Hodgdon drops multiple calibers in their 2022 Annual Manual

[rintinglen]

I picked up the latest Hodgdon manual and was surprised to find that they made room for the Ramshot and Accurate powders by dumping a bunch of calibers. Just in the pistol section, I noticed the absence of the 32 S&W, the 32 ACP, the 32 S&W long, the 38 S&W, the JDJ cartridge info, and most perplexing, the 44 Special. Now I dare say that not too many people are reloading the 32's, but nearly every 44 Special shooter has to be a reloader. And I'll go a small wager that there are more folks reloading the above cartridges (save the JDJ specialty stuff) than there are loading any of the WSSM, Nosler, et al. cartridges. I see the 38-55 and 375 Winchester have been displaced, apparently by such garden variety cartridges as the 6mm Dasher, the 6.45 x 47 Lapua, and the 6.8 Western. Gone are the Ruger 416, 30-40, 7.62 x 54R.

I regret spending the money. Nothing I need and a lot of stuff missing than I have used-- I hope that their web site is still intact.

[cwtebay]

I picked up the latest Hodgdon manual and was surprised to find that they made room for the Ramshot and Accurate powders by dumping a bunch of calibers. Just in the pistol section, I noticed the absence of the 32 S&W, the 32 ACP, the 32 S&W long, the 38 S&W, the JDJ cartridge info, and most perplexing, the 44 Special. Now I dare say that not too many people are reloading the 32's, but nearly every 44 Special shooter has to be a reloader. And I'll go a small wager that there are more folks reloading the above cartridges (save the JDJ specialty stuff) than there are loading any of the WSSM, Nosler, et al. cartridges. I see the 38-55 and 375 Winchester have been displaced, apparently by such garden variety cartridges as the 6mm Dasher, the 6.45 x 47 Lapua, and the 6.8 Western. Gone are the Ruger 416, 30-40, 7.62 x 54R.

I regret spending the money. Nothing I need and a lot of stuff missing than I have used-- I hope that their web site is still intact.Dang! I would think that new stuff should be in addition to, not instead of?
I do enjoy my subscription to Load Data, and appreciate that they will add calibers and compile information on request.

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[Electrod47]

Seems all annual periodicals are down sizing to either save money or increase profits. They figure you still have the info from previous issues and will pay the same price for an updated lacking the older info. The rub is "What about the new guy" who doesn't already have a library?

[RickinTN]

Hang on to all those annuals from the past.
Rick

[dverna]

They may have saved a whole dollar. Seems dumb to me.

I wonder if they track hits on their web site and use that data to drop cartridges?

[rintinglen]

They may have saved a whole dollar. Seems dumb to me.

I wonder if they track hits on their web site and use that data to drop cartridges?

I doubt it very much. The 27 Nosler can't be getting more hits than the 7.62x54 R, and some of the other "newbies" can't have more than a few hundred guns out there, while there are 10's--maybe hundreds-- of thousands of guns chambered for some of the cartridges that were dropped.

[hoodat]

I hate to see it too, but most or many of us have had to create loads from the components we've got rather than the data we possessed. -- and not be stupid about it.

In these days of the inter web, gun forums, on line data --- it's not too hard to come up with a safe load for Grandpa's old belly gun.

[Bigslug]

If the manual doesn't contain .455 Webley, it's a "FAIL" in my book.:bigsmyl2:

I dunno. . .the Internet is a handy place to find such information, but since this stuff tends to go hand in hand with "Doomsday planning and prepping for the big, technology-destroying EMP", you'd think paper, hard repositories of knowledge would remain in demand. Then you have the fact that the guns will probably last longer than the manuals...

[alfadan]

I don't know, they never seemed that useful for me anyway.

[Winger Ed.]

They're full of little tricks.

I've noticed that some of the all time favorite powders listed as most accurate in certain calibers isn't even listed
as useable in the new manuals by the same company in their new edition.

[376Steyr]

I'm waiting for my 2022 edition to get here, but I will note that the 2018 edition was printed with 168 pages, the 2020 edition has 168 pages, and the 2021 edition (which dropped the 6.5-06 data!) has 168 pages. Does the 2022 edition also have 168 pages?

[Shawlerbrook]

Thank God for my vintage collection of manuals.

