This is the book I used when I got started reloading about 10 years ago, and this book gave me just what I needed. When I first got the itch to load my own ammunition, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information and terminology involved in this fascinating field/hobby. It was very difficult to take all the individual pieces of information that I had and form it into an understandable process. I was snowed in under a blizzard of data that I was piecing together through chat rooms and web sites. Everyone was very helpful - basically shooters are the most helpful people I know - but still I was just getting fragments without a solid, complete overview. Phrases like "roll crimp", "seating and sizer dies," and "headspace" came at me in a blizzard. I could look up each phrase, understand each one as a piece, but still the whole picture was fuzzy. In essence, that is what this book will do for you: turn it all into a coherent, linear whole. The writing is very solid and clear, the illustrations are well done and helpful, and the information is very complete. After reading this book, the entire process made sense to me, and more importantly, I was fully warned about the does and don'ts of the reloading world. The coverage is very complete. Primers, powders, bullets and cases are explained with regard to nomenclature and history. All necessary tools and accessories are discussed and explained. This is just a great book. It won't make you an expert (only actual reloading for years will do that), but it will put you on the right road if you wish to become one. --Mykal Banta The ABCs Of Reloading: The Definitive Guide for Novice to Expert
I've been reloading for about 15 years for everything from practical pistol to NRA highpower, hunting loads for military surplus guns and everything in between. I have the reloading manuals put out by reloading equipment manufacturers (such as Lyman and Lee) as well as those put out by powder and bullet manufacturers (e.g. Speer, Accurate). So compared to a beginner, I am a fairly advanced reloader. Nevertheless, I always want to know more, get new ideas, and so forth.
This book is comprehensive in that it puts forth a great deal of information relevant to reloading rifle, pistol and shotgun. But it doesn't just cover the basics -- it also goes into a great deal of depth on subjects not covered in other reloading manuals.
One example is one of the most perplexing questions facing a new handloader: when the powder manufacturer gives a particular "starting" and "maximum" load for a given bullet weight, and the bullet manufacturer gives different information ... whose do you use?
This book also describes practically every imaginable piece of equipment you might want, goes into important detail about concepts such as "headspace" and includes specific advice for handloading for different purposes such as big game hunting or varminting.
I recommend this book highly for both beginning and experienced reloaders. For beginners, it will allow you to start with a level of knowledge that would ordinarily take years to acquire. For more experienced reloaders, it gives valuable information on the peculiarities of some of the new cartridges and bullet offerings.
This book is well worth its price and then some -- it belongs on your bookshelf if you are considering reloading.
Why do I give this book 4 stars, but still give a critical statement about it in the title of my review. Well, for starters, this book is written in magazine style as I call it. The author typically puts out a lot of information in the style of a magazine article. What this means is that as problems crop up, you are ushered to a purchasable solution at your local store. Why is this NOT a good writing style, because it costs you unnecessary money and shows a gross lack of thought and research on the part of the author. It is almost like the author did a lot of research, but has not had a lot of practical experience on the subject that he writes about.
What I did not like about the book at hand was that it recommended full length resizing of the cartridge casing (fine if you are using it in an automatic rifle, NOT necessary at all if you are using a bolt action rifle). Full length resizing stresses the cartridge too much, compared to neck sizing it. This leads to premature cartridge casing failure (if you do not periodically ANNEAL the cartridge case neck) Annealing is NEVER mentioned in the book. What the author recommends is full length cartridge case resizing, no annealing, inspect casing for damage, discard damaged (which could have been prevented by ANNEALING). Thanks, more stuff to BUY. Us old guys neck size cartridges and anneal them every 4th or 5th loading to preserve our brass. BUY is a word used by marketing driven magazine writers, NOT old reloaders who know their stuff. Further more, Once a cartridge is fired in a rifle it has had its headspace perfectly adjusted for that gun. Just neck size it and periodically anneal it by standing the cases up in a pan of water and heating the neck red hot before knocking them over. Then deprime, neck size, reprime and reload them. Cases can last a lot longer and shoot a lot more accurately if this procedure (not mentioned in the book) is followed.
In the books defense, it is a decent read and will give you a lot of good information about reloading your own bullets.
Happy reading, Darian Paganelli
This book came highly recommended by members of a forum on reloading. I was not disappointed. I will recommend it myself. The book covers the bases and is easy to read. You will need to add other books to your library, ( such as load data for specific calibers ) but this is a very good place to start.
Now I believe over the years the editor of this book has changed. I have a 6th edition. Chapters in the book are written by different authors, however, the editors did a wonderful job of putting together information that will make you feel a lot more confident about reloading.
The book covers everything from casting bullets, to the differences of powders. And since it is not about just one companies products, suggestions like the homemade powder dipper, abound. It also explains such facts as why working out your own loads for your own guns will give you better accuracy. And gives an in-depth look at how to tell if a bullet case is bad and shouldn't be used. And it is much more readable than a manual.
I also recommend getting a copy of Learn Handgun & Rifle Reloading in Under 41 Minutes: 2007 Edition. This is the only video I've found that covers every step in the reloading process, so you can see what the manuals are talking about. With both the book and the video you'll not only understand what you are doing but know exactly how to do it. - Ammunition - Handloading - Reloading Book - Handloading Equipment'
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