Best Load Book?

[Dan877]

I suppose when you buy a rifle chambered in a factory round and it's not listed in any of your reloading books it's time to update the library. Just wondering who has the best, most useful and/or most up-to-date book out now?

 

[M-61]

Great question in more than one respect. Yes you do have to update as I did also. I have manuals back to 1960 so every so often it's nice to try to keep current. I don't think there has ever been such a vast number of new factory cartridges as have appeared in the last decade.
I was always partial to Sierra's manual and at one time they offered supplement pages to be inserted in their loose-leaf style book as different rounds were developed. Those days are gone. First you have to find a manual that lists your cartridge. Then take a look to see if they list a bullet style and weight that you may be interested in. (i.e. Sierra's newest manual does not list a bullet weight that THEY manufacture and they have no supplements available). That being said you may wind up as I did with buying a few new manuals to get all the info you want. The computer is surely one way to get a cross section of info that could be the most current for sure. I am old enough to really prefer an open book in front of me rather than a lap top. A site like this has proven to be an invaluable source of information. If there are sites as good as this I have not found them. Bottom line....one manual won't do it and I think you have to be flexible enough to cull information from a variety of sources. ( Actually, now that I think about it, that's probably a good idea regarding any subject.)

 

[Cort]

I have been using the web sites of the powder manufacturers for starting loads. Develop the load for your rifle following normal, good practices.

Cort

 

[mac86951]

If you have a brand bullet you'll shoot more, I'd get that brand's loading manual.
Favorite Powder (or the ones you'll be using first/most), get the powder manufacturers book.

I am sticking to only one book, the Lyman (latest edition). From there you can find second/third references online at Hodgdon, or Sierra, or etc... QuickLoad is also nice to have.

-Mac

 

[bheadboy]

+1 for Cort,
things change so fast, that i have changed to using the net, Hodgden, Alliant, Vit, Western, etc. as well as Nosler, Sierra,
i have the manuls going back years, also the Sierra I6 which lets me check differnt bullet mfgers, as well as run crono data through the program.

all manuals are produced over a years time and thus powder lots, primer lots, brass, bullets, are not what you buy, second the bbls are often in universal actions, and are pacnor, using the smallest chambering first and rechambering as they go up the cartridge scale in size. thus the later chambering are in bbls that have had a lot of shooting,

Bob

 

[firearmdoc1]

I feel that no one book is "best"' there are numerous manuals on my shelf as well as access to the internet. No manual can or will cover all bullet and powder combinations. Just my opininion for what its worth.

 

[mac86951]

Best bet is to get two data points on your load too. Since testing is done with one set-up it is quite possible that the set-up nowhere matches yours. I've had quite a few .223 loads where one manual listed max of 24.ggr powder X, Bullet Y, while another listed 23.5gr for same powder X, Bullet Y. Make sure you get COL and other data from loading, not just amount of powder.

-Mac

 

[jb27]

I'm fond of Lyman #49. It however doesn't have load data for 6mm BR Norma. The only major one that I've found that has data for it is Berger's manual. You'll probably be surprised how much lower the max loads are in the newer manuals.