starters.

I agree.

But, many if not most of the loads shown in Ackley's Handbook are quite hot and some are downright dangerous in some cases, so ALWAYS check more than one source to oompare specific loads.
Regards, Joe

quote:

who has written some good books on the subject for beginners, intermediate and advanced reloaders?

Basic info contained in loading manuals seems to be about as good as it gets for beginners-intermediates.

I've purchased several "advanced" reloading books over the years but the ONLY one I think was fully worth the money is the "Precision Shooting RELOADING GUIDE." It has 284 pages of very good info in eight diverse sections, by REAL authoritave authors. Edited by Dave Brennan, it's concisely written, all to the point and has very little irrelivant personal phylosophy (AKA, BS). I got my (used) copy off ebay, cheap, but it's also available from Amazon, Sinclair, MidwayUSA and Sportsman's Warehouse (or at least it used to be), new, for about $18. Still very cheap for what it provides!

I have and love several of Ackley's books but don't load from them except for some really old cartridges, and don't use his max loads even then. And, except for loading data, he doesn't say a lot about the nuts and bolts of reloading.

Phil Sharpe His data is obsolete (as is Ackley's) but there's a lot of history in there, from the guys tha were truely "flying by the seat of their pants"
W.Mann's "Flight of the Bullet", not so much a reloading manual, but still the definitive work on ballistics. It's available free for downloading from Google books

By Townsend Whelen, "Why Not Load Your Own? Basic Handloading For Everyone."

Whelen wrote this book in 1957, I consider it pretty much a classic on the subject.

It was a National Rifle Assn. Library Book, that is, "one recommended by the NRA and The American Rifleman as a standard text on the subject."

You might find a used one somewhere.

Not for the inexperienced: Handloading for Competition by Glen Zediker.

No single book nor a single author could pack everything you need to know or would like to know in a single binding. Even P.O. Ackley had more then one volume.

My collection includes the following
Ackley volume 1
Speer #13
Nosler #4
Lyman #45 & #47
Handloaders digest #13 & #15
Cartridges of the world
And notes from Layne Simpson & Rick Jamison
And Notes from one Richard J Price A good friend and a very skilled shooter and reloader that man alone taught me more about load development then anything or anyone.

Just buy more books add them to the collection they come in handy when you're bored and can't go to the range

I don't believe there is an absolute final word on reloading. Except your own common sense. The reason you want several load books is so you can get a consensous opinion from several folks that have a lot of experience. Then as your experience grows, you can add your knowledge to what they bring to the table. You can get a good idea of what might work and what might not; what is safe and what is not.
Knowing no better, when I first started trying to develope loads, I would load great numbers of cartridges all the same. Now I start "roughing in" a load with 3 rounds each. Or I use the ladder method.
There is a continuing learning curve to reloading. Anytime you think you know it all, someone comes up with something new.

I find errors in almost all things written about handloading, but Ackley is ok.

This is an advanced handloading forum, with ~10% of the guys able to make up their own loads with any mystery powder or any wildcat.

Maturing from following published procedures and published recipes to developing new loads from scratch and developing new procedures from scratch is not for 90% of the handloaders.

There is a safe path for those who are incurious, cowardly, or not as bright. I just with they were not so indignant.

the zeideker book is okay,he mostly follows david tubbs advice though.
if you are looking for bench rest type stuff you gotta look for those types of books.
layne stimpson used to do some awefully good stuff too but i am not sure if he ever wrote a book.
you just need to follow your interst deep enough. then move on to something else. you will learn something new from each discipline.

I think every reloader at some point developes their own style of reloading. I buy all the newer reloading manual but I find most of my data comes from current Hodgdon/Nolser manuals. I use more IMR/Hodgdon powder in my hunting rifles and I'll switch bullets but work my loads up.

I've never put much into magazine articles as to loading data to me their in the business to sell magazine. I think the equipment the bullet/powder manufactor has is far better than any writer.

I buy the Speer,Hornady,Sierra,Barnes manual more keeping what with the bullets and they are good cross reference. I use to load alot out of the Lyman #45.

I started reloading in the 60's we didn't have alot of manuals today with the different powders/bullets etc you can shoot a barrel out just testing.

Great book, but very hard to read.

quote:

Originally posted by Winchester 69:
Not for the inexperienced: Handloading for Competition by Glen Zediker.

No matter what your experience level, Dr. Ken Howell's book is a great, great read:

"Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges"

quote:

Originally posted by olguy:
For you experienced, long time handloaders, is there a handloading guru/authority who has written some good books on the subject for beginners, intermediate and advanced reloaders?

I have six of the standard manuals by the usual bullet makers, plus a couple of the Lyman Handbooks.

Problem is, I read in magazines & elsewhere(including here), of things which are conflicting (at times with each other & at times with the manuals). And, the manuals have differences of approach with each other.

I, generally, adhere to the manuals. But, sometimes I deviate where I believe it safe to do so. Example: For testing, I shoot three shot groups, rather than five, when developing big game loads.

Is there a standard reference book out there (or more than one) which most "experts" consider the "Bible" (or "Bibles") of handloading?

stillbeeman wrote: "I don't believe there is an absolute final word on reloading. Except your own common sense."

I couldn't agre more.

quote:

Originally posted by olguy:
For you experienced, long time handloaders, is there a handloading guru/authority who has written some good books on the subject for beginners, intermediate and advanced reloaders? ...

Hey olguy, I'd recommend anything written by Ken Waters, Bob Hagel and Gary Sitton. Their knowledge is profound, easily understood and timeless.

I'd not waste any money on Rev. howl's book since he never even fired 80% of the stuff in it. It is all speculation and mostly worthless.

I also disagree with using Velocity as any kind of tool for making a Pressure related decision on your Reloads. As luck would have it, this recent Test confirms that Velocity is useless for determining Pressure and that only good old-faithful, never-fail EGG/CHE/PRE should be used to guide you as you Develop Loads.

Shooting 3 instead of 5 is fine and is enough to provide relevant Data when using EGG/CHE/PRE.

Best of luck to you.

When I first started reloading I had two gentlemen who were my mentors. They both had a vast amount of reloading years behind them. One was into military rifle shooting. They reccomended the old Lyman reloading manual (this was in 1973). It had factory duplication loads and accuracy loads for all chamberings. I wore out that old book. Through the years Lymon changed formats for their books, I still long for that old format that would have kept up for all the new powders-primers-chamberings etc. I have always bought every new Manual that came out and still do, seems I couldn't stand to not have the latest. I like to have the Manual of the bullets I am loading for sure. The magazines and writers give new loadings each month and I copy pages out of them for additional information. One of the best loads I ever used was given to me on a mountain top in Colorado by word of mouth from a reloading hunter standing over a fine Bull Elk, he happened to be shooting the exact rifle I had in my hands. Botton line, use common sense, read everything you can, start safe, finish the load with lots of shooting. Good shooting.

The NRA used to and probably still has a handloader's course. It used to be available via correspondance to become certified to teach it.