Good Load Data Source for Poor People

About the cheapest thing without being free is the Hornady reloading app.
It seems to cover everything well enough and gets you in the door for a buck.
The free data like hodgdon also has some reloading instruction, but I have yet to find anything I particularly like for a new loader
 
There are several websites with free access to digital images of older Lyman reloading manuals if you search. Speer #11 likewise, and my favorite manuals are Lyman and Speer. May be some sites with free access to other manuals, I have not searched. Of course older manuals will not have information on newer powders and newer calibers, but so what?
 
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I have lots of manuals, but I have a few other sources I don't think have been listed.

Handloader magazine articles are outstanding. Brian Pearce is truly amazing. Maybe the very best writer, rather than seller, of handloading information today. Many of their articles are available online free and contain Extensive research testing and load data.

I'm also a fan of the folks on Castboolits.gunloads.com
Take everything on the net with a grain of salt, but castboolits has a pretty good group of experienced handloaders. I always check any load data against 3 other sources before I feel comfortable.

I have a 4" thick 3-ring binder of the best of the best articles, that is as valuable to me as any manual. I also have my own rigorous testing log (spreadsheet) with a library full of load data. It goes about 50 pages on all my calibers of my real-world experiences.

I'm not normally this obsessive/compulsive, but here I do love the process.


Prescut
 
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I have over a dozen old editions of Handloader's Digest. Not sure if it is still published, but lots of good data there also. I occasionally go through them.
 
DWalt said:
There are several websites with free access to digital images of older Lyman reloading manuals if you search. Speer #11 likewise, and my favorite manuals are Lyman and Speer. May be some sites with free access to other manuals, I have not searched. Of course older manuals will not have information on newer powders and newer calibers, but so what?
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I'm aware of them and used them to supplement my collection of data.
The lost loads of yesterday flesh things out at times.
Good call ... They do cover procedure and pressure signs
 
Alliant has published an unusually complete and lengthy (95 pages) 2023 online reloading resource guide for their propellants at https://www.alliantpowder.com/resou...iantPowderReloadersGuide_SinglePgsNoCrops.pdf You will probably find it useful if you use Alliant propellants.

The only issue is that it provides only what they consider as being maximum safe propellant charges for each cartridge/bullet/powder combination. Lesser loads are up to you to decide. That is pretty much how Hercules/Alliant has always provided reloading data for their powders.
 
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DWalt said:
Alliant has published an unusually complete and lengthy (95 pages) 2023 online reloading resource guide for their propellants at https://www.alliantpowder.com/resou...iantPowderReloadersGuide_SinglePgsNoCrops.pdf You will probably find it useful if you use Alliant propellants.

The only issue is that it provides only what they consider as being maximum safe propellant charges for each cartridge/bullet/powder combination. Lesser loads are up to you to decide. That is pretty much how Hercules/Alliant has always provided reloading data for their powders.
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Never noticed that it only lists max loads! Don't use Alliant products so never been an issue. I do use the Western PDF though as it is extensive in its load data:

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB-1.pdf
 
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I have an older Sierra manual which is good, as for every powder and bullet, there is a table provided which shows the propellant charge vs. MV. For example, if you want to make up a .270 load using a 150 grain spitzer bullet (a Sierra bullet of course) having a MV of 2500 f/s, it will tell you how many grains of each of several different powders it will take to get it.
 
BE Mike said:
This kind of talk is what keeps a lot of folks scared of the thought of reloading. "Not everyone has the personality to safely reload ammo", but for most folks, it not only is possible, but desirable for a special load that isn't available commercially or for cost savings (priced a box of factory .38 SPL match wadcutter ammo lately). Sometimes a reloader will load a batch of ammo that worked in other guns. He gets a new gun and they don't function well. That doesn't mean that they are unsafe, just that they need some tweaking for the new gun or it could mean that a die got a tiny bit out of adjustment.
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Began handloading when I was 12 and I am now 72. I don't honestly know how many rounds I have loaded or how many bullets I have cast. I shot a lot of competition over the years from NRA Bullseye and IHMSA to CMP X-course. With the exception of factory .22 LR, all ammo was handloaded. I have taught my children and others to handload and find it an extremely rewarding endeavor.



This does not make me the leading guru of handloading by any means but does give me an alert signal when I see obvious signs of gross malfunctions. If they were to put the gun away or switch to another box of ammo would be one thing, but no, they reload and go through the "process" again...and again...

I have quoted within your statement above not to be discourteous but to indicate the simple fact that you, as have most of us, come across this "person" at some point in our life experience. To continue pounding on the ejector rod, pounding the slide home or picking up the empties and wondering why the rim is torn and then load the gun again with the same ammo isn't really about reloading... its about this "person", as "I" see it.



Thanks for reading and you can stand beside them in the next lane if you choose but I'm going to the car for a coffee till the situation resolves itself...
 
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I’ve had no trouble downloading data sheets from the various component manufacturers.

I’m neither poor nor cheap, this just seems to be a good way to get the most up-to-date info.
 
