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william,

Based on the many posts of yours I have read, I can only imagine how extensive and fine that library of yours is. I am sure mine in no way compares ... especially as it relates to hunting and shooting. I hope you have offspring who may appreciate it someday. T'would be a shame for it to be lost.

I admit I have not even read any of the above mentioned authors ... it's one of my many round-tuits piling up.

I recently googled down some of the Powley math, but have not looked it over in earnest. I intend at some point to make an Excel sheet out of it. I am also considering getting LFD as a comparator to RCBS.LOAD (predictor vs. statistical data). From the description on the loadammo website, it looks like it would do all I need for much less than QL. I emailed the the LFD author and he anticipates the next update sometime this fall ... "hopefully."

Ken
I work with creative and competitive people, some of our planning sessions are interesting.
The January 1978 issue of Handloader (#71) has provided my father and me with many hours of �fussin and discussin.� The article from Bob�s column: �Pressure Points � How to Measure Head Expansion� and then the chapter from his book: �Guns, Loads and Hunting Tips� titled: �How To Detect & Control Pressure� will give the home hobbyist many things to think about. These two articles need to be balanced against Earl Naramore�s chapter on measuring case head expansion in his book: �Principles and Practices of Loading Ammunition.�
I shoot quite a few small game cartridges and of course, cannot equate the measurement of case head expansion to these low pressure cartridges. I use Ken Waters method of measuring PRE to establish stop points and in the days before I had a chronograph, PRE and the Powley Computer for Handloaders was enough to keep me out of trouble. It goes without saying Handloader magazine has given us quite a bit of enjoyment over the years and we have spent many hours discussing various articles through the years.
For two fellows interested in math Lloyd Brownells: �Firearms Pressure Factors: articles are a continuing source of enjoyment. So, if you didn�t accomplish anything else, you made us happy.

I believe the Limited Edition Classic books came out under your term with Wolfe Publishing. I spent the price of two 308 Winchesters rifles on those books. Each time I had the money set back for a new rifle I ended up buying more books. While it frustrated my father and friends, I am certainly pleased I did.

Gringo
No children for us. When I die a good library will probably be scattered to the four winds. I also have a good collection of magazines and other small booklets that will probably be thrown away by whoever goes through the files. My wife and I are having fun and I guess that�s the point.
I just looked up an article for Eric from the Beartooth Forum about reduced loads for rifles. This article by Townsend Whelen is from the March 1932 edition of the American Rifleman. It�s nice to have access to good research material.

Wayne Blackwells Loads From A Disk is a good program and will save you a lot of work developing look-up tables in your spread sheets. Snow uses Loads From A Disk and has shared a few screen prints with me so I could compare it with my estimates. I believe Loads From A Disk is a good value for the handloader.
I always begin load development with a new cartridge using IMR powders and Loads From A Disk would suit me very well.

Gringo,

Waiting on a phone call so I thought I would add a thought or two.
Libraries build slowly over time. Our tastes in guns, airplanes, girls or whatever changes over time and so does our library.
Make a list of books or subjects you are interested in and develop your want list.
Formulate a reasonable idea of what these titles are selling for and pass on those which are over priced or over your budget� everything comes to the patient man.

It is important to remember to buy more specific books rather than general or coffee table books. Over time the specific books will give us more pleasure and these will be the books we read over and over.
It is better to have fewer specific books than a large number of coffee table books. Get your glossy color day dreaming pictures from the internet.

There are several discount houses offering high quality books at very reasonable prices: Edward R. Hamilton comes to mind.
Don�t overlook the truly specialized dealers such as Ray Riling books. For many titles Ray Riling is a cheap as anyone else and he has some limited circulation books in stock when the others don�t.
Callahan & Company is another good dealer but Ken specializes more in fishing books than hunting or shooting.
The Advanced Book Exchange is another good source for books but know the value before you buy. Periodicals in particular tend to be over priced.

Don�t overlook the NRA�s Firearms Classics Library. Amanda Adams and Jim Cassada have a wonderful and underappreciated book club. Many of the books are worth far more than the club price the day they are delivered.

