What books should I be on the lookout for if I wanted to start handloading? The more books, the merrier.Also, are there any good online databases you'd recommend? I just found out about Quickload (which is unfortunately not free), but I'd rather have some options in print, but a database could help. I see online databases as more of a supplement rather than a primary source of information because I might temporarily lose power or internet access.
>>62456002Any handloading manual from a major manufacturer like Hornady, Sierra. Berger, etc. will give you plenty of load data and a decent introduction to handloadinga catalog is just pure load data with no instructionsmost powder manufacturers maintain an online database for their own powders
>>62456002>What books should I be on the lookout for if I wanted to start handloading?grab a load manual pretty much any modern one will work. Lyman's are pretty good and cover most modern calibers. >but a database could help.Gordon's reloading tool is similar and very useful for a starting point for load development. also get a chronograph.
Grab every manual you can, lots available free online if you know where to look.Learn as much as you can, then get Quickload and Gordon's.
If you want to "get started handloading" then you don't need to waste money on a book, the contents and load data of which can be found online for free, for example Hodgdon's Reloading Data Center.Instead purchase pic related, read the directions, and start handloading.Simulation software like Quickload is for novelty and toying around with and should be avoided.
>>62456113>Simulation software like Quickload is for novelty and toying around with and should be avoided.That simulation software is as close as the brits can get to ballistics testing. Stop bullying them. LOL
>>62456002Lyman is the gospel for a lot of reloaders for a good reason. You don't need to go buying one immediately, as there are old editions like this one here [link below] available for free. Although, if you're interested in doing more modern cartridges with more modern powders, then older manuals won't have that info. I disagree with >>62456113 on a couple things. I wouldn't purely rely on the Hodgdon's reloading data center, as they're quite limited with what info they have available. I also wouldn't recommend one of those crappy Lee loader kits because a cheap c press and dies will still be super inexpensive, and give you the ability to reload a bunch more cartridges in the future. Also, software like Quickload and Gordon's reloading Tool is great, but should be avoided as a newbie until you know what you're doing, and is really made for dialing loads to be as accurate as possible.https://archive.org/details/LymanReloadingHandbook48thEdition2002Ocr
>>62456002Just watch some YouTube videos and start reloading. Be careful and work loads up carefully. It's not that hard. I like reloading rifle cartridges more than handgun. I thought it would be the opposite when I started reloading.
>>62456207The Lee Loader is and will remain the best starting point. A reloading hobbyist will always find use for a portable kit, which (unlike even the Lee Hand Press) works without additional die kits or priming systems.
>>62456235>Just watch some YouTube videos and start reloading.I know I can watch videos but I was hoping to have some offline material that could serve me if I was ever stuck offline. Lyman's seems like a good start.>I like reloading rifle cartridges more than handguns. I thought it would be the opposite when I started reloading.Cool, I think many people like me see all those cartridges that are not bottlenecked (.357 magnum/.38 special, 10mm, 9mm, .45 acp) and think, "This seems like an easy point to start."
>what book do I getSorry anon, this isn't something you learn by reading about it. Like fishing, hunting, etc., your father or grandfather was supposed to have taught you how to do this when you were a boy bordering on adolescence. And just like fishing or hunting or all the other things you weren't taught, you could probably go out and buy a Dillon and crank out a couple thousand rounds, but that wouldn't really be handloading and it wouldn't fulfill you, just like you could sit in a deer stand and blast the first deer that comes along and just take it to the deer processor, which wouldn't really be hunting and it wouldn't fulfill you either.There is a very small subset of autists who are able to teach themselves this sort of hobby and have a good time with it but that isn't you.
>>62456113quit shilling these gay fuckin hand presses, the cost difference between this and the one stage lee press is less than a brick of primers>>62456273>A reloading hobbyist will always find use for a portable kitlike when>>62456347you're a retard
>>62456366>costIgnorant fool. This was never about cost. This is a hobby. A beginner needs the most foolproof method and the Lee Loader provides it. Not having to adjust a handful of dies is a huge benefit for a beginner.
>>62456393if you're too retarded to adjust a die you're better off not reloading, plus you're wasting a whole lot of time sitting there hammering on your loader instead of just cranking a lever
>>62456393>Not having to adjust a handful of diesYou buy one set of 3 or 2, then you set them up and set the locking rings once to your preferred OAL and crimp. That's it. It's not hard to do and takes about 5 minutes for a non-mongoloid.
