Thinking about getting into reloading. Mainly for .308 rifle and .38/.357 handgun, possibly .243 rifle in future. I want to read about it first.

Can anyone recommend a good book to get the basics?

Thanks

Hornady is good, as are Speer and Nosler. Barnes is a bit weak on most things except self promotion. It may be best to buy the book for the brand of bullet that you wish to load.

Speer Reloading Manual is a very good starters guide. Good luck.

Thanks! Next stop, Amazon.

Lyman's 49th Edition is good too.

Lyman 49th is a good book

Lyman is a classic, but I think they backed off a bit in later editions.

One thing to remember is that the powder manufacturer's often have recommended loads on their website. From what I've seen, they're usually max/factory dupe loads, so I'd just take them into consideration with a good book and start low.

Ok, one more question. How important is it to get the latest edition? I see that I can pick up a Speer manual, 11 ed., for next to nothing. Does the latest edition (14th, I think) offer much more? Are there safety issues with using an older edition?

Thanks again.

#11 was first printed in 1987. #14 was released in 2007. #11 does not have the cartridges that were developed during those 20 years (WSM, etc.), or the powders.

#11 has clear instructions for reloading that are worth reading. The loads in #11 are safe loads. #14 shows some maximum loads that exceed the #11 maximum loads, sometimes the reverse is true, but in general they are about the same. It may be wise for a new reloader (and many old ones) to stay below maximum loads.

Examples for .308 Win. 150 grain bullet:
748 powder #11 max - 48.5gr / #14 max - 50. gr
4064 powder both the same
H335 powder both the same

If you mostly wanted to read about how to reload and to get some starter loads #11 would be OK (for a super low price), but a #14 would be better. If I still lived in McLean I would lend you a manual or two to look over, but I now live elsewhere. Most older loaders would be happy to help you get started - try to find one.

hubby, i suggest you might look into the hornady reloading manual. it goes into detail on reloading. explains just about everything you should know.