Reloading Guide Updates?

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Itsa Bughunt

New member
How often do reloading guides need to be updated?

I was bidding on an older Hornady 4th edition guide, and got outbid. The 10th edition is the current one, but I found a 9th edition listed as a buy it now for substantially less.
I also got a Lyman guide included with a powder scale I just got. There's no dates on anything, and there's the conspicuous absence of a website to go to for information.
 
The 9th edition is $13.99 right now on Amazon. How cheap do you want it for?

Most of the major powder manufacturers have websites with load data.
 
The latest manuals have the new bullets manufacturers have added plus some of the latest new or recently introduced powders. A few new calibers may be added depending on which companies manual. If I were buying a Hornady manual I'd buy the latest 10th edition. No. 9 would the farthest back I'd buy. Number 4 is ancient. However as you may already know lots of the data in manuals is simply repeated in every manual. I shoot a lot of Hornady's bullets so I keep up with their new manuals. I have them all back to Hornady 3rd and maybe older?
 
Any issue more than 2 behind the current edition of handloading manual(or more than 5 years old) is only good for reference. Just my opinion-powder lots and bullet manufacturing processes change.
 
All manuals new or old are a little off each direction. That's why I compare as many as I can get my hands on. In this case buy #9 and be happy.
 
I would buy one hard copy reloading manual for reference...

and then rely on online data ( primarily from the powder mfg's ...like Hodgdon)...they will update the online data if they reformulate a powder or do some additional testing.

I don't see a need to keep current hard copy reloading recipe manuals around...( I've been reloading off and on for over 50 years )...and manuals can be interesting historical reads...but not that useful.../ but what is very useful is the hard copy manuals with your press - I do download new additions to my MEC or Dillon presses, if they have updates, and print them for my own reference.
 
I always recommend one manual by the bullet manufacturer for the bullets you use and one from the powder manufacturer for the powder you use. I have quite a few manuals and manufacturers web sites bookmarked. I also keep detailed records for every powder and bullet combination that I have ever worked with.
The way that bullets construction is changing now it is more important to have the bullet manufacturers data than it ever was in the past. It used to be that you could interchange data for the same weight bullet but today you can't do that because materials and construction changes each year. Harder bullets and longer bullets in the same weight need to be loaded differently.
 
"...no dates on anything..." Look on the page with the copyright stuff. All books have that.
"...was bidding..." Don't do that(especially on E-Bay. They're extremely anti-firearm ownership) unless you're collecting reloading manuals. Said manuals don't get updated by the manufacturers as often as everybody thinks. A new manual probably uses the same data as the previous edition for most cartridges. Unless a new powder comes along. Costs too much to retest everything every few years.
Anyway, Lyman is your friend. Their book is far more versatile than any bullet or powder maker's book. Those have data for their products only. And some like Lee, test nothing themselves. Lyman has more loads using more powders and bullet weights(who made the bullet doesn't matter) than any bullet or powder maker's book.
You can buy a manual in your local gun shop, Amazon, directly from Lyman or any manufacturer's site.
 
(who made the bullet doesn't matter)
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It might matter quite a lot.

Different manufacturers use different alloys in jackets or (making for different friction), core or no jacket or core (solid bullets)..... different profiles (different amount of bearing surface) in the same bullet weights ..... one of the many reasons to start at the start load when changing any component....
 
There are a number of new powders and for sure new bullets come out in the last few years.

Yes you can fill in, I like to keep at least one current manual and I prefer Hornady or Sierra (which is pretty dated now)

As Hornady came out with a newer one first, its the one I will go with.

The 9th edition will sit at the computer with me as the subject comes up on loads often and along with a couple other ones it gives me a reference without going to the other end of the house.

I keep a real old one in the shop for cross reverence (Honrady and a Lymans).

As for the powder companies, I look at their data but I do run up past mid range loads fairly often if just testing and a bullet mfg for a specific bullet is safe. You can figure some of those listing multiple bullets with the same loads are under loaded, but safe is good.

You can always nudge higher carefully particularly if other sources with similar bullets say so and or the powder generic bullet.

Keep in mind, when you are up around max, a miner change like a primer mfg of a bullet that looks the same and same weight but is a different mfg can push you over the safe edge.

The powder mfgs don't' give you case, primer or gun their tests are fired in.
 
Hodgdon reloading data ....does in fact give you .....the case, the twist, the primer, the barrel length ...you don't need the mfg of the gun info.
 
The 9th edition Hornady manual has a great article at the beginning titled, "Reloading and Bullet Accuracy". It's about 10 pages and illustrated. This part was very enlightening to me. I've been shooting 40+ years and had never been exposed to a lot of what they talk about. Yet it's information I now think is necessary before even starting to reload.

Ebay vs. Amazon vs. LGS vs. Walmart. Treat them like dispensing machines. Most have no customer service outside selling you something. For buying this manual, Ebay won.
 
The 9th edition is $13.99 right now on Amazon. How cheap do you want it for?
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Was just at one of those Gander Mountains closing down and they had it for $39.99 with 10% off. No wonder they filed for bankruptcy.
 
"...no dates on anything..." Look on the page with the copyright stuff. All books have that.
Click to expand...

This is just a little 70 page booklet they include with a scale. No copyright page at all. But there was a date of 2/87 in tiny print at the bottom of the cover.

They're extremely anti-firearm ownership) unless you're collecting reloading manuals.
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EBay has a lot of firearms related stuff. It's about the easiest place to find and compare things, then one can actually buy wherever.
 
They updated annually to add current information, articles and new powders. Some data can be updated, but that seems rare. I have 2-3. I see updating one every 5 years often enough.


I use a lot of titegroup, aa#5, and Longshot. How new of a manual do I need?

I also rarely read the articles.
 
I always read the articles. Great stuff.

Good one on head space and cartridge to chamber relationships.

I got the Hornady 10.

Was just at one of those Gander Mountains closing down and they had it for $39.99 with 10% off. No wonder they filed for bankruptcy.
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Local gun shop has Number 9 for $40, phew.
 
I get the annual guides for Alliant and Hodgdon.
I regularly check for updates on manufacturers websites.
I have Lee #2, Sierra Edition 5, Nosler 4, Hornady, Berger all an hardback.

I have Vitavhuori, Lyman, Speer, Western Powder on the computer.
 
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