Utilize your local library to preview the books on your want list. The interlibrary loan program will get just about every book you are interested in and you will have the chance to preview them at no cost. Librarians in general don�t like to request gun books on interlibrary loans but if you are polite the will grudgingly request your book. I have had several librarians ask why I didn�t read the books on the shelves first. I politely explained I had and that�s I now needed others. The interlibrary loan program is a great tool for us under funded researchers and very under utilized.


Your only real hope for reading Powley and Hutton is Guns & Ammo from the 1960�s and some Libraries still have them in bound sets. Sadly my local library sold off most of its periodicals and didn�t give local people the opportunity to buy them.
Ackley is also difficult to find as the great majority of his writing was for magazines and he expected us to read them all. Guys like Ackley are larger than life now but back then were just guys trying to make a living and their writing is really scattered around. Ask your Librarian for a copy of Charles Landis: �Hunting with the Twenty Two,� Ackley has a very interesting chapter in this book.

I have all the Wolfe Classics and several years of the NRA Claasics although both sets include many duplicates of works that I already had. Breaks my heart to think of 'em going to the dump when I go into the crematorium.

Still haven't read many of 'em!

Ken,

I now have three copies of many of these titles!
In the Wolfe series I am not certain which book is my favorite but certainly: �The Bullets Flight� by Dr. Mann is the most unique book.
The book I hold in my hands most often is J. R. Mattern�s �Handloading Ammunition.� I like the book very much.

In the NRA series the Keith book: �Rifles for Large Game� is certainly the most collectable and desirable.
I like the �Handloaders Manual� by Narramore and wish they would reprint the Principles and Practices book.
As far as the books I read most the two F.C. Ness books are somewhere at the top of the list.
A Rifleman Went to War and Ordinance Went Up Front are high on the list too.
Charles Landis and S.R. Truesdell are high on the list of most read books too.
I want the NRA to reprint Wildcat Cartridges by Richard Simmons. This book was not well bound and I have worn out two copies�.
There are so many little known and yet interesting writers from the past: Walter Winans and Hans Busk are two.

A local author: G.O. Ashley was quite a wildcatter, a professor at Angelo State and well liked by all of the local shooters who knew him. I have copies of some of his correspondence and shooting notes and it is a real shame all of his papers were scattered to the four winds after his death.

Thanks for the suggestions william. I was not aware of the interlibrary loan program, nor of some of the book dealers you mentioned. I'll copy and past those into a text file for reference. Frankly, I haven't been to a local library for awhile. One never knows though. The little library where I grew up in East Texas had some surprisingly good reads in the realm of firearms and hunting.

Incidentally, LFD appears to include other powders than IMR based on the loadammo website (Ramshot, etc). Version 5 looks like it was a significant step up from previous versions and I am thinking about waiting until Wayne's next version before springing for it. He says that updates are typically discounted about half for previous users ... I felt that is a little high for an update which is why I will wait. However, his upfront charge for buying the software outright is certainly cheaper than either QL or RCBS.LOAD.

Ken,
Greg has another update up on his server. The disk need not be in your computer to receive the update. When you to tools and select update you must download all three categories and hit the icon for re-install.
The recent thread where you were asked about pressure is partially answered for any cartridge in the data base or wildcat you care to draw by simply by going to:
Tools
Cartridge Designer
Selecting a reference cartridge or drawing a wildcat you may have several cartridges up at the same time
Click on �Other� at the lower right side and select Cartridge Characteristics
This will bring up a chart on the selected cartridge which includes:
Base Surface Area
Lateral Surface Area
The 40Kpsi Lateral Receiver Force and many other interesting pressure related items.
I particularly enjoy getting muzzle pressure and expansion ratio so easily.

Other is also where you select bullet form and the capacity by powder type. This allows you to compare how much powder by type the case holds which, while not load data helps the handloader select a powder of optimum density for the case and bullet seating depth. Its interesting stuff and helps knock a hole in long winter evenings.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...owflat/Number/3036736/page/1#Post3036736

Gringo,

I was discussing the recent thread about the wide range of usefulness of Alliant Reloder 15 with another forum member. I pointed out RCBS Load has an interesting feature. Every powder in the load data base is grouped on a page title: �Powder Use By Cartridge And Source.� Every powder type is listed with all of the cartridges for which there is load data and the load book source is given. There are 42 cartridges listed for Alliant Reloder 15. This is an interesting feature.