Lyman manuals

[tinsnips]

I have all the Lyman reloading manuals except 50th edition and the 4th cast bullet edition . My question is there alot of info in the latest edition that i would need? I started reloading long before internet everything you did back then came from reading a manual. Now if the internet takes a dump will I need these two books.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

need?
probably not, BUT you should want them ;)

[Walks]

I've bought all the new manuals from all the bullet makers and Lyman since I started My own reloading setup in the mid 1970's. Bought a lot of the old ones at gunshows and used book store for years.
Now You can get copies of the old ones from ebay. and Great reprints fromCornell Pubs.
A lot of great reference material and insight as to how and why they've done things over the years.

[Winger Ed.]

I try not to use the word 'need' any more than I have to.
These days, I'm more focused on getting what I 'want'.

All things considered, I'm much happier for it.

[gwpercle]

I been at it since 67 and have just about every cast bullet reloading manual going back to the 1936 "Sixgun Cartridges & Loads " by Elmer Keith and the RCBS Cast Bullet Manual #1 .
There is a 30 year gap between Lyman C B #3 (1980) and the Lyman C B #4 (2010)...
think about what has come and gone , new powders and new cartridges ...in the last freaking thirty years ... a lot ! So... yeah you need / should get Lyman Cast Bullet #4 ... new moulds other than Lyman are used ... new powders ... it's nice ...but keep #3 there's stuff in there you want to reference back to ... I got a pound of Alcan #5 powder and guess where I found load data for handgun cartridges ... Lyman C B #3 !
Now ... as to the 50th anniversary ... that's a may-be . I got it because my last Lyman Reloading Handbook was 46th edition and dated 1982 ...the 50th is 2016 ...that's 34 years , it was time for an update and the 50th Edition was sorta special ... and I'm a gun bookaholic ... so I got it .
Again everything is updated and having a little J-word data along side cast boolit data is nice .
I'm glad I got both and you would probably enjoy both also .
Gary

[ryanmattes]

For load data, the old data changes and gets updated a bit over time as new testing is done, but I wouldn't say you need the new manuals unless you're looking for data on a new cartridge that wasn't listed in the older manuals. I don't think there's much new in the 50th over the 49th.

Otherwise, the general rule of starting low and working your way up to find the right load for your gun makes changes to the listed max pressure kind of irrelevant. You'll either get there with your gun or you won't, depending on the gun, watching for pressure signs along the way.

Now, whether you WANT the new manual is a different question.

The cast manual has a lot more of an update though.

[45DUDE]

The later ones should have more powder selections. The pages are coming apart on some of mine.

[Spoonz]

I picked up the 50th and really enjoy it. The front sections are a good read and there is plenty of data. Lots of space for notes to be added along the way. For that reason alone it has become my go to book. I would say the latest Lee manual is also worth having but not a lot of space to add my notes.
Outside of any books you have that maybe falling apart the Lyman 50th is just a nice feather in the cap to have.


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[MT Gianni]

I rarely use 4. I like 50 and advise you to pick it up on sale when they release 51.