What's your "go to" reloading manual ?

What's your "go to" reloading manual mine would have to be Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd ed, for right now.

Barnes

I use Lymans 47th edition. A bit dated but still useful.

actually I go to them all .. I start with my Lee, then look at my Hornadys i have 3 then Speer and Lyman. One of these days im going to get a Sierra.
For some of my cartridges I have those spiral bound Manuals for that specific cartridge . It has excerpts from most of the majors .. I highly recommend those if they have on in the cartridge your looking for.

Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd ed is also my goto manual. Does "Pet Loads" count as a reloading manual? If it does then I have exactly two reloading manuals.

I start with the Lee 2nd Ed manual, then either go to the powder or bullet manufacturer's manual or web site. I also have both volumes of PO Ackley's Shooters Handbook.

I have PDF copies on my 'puter of companies like Ram Shot and Accurate, and they are helpful for the most recent update.

Like '06 I have specific ring bound manuals for my favorite and most loaded cartridges like the .44 mag, .357 mag, .45-70, etc. I use sticky notes and post it note flags and a highlighter to mark my favorite loads that my guns like.

The two ringbound cartridge manuals I use the most are the .357 and the .44. They were falling apart so I ended up tearing off the spiral bound spine, using a paper cutter to remove the frayed ends and 3-hole punched the pages and put them in a 3-ring binder.

I also collect Handloader mags and have those marked as I need. In my loading notes I always note where I got the load recipe from. I keep meticulous notes on how the load worked and ideas for change if needed.

Each of my guns and each T/C barrel has its own log book. Most shooters do not need to be so anal about record keeping but it helps me track repairs, modifications, damage, number of rounds, and what loads were shot through each.

For some of my wilder wildcats like the .22 Cheetah Mk1 and some of the stupid magnums like the 338-378 Wby, the log book helps me track throat erosion.

I realized that I needed to set the bullets a tad closer (technical term) to the lands in the .22 Cheetah T/C Encore barrel because of throat erosion. I noticed groups were opening up.

Groups were still well within minute-of-prarie-rate, but I needed to set the bullets about .001 closer. Groups closed up again to about 3/4 MOA which is where this barrel shoots most of the time.

Between the manuals and the note keeping helps me track my stuff.

Hodgdon.com

Lee Modern Reloading..... it's even liquid resistant as Taylor put to the test this weekend.

Lyman then the Lee manual. I also pull data from Hodgdon.com.

Nosler, Hornady, Speer, then I go online to powder manufactures and pull from their data. Then I compare everything and decide on which I want to use. Oh, I also use Lee. No special order as I look at em all...

There can't be only one!

I use the online data @ Hodgdon's the most...since they are my "goto" powder. I also have a Speer, Lee and Hornady manual I refer to...

Quickload also comes in handy...(when it's on a computer that actually works)

I also use Load From a Disk (when the 'puter works) which is handy if you are itchin to use powder not in the manuals for a cartridge.

I also got a lot of personal help from the nice folks at Ramshot. I was wanting to use their Xterminator and Enforcer powder in my 30-20 match Contender barrel.

A few back and forths phone calls and e-mails and we settled on actually using Hunter and TAC powder and using loads for the .327 Fed.

Works pretty well and the folks at Western Powder (who owns Ramshot) were very helpful and eager to assist me in burning more of their powder. I use a lot of the Ramshot TAC in my 5.56 and 223 rifles.

I also carry a subscription to Ammoguide.com. I recommed any reloader be familiar with the site. It is very handy when you are playing around with wildcats and thinking of getting barrels bored out to some stupid sized uber magnum that will cost about $5 a round to shoot (hmm that sounds familiar).

Ammoguide has a neat feature where you can visually copare rounds. It is how I learned that my .30 Herrett Encore barrel cannot be bored to 300 Whisper but 30 Bower Alaskan (based on the .307) or 309 JDJ are possible.

hawcer wrote:There can't be only one!

I use the online data @ Hodgdon's the most...since they are my "goto" powder. I also have a Speer, Lee and Hornady manual I refer to...

Quickload also comes in handy...(when it's on a computer that actually works)

Hmmmm, might be my next topic. Nah just kiddin' just tryin to wake everyone up around here.

Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd ED

Sierra - Lee - Lyman - Accurate when using there powder.

I use the book by the powder Co. Also like the Serra book also 3 is Lyman 49.

All the ones I own (Hornady, Lymann, Sierra, Nosler) and the interweb powder sites. I compare and start from there.

I use the powder book for the powder that I load all so the bullet book that way I have a good chance to get a accurate load quicker. I use a lot of Sierra bullets.

Just fell in love with Berger's manual