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So, I picked up a old copy of J.R. Mattern’s “Handloading Ammunition”, originally printed in 1926. I enjoy the older material and thought I would share some things I found interesting about the book. He wrote the book from 1921 to 1926.
Title Page
Here are some quick facts about 1926 to set the background
General
• The Civil War ended 65 years before
• WWI has been over 7 years
• AZ and NM have been states for 14 years
• Prohibition and women voting started in 1920
• Calvin Coolidge is President
• US Population 117 Million, CA Pop is 4.5million
• The novel ”The Great Gatsby” was set in 1922, published in 1925
• Ford announces the 40 hour work week and the Model T ($250-$300) is in second to last year of production
• NBC Radio Network begins, CBS to start up in 1927
• 3 years before Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression
• Homes in cities have electricity (most have few things to plug in, mostly lighting), but rural folks will wait over a decade for the Rural Electrification Act to be passed
• Indoor plumbing is no better than 50/50 outside bigger cities, many rural areas close to 0%
Firearms Specific
• John M Browning dies in 1926 and his 1911 is 15 years old
• .38 Super is still 3 years away, the .357 Magnum is 9 years away from introduction
• The rifle of the US Army is the 1903 Springfield, it fires the .30-1906 (rarely in the book called the ’06 - see the cost page below)
• The .30-30 WCF has been around for 31 years
• The current Lyman Manual was the 27th Edition
• The highest powered handgun at the time was the .38-40 with 388 ft lbs of muzzle energy
• .22 Hornet is in development and the .270 Winchester is released in 1925.
So, the first page of the book could be ripped from any pro-gun writer today. 89 years ago – they were worried about antis, some things never change.
First page
I found that the legal department was not involved whatsoever in the data included in the manual. Some of the loads and their remarks
Title Page
Here are some quick facts about 1926 to set the background
General
• The Civil War ended 65 years before
• WWI has been over 7 years
• AZ and NM have been states for 14 years
• Prohibition and women voting started in 1920
• Calvin Coolidge is President
• US Population 117 Million, CA Pop is 4.5million
• The novel ”The Great Gatsby” was set in 1922, published in 1925
• Ford announces the 40 hour work week and the Model T ($250-$300) is in second to last year of production
• NBC Radio Network begins, CBS to start up in 1927
• 3 years before Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression
• Homes in cities have electricity (most have few things to plug in, mostly lighting), but rural folks will wait over a decade for the Rural Electrification Act to be passed
• Indoor plumbing is no better than 50/50 outside bigger cities, many rural areas close to 0%
Firearms Specific
• John M Browning dies in 1926 and his 1911 is 15 years old
• .38 Super is still 3 years away, the .357 Magnum is 9 years away from introduction
• The rifle of the US Army is the 1903 Springfield, it fires the .30-1906 (rarely in the book called the ’06 - see the cost page below)
• The .30-30 WCF has been around for 31 years
• The current Lyman Manual was the 27th Edition
• The highest powered handgun at the time was the .38-40 with 388 ft lbs of muzzle energy
• .22 Hornet is in development and the .270 Winchester is released in 1925.
So, the first page of the book could be ripped from any pro-gun writer today. 89 years ago – they were worried about antis, some things never change.
First page
I found that the legal department was not involved whatsoever in the data included in the manual. Some of the loads and their remarks
Bob B. 
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