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Wanting to reload

4K views 46 replies 28 participants last post by  howlnmad 
#1 ·
Wanting to start reloading and was wondering if any old pros might know some good books for beginners mostly looking for terminology and detailed equipment setups
 
#2 ·
First, I suggest the ABC's of Reloading, a great book for beginners, next, all of the major manuals have introduction to reloading in them (at least all I have do)... Choose a manual from one of the major bullet manufacturers whose product you intend to use... regardless, before all is said and done, you will turn around and have a half dozen books to reference. I haven't bought a manual I have regretted buying... yet.

And welcome aboard.
 
#3 ·
First, I suggest the ABC's of Reloading, a great book for beginners, next, all of the major manuals have introduction to reloading in them (at least all I have do)... Choose a manual from one of the major bullet manufacturers whose product you intend to use... regardless, before all is said and done, you will turn around and have a hald dozen books to reference. I haven't bought a manual I have regretted buying... yet.

And welcome aboard.
Ditto
 
#5 · (Edited)
The ABCs of reloading is one of the best places to start. Having said that and learning the basics , the next thing to do is come back here and ask questions about things you don't understand or haven't quite gotten the handle of what ever. Rember, we are here to help. And there is no such thing as a stupid question. Stupid is not asking for help if you need it.
 
#7 ·
Welcome to TFF. There are threads on a lot of topics that you will want to read. Equipment preferences to nitty-gritty details on just about anything you may wonder about. All provided with utmost courtesy.
 
#8 ·
I've never read....or even seen a copy of "The ABC's of Reloading". It's possible it came out long after I started and I never bothered with it. However, I see it recommended so often by those whose knowledge and experience I respect it must be good so yea, get a copy.

From my personal experience I'll second Clipper's recommendation. The Lyman books are my "go to's".

Whatever books you acquire, devour them. Probably 90% of the questions I see asked on line have already been answered in the main stream loading manuals. Even the more advanced handloading and case forming questions have been answered but with those a person has to have the right books. As others have mentioned, you won't be able to get by with just one.
 
#9 ·
I've never read....or even seen a copy of "The ABC's of Reloading". It's possible it came out long after I started and I never bothered with it.
The first edition came out in 1974 so it is possible (before my time though). Not everyone universally loves it, but it does a decent job of covering all of the bases without having a particular brand bias.
 
#10 ·
I'll echo on the ABC's. But read all the sticky threads at the top of the AMMO and Reloading Forum. There is an awful lot of great info there.

I recommend that you start with one caliber that you like to shoot using a gun you know well. Don't confuse things by mixing a new caliber and a new gun and a whole new hobby.

And stick to brand name bullets from manufacturers that publish their own data. There's plenty of time for the great data debate and for off brand bullets after you know the basics.
 
#12 ·
I kinda agree with jwdurf but it won't be all that long until you will buying a new gun in a different caliber just so you will having something different to load!

Like sharps, I have never read (or even seen) a copy of ABC's and to be perfectly honest, for the first 40 years of reloading, I never read anything in a manual except the load data. I bought a copy of Lyman #49 and actually read the thing and learned as much in those few hours as I had learned in 40 years. I now recommend reading the first 1/3 of any manual you buy!!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Getting a book and reading it is the way to go but, I'd suggest getting a manual by the brand of bullet's you think you want to use and stick to that manual till your going good. They all tell you pretty much the same thing but say it in a different way! Learn one way and build from there. The only bullet's I've ever used are Nosler, Speer and Hornady. I have copy's of each manual. Oop's, forgot Herters! Never had one of their book's. Also a few old Lyman manuals for cast bullet's. Oh, also have the Lee book and it's interesting but I don't suggest it till your farther along. Richard Lee is a funny guy! Funny as in strange! I'd also suggest learning on relatively inexpensive cup and core bullet's. They run something like half the price of premium bullet's.

I do hope you learn the language too. A loaded round of ammo is not a bullet. The abbreviation's some people use confuse me until I figure out what someone is trying to say, And I've been doing this close to 50 yrs now. When asking question's, speak plainly so we actually know your question rather than trying a guess at what your looking for. A rifle is a rifle, the cartridge it's chambered in is a cartridge. It amaze's me how many time's people refer to the rifle as though it was a cartridge. Took me quite a while to figure out what an LGS was, I think I figured it out. Local gun shop? Keep in mind that using word's that are not accurate in reloading can be a huge mistake. Bullet's are bullet's, not pills. That one took a while for me too. Speak clearly and don confuse some of us old duffer's!

