Smith & Wesson Forum

Go Back   Smith & Wesson Forum > Ammunition-Gunsmithing > Reloading
o

Notices

Reloading All Reloading Topics Go Here


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 09-04-2009, 01:08 PM
maxxpower maxxpower is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default best HANDGUN reloading manual...

Is there a good reloading manual/book that focuses ONLY on handguns?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-04-2009, 01:44 PM
tjpopkin's Avatar
tjpopkin tjpopkin is offline
SWCA Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Silver Spring, MD
Posts: 1,551
Likes: 104
Liked 3,168 Times in 604 Posts
Default

Not that I know of ......
Hornady; Sierra manuals are very good, esp. for their bullets. The Lyman manual is great at la..
Terry
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-04-2009, 02:06 PM
Treeman Treeman is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Colorado
Posts: 392
Likes: 5
Liked 60 Times in 44 Posts
Default

Lyman Pistol and Revolver Handbook.............but more recent and up to date data Lyman's complete book is the way to go.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-04-2009, 02:38 PM
mstuhr's Avatar
mstuhr mstuhr is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sainte Genevieve MO
Posts: 1,263
Likes: 991
Liked 565 Times in 234 Posts
Default Lyman = Cast bullet data

Howdy,
I like the Lyman as it has a lot of cast bullet data.
Thanks
Mike
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-04-2009, 04:08 PM
kennyb's Avatar
kennyb kennyb is offline
SWCA Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,895
Likes: 736
Liked 1,208 Times in 737 Posts
Default

i like hornandy/lyman/speer
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-04-2009, 07:59 PM
Rule3's Avatar
Rule3 Rule3 is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 22,063
Likes: 10,777
Liked 15,464 Times in 6,787 Posts
Default

I recommend more than one book.

Lee Modern reloading has the best list of almost all calibers and powders at the end of the book, plus it is the least expensive and kinda fun to read even though he plugs Lee equipment. (Hey it's his book)

I use the Speer #14 a lot also.
and third I use Lyman which is also a good book for lead bullets but never seems to have the one I am looking for
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #7  
Old 09-04-2009, 08:02 PM
snw19_357's Avatar
snw19_357 snw19_357 is offline
Moderator
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: May 2006
Location: N.AZ
Posts: 3,837
Likes: 579
Liked 2,308 Times in 576 Posts
Default

+1 for the Lee Modern Reloading.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-04-2009, 10:17 PM
nitesite's Avatar
nitesite nitesite is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Morgan County Alabama -
Posts: 440
Likes: 156
Liked 134 Times in 58 Posts
Default

The Lee manual borrows load data from other sources, IIRC, and does not do their own tests.

I like the Hornady and Lyman manuals over the others, but I also refer to my Sierra and Speer books as well (although I don't actually use many of their bullets so their data is rarely very relavent to me) .

My vote is for Lyman.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-05-2009, 02:33 AM
canoe on the yukon canoe on the yukon is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 466
Likes: 0
Liked 36 Times in 10 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by maxxpower View Post
Is there a good reloading manual/book that focuses ONLY on handguns?

Specifically for handguns.....Sierra prints one and so does Lyman (at least,they used to).I'd recommend several manuals rather than one or two.Data will be different although some of the manuals simply REPRINT a lot of their data for a number of years.Be aware of that and choose accordingly.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 09-05-2009, 12:16 PM
sar4937 sar4937 is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: southeast nebraska
Posts: 1,612
Likes: 731
Liked 330 Times in 166 Posts
Default

Although they seem poorly compiled, the caliber specific books that you see have info from all the various books. But they lack they info they other's provide.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 09-05-2009, 05:56 PM
maxxpower maxxpower is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

I have the Hornady book and that's what prompted my question. LOTS of info about rifle loading and I want something good specific to handguns.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 09-05-2009, 06:41 PM
Rule3's Avatar
Rule3 Rule3 is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 22,063
Likes: 10,777
Liked 15,464 Times in 6,787 Posts
Default

That's why I like the Lee which have complete charts on pretty much every caliber and combination of weight and powder.

Yes they are compiled from different sources but they are all there together in one place, and are not bullet brand specific.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 09-05-2009, 09:07 PM
Centenniel Centenniel is offline
Member
best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual... best HANDGUN reloading manual...  
Join Date: May 2004
Location: South Eastern TN USA
Posts: 736
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times in 8 Posts
Default

Hodgdon makes an excellent manual.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 09-05-2009, 10:31 PM
danski danski is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 316
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Besides Speer, Hornaday and Lyman, I've also gone on-line in recent years to check the powder manufacturers' recommendations and see
how they compare to the books' data.

Just call up Winchester etc. powders and then narrow search to pistol/revolver rounds.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 09-06-2009, 01:54 PM
Jellybean Jellybean is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,698
Likes: 6
Liked 351 Times in 243 Posts
Default

Lee's "Modern Reloading" is priced cheap enough, like most of their products, but that's where their advantages end. Their data, which is taken from other sources, is based on "their" equipment. Look closely at their starting loads, they will list it in grains and then list which disk or dipper to use to get that load. There are times when the lightest load they can find that will fit into their equipment is the max load. Hence you will have a start load and max load of the same amount of powder, sometimes they are very close. Also the reference section sounds more like an advertising blurb than anything else, and is full of BS about why his equipment is better than everyone elses'. I don't recommend it to anyone.

Manuals by the powder and bullet companies are O.K., but they are aimed at providing data for "their" products. You might not get data for a certain bullet weight or for lead bullets, or for a variety of powders. They do usually cover the loading processes pretty well. Sierra did make a handgun only version a few years ago, and I think others have at times, but these seemed more at making them money by selling two books instead of one, than they did at specialization. Of these, (Sierra, Speer, Hornady, Accurate, etc, etc) I usually prefer Speers manual the most for handguns.

Lyman has made three Pistol and Revolver manuals, that deal only with handguns. The first one has data for cap and ball and muzzle loading pistols, and has a lot of ballistics tables but very little loading reference material. I don't recomment this one either. Numbers two and three are excellent choices. However, there is one possible down side. There have been a number of new cartridges introduced since number three was published, so if you are shooting a newer round you might want to make sure it's in them.

The other Lyman manuals will have some of the same data, their reference sections vary and you might not get as much material specifically for handguns. The nice thing about Lyman manuals is they include data for a variety of bullets and powder and offer data for bullets made from their moulds. They are usually pretty good all around choices, but I was a little ticked off at number 49. Being a .41 mag shooter I went to their .41 mag data section and found they had dropped all their .41 mould designs and, therefore, all their .41 lead bullet data. But unless you have that same infliction, it shouldn't be a problem.

Last edited by Jellybean; 09-06-2009 at 01:57 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
hornady, winchester

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Reloading manual. LMWIS Reloading 32 01-02-2015 10:14 PM
What's your go-to reloading manual? SLT223 Reloading 33 11-05-2014 03:42 PM
Favorite reloading manual? zzzippper Reloading 45 03-06-2014 08:01 PM
Reloading Manual Ssmack Reloading 14 03-01-2013 05:37 AM
Which reloading manual should I buy? Rule3 Reloading 15 02-09-2009 02:46 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
smith-wessonforum.com tested by Norton Internet Security smith-wessonforum.com tested by McAfee Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:43 AM.


Smith-WessonForum.com is not affiliated with Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC)