lee reloading manual, bullet ?

[enfield]

I notice in the Lee reloading book there will be a variety of bullets for a calibre, as an example the 38-55 shows a 250 gr lead bullet, a 255 gr bullet and a 255 gr jacketed bullet. what is the one that just says bullet ? there are a lot of loads in the book like that and I was just wondering so I don't use a load that wouldn't be safe with cast. thanks .

[mpmarty]

I believe the data is for a jacketed bullet. Substituting a cast boolit will be safe in most cases as cast boolits generally have lower friction than jacketed and therefore produce lower pressures. The LEE book is a compendium of data from all the powder manufacturers. LEE doesn't fire the loads and report on their findings. Substituting cast for jacketed in some cases will produce a load that exceeds the structural strength of the cast boolit.

[XWrench3]

i have found that some loads in the lee manual are just to *&^% HOT! use the top end loads with caution! they are sometimes, the only place i can find data for a specific bullet weight and powder combination. so it is a valuable resource. just be aware that not everything in there is safe. heck, on one of my 45acp loads, the starting load is quite a bit hotter that what i want to shoot. when i use the one load, the slide hammers back hard enough that i am really worried about the longevity of the gun.

[runfiverun]

i look in the lee book first to see if the powder combo is a tested one if it's in there someone tested it and lee printed it.
i then look for the real load recipe.

what i don't like about thier book.
what bullet or boolit was used?
what primer was used?
which case was used?

seems a bit of perinent information was left out eh?

[Rocky Raab]

Substituting a different bullet - even of the same weight - can and will change both pressure and velocity. Sometimes the change is excessive.

That's true of ANY reloading component, actually. But the bullet may have the most effect.

[mdi]

I would suggest you get a couple more manuals; Lyman's 49th Edition
Reloading Handbook and Hornady's reloading manual. If a question arises about a load, compare the info in all three. Lyman's has good info for cast lead bullets and Hornady had load data for their jacketed bullets and they both have a good "how to" section.

[Rocky Raab]

My invariable guidance about manuals is this: ALWAYS use the manual by your bullet maker as your primary source (this assumes factory-made bullets). Use the powder manufacturer's manual as your double-check source, and use the latest Lyman manual as the arbiter of any discrepancy between the first two.

While the Lee manual can be an informative source, and does contain some material and methods found nowhere else, NONE of its data is anything but a reprint from other sources. And typos DO happen. Use Lee data with due skepticism.

[qajaq59]

I prefer the Lyman 49th. I bought the Lee way back because I needed a source for the K31. But I rarely use it now.

[fredj338]

One reason it's my least fav manual. The load data is kind of vague & they never seem to get enough powders w/ a single vague bullet selection. I do not recommend it for that reason.