ABC's of reloading manual - don't buy it!
- Thread starter kellyj00
- Start date
You know what's much better than going in to the public library? If you live in a fair sized city, all the libraries are networked, and you can search by title, author or keyword online, and the library will happily pull one copy for you even if the only library that shelves it is 20 miles away on the other side of town. In 2 or 3 days (or a week or two if someone else has it reserved) they will go through the bother of delivering it to your branch where you can pick it up.
For me, it's like having the resources of 20 libraries, and they even do all the work. And you can check it out for a month, and even renew it online, and only worry about taking it back to the branch close to you. Motorcycle manuals, reloading books, sports books, I'm all over my local library network. It's a terrific tool.
For me, it's like having the resources of 20 libraries, and they even do all the work. And you can check it out for a month, and even renew it online, and only worry about taking it back to the branch close to you. Motorcycle manuals, reloading books, sports books, I'm all over my local library network. It's a terrific tool.
The less I know the dumber I am
To muddy the water a little bit here, let me recommend another good loading book. The NRA Loading book from the 1980s -- not the current p.o.s. they sell.
It is long out of print, but available used at amazon most of the time.
Here is a photo of the cover. It is a great reference, and covers subjects not given much attention these days:
.
It is long out of print, but available used at amazon most of the time.
Here is a photo of the cover. It is a great reference, and covers subjects not given much attention these days:
.
all the libraries in my city are posted "no CCW" just like most other municiple buildings. That's ok, except that they're full of bums when the weather is less than perfect.
It's a public place that's heated/cooled and dry. The homeless in my city use them as a hangout, and though I have yet to meet a crazy homeless guy I was actually afraid of I'm not risking going to the library in those situations.
The library is outdated, and so are most reference books. I have no reloading manuals but I consider myself a successful reloader.
I checked the local university (with about 14,000 students) library that has an online card catalog, they have no reloading stuff whatsoever, but that's a university library.
It's a public place that's heated/cooled and dry. The homeless in my city use them as a hangout, and though I have yet to meet a crazy homeless guy I was actually afraid of I'm not risking going to the library in those situations.
The library is outdated, and so are most reference books. I have no reloading manuals but I consider myself a successful reloader.
I checked the local university (with about 14,000 students) library that has an online card catalog, they have no reloading stuff whatsoever, but that's a university library.
ABC's, buy it.
Kellyj00, I have the second edition of the ABC's by Dean Grennell from 1980. I find it very interesting and informative. It may be old but has some great info. I have only read about 20 pages thru out the book and already learned some new things. He mentioned in chap. 18, bowling pin shooting and getting a richochete from 15 feet that left a bruise on him. Also shooting at fixed steel plates 50 yards away can cause dangerous richochetes that can hit the shooter. How about shooting at reduced velocities to test expansion at 300 yards. I never knew that bullet rotation slows down a lot less than velocity at 300 yards and that spin rate has a large effect on expansion. This is also the first book I have read that has a good explaination on bullet swaging...making your own bullets from scratch. I aggree, that the new Lyman reloading books, which I have, has more basics, but the old books are still great reading, if you get the right ones. And Grennell is great. Just saying.
Kellyj00, I have the second edition of the ABC's by Dean Grennell from 1980. I find it very interesting and informative. It may be old but has some great info. I have only read about 20 pages thru out the book and already learned some new things. He mentioned in chap. 18, bowling pin shooting and getting a richochete from 15 feet that left a bruise on him. Also shooting at fixed steel plates 50 yards away can cause dangerous richochetes that can hit the shooter. How about shooting at reduced velocities to test expansion at 300 yards. I never knew that bullet rotation slows down a lot less than velocity at 300 yards and that spin rate has a large effect on expansion. This is also the first book I have read that has a good explaination on bullet swaging...making your own bullets from scratch. I aggree, that the new Lyman reloading books, which I have, has more basics, but the old books are still great reading, if you get the right ones. And Grennell is great. Just saying.
Agree with you that it's worthless to the modern reloader. Why so many tell new reloaders to buy ABC's first is beyond my understanding. It's good historical reading, articles by many different writers, some good info on casting and shooting lead bullets, but only a history of reloading. If you're a new reloader skip ABC's and buy bullet company and powder company manuals as well as Lyman's latest. They contain info that will teach you and keep you safe. My edition was read from cover to cover but now collects dust somewhere. About 35 years ago I learned from Lyman, Hornady, and Sierra manuals. A few years back I bought ABC's because so many recommend it to new reloaders and I thought I was missing something. I wasn't and I wish people would quit recommending it for new loaders. They don't need 55 year old articles about the early days of metallic cartridge reloading. Want to read history buy it, want to learn to reload, buy modern manuals.