I have literally $1000's of dollars worth of reloading equipment. After 50+ years of loading, experimenting, chronographing, and writing down loads, I still refer to the many manuals I have when starting a new caliber or bullet. As far as reading about pressure I have stated several times to read PO Ackleys' chapters on pressure. I use His load data along with Ken Waters book and several others like Speer, Hornaday, nosler, and Lyman. If You can afford the reloading equipment, You can afford the data. Or You could blow something up, like Your hand, Your eyes, or someone else's.
 
Lots of interesting reading before my afternoon nap.

Some people have no aptitude for tools or craftsmanship. So just like some auto mechanics are not any good the same goes for reloaders.

Rant off ..
 
Sometimes the peripheral background information found in most manuals is just as useful as the actual load charts.
I am particularly attached to the regular full-sized manual and their Cast Bullet Manual.
The Sierra Bullet Company ring binder manual has been another favorite of mine since the 1970’s.
 
dave1918a2 said:
I have literally $1000's of dollars worth of reloading equipment. After 50+ years of loading, experimenting, chronographing, and writing down loads, I still refer to the many manuals I have when starting a new caliber or bullet. As far as reading about pressure I have stated several times to read PO Ackleys' chapters on pressure. I use His load data along with Ken Waters book and several others like Speer, Hornaday, nosler, and Lyman. If You can afford the reloading equipment, You can afford the data. Or You could blow something up, like Your hand, Your eyes, or someone else's.
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I love the Ken Waters Pet Loads manuals, even though much oh the information is pretty dated.
 
dave1918a2 said:
I have literally $1000's of dollars worth of reloading equipment. After 50+ years of loading, experimenting, chronographing, and writing down loads, I still refer to the many manuals I have when starting a new caliber or bullet. As far as reading about pressure I have stated several times to read PO Ackleys' chapters on pressure. I use His load data along with Ken Waters book and several others like Speer, Hornaday, nosler, and Lyman. If You can afford the reloading equipment, You can afford the data. Or You could blow something up, like Your hand, Your eyes, or someone else's.
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Very true; excellent post. All the books you mentioned are basic but very good sources.

Many are reluctant to spend money on load manuals these days as they think everything is online. It's not, not even close to what you'll find in paper-published load books and some magazines.

And there's no better way to learn handloading than to read the front of the manuals to develop an understanding of the handloading process even if you have a bonafide expert show you how to do things. Far, far better than most online sources.
 
smoothshooter said:
I love the Ken Waters Pet Loads manuals, even though much oh the information is pretty dated.
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A fine reference source. Maybe dated but most of it still useful. Little or none of it was pressure tested. It might be a good idea to check it against current data, but Ken Waters was often conservative in his load development. He had a greater interest in accuracy than maximum velocity.
 
You can find free full copies af Phil Sharpe's Guide to Handloading online. It is from 1937 and is perhaps the first thorough reloading manual published. It is full of information about components of that distant time, some of which are still available, such as the Hercules and DuPont propellants. And tons of reloading recipes. It is a large book and well worth reading for its historical content alone. BTW, Phil Sharpe was one of the leading gun and ammunition writers of his time, up there with Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor, and is considered to be the father of the .357 Magnum cartridge. Complete Guide to Handloading (Sharpe 1937) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
 
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DWalt said:
You can find free full copies af Phil Sharpe's Guide to Handloading online. It is from 1937 and is perhaps the first thorough reloading manual published. It is full of information about components of that distant time, some of which are still available, such as the Hercules and DuPont propellants. And tons of reloading recipes. It is a large book and well worth reading for its historical content alone. BTW, Phil Sharpe was one of the leading gun and ammunition writers of his time, up there with Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor, and is considered to be the father of the .357 Magnum cartridge. Complete Guide to Handloading (Sharpe 1937) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
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I had forgotten about Sharpe. Good book. In addition to his work on the .357 Magnum, he designed the original .357 Magnum bullet which became the Hensley & Gibbs #51, a 160 grain SWC; still an excellent .38 Special and .357 Magnum bullet.
 
venomballistics said:
About the cheapest thing without being free is the Hornady reloading app.
It seems to cover everything well enough and gets you in the door for a buck.
The free data like hodgdon also has some reloading instruction, but I have yet to find anything I particularly like for a new loader
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Sinclair has the best presentation on reloading that I’ve come across:
Sinclair Reloading Series Part 1: Introduction to Reloading - YouTube

No, it’s not exciting and it is rather outdated in terms of style. However, the substance is there.

Online data sources:
Hodgdon, Alliant, and Vihtavuori all have published data

The Sierra app isn’t expensive. It includes a lot of great data and step-by-step instructions.

[cue broken record] Bullet manufacturers are the best data source for their projectiles. Call them.

You do need a certain mindset to hand load safely. You don’t have to be OCD, but attention to detail, measuring everything, and following specific procedures is necessary. If you don’t like studying data at least a bit, if your refuse to RTFM, if your knee jerk response to detailed directions is 🤬 that, I suggest that you apply your energy to earning money so that you can BUY ammo.
 
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