My first reloading manual

[Bmi48219]

Bought this in the late 60's along with a 12 gauge classic kit & a set of dippers. Still have them all.

193337

[380AUTO]

That's cool!

[gwpercle]

Mine was a first edition Hornady Reloading Manual , October 1967 . It only contained rifle data and was the only one on the dealers shelf that had data for 7.5 Swiss, that was my first rifle to load for. Still have it , very well used .
Gary

[Pressman]

Likewise it was my first manual, along with Lee dippers and a 310 tool for 44 magnum. I still have everything but the 44 Super Blackhawk.
Ken

[54bore]

My first Manual was a Speer that came with my Rockchucker press, late 80s, i dont have it anymore, not sure what happened to it?

[jrmartin1964]

My first loading manual looked like this...
196827
Lyman 41st Editon (1957)

Sometime in the early 1980s I decided I needed a new and up-to-date manual.
And so retired my 41st and bought one of these:
196828
Lyman 45th Edition (1970)

I'm pleased to say I still have both of those old Lyman handbooks, and have added many others to their ranks (both older and newer, as well as from other sources) since those days.

[Leadmelter]

I think my first manual was a Speer about 1972. I have since collected several books in Speer, Lyman, Sierra and others.
Fun side hobby.
Leadmelter
MI

[shooter93]

My first manual had a chapter titled....Goliath slayers.......choosing the right rock for your sling shot......smiles.

[KenT7021]

I started with the Lyman 41th Edition.I still have it although the front cover is detached after much use.I have probably a couple of dozen reloading manuals of varying vintage.

[Eddie Southgate]

My first loading manual looked like this...
196827
Lyman 41st Editon (1957)

Sometime in the early 1980s I decided I needed a new and up-to-date manual.
And so retired my 41st and bought one of these:
196828
Lyman 45th Edition (1970)

I'm pleased to say I still have both of those old Lyman handbooks, and have added many others to their ranks (both older and newer, as well as from other sources) since those days.

Same here . I still check the 45th edition anytime I go to load an older caliber I am not already loading

Eddie

[nkpwxman]

I have the same, but very well worn. Bought it in 1971 along with my first Lee Loader.

[Norske]

Mine was (is) the Lyman 44th from 1967. I've read it was the first reloading manual that pressure tested all the published loads.

[kylocdoc]

My first was a hogdon from the 60s.

[curiousgeorge]

Lyman 45th was my first. Bought used in 1978 with a Lyman tong tool, a set of .38/.357 & 8mm Mauser dies, and a Lyman scale.

From so little to now so much. How did it happen????

[MOA]

My first load manual was the Sierra binder with the hard green front and back. Had the RCBS dies, used a friends Rock chucker press since I was just getting started and thought I would see if it was something that was going to work for me before I spent more money on the rest of the gear. Six months later I landed a job at a gun shop and the next thing you know I'm spending a good chunk of my paycheck on reloading gear, guns, shotgun reloading presses, it has become a lifetime affliction. lol

I've since taken the manual to the FedEx store and had the 3 ring binder rebound to a spiral binder and divided into their individual sections. I found it so much easier to go through it when looking for data without having to paw through all the pages. I'm hoping it will save the pages from being tore up and punch holes all ripped out and pages lost.


https://i.postimg.cc/zGDFwPRB/20201206-135713.jpg (https://postimg.cc/WhKZT88L)

[willk]

Speer 1966.

Famous for the data loaded for the .25-06. Rifle they used had a lot (and I do mean A Lot!) of freebore. Loaded my new Remington 700in .25-06 in rather cold weather using their data. When I realized how different the rifles were, I went back and pulled all the bullets in my early, cold weather reloads. I was young but actually worked up the loads carefully. Let’s just say, the Surplus H-4831 was very sensitive to temperatures.

(No pressure issues while 5 grains over the data listed for the Remington version of the .25-06. But on the day I worked up the load, it was 15 degrees)

[RKJ]

I started with the Hornady 3rd edition manual that I bought in 1983. Read that thing cover to cover and taught myself how to reload. Still have it and use it (along with a bunch of others now).

[3006guns]

Mine too, was a Speer manual in the early seventies. It came as part of an RCBS set called the "Ammo Crafter".......a Rockchucker press, powder measure, scale, etc. I still have the measure, but the book went to my son as his first reloading manual.

[dale2242]

Mine was a Speer in the early 60s
I don`t recall the number.

[woody1]

Lyman #38

[Wayne Smith]

Sierra Manual in the ring binder was my first. I was in Grad School and living in South Whittier, CA. The Sierra plant was a short drive and I was shooting their seconds - out of my Remington 25-06 and Ruger Super Blackhawk, buying bullets by the pound in paper bags.

[Markopolo]

did you know you can download the lee first edition in PDF format?

https://ia801708.us.archive.org/12/items/Modern_Reloading_1st_Edition_by_Richard_Lee/Modern_Reloading_1st_Edition_by_Richard_Lee.pdf

hope you can use it.

marko

[John Boy]

No content found when link opened ...

[OldBearHair]

Oldest one is Speer number 9 and later versions. Bought a new Speer number 15 today hoping it would have .350 Legend, Creedmore, and etc. No luck

[Pressman]

John Boy, the Lee content is there, but it's a very large file so give it plenty of time to open

[JoeJames]

Oldest I have is Speer #6 - 1969, one I got with my kit from RCBS in the early 80’s is Speer #10, first published in 1979. I still compare loads from the #10 for some pistol loads; the #6 has very little on that.

[rmb721]

My first was a Lyman #45.