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Without paper manuals, I am not sure what people will do when (Not IF) there is a disaster and there is no electricity and the internet.
Now I have 10 different reloading manuals because I like to compare one to another. Most have very good information on the process of reloading as well as load data. I would miss my electronic scale, but I have a very good balance beam one as well and don't need electricity to continue reloading no matter what.
Stay safe and keep your powder dry.
Jim
Now I have 10 different reloading manuals because I like to compare one to another. Most have very good information on the process of reloading as well as load data. I would miss my electronic scale, but I have a very good balance beam one as well and don't need electricity to continue reloading no matter what.
Stay safe and keep your powder dry.
Jim
bugman702 said:
I am guessing he won't see your comment, he hasn't posted here in 8 years. This thread was from 2007.
ABCs is an OK book. You can get most of the information elsewhere, (particularly now that YouTube is a thing), but it gives quite a bit of history, and shows a lot of what is possible, for case forming and wildcatting.
I started reloading before the internet, and I found is useful. I gave my copy to a friend who was getting started in reloading.
That being said, it isn't worth $35, even in 2007 dollars.
Shane Tuttle
Staff
emcon5 said:
Fair enough. But we have a string of members posting relevant information to the topic.
Let's let it ride...
Yep, pretty silly thread, kinda like Oprah's Book Club.
The ABCs of Reloading is an excellent text on 99% of the aspects of reloading. If one doesn't have youtube
mad or a mentor one can learn to assemble safe, accurate ammo with this text (that is if one can read and understand). I think that out of all the hundreds of thousands of folks who appreciate this text, one would question the one single person that thinks it's worthless. History book? Hardly. But if you know how something was developed you can understand the hows and whys much better.
I've been reloading for close to 30 years and still get out my copy and cruise through it refreshing my memory. Also bad habits can develop over time and I think it's a good thing to "come back to center"/remind me of good , safe methods.
Shane Tuttle
Staff
Yup. That's been addressed a time or two, very recently.
Back in the mid 80's my brother got into handloading and sent me some test loads for my rifle, a 5 rnd test group of 150 grain Sierra Game Kings and IMR4350 was the powder, after testing that load at 100 yds I was hooked on handloading.
His prerequisite for me to handloading with him was read the ABC'S and the NRA handloading book.
I can't get my head around somebody claiming any functional literature being garbage. The truth is that in some way that books is useful to all who read it....I reference my 2 different copies quite a bit..
His prerequisite for me to handloading with him was read the ABC'S and the NRA handloading book.
I can't get my head around somebody claiming any functional literature being garbage. The truth is that in some way that books is useful to all who read it....I reference my 2 different copies quite a bit..
The challenge then is to name a better credible reference to recommend. So much of reloading is nosing around for bits and pieces, some useful and some not so much, some debatable. I took a class and came away with zero knowledge of progressives except the advice not to buy one and all sorts of fanboy stuff about RCBS that was going to cost outside what I was considering spending at the time. I did know enough basics and gain enough confidence to proceed on my own. The subject does seem to beg for a comprehensive and modern reference.
Let's see, we brought back an 8 year old thread, about someone complaining a 30+ year old (40+??) beginner's reloading book wasn't modern and current and comprehensive???? And overpriced???
Am I missing something???
There is some useful info in the book, some things not found in reloading manuals, but its not meant to be anything more that that. Look at the title, people, "ABCs of ..."
I don't know what passes for school today, but in my day, one had to learn the ABCs (the letters of the alphabet) before one could learn how to spell words, and learning to spell words was needed before one could learn to read, and learning to read had to come before learning the details of grammar, etc.
Reading an "ABCs" book and thinking it alone will teach you to be a writer is simply delusional.
Am I missing something???
There is some useful info in the book, some things not found in reloading manuals, but its not meant to be anything more that that. Look at the title, people, "ABCs of ..."
I don't know what passes for school today, but in my day, one had to learn the ABCs (the letters of the alphabet) before one could learn how to spell words, and learning to spell words was needed before one could learn to read, and learning to read had to come before learning the details of grammar, etc.
Reading an "ABCs" book and thinking it alone will teach you to be a writer is simply delusional.