After reloading for well over 20 years, I have a shelf-full of books on the subject. Included are all the free pamphlets from the powder companies, all kinds of articles I have cut out of gun magazines, Handloader magazine, and most of the products of the major bullet manufacturers. Also have Ken Waters' "Pet Loads" but often find his data too hot for my tastes, but still lots of good info. Even have an old water-stained copy of Phil Sharpe's book "Complete Guide to Handloading". Then there's Steindler's book, Grennell's book, McPherson's book, bullet casting books, and so on. Oh, even have a copy of Noble Sport's handloading manual by Rene Malfatti which is fascinating to read, even if I only have four types of their powder.
Old material I never get rid of for the reasons stated in previous posts. In fact, I keep my eyes open for old stuff I don't already have.
Well, there is a point to make after enumerating all these references. That point is, I use them all. When looking for specific data, I like to compare info from several sources. As to the general information they contain, I have learned much from each one, and much of it was different from one book to the next.
I have to admit that I started reloading with the Speer manual and I still am very comfortable using it. Often it is the book I reach for if I am just refreshing my memory to reload a common cartridge. Speer data seems to be on the soft side, too, so you really can't go too wrong on their loads. Remember, hot or maximum loads are usually not the most accurate ones.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the internet, which we didn't have when I started reloading many years ago. In recent times, it has been a goldmine of information for me, particularly with respect to obtaining information on the more unusual cartridges. I have two loose-leaf binders stuffed to overflowing with copied material that I have retained.
