Time to retire some old manuals.

[NationalMatch]

I'm working up load data for 44 mag revolver for Hornady 180 gr jhp.

Powders on hand: Win 231, Titegroup, Accurate #5, Unique and two Vihtvuori offerings.

In my 2021 Hodgdon reloading manual, the load for 231: 10 gr for 1327 fps; max 12.0 gr for 1509 fps.

In my 1978 Lyman Pistol and Revolver Handbook, for 231: 10.2 gr for 1077 fps; max 13.0 gr for 1267 fps.

I guess it's time to retire the Lyman manual? Ditto the '79 vintage Speer.

 

[turkeyrun]

Nope, I keep them all.

New books list POPULAR and NEW cartridges and new powders.

Old manuals list older cartridges.
New Nosler doesn't have any .30 Carbine data. '83 Hornady has .30 Carbine.
Nosler has .327Fed, Hornady doesn't.

Newer manuals are more conservative.
Powder lots can vary.

I rarely load anywhere near MAX and approach it very slowly. Best accuracy is normally somewhere in the middle.

In my revolver, 231 achieves optimum accuracy at 11.4 gr.
Your listing of 10 gr - 12.0 gr and 10.2 gr - 13.0 gr are good. Given those 2 listing on a new (to me) cartridge, I would begin with 11.0 gr, 11.2 gr, 11.4 gr, 11.6 gr and 11.8 gr. Loading 5 rounds of each and comparing.

All data is good. Send me that Lyman, don't throw it away.

 

[WoodsCraft]

I still work with old manuals and have a large collection going back to the 1930's . What makes you think its time to retire them ?

 

[rocketman]

I use a 1984 Hornady manual alongside my new one. It has some differences that are convenient such as test barrel length and different powders. But for the most part, they've bee reprinting the same data and info for decades.

 

[GeneW]

This is an excellent topic. Thanks for posting

 

[BillM]

Nope, I keep them all.

New books list POPULAR and NEW cartridges and new powders.

Old manuals list older cartridges.
New Nosler doesn't have any .30 Carbine data. '83 Hornady has .30 Carbine.
Nosler has .327Fed, Hornady doesn't.

Newer manuals are more conservative.
Powder lots can vary.

I rarely load anywhere near MAX and approach it very slowly. Best accuracy is normally somewhere in the middle.

In my revolver, 231 achieves optimum accuracy at 11.4 gr.
Your listing of 10 gr - 12.0 gr and 10.2 gr - 13.0 gr are good. Given those 2 listing on a new (to me) cartridge, I would begin with 11.0 gr, 11.2 gr, 11.4 gr, 11.6 gr and 11.8 gr. Loading 5 rounds of each and comparing.

All data is good. Send me that Lyman, don't throw it away.

No! He should send it to me!

He will one day be trying to remember load data from one of his old books because it worked well in one of his old rifles or pistols that he's dragged out of the safe to play with again. And not be able to find it. I didn't throw or give mine away, they were destroyed in a minor (except to me) flood. I'd also lost most of my firearms to theft, and didn't worry about it too much, since it looked like I'd never be able to afford to replace them. Then one day, the kids were mostly grown up and gone, and I had time and sometimes a little money to play again. Really, if you aren't going to use them now, put them in a water & insect-proof box, and stash them for when you find you need them again!

 

[mtnboomr]

I keep all mine as well, for the same reason TR does.

Remember, as powder makers run out of a batch of powder and go to mix another, the burn rates can change due to the different molecular structures of the components batch-to-batch. This, along with the litigation-driven culture we live in, causes the makers to "adjust" (as in reduce) some of their loadings to keep from being sued if some dumbass decides to ignore the recommended loadings.

Not only that, but as the number of cartridges grows, the manuals are forced to drop some obsolete/older calibers to make room for the newer ones.

Right now, I have Lyman 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50. And I don't intend to get rid of any of them.

 

[Dumpstick]

Copyright 1958

Random pages -

No way in the world I'm trashing this.

I save them for valuable information no longer available elsewhere.

 

[dlbleak]

My go to is the Lyman manual from 1973. It would be the last one I got rid of

 

[NationalMatch]

On the other hand, I could always go with the "Elmer Keith Load Development" template. Buy two guns the exact same make and model. Gun #1 is the test gun. Gradually increase load for test. Keep increasing till gun blows up. Reduce that load by 10% and that becomes the new pet load for gun #2.

If that's not a true story, it oughta be.