Need advice on reloading book and powder

[Spanky]

I am looking for a bit of guidance regarding a reloading book and what powder to buy. I am just getting my lee classic turret press setup. I have no reloading knowledge. I know that I should get a book and read read read but which one? ABC's of reloading? Hornady book? Does it matter?



I am going to be reloading 45acp, what is a decent all around powder? I have seen powder sold in different incremements from 1 pound up to 8 pounds. Ballpark figure, how many rounds can you reload with a pound of powder? I know that depends on how much you load each round to, but can anyone give me a rough estimate. I'm just trying to see if my first powder purchase should be small or if I just go for the big one.



any advice would be great. Thanks for taking the time to read....



Spanky

[BobCat]

Almost any book to get started - you will wind up with several. I like the Speer manual but mostly because that's what my brother and I started with years ago.

There are 7,000 grains in a pound. In .45ACP I load about 5.5 grains of Unique - it is a very light target load. Others will tell you Unique burns too dirty, don't use it - it works for me in .45, 9mm, .38, and light .357 "Cowboy action shooting" loads. Some people like Bullseye in the .45 and .38, others will tell you Winchester 231, or Clays - you will have lots of replies, take your pick of powder recommendations.

As long as you read and understand what is happening in each step - resize/deprime, inspect, prime, bell (probably automatic with the Lee powder charging die), powder charge, bullet seat, and crimp (taper crimp for .45ACP) - and are careful and meticulous, you will be just fine. Reloading is not that hard, it just takes patience and care.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[UpTheIrons]

I've just started reloading, too, and my only past experience was shotgun shells many years ago. I would recommend "The ABCs of Reloading" along with whatever manuals you end up with. I have both Lyman and Lee manuals, and I know I'll have another one or two by year's end.

I'm starting with Hodgdon's HP-38 since it is identical to Win 231, but much cheaper. From what I have read, it is just what I'm looking for - easy to use and consistent. One pound is 7,000 grains, so if you figure a load of ~5 grains per round, that's 1,200 rounds per pound. On the recommendation of others, I just bought one pound to try - I'll likely do the same with another powder, too, just to see which one works best, and then I can buy in volume.

FWIW, I'm using the Lee Deluxe kit, with the non-Classic turret. I have used it so far as a single-stage (until I get the hang of what I'm doing) and it works great.

[MoJo]

The Lyman reloading manual is the closest thing to "reloading for dummies" the Lee Manual is also a good starter book. I would buy both. Manuals published by bullet manufacturers are good but, they only use their bullets the Lyman and Lee books covers a wider range of components.

Powder, starting out buy small, I use a lot of Unique for it's versitility but also use 231/HP38, Titegroup and, 2400.

[old farmer]

The Lyman reloading manual is the closest thing to "reloading for dummies" the Lee Manual is also a good starter book. I would buy both. Manuals published by bullet manufacturers are good but, they only use their bullets the Lyman and Lee books covers a wider range of components.

Powder, starting out buy small, I use a lot of Unique for it's versitility but also use 231/HP38, Titegroup and, 2400.

I started reloading with 45/70 Gov. and Lee press. A single shot Sharps 1874 was a Joy.
The reloading data has been around of a 100 year. The round is low pressure so go slowly. If the powder load is greater than 1/2 of case, then a double load is easy discovered. no

[NcongruNt]

The Lyman reloading manual is the closest thing to "reloading for dummies" the Lee Manual is also a good starter book. I would buy both. Manuals published by bullet manufacturers are good but, they only use their bullets the Lyman and Lee books covers a wider range of components.

Powder, starting out buy small, I use a lot of Unique for it's versitility but also use 231/HP38, Titegroup and, 2400.

Yep. I have 4 manuals, and I just started loading a couple of months ago. I just picked up the Lyman book, because it has listings for components from all manufacturers, and there's a lot of choice there. The Lee manual is similar, but has fewer loads to choose from; it is, however, a good instructional book to learn on. Out of all my manuals so far, the Hornady has gotten the most use for load data. The Sierra is used the least, mostly because it's in binder format and doesn't conveniently fit in my backpack.

Get several books. I've not read the ABC's, but lots of folks here think highly of it. I learned on the Lee book, and you'd be fine there, too.

[ghostrider]

I prefer the Speer and latest Hornady manuals, but whatever you choose make sure to have at least 2 sources of data. More is better to get a feel for the range of loads/powders/etc available. The minimum load in one manual may exceed the maximum load in someone elses.

.45acp is an easy cartridge to reload and works well with a variety of powders. I have used:

N340, green dot, WW231, HS-6 and others. Currently I use green dot. Note that large flake powders like bluedot and green dot may not meter well in all powder measures.

[Griz44]

Every time I run across a book I do not have, I buy it.
When loading, check at least 2 sources for any new load.
My favorite is the Lee book.
Almost tied - is the ABC.
I like Lyman as well.
You can download the load data from all of the powder manufacturers and most of the bullet makers.

Get them ALL.