Lyman 50th Edition Reloading Handbook Softcover, Black

This is among the best reloading manuals out there. They don't make bullets and they don't make powder, so they give you the best cross-selection in both. Perhaps the manual that includes the most recipes per cartridge.The articles in the beginning are excellent, and they don't just list powders in order of burn-rate, but have a whole segment of powders by brand and a short paragraph on each powder, its best uses and closest match(es).Graphically it's also very good, this edition has full-color photos of the actual cartridge and each bullet, but not overdone like two other manuals I won't mention here as Nosler and Norma.If I really, really wanted to dig deep just to find what to criticise, I'd say next time include the SAAMI max pressure for each cartridge, and maybe include a few more bullet weights. Or just give the book away for free.Fookkeeen excellent job, what can I tell you.

I've been hand loading ammo for 42 years and I've always had an up to date Lyman manual on my bench. Why? Lyman included loads for cast lead bullets where many other manuals do not. The last several Lymans, including this one, have been printed in the large 8 1/2 x 11 page. Orange highlights the max loads in every caliber so there's little chance of misreading or misinterpreting load data.A favorite rifle caliber of mine to reload for, .308 Winchester, shows 12 jacketed bullets and 7 cast lead bullet loads. In .45 Auto using a 200 gr cast SWC, the manual lists 20 separate powder loads.Page 12 through page 85 walks the new reloaded through the entire process, step by, step using large color photos and very specific information. I always read through these chapters as there's usually a pointer or two that I pick up on that I haven't been aware of previously.New calibers listed included the .300 Blackout, 6.5 x 284 Norma, and the 6.5 Grendel, among others.All in all the 50th Lyman Reloading Handbook is an essential tool for anyone's reloading bench. Packed full of great, essential information, it's a great value as always.

This book is packed full of useful information. This might sound odd, but when I developed an interest in reloading, I bought this book first. I figured if I read the book and was still interested, I would buy the rest if what I needed. The first part of the book walks you through step by step (with pictures) of the whole reloading process. It details what to do and what not to do, complete with clearly marked WARNING sections when a step comes up where mistakes can be made easily. This book is worth the money, whether it’s your first book, or you’re adding it to your collection. You will most likely find useful information inside. Plus, it can never hurt to have a different source of load data for your particular cartridge.

Great opening section to help new reloaders understand the basics and potential pitfalls. Also has a wealth of other information including plenty of "recipes" for almost every caliber. While it does not have every potential combination of powder, primer, projectile, etc for each caliber, it provides enough for most reloaders and is a necessary member of a reloader's library. I highly recommend this book.

This is a good manual if you tend to stay with the more traditional powders, but it does not have most of the new powders in the calibers that I load for, also bullets have become so specialized just having the bullet weight for jacketed or lead bullets is leaving a lot of information out for other types of bullets. Does this make a difference?, Yes, a lot the loading manuals follow this same format, but there is so much changing in reloading, manuals are having a hard time keeping up with the new information. This is a fine reloading manual, but I would recommend that you have several manuals that are not necessarily specific to a bullet or powder manufacture, because most of them are limited to only the information that applies to the products that they make, which is fine if they are your favorites to use in reloading. This is not true for all of them, but I would suggest that you really look at the information that each one offers to see if it will be the most helpful to your type of reloading. The companies that have reloadingproducts spend a lot of money in developing this information at a very reasonable price for us, we just need to pick the ones that work best for each of us.

Bottom book, just missing some material on the edges. Not too picky about that rubbing off. Pages are clean, spine of the book is great! Happy with my new USED book to add to my collection.

As usual, Lyman manuals contain a ton of information, both for the novice and the experienced reloader. My only problem is that in the last four since this was published, the industry has gone bananas with new powders and bullets. Many of your favorite loads may not be included. This is fine for me as most of my components are cast or older than this manual.

Well worth the money IMHO! Especially for the beginner at reloading. Maybe 90% of the book is nothing but a list by caliber of safe loads. Of which the average person might only use a few. But the instructional portion at the front of the book is the real value and far better than any of these 10 to 20 dollar pamphlets you find. Step by step of what to do and why.