Which reloading manual...

thanks for the info, but i actually spoke with a couple different bullet manufacturers & got my starting loads.
 
I prefer the Hodgdon yearly magazine loading manual because they normally have the latest new cartridges. From there, I use the powder manufactures manual for the powder I intend to use.

Bullet manufactures tend to show their bullets perform better than others and often times lower the powder charge of their competition to make their powder look better.

All are very conservative because of different barrels, chambers and loading process. Just because a manual shows a load as Minimum doesn't mean It is in your rifle/pistol.

J E CUSTOM

Like wise on firearms manufactures too. They show there loads and velocity, and compare to other rifles of same calibers. If looking hard at the spec. you will see the rifle they are writing about is using a 26" barrel and the others are using 24" or shorter barrels. So the velocities wouldn't be the same. I have something like 15 manuals that I can count from here, and possible another 4 or 5 at my reloading bench. I going to have to add some more, because of all the new rounds that at being built today. Being older not it's fun to watch.
I also note that the barrel life short too. So the loads are hot. I can remember about complains about the 220 swift and cutting out the barrel. I guess that doesn't apply any longer. I do like the info on velocities being shown. It make my 308 Norma Mag, 300 Win Mag and 338 Win Mag loading are well withing the ball park.

SSS
MIke
 
Sierra is my first source and I find their accuracy loads to be on the money. Lyman is another good manual due to them not making bullets so there is no bias. I was disappointed with the new Hornady manual, they show the 6.5CM is faster than the
6.5-284 Norma.
They have to make their baby look better than anything else if at all possible. marketing genius.
 
They have to make their baby look better than anything else if at all possible. marketing genius.

Not sure how much difference it makes but a custom Remington 24" 1:8" was used on 6.5 CM load testing while a custom T/C Encore 24" 1:9" for the 6.5-.284. The bottom line is that the end-user needs to synthesize the information being presented (as a safe guide) and formulate his or her "actual safe load development".
 
At one time some of the reloading manual were showing the 22-250 faster than the 220 swift. The reason they came up with the 22-250 was the complains that the 220 swift was burning out there barrel to fast. 1200 to 1500 rounds. Yes if you are running the 45 gr. bullet @ 4200 fps.
It depends who manual and what they selling. I references across several manual when setting up a new round that I don't have any experience with. I often look over manuals on loads that I have done in the past to see what has changed. Shotgun are big one that loads change all the time, because of new powders.
Several years ago I purchase a 500 Smith in a 4". I was reading in different magazines about hand loading on the 500 Smith. That there was a switch to a large rifle primer in stead of large pistol primes, do to the pistol primer was easier to set off. If I remember correctly people during the recoil were trigging the double action and hitting themselves in the head with the pistol. So my shooting partner call Hornady about the primers. They got to talking about different loads for rifle and what we came up with. Their manual at the time was new and outside case cover was upside down and backwords. It was the only manual that had loading on the 500 smith at the time. I note several years later that the newest reloading data match what we had came up with H110. That where we got the information that the federal 210 primers were coldest on the market. Later manuals match several loads that we had develop for the 500 smith.

SSS
Mike
 
I compare all of them. I have a binder that I have put together for each of the cartridges I load with data from the bullet and powder manufacturers. Once I develope a load for a certain bullet I put that information in a logbook and also on an app I have on my phone called Reload Logbook.
 
Not sure how much difference it makes but a custom Remington 24" 1:8" was used on 6.5 CM load testing while a custom T/C Encore 24" 1:9" for the 6.5-.284. The bottom line is that the end-user needs to synthesize the information being presented (as a safe guide) and formulate his or her "actual safe load development".

What surprised me was Hornady mentioned that their TC Encore Custom had a very short throat and a lot of the test loads were kept to a COAL of 2.880". The SAAMI max COAL for the 6.5-284 Norma is 3.228".

Back on track, I also find Modern Reloading 2nd Edition by Richard Lee a valuable source of loading info.
 
The Dynamics of this question cannot simply be found in one or two manuals. When I'm building a load for a particular rifle, the dynamics of the rifle come into play as do the bullet I intend to use and the velocity I'm seeking. First check the data from the manufacture of intended bullet, experiment with different powders always starting at the lower end of pressure working up until the accuracy I'm seeking is seen on paper. The whole time, continuously look for pressure spikes in the spent casing.
 
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