Lyman cast bullet handbook 4th edition review.

[Bazoo]

I've read the Lee manual second edition. It doesn't list their lead bullets specifically because their data is just copied from various bullet and powder manufactures and not from their own. Cast data in rifles doesn't make much difference with regards to seating depth, but it's very important in handgun ammo. Lees truncated bullets should be tested in all applications, but sure no reason to test lees 230 round nose in 45 auto when it's totally fine to use Lyman's RN data. I'm about halfway trough Mike Venturinos articles and they are pretty decent. Overall I'm pretty satisfied.

[Walks]

Too many of you sound like those who complained about the new Lyman Casting Furnace. The mold guide didn't fit their N.O.E., Lee & Accurate bullet molds.

Well kids, Manufacturers make items to work with their own stuff.

We're lucky all the Manufacturers all got together after WW2 and made dies & shell holders to a std pattern.

I personally think Lyman adding other Manufacturers molds is a pretty big step. Plus they added a Nose Punch Conversion Chart too.

And for those of you younger casters out there, there is an old trick with the Lyman Mold Guide.

Just turn it over. Or if you don't have any kind of mold guide, then you turn over an ingot mold on top of a 2"x6" wood block. Adjust height by adding pieces of 1/4" plywood or sanding down the 2"x6".

But then we are REALLY LUCKY that Al Nelson came up with a New Mold Guide that works with the Old RCBS Pro-Melt and the New Lyman Furnace too. And maybe others for all I know. I do know It's an excellent accessory and has been improved twice so far. The First one is still working fine for me. I for one really appreciate it.

[Tim357]

Well said sir.

[6bg6ga]

Go by bullet weight not a specific bullet type or shape.

[JBinMN]

The diameter the bullets were sized to makes no difference to load data at all. If you didn't like it, fine. You could have at least donated it.

MalPasos house burned down in a wildfire & his reloading stuff along with the house. As well as a lot of other things he would like to still have to use, I'd bet...

[megasupermagnum]

MalPasos house burned down in a wildfire & his reloading stuff along with the house. As well as a lot of other things he would like to still have to use, I'd bet...

Dang, well I'll just be over here removing my foot from my mouth.

[6bg6ga]

The 4th edition is decent but when one has been reloading for many years they usually have 4 or 5 reloading manuals to choose from. When I cannot find a specific bullet say for a cast bullet mold I have I generally go with the bullet as close as I can come to the weight and style or if I cannot find something close I will reduce the load load a few to try and make adjustments from there.

[bedbugbilly]

Late to this one but will a my 2 cents. I have all four editions and when I got the 4th, I also was a bit disappointed - just couldn't put my finger on "why" . . . but I was. I was glad to see the addition of some cartridges such as the 45 Schofield . . . and I think we all look at things such as the handbook based on what "we" reload . . . . but I still back to my 3rd edition the majority of the time.

I was interested in your comment Bazoo, in regards to Lee boolits. While it is a "Lyman product" (book) I can understand the leaning towards their particular molds and such . . . but give the devil his do . . . Lee molds are in popular use as well and if that is in doubt, it can be verified on this very site.

I learned a long time ago to not necessarily try to match up data and particular design . . . sometimes you have to be flexible and realize that a 158 gr boolit is a 168 grain boolit . . . just as an example and too load a dummy up and see what COAL is and copper to the info given in the data . . . and then start low and work up. I would guess we all do it.

I still refer to the 4th edition but it's not my "go to" copy. It relation to your comments, I decided to make sure that I had other loading manuals on the shelf - I don't load anything but cast but most have at least some data in the for cast. I no longer use many Lee olds but i decided to pick up a copy of the Lee Reloading Manua a few years back . . . "just 'cause" . . . I read quite a bit of it and waded through the "Lee is the best" propaganda . . . if you are publishing the book I guess you have the right to "plug" all of your products. BUT . . . what surprised me greatly was that I expected the Lee manual to cover data for their molds as well as others. Maybe it was just the cartridges I was looking at but I was surprised that a good number of the Lee molds/boolits were not there.

Don't get me wrong . . I don't regret any of the manuals I've purchased and have on the shelf over my bench . . . they all offer something useful but it's not hard to tell which one I use most - Lyman's 3rd edition. My first copy is so worn that I have another one as a back-up when the day comes that I decide I'm tired taping in pages that have come loose and the binding finally takes the last nose dive.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for the comment bedbugbilly, and all.

I need to get another copy of the Lyman 3rd, it was great. I do have it downloaded on the laptop but it ain't the same. The Lyman 47 and 48 handbooks are drilled to be put in a binder. I've not tried it yet but I expect I can drill the others for binders. They hold up a whole lot better that way.