>>62456417>>62456492Wait until you learn how easy the Lee Loader is. And there isn't even a priming system to set up at all.Beginners need to get their feet wet and get a confidence boost.
>>62456511https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDZHx7zpYxEthis shit is no easier than a press and takes 5x as longI figured my press out in a day after reading my reloading handbook and the bit of paper they include with a set of dies
>>62456273>Accidentally set off 4 or 5 primers>Blistered fingers from the blast>Where is the load data? Probably in a drawer somewhere >Fuck it top off the casing with powder>Ram bullet in>Powder compressed into a diamond >Give the finished cartridge to my father in lawHehehe
>>62456511I'm kinda surprised lee loader makes enough money to pay shills on /k/ but holy shit are you persistent.
>>62456113this is well poisoning.
>>62456511>Beginners need to get their feet wet and get a confidence boost.Agreed. But the lee loader is also slow and tedious to use. That's also discouraging for a beginner. Starting with a fancy progressive press doesn't make much sense but there's no need to start at the stone age. A basic single-stage press is just as simple to use as the lee loader.
Does anyone know a good method of working up loads of unquantified powder?I know the old hatchers notebook method of starting from nothing and increasing powder load until pressure signs start showing, but are there any products like pressure trace still on the market?
>>62458234"Pressure signs" proper ones don't really tell you anything. Reading primers is even more useless than reading palms unless it is absolutely flat withs sharp edge or is leaking, by then you're pretty far over the line.All "pressure signs" correlate positively with pressure, but trying to discern anything from them is fruitless because you could be anywhere in a 40kpsi range when you see them. In other words if 60kpsi is max, then you're anwhere between 40kpsi and 80kpsi. Denton Bramwell has done an excellent job dispelling boomer bullshit from an era where they used CUP and PSI interchangeably.(although you can convert them and be confident you're within 3% of the correct number)Oehler stopped making pressure trace equipment unfortunately.
>>62458279
>>62458279Oehler still makes pressure equipment.PressureTrace is the one that stopped making shit.
>>62456347>Sorry anon, this isn't something you learn by reading about it.Bruh, even people who handload all the time need load data to not accidentally make a handload that'll blow up the gun.
>>62456002>The more books, the merrier.As others have pointed out you can't really go wrong with any of the big name handloading manuals. Hornady, Lyman, RCBS, Lee, etc, they are all good. If you are loading for older or obsolete cartridges then get some older manuals in your mix too as modern ones often have limited data for old cartridges.Beyond that, here are some specific recommendations:Sixguns by Elmer Keith and Hatcher's Notebook by Julian Hatcher both contain a lot of good information about handloading, powders, and associated topics. They are both well worth reading. Do not be fooled by the title "Sixguns", while revolvers are the focus of the book it has a lot of general purpose handloading info.If there ever was a "gun bible", The Gun and Its Development by W. W. Greener would be the old testament. It doesn't have any modern load data but it has a ton of associated information. It's out of print so you can read it free online. Honestly those three books are really good for anyone interested in guns or ballistics period, even if you aren't into handloading.If you are interested in forming your own brass to make wildcats or to load for obsolete cartridges it's hard to get brass for the two best books on that topic are The Handloader's Manual of Cartridge Conversions by Donnelly and Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges by Howell.The gold standard for shotgun loading is Advantages Manual Shotshell Encyclopedia by Ballistic Products Inc. BPI also has a number of other good shotgun data books specializing in things like slugs, brass hulls, small bores, etc, they are all good.The book _Propellant Profiles_ is a very handy reference to have, it provides information on different powders. Finally, Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders (2 volumes) by P. O. Ackley is the classic reference work for handloading specifically.
>>62456113>>62456188It is good if you want to get a rough idea for developing a wide variety of loads. Imo it gets you close and save some time.
>>62461396Software like Quickload is a very valuable tool IMHO. It can be misused but that is true of any tool. Do you need it for loading standard cartridges? Absolutely not. But it is great for learning about internal ballisics by helping to visalize how different variables affect pressure curves. It is also another data source you can consult in addition to books if you're working on a load for an obsolete cartridge, new wildcat, or new bullet weight. It's ability to predict pressure when the bullet exits the muzzle makes it useful for comparing the volume of different loads. Its ability to simulate different barrel lengths makes it useful for determining what barrel length you might want for a new gun or upper.Software is another tool in the handloader's toolbox. It shouldn't be the only one, but it absolutely is a useful one.