[frkelly74]

I stumbled onto an old Lyman manual from 1970 and lo and behold there is data in there using Reloader 21 in at least 30/06, 308 Win. and 300 Win Mag. And quite a bit in pistols using Herco. I will make use of the info and probably a lot of other bits of info too.

[charlie b]

Use the online Hodgdon resource. I found most of your 'deleted' rounds in there except the .416 Ruger (they had the Rigby, Rem and Wby).

6.5 and .375 were the only JDJ cartridges listed, don't know if they listed more before this.

They only list the 6BR Rem and not the 6BR Norma.

[rintinglen]

I'm waiting for my 2022 edition to get here, but I will note that the 2018 edition was printed with 168 pages, the 2020 edition has 168 pages, and the 2021 edition (which dropped the 6.5-06 data!) has 168 pages. Does the 2022 edition also have 168 pages?

192 pages. it is irksome to me, because I keep paper manuals to hand at the reloading bench. I don't want to have to go upstairs, log on to the computer, log into Hodgdons website and hunt for the info I need. I would have cheerfully forsworn the Accurate and Ramshot info to keep some of the old stuff.

[Noah Zark]

They're full of little tricks.

I've noticed that some of the all time favorite powders listed as most accurate in certain calibers isn't even listed
as useable in the new manuals by the same company in their new edition.

Change for the sake of change, same as automakers, Microsoft Office software, iPhone operating systems, etc.

IMO, reloading manuals if produced properly should only get thicker with the introduction of each new mainstream cartridge.

Noah

[slam45]

print as an information media has out lived its time... annuals always were a way to get enthusiasts to pay for advertising... content in most cases aimed at selling the new and promoting dissatisfaction with the old...

[remy3424]

No worries, have you ever tried to sell old maunals...good luck. You should be able to get all you can find at the gun shows for cheap. My question is, did Hodgdon acquire Ramshot or Accurate? Seems odd if they don't own the Ramshot or Accurate powder lines, they would include them in "their" manual. Not sure the the bullet manufactures will include anything they don't make in their manuals.

[rintinglen]

According to their frontispiece, they acquired Western Powders Ramshot, Accurate and Blackthorn Powder lines in 2020.

[dverna]

I use both paper and on-line manuals. I have some that are 50 years old.

[remy3424]

Well that explains adding those. I browsed their web site and it didn't show anything about it in the "About us" section....a little slow on website updates.

[cwtebay]

It looks like all of the cartridges mentioned by everyone here are still present in the on-line version of Hodgdon's book. There is a print function available so perhaps adding those not seen in your book would be possible.
As an aside, I do have compilations of load datas for everything that I load for printed off and in a binder. Whether it's from Load Data or Hodgdon's or wherever.

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[TyGuy]

I took their entire online cookbook and printed it, three hole punched it, and put it into a binder. Burned through a good bit of work’s paper and ink but replaced double the paper and now I can reference them from the basement without having to come upstairs to get cell service. Can never have too much data within reach.

I will also say, the Cabelas near me has all the current manuals on unwrapped and on display in the reloading section for reference. This lets me “test drive” to see if the book has enough information that I’ll actually use to be worth buying.

[charlie b]

I download what I need and keep it on my phone as well as on the PC. This includes pictures of targets from my range sessions, chronograph data from all those sessions and other notes I make while reloading. A few years ago I took all of my reloading manuals and scanned them into documents to store as well. I also back up the data regularly to a USB stick.

This way I have all of my data wherever I am. Reloading bench, range, etc.

And, yes, I know that if the world implodes and a giant EMP takes out all electrical stuff I will have lost my data. I am ok with that :)

[Ford SD]

Im still using Speer #11 and the Lyman #44 for most of my Data
as well as copies of older manuals

My newest Fun Caliber to shoot is 35 Whelen
Not a lot of data out there for it But have a bunch bookmarked in the computer / and paper copies

try Finding Cast data for it with a new bullet of a different weight

My whelen / 16 twist likes the Noe 35XCB Bullet and for a fun load likes 158g Pistol bullets

[sharps4590]

I have books going back to Phil Sharpe's in....1937 or 1935? Ha...all of my cartridges are older than that. I haven't needed a "new" manual since the 1980's but I latch on to every old one I can find. Load Data was a source but, they only had one cartridge I didn't have data for and what they had was no better or much different that I'd already extrapolated. $35.00 for 1/2 page of data for one cartridge was a bit steep. They do have a lot of data, however.

