I use the data off of the powder manufacturers website then work up with a chronograph. It's been a long time since I've cracked open an actual reloading manual.
There's nothing magic about a reloading manual, it's just what they found in a test barrel that likely bears little resemblance to my own rifle. I can do much of that myself out of my own barrel.
Knock on wood, in 30 years I've never blown a primer so I'll keep doing what I'm doing. A chronograph will keep you out of a lot of trouble. It's amazing that some will trust a book over what their own rifle is telling them.