I might add something here. I see some people questioning if it's alright to replace standard primer' with magnum and inter change pistol and rifle primer's. Each box has written on it clearly what the primer's are designed for and every bit of data I have ever seen tell's which primer the used to develop the loads, use those primer's. To start out by even using the same brand name. You will find down the road that different brands will inter change so long as the primer is the same type. And think about what your doing. Lot of people make this a lot more trouble than it is by over thinking the process!
 
#15 ·
Welcome to the wonderful, oft confusing and frustrating world of reloading!

A benefit of The ABCs is it not only shows how to reload, but in doing so shows what tools and equipment is needed. New reloaders when asking "what do I need to reload"on a forum will get way too many suggestions for unnecessary tools and equipment and can often be an "information overload" and a heavy hit to the budget...

Go slow, double check everything, and most important, have fun...
 
#17 ·
As others have said, the ABCs is a book I've never seen, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. My first was the Speer manual that came with my RCBS Turret kit. That provided and excellent explanation of the process. The Hornady manual was my next book, and it was as good, if not better, than the Speer manual. I picked up a copy of the Lyman book on recommendations from others and found it to be nearly useless. The Sierra manual is another excellent choice, and I really like the loose-leaf binder format. I can add pages to it, if I happen to find other load data I want to keep all in one reference book.

Since establishing a basic library, I now just order information from various bullet and powder makers to supplement my collection. Have fun, stick to published, tested loads (not Internet pet recipes ) from reputable sources, and be safe! Welcome to our addiction!:D
 
#38 · (Edited)
As others have said, the ABCs is a book I've never seen, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. My first was the Speer manual that came with my RCBS Turret kit. That provided and excellent explanation of the process. The Hornady manual was my next book, and it was as good, if not better, than the Speer manual. I picked up a copy of the Lyman book on recommendations from others and found it to be nearly useless. The Sierra manual is another excellent choice, and I really like the loose-leaf binder format. I can add pages to it, if I happen to find other load data I want to keep all in one reference book.

Since establishing a basic library, I now just order information from various bullet and powder makers to supplement my collection. Have fun, stick to published, tested loads (not Internet pet recipes ) from reputable sources, and be safe! Welcome to our addiction!:D
Basically agree with the above. I'm 4 years into this adventure and make no claims to any kind of advanced wisdom. I think the thing though is it depends on what the handloader intends to do. Speaking for myself, four years ago I would have told anyone listening that I intended to handload at first for 4 pistol calibers and 4 rifle calibers. But I knew that 9mm was going to be the starting point and that it would be quite some time before I got around to handloading anything for rifle. So my first piece of advice is pick one caliber to start and instead of buying all kinds of tools spend your money on a good press and scale, dies and so forth for that caliber.

But we are taking about books for the beginner. To echo rawright54, I literally just this week got a copy of the ABC book and not because I thought I needed it for advice but rather to see for myself what is it about this particular book that causes everyone to recommend it.

Let me say that I used the Hornady 9th and Lyman 49th to learn the basics and if I can do it anyone can. Also, my present library of books associated with handloading ammo is fairly large to the point I'm getting ready to build a new bookcase to house it all. What I would say as a general statement is get several manuals from the bullet manufactures you think you might use. Also understand the difference between a "load manual" and a "how to handload book". The ABC book is a how to book.

This is not a comprehensive review of the ABC book just a few thoughts. First of all the bulk of the material is, shall I say it, old. Nothing wrong with old because my favorite handloading books were written by George Nonte (who in fact contributes one of the ABCs books chapters). I would recommend that any handloader get Nonte's books on the used market but I believe he died in the late 1980s or early 90s so this gives you an idea of how fresh the ABC book is.

Lots of time is spent on rifle loading, little on pistol and too much on shotgun because no one today handloads shotgun as a newb because there is no cost advantage to do so. But if your determined to swim against the tide and load shotshell anyway, the Lyman shotshell book is what you need. If your going to begin with rifle cartridges then you are the one who will get the most from this (the ABC) book.