[Green Frog]

If you go back to the original Ideal loading manuals started by Talbot in the late 1800s, you will find nothing but ideal moulds described and tested to provide suggested loads... he wrote and sold them to go with his own products. Once Lyman took over Ideal and all of its product lines, there was already a precedent (or business model) for what had worked for Ideal, so they continued the Ideal Handbooks for a few decades until they changed the title and the format a little to start the series we know as the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks. Why expect anything different?

If you want a book to have information about a variety of mould manufacturers, you might look to powder makers, die makers (that don’t make moulds) or even third parties who have no axe to grind. It is somewhat unrealistic to expect a mould manufacturer to write a book that would encourage its users to buy from the competition.

JMHO, YMMV
Froggie

[Larry Gibson]

Go by bullet weight not a specific bullet type or shape.

That simplification can lead to serious over pressure in handgun cartridges. Seating depth is actually the important consideration there. Of a given bullet weight some designs seat deeper which increases pressure of a given load.

[trapper9260]

I have the 3rd and 4th Ed of Lyman . I learn from the 3rd one. I have got the re print of the 1st and 2nd Ed because I wanted it for the information.I also have some of the other of Lyman of the I think the 47th and 48th also the 50th. I always go to the 3rd for information .It have more on there then the 4th. I have the Lee also but dose not have much. I go by the weight of the boolit mold to go with the data. Not always by the mold number. and then work on the OAL . I had wrote to Allient about why they do not have much of cast bullet on there site and book they say there is too many out there for the data so they go by what Lyman comes up with for data. So tells me alot of how much they go by Lyman .

[32-20]

An old thread, but I also suggest you go search out a 1957 or 1958 vintage Lyman reloading manual. Now you got some good stuff going on, for just about all the classic molds. Some powders in there are long gone, but many in there are still around today!

[WRideout]

I have old, falling apart, loading manuals from Lyman, RCBS and Hornady. I also recently finished reading Phil Sharpe's tome. It was interesting to see that a lot of that old data still applies, and some powders that were first produced over a hundred years ago are still doing the job. I turn to the old books when I need data for an oddball cartridge.

Wayne

[Golfswithwolves]

I think that the #4 Lyman cast handbook is about the best cast bullet reference. There are things I would like to see which are not in there (such as Unique loads for some handgun bullets I load, loads for the discontinued mold 358432 bullets in .38/.357, .38 SP loads for the 358477 bullet, and any realistic modern .44 SP loads). I would prefer to never need to extrapolate loads. But all in all the Lyman manual is pretty great in my estimation.

[Bazoo]

I’ve started to like it more and more. It’s shortcomings don’t nearly outweigh its benefits when working with cast bullets.

[Rapier]

I do believe every bullet caster and shooter that casts for accuracy should have a decent library of reloading manuals, and read them. After reading, put them on a shelf at arms length for reference. Make detailed notes of your reloading, keep on a computer or in a binder. I see so many posts of tell me, tell me.
My Survey Chief School instructor said; “Look it up, Read it, Then you will remember it.” That was his answer for virtually every question after his initial instruction.

[Soundguy]

Here's what I do.. And I'm not saying for anyone else to do it.. just what I do.

When working up a new load for a lead bullet for which there is not specific data, then I search my manuals for a lead bullet that is the same weight, has the same number of grease grooves and similar profile. The goal is to get the approximate same amount of driving band bearing surface and depth of bullet into the case. The nose profile that doesn't touch rifling matters much much much less pressure wise on a bullet of the same weight, same depth inside the cartridge, and with the same bearing surface area that has to be swaged into rifling.

I've had great luck working up loads this way. Start low.. work up. About the only hitch is the lee micro groove bullets.. but I've had ok luck finding load data for those.. though it is limited... luckily nothing in rifle.. so even less of a concern, as most of the micro groove stuff I have is low pressure handgun.. very hard to go wrong that way.

PS.. look for older speer data too. Speer used to make plenty of odd stuff.. like.452 roll swaged bullets with knurled midsections.... try to find modern data for that... and they are a hair soft too... great for 45lc though...

I also use the lyman pistol and revolver handbook. plenty of duped stuff.. but plenty not duped.

[gwpercle]

There is way more data on Lee boolits in edition #4 than there is in edition #3 .
Pick a Lee Manual and you will be well covered .
Hang on to Lyman #3 ... there is still a lot of valuable info in it .
By and large I was pleased with the Lyman #4 book ... I mean it's better than just about any other new cast boolit reloading manual out there .
Gary

[quasi]

This site is the best reference for anything to do with cast boolits including loads.