I’m sure I will want a few, but what one or two would you start out with? I’ve never reloaded, so I’m drinking from a fire hose right now. I think the Hornady is a staple, but I could be wrong.
I use Hornady, Hodgdon, Barnes, and Nosler. I compare the max loads and start 10% lower than the average of them.
I prefer Hornady’s app. It is quick and constantly updated
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There is so much data. I like the hodgdon reloading magazine. I ordered directly from them. Of course each supplier has data on their website. I do like the books. The Lyman book is good and tends to be a bit broader focus since they are not one of the component manufacturers. Bullet people will have a variety of powders. Powder people will have a variety of bullets. Of course Hodgdon makes most of the powders so lots of choices in that.
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I use the data from the Handloader Magazine. Hornady data makes sense also as they are flooding the market with new cartridges with data updates. The Nosler data you can just pull up on the internet I reference a lot to crosswalk data against other sources.
Just remember to always look at the way the load was tested in a particular reloading source.
They can vary by multiple components that will change how a load performs.
- Type of brass
- Seating depth of round
- Barrel length and twist rate
- Type of round used for the test
Good luck
That is it. They have articles and load data in the back. The books folks are mentioning are more comprehensive, but just reading some of the articles has helped me over the years. I don’t buy one very often, generally what I do is when I see one on the shelf, I grab it, check the tables for the calibers I shoot, and look to see if any data has changed; if not, then back on the shelf it goes.
For all the new PRC bullets, Hornady is of course the way to go.
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Yep, have the Hodgdon one also, like it as well as a reference.
thanks
One thing I like about the Hodgdon in this and it is marketing by them but it has a brief about each of their powders - all 79 of them. Kind of nice starting point if you are trying to find a powder for your cartridge. And there is a burn rate chart as well.
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It’s not a book, but I’ve been playing around with Gordon’s Reloading Tool and it’s amazing. I’m looking at building a 22 Creedmoor this year and it was super cool to get insight into what powders would give me a 100% burn rate, while staying under pressure, out of a 16” barrel.
Funny, I used it for the exact same thing.
I had a 7-mm-08 load that worked great in a 22-in gun but when I tried putting it in a 16-in gun it didn’t shoot well at all. I plugged the numbers into Gordon’s and found out that I was not getting 100% burn rate because of the short barrel. Played around with different powders and found one that gave me a 92% case fill, a 100% burn rate, and a pressure that’s under max. Loaded it up and that round is doing awesome.
Are you guys talking about the free download I see when doing an internet search for “Gordon’s Reloading Tool”? I got nervous when it said last stable release was in 2021 and thought better safe to find out if I’m looking at the right thing. Carter I have the exact same situation as you. I have two Weatherby 7mm-08s that seem to require the same shoulder bump, but my 19-inch Camilla and my 24-in Vanguard seem to want different bullets/powder. Have been trying for months to build a load for the Camilla using Varget. Nothing great. Stuck some CFE223 in, and initial 3-shot groups were WAY tighter. I hear great things about Gordon’s tool and would like to see if it can help.
That sounds like it. It will recommend that you download it and even run it off of a thumb drive. Not sure why but computer programming is not my thing.
It does not have some of the newer stuff like 7 PRC, but I believe there’s a discussion board where some people have started to come up with some formula for that.
Yeah, the 7-08 load that I had that worked great with the longer Barrel but not in the shorter was using varget. When I played around I found that N140 and benchmark should work, did not look at CFE 223. Thankfully my local Sportsman’s had some n140 in stock so I was able to pick it up without having to pay shipping and Hazmat fees. It worked beautifully right off the bat so I never even tried the benchmark. This is for my tight quarters rifle. I’ll probably never shoot anything beyond about 120 yards with it so I’m not looking for super extreme accuracy.
Thanks for getting me started, Carter. I downloaded GRT, got hooked on a Youtube channel called Little Crow Gunworks where I learned a bit about GRT. I see that Varget and CFE223 won’t burn 100% in my short barrel, but Varget will in my long barrel. I got some n140 and have began loading it to test in the short gun. Left a comment on a LittleCrow video and the reply was n140 or n135 for the short barrel. So, I’m on the right track…
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Vitahvuori has a free app with a lot of reloading tables.
I use Nosler, Hodgen, lee and sierra