Reloading Guide 8

Great big easy to read and follow reloading book. It covers most popular firearms. The printing is in color and layout of load tables is great. Lots of good technical information and safety advice. A real go to book! I would recommend it to any serious reloaded. Someone wanting to get the best out of a firearm will find lots of help in fine tuning its accuracy. It didn’t have info for my 6.5/06 but then there aren’t many in use. You can’t find a new reloading manual with that caliber’s load information. You can get that data online or work up your own by being very careful.

Nosler has a lot of the same information for the cartridges on their website. However, there are other great references and information such as: (1) a step-by-step guide to reloading with pictures (2) information on the different dies and equipment that you'll need to reload and (3) well written introductions to the cartridges by well-experienced experts. It is well-known that one of these experts has some personal issues with one of the cartridges, and Nosler was smart enough to keep him away from writing the introduction to that cartridge. I assure you that this cartridge deserves and lives up to every bit of its hype, but this expert just had a bad experience with someone who favored it. Other than that, he's very knowledgeable and experienced.

Nosler has done it again.The brand-new standard sets the bar high with a both luxurious[photos and layout] and absolute current info especially as it pertains to their new namesake calibres the 26,28,and 30 Nosler rounds.I particularly liked their innovative burn-rate chart that highlights discontinued powders in red.And it's 780 pages of data.And,that is JUST reloading data.Ballistics data is so very available elsewhere.And obscure data on rounds I've never heard of and I read all the usual rifle mags and manuals out there.These sparse observations don't even hint at the wealth of info in this gem.If you roll your own.Don't wait a minute longer...get a copy now ! Ted B.Canada

First off, as a long-time handloader I should tell you that you should always refer to the latest reloading data available for the cartridge/projectile combination you are loading. That being said, I'd like to share with you some of my observations and opinions of Nosler's latest reloading manual.Of course before I begin I have to mention that Nosler's 8th edition manual was released only 3 years after the previous edition. However in that time Nosler released several new products including the "Accubond Long Range", "Ballistic Silvertip Varmint", and "Bonded Performance" projectiles, as well as new SAAMI specified "Nosler" cartridges (26, 28, and 30 Nosler). Additionally powder companies have released a few new formulations to the market like RL-33 and CFE Pistol, and even discontinued some like H870 and RL-12. So of course, if you are hand loading with/for any of the aforementioned projectiles or cartridges, it would be highly recommended for you to purchase this manual.Now down to the meat and potatoes.Judging by it's cover.....At first look you'll notice that the 8th edition is somewhat smaller, thinner, lighter than the 7th. The reason behind this is clear when you look towards the back of the manuals. The 8th edition manual does not include the universal drop tables or the cartridge appendix of the 7th edition. The drop tables are mostly obsolete now with printable online tables and smartphone ballistics calculators - so no big loss, but the cartridge appendix is another story. The cartridge appendix of the 7th edition included loading data for various classic and wildcat cartridges that were not included in the main rifle section of the manual. However this data is not lost. Nosler simply moved all of the cartridges from the appendix into the main body, but in doing so updated loading data for some, and added a cartridge history page to all of the cartridges from the previous appendix.Judging by content.....The Nosler 8th edition manual opens with a message from the president of Nosler Inc, Bob Nosler followed by a memorium of Charles "Chub" Eastman a former Marine and outdoor's man who was once a sales and marketing executive for Nosler Inc I will not opine about the aforementioned sections as they are messages directly from the company to you as a firearm community member. Only your opinion matters in this regard. After these messages the manual transitions into the cartridge index and ultimately the reloading how-to and data tables.Reloading 101.Every reloading manual contains a similar section in where the manual attempts to describe the hand loading process for newer or lesser experienced handloaders. Though I think that other manuals like the Lyman or Lee manuals do a slightly better job in this regard, on balance the information expressed in this manual is adequate and well organized such that a novice handloader that adheres to this material would understand how to safely proceed in his/her endeavor into hand loading (to those that own the 7th edition, the 8th edition material is a cut-and-paste job from the former).Loading tables (Quality)...The load data tables are formatted in the same style of the 7th edition. Projectile data including tested Over-All Cartridge Length (O.A.L.C), ballistic coefficient (BC), and sectional density (SD) is listed across the top of the page. Beneath that test barrel specifications and primer make/size information can be found. Below all of the aforementioned header information, the load tables are found which includes information for: powder type, powder charge weight, tested muzzle velocity in feet/second, and cartridge load density in percentage of case fill. Powder type and charge weight is organized slowest-fastest vertically with the most accurate powder tested highlighted. In addition, each powder type has an asterisk set beside the most accurate charge weight for that particular powder. Of all of the reloading manuals I have, and I have all of them, the Nosler tables are the most complete and well organized of the bunch - and I say this as someone who prefers the Hornady style tables. Nosler tables are truly the best in the biz. As to the table itself, and of particular note, is some criticism I've read in regard to the color scheme selected for the 8th edition. The tables are Black/White/and Greenish Yellow. Additionally, the page margins are shaded grey with the same green-yellow color selected for the text font. Though I agree that the green-yellow color is not aesthetically pleasing, it may surprise some to read that I believe this is a VAST improvement from the orange-red of the previous edition. My rationale is rather simple. I am a proud father of a young son who loves to spend time with his dear ol' dad in the garage hand loading for the next hunting trip or range day. My son is color blind. Electronic scales with red back-lights or reloading manuals with red-over-black color pallets make it so that my son can't see the information displayed. Green-yellow may look like baby vomit, but my son, and tens-of-thousands of other little boys, young men, and us old folks can see baby puke green just fine but not red. +1!Loading tables (Quantity)....This is where the Nosler manuals suffer. Let's first understand that Nosler is a cartridge company that is known for premium ammunition for the huntsman. Since 1948 Nosler's introduction of the "Partition" bullet to the hunting community they have forever changed the way we approach hunting insofar as what we take afield. For example, folks used to take big ol' medium bore rifles out for bison, elk, and moose, but today few would argue that a 270 Winchester with a 150 grain "Partition" is "not enough gun" for larger deer species. That being said, Nosler's company vision does not normally include creating projectiles for the range queen, tacti-cool, zombie apocalypse market. Now I like my mall-ninja, space-age, holographic night-vision ARs, and all-plastic, sub-micro, laser guided, invisible pistols as much as the next man, but I don't usually top those cartridges with premium Nosler bullets either. Still, all kidding aside, Nosler's line of products is very limited to non-existent when it comes to self-defense, hunting handgun, three-line rifle cartridge (303 caliber), or big game hunting with anything over 458 caliber; and the limited cartridge gallery of the Nosler manual continues to highlight this. (-2)Why should I get this manual?So lets assume you are someone who may only own one or two loading manuals but no Nosler manuals and you'd rather not spend money on something you may not need. If that were the case, I'd say don't buy unless you plan on loading Nosler projectiles. The loading data contained within this reloading manual naturally only covers cartridges using Nosler projectiles. As such, and as described earlier, number of cartridges and