I read a reprint of an interesting book this past winter..... " Twenty Two Caliber Varmint Rifles " by Charles S. Landis. IIRC it's from 1946. Back when pretty much only the major ammunition producers had chronographs. It's interesting in that it shows how wildcatters did their thing in the 1940's with no chronographs and a very limited supply of powders and components compared to what we have today. Chapter 24 is a treatise on load development written by Hervey Lovell, who was another famed wildcatter of that era. An interesting tidbit from that is when he advises that "When fired cases start sticking in the chamber, cut the load half a grain of powder for a case of this size or back the bullet away from the lands, seat it deeper by 1/32 inch". So I guess that sort of load development was once considered gospel and apparently there was no other way to do it (? ). Wow.......
That book is a good read well worth the time. There are 2 that I highly recommend. First is “The Bullets Flight. From Powder to Target” by Dr. Mann. Excellent read..
Next would be “The Complete Guide to Handloading” by Phillip B. Sharpe.
