Cast Reloading Books

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Last Post 13 December 2022

Standard Member

Wm Cook posted this 12 December 2022

The only source I have/use is the Lyman #4.

Technically that’s not absolutely true because I have older Lyman’s and the 1st RCBS manual but consider them keepers rather than users.

What other cast loading reference manuals do you use. Thanks, Bill.

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Mfitz717 posted this 12 December 2022

I think the lee manual has some info for there cast bullets but other than that there’s not many other books that come to mind.

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beltfed posted this 12 December 2022

I will suggest that the Lyman CBH Number 3 is a good 'adder" to the Number 4, If you can find one....

The Numbrer 3 CBH has some older load data with different powders to compliment the number 4

ALSO, The Number 3 has exterior ballistics tables for many of the Lyman bullets. Can help a person

when sighting in and looking for drop values vs Zero values

beltfed/arnie

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Aaron posted this 12 December 2022

I use every one I can get my hands on. The older manuals have load data for what are now considered "obsolete" cartridges like the 25-20. Different manuals favor certain powders over other powders. With a dozen manuals on-hand, one can usually find a load with the powder I have on-hand. I would rather have a little too much information rather than too little information. :-)

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RicinYakima posted this 12 December 2022

Complete Guide to Handloading by Phil Sharpe has loads for the first 100 years of cartridge reloading. Start low as some of his stuff is hot, but most is right from the powder companies.

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CBA Regional Director

MarkinEllensburg posted this 12 December 2022

Lyman 48 has quite a bit of cast data. Older than that I would surmise has even more.

Lee's Modern Reloading has a good bit of cast data.

What seems to be lacking is data from the powder manufactures for the newer powders, or more available powders.

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Standard Member

Wm Cook posted this 13 December 2022

Funny how prices change from back in the day. Phil Sharpe‘s book Complete Guide to Handloading is available on Amazon for $120, Lyman’s 1st cast book is on e bay for $80.

Just remembered after starting this is that I have the first Lyman cast book boxed up somewhere. Sold our house, downsized, bought a house in late August and I’m in the middle of setting up my new casting/reloading work area. The only reference book I kept in my “gotta have this with me at all times” stuff durning the move was the current Lyman book. Darn thing covers cartridges from the Hornet to the 50cal’s.

Does everyone cross reference powders, charges, and their referenced bullet weights from load manuals to arrive at a starting charge for load development using what powders, bullet weights that you have to work with? Take care, Bill.

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RicinYakima posted this 13 December 2022

At least three, and sometimes five. The reason is that I have lots of old lots of powder, 50 plus years, and use starting loads from when the powder was made for reference. Attached are my reloading manuals.

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CBA Member

Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 13 December 2022

i have Wolfe Publishing's ... * Bullet Making Annual * ... 1990 ... fun read and mostly cast ... as far as I know, it was also their last annual ... hah ..

Of course, maybe the very best was the NRA cast book of about 1958 ... got me all excited about the potential and practicality of cast ...

ken

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lotech posted this 13 December 2022

I guess I have close to fifty handloading manuals going back to the Lyman and Speer books of the 'fifties and 'sixties plus a number of books on bullet casting along with all of the HANDLOADER'S DIGEST from #1 in 1962 up through #18. I seldom do any cross-referencing these days, but all these would be among the last of my gun books to go. A lot of the information in them is not available on the Internet or anywhere else.

Along with the Wolfe Publishing books on cast bullets already mentioned is the hardbound "Art of Bullet Casting" published about forty years ago. It includes many cast bullet articles from HANDLOADER and RIFLE magazines from '66 through '81. I don't know whether or not this one is still available from Wolfe.

The latest Wolfe "special edition" cast bullet annual I have is from 1992. I'm not sure, but this may have been the last one they did.