ABC spend little time on progressive presses which, contrary to conventional folklore, is a real possibility for those wanting to handload in volume for handguns. That is the reason I got into handloading and I spent unnecessary time and money on single stage and turret presses when I started because that is what everyone on the interwebs said to start with. For this application (handguns) I would say consider Handloading for Handgunners by Patrick Sweeney. A bit more concise and elegant for the pistol shooter and will ease your mind with respect to starting out on a progressive.

I'm actually conflicted about the ABC book because there is some interesting material within but what I find interesting would probably bore the beginner to death. It will serve the intended purpose of informing the newcomer about the basics of handloading within some limits. I certainly have worse written books in my reloading library. I just think that it contains a lot of unnecessary information for the beginner and is not up to date with respect to the handgun reloaders needs.

If anyone out there has read the ABC book two or three times cover to cover before starting handloading as often advised to do, I would like to personally shake their hand and pay their kids college tuition. This is unnecessary and of no real value. Read and understand the safety rules. Understand the result of not following directions. Be safe and use good common sense, if not sure stop and use good load data. But there is no reason to read any book of 300s of pages multiple times before pulling the handle.
 
#19 ·
GOOD GOD don't start! It sucks you in and you can't stop.......... :eek: lol As others have said good books lots of reading and asking question here will help you out A lot. And a very good point is to double and triple check your work! ABCs is great and my personal preference is Hornaday for the load data it seems to be what I have found best(personal option) and I only load 9mm so far.......
Welcome to the forum!
 
#20 ·
Not to pick nits but, to pick nits. Along with what Don said about learning the language one of my pet peeves is the use of caliber and cartridge interchangeably. They are not the same. As probably 95% on the board know in the US caliber is the dimension of the bore and groove diameters expressed in thousandths of an inch...usually. European calibers are "usually" expressed in millimeters and decimal equivalents thereof.

I shouldn't let it annoy me but it does when someone asks "what caliber is that rifle" and I reply, 30, 6.5, 10.5, 9.3, 50 and they don't believe I answered their question. I did, they didn't ask the right question. What they want to know more often than not is what cartridge is the rifle chambered for. Or, "what's the best new caliber"? Correct answer, "there are none".

I will now dismount my soapbox......:D
 
#21 ·
Maybe its because I'm young and a new generation of reloaders, but personally I have no need for a book and I honestly don't really even see it necessary.

When I started I determined okay whats my price range, how many rounds do I want to make per minute and what type of round did I want to make. I set on a turret press which allows me to pop out a good quantity of high quality rounds an hour. Next for the dies, I researched good brands and determined what would work best for me. For pistol I went with lee carbide dies, one reason is so I could use the lee powder drum.

As for loads themselves, I wanted to shoot the absolute cheapest 9mm round possible (most of my loads). I really didn't want lead and FMJ could be a bit pricey, so I settled for TMJ or plated rounds such as berrys bullets. For primers, I generally go with CCI but others have been consistent. For powder, again initially I went with cheap cheap cheap! I Tried Hogedon Titegroup out and I was extremly happy with it, I actually haven't deviated since I started. I load at 4.2-4.3gr which is about 1-1.2gr less than other powders (giving you hundreds more rounds per pound of powder), it gives me very good groups, the powder is extremely clean and overall I have no issue.

When I moved onto a new caliber (.223) I didn't read reviews and went with Lee dies again but this time in steel. I went though 6 factory bad sets of dies, finally returned the last one as they scratched my brass and went with Hornady Custom, zero problems since. For that powder, I researched and met my needs. I set on Hogedon H335 and I'm producing good loads.
 
#27 ·
I've read Philip P. Massaro's "Shooters Guide to Reloading" and would say it's a great read as well.
 
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#32 ·
I would question "high quality" if all that was sought was "the cheapest" bullets and powders. If only one load is tried how can it be known whether or not it is "high quality"? That it goes off consistently and dependably doesn't necessarily mean it is "high quality" although that is definitely one criteria for quality. Having said that, if the ammo meets ones needs and there is no desire to learn beyond the very basics I suppose such a method is ok. One thing is certain, that is definitely reloading and not handloading.
 
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