Old loading manuals

[BillnotBob]

I was cleaning out my closet and found some old manuals from about 20 years ago. My question is are they worth keeping around?, or should I give them to a charity? The manuals are a Speer #11, Sierra bullets reloading manual, Sierra Rifle reloading, Sierra Riffle #3 and Handgon #3, Nosler #3, Hodgdun #25, and a Hornady #3.

[BigBronco]

I frequently look to my older manuals.

[24Sailor]

Great cross referencing when you aren't sure....My 35 year old manuals are still on my bookshelf right next to with my Morrison and Boyd 3rd edition Organic Chemistry textbook.

[gunboat]

Nah, they are no good, I will give you a buck a piece for them - :-)
I still use my lymans #39 at times -- even an old hodgdons that is 4 or 5 typed yellow sheets.

[skibuff]

I still use speer #11. If you don't want them there is a nice guy on Cal guns loaning out reloading books to new loaders. He might be interest in adding them to the loaner deal he is doing.
That seems like a nice way to give back to Cal guns.

[LGB Loader]

I still have my all my Lymans from 45th Edition on... and many of the editions of all the other ones... speer, Sierra, Hornady, etc... even all the hogdons annuals.

I would keep all the books you have.

LGB

[Munk]

The oldest manuals I have seem more complete. I guess it's because they don't expect you to have as much access to outside sources for other information.

The only things they lack is more modern load information, modern bullets, brass, powder and cartridges.

[BillnotBob]

Thank you for all the replies.

[Spyder]

If you want to get rid of em, I've got dibs!!!

[klewan]

If you still have powder made about the same time as the manuals were printed, you want to use the data in those books instead of more recent issues. The powder changes as time goes on, and you don't want to be making up loads that you and a recent book consider "safe", when they aren't.

[Sunday]

I have then from the early 70s and the basics are the same though everything changes so a new manual is more up to date.

[wtkaiser]

..not to mention that there will be a few oddball cartridges that may be mentioned in the oldies that are not in the newer versions. .357 B&D is in one of my oldies - try finding that one in todays varsions!

I do like the oddballs. What does that say about me?

[tankerman]

Pressures are more accurately measured these days, so some of the loads in the older manuals may not be considered in the safe range by today's manuals.

I keep mine because the older manuals have a lot of good info not found in many modern manuals.

[ZakAttackMan]

I can't tell you how many times I run into older powder and wish I had older manuals to use to reference load data from.