Type in a 9.5 X 47R anyplace and see whatcha get back.

[charlie b]

I never needed a lot of 'new' data until the mfgs started coming out with all these new formulas. Especially when I can't find the old standards on the shelf. :(

[bangerjim]

Keep all your old manuals!!!!!!! The data for the "OLD" powders never goes out of date.......unless attacked by some gaggle of liberal loony lawyers.

They are just making room (costs of printing and publishing) for new powders and assume (probably incorrectly) the cal's you mentioned are no longer popular out here. I sure do not have any of them. But a lot of guys/gals have them

But use what you have in the old books. I do not run out and buy every new loading book on the shelf each time one comes out.

"What's old...................is new again". Works for me.

[bangerjim]

192 pages. it is irksome to me, because I keep paper manuals to hand at the reloading bench. I don't want to have to go upstairs, log on to the computer, log into Hodgdons website and hunt for the info I need. I would have cheerfully forsworn the Accurate and Ramshot info to keep some of the old stuff.

Do what I do.......................find what you want on-line and PRINT it out! Then assemble it in a (large) 3-ring binder with all your load data. My compiled reference book (I call it Banger's Boolit Bible) is approaching 3" thick now and has tons of info I have collected over the years. :D It is at your fingertips and you can take notes and such, unlike relying on the on-line stuff.

[Harter66]

It took Lyman 15 yr to get data for the 6.8 SPC and the others weren't a lot quicker about it .

They call it progress .....

[dla]

I quit using printed manuals 20 years ago.

[GregLaROCHE]

Who really needs a new annual manual?

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I imagine all the testing of new powders and bullets is a full time job. Couple years back I bought 500 once fired 30-30 cases that had little circles embossed on their sides. Figured it was from pressure testing, maybe those new rubber tipped bullets or something. A huge amount of work goes into generating the data for a proper loading manual.

[pworley1]

They had to, you know that paper is so expensive.

[ioon44]

I have quit buying manuals, just download and print what I need.

[Daekar]

I stopped buying hardcopy manuals after I got a recent Lyman manual and the ABCs of Reloading. I've hoarded all the PDF manuals I can get my grubby little mouse pointer on, and I have a subscription to LoadData. I'm sure there is some data, somewhere, in the new manuals which I might not have access to with that combination, but I don't ever feel that I'm loading without sufficient information to be safe. Pretty wild to see that they removed 7.62x54R from the listing though, given how common Mosin Nagant rifles are and how many folks are going to be wanting to load when the ammo import ban hits our supply of steel-cased Commie cartridges.

Hell, I've got a very nice hex-receiver Tula m91/30 which I've barely shot because I don't have the heart to put corrosive surplus ammo through it and I haven't been able to stomach prices for brass 7.62x54r cases. I never thought there would be a time when data for that rifle wasn't in a manual.

[RogerDat]

Same number of pages for several years makes me think they want to manage printing costs and shipping. Especially shipping, there is a good chance by keeping that number of pages keeps them in a certain postage bracket.

You have to figure there is some executives who's whole job is to edit what goes in and what doesn't. If they didn't change things how would anyone know they are doing their job? Even if it really comes down to being able to count to 168 pages.

No data for 32 acp? What are they thinking! Oh that most folks who load that already figured out a load so let us ignore them? Just evil if you ask me.

I'm another vote for hard copies. Have found web info that was really useful and bookmarked it only to find the site is gone when I get around to going back to it.

[Lakehouse2012]

Does the online load data from Hogdgen come from this new master? I hope not.

I for one am getting into 32 acp loading and also a 44spec loader. It's a bummer that it's falling off the book, but it's not acceptable if this also means they pull it out of the electronic manuals...

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[Shanghai Jack]

If the manual doesn't contain .455 Webley, it's a "FAIL" in my book.:bigsmyl2:

I dunno. . .the Internet is a handy place to find such information, but since this stuff tends to go hand in hand with "Doomsday planning and prepping for the big, technology-destroying EMP", you'd think paper, hard repositories of knowledge would remain in demand. Then you have the fact that the guns will probably last longer than the manuals...

Same for me except 219 Donaldson Wasp.