lyman cast bullets 4th ed

[MrXrings]

Just starting out casting, I have the 3rd lyman edition, is there enough new info in the 4th edition to make it worth buying?

[jtaylor1960]

I bought one and think the information inside is well worth it.

[Haggway]

I have learned alot from the 4th. So much so that I am needing to buy another as, I have gone through this one so many times it looks like hell.

[462]

As with reloading manuals, one can never have enough casting manuals. Besides Lyman, the NRA and RCBS published casting manuals, which, though out of print, can be found on ebay.

[geargnasher]

Look who wrote the 4th ed., hard to go wrong with that. All of them have good information, and some I don't agree with. It's best to get a lot of opinions and facts and decide for yourself what works best for YOU.

Gear

[Rotaxxx]

I had the third one and picked up the fourth too. It looks pretty good, I just haven't had time to flip through it yet!

[MrXrings]

Look who wrote the 4th ed., hard to go wrong with that. All of them have good information, and some I don't agree with. It's best to get a lot of opinions and facts and decide for yourself what works best for YOU.

Gear

I hear ya, on it's way!

[MT Gianni]

Get the 4th but don't throw away the third.

[gray wolf]

Well I must admit I am very short on any casting or new load manuals.
Have had to rely on the hodgons web site. The darn books just cost to much.
I know, I know, but trust me they ain't in the budget.
Sure would be nice if the loads were on the net some place, specially for the 44 mag.
If anyone knows of a place on the net that has the pages or the load info from the Lyman book please let me know. Good lead bullet data seems hard to come by.

[michiganvet]

I believe I have Lyman Cast bullet handbook #'s 1, 2, 3, and 4. I am not sure of #1 because the cover and some pages are missing missing and no number is indicated. It has a forward by Charles E Lyman III. Can anybody confirm that it is #1? I couldn't give up any of them because much data in each is not contained in later issues.

[NVcurmudgeon]

mighiganvet, and y'all, maybe between us we can date all the Lyman Cast Bullet Manuals. I have the 4th Edition, copyright 2010 and the 3rd Edition, copyright 1980. The 3rd Edition measures 8 1/2" X 11" and the 4th Edition is 8 7/16" X 10 13/16" (must be the polibuto getting us ready for metric.) Both of these are bound books.

I also have a complete probable 2nd Edition with no edition number or copyright date mentioned. However, my Lyman Mystery file shows a date of 1973. Judging by the "mod" haircuts on some of the pictured employees I would agree with a date of 1973. Also, on the back cover of the likely 2nd Edition is "Reloading Products Division of the Leisure Group, Inc." My Lyman Mystery file shows Leisure Group ownership from 1967 to 1977, which would confirm a date of 1973. This probable 2nd Edition measures 5 5/8" X 8 12" not including the plastic device that holds the book together. This is definitely a loose leaf publication, of the same type of construction as earlier Speer and Sierra reloading manuals.

None of the three Editions in my collection have a foreword by Charles E. Lyman III, so that would point to michiganvets unknown edition as a 1st Edition. Again, my Lyman Mystery file shows a date of 1958 for the 1st Edition. All three of my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks were purchased new by me and in years consistent with the dates used above. None of the above dates has anything to do with Lyman Reloading Handbooks, which are a separate, older, and deeper, mystery.

Information in my Lyman Mystery file is mostly from posts on this board by Floodgate, who I consider the greatest Lyman dating expert I ever heard of.

[Alan in Vermont]

I also have #s 2, 3, and 4. Other than the data, in the handgun section, for some of the Lee boolits (shows how much the Lyman selection has shrunk) there isn't all that much new in there, IMO. Nothing has changed for the older powders, apparently the newer lots are identical to the ones from the 80s OR they are just recycling data without working up for the new powders.

[NHGrumpyGramps]

I have what I think is a first edition of the Lyman cast bullet handbook. The cover shows a drawing of a sharps rifle and the rear cover shows man casting next to a fireplace ("backwoods cabin"). There is no indication of first edition which makes sense because it was the first one. It includes the forward by Charles Lyman III

[ElDorado]

The fourth edition lists some cartridges that weren’t available when the third edition was printed, 40 S&W, 454 Casull, 480 Ruger, and some of the short and ultra mag rifles, just to name a few. They also list some moulds by companies other than Lyman. I have also found the load data to include more powders than the third edition in some instances.

In my opinion it is definitely worth buying.

By the way, I’m one of those guys with all four editions.

Jeff

[MrXrings]

Hell most plastic guns didn't even exist when the last edition came out.

[TCFAN]

Here is a scan of the Charles Lyman III article from the first edition cast bullet handbook. He mentions the 41st edition reloading manual and down near the bottom mentions that this is the first edition for cast bullets.

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx200/TCintheOzarks/Charles-Lyman-III.jpg

I have two copies of this manual and both came to me new from Lyman when I bought casting equipment in the early 1960's.............Terry

[MT Gianni]

In #1 there is a picture of someone casting with a face shield, white shirt and tie. I believe the copy write date is 59.

[TCFAN]

My copy is marked July 1958.The fellow in the shirt and tie does not have a face mask on in my copy. He is H. Guy Loverin..........Terry

[mdi]

I have the 3rd and 4th editions, but prefer the 3rd. More loads for non-Lyman bullets and more powders in the 4th, but if you're not into black powder cartridge shooting there isn't a whole lot of reading in the "how to" section. Jes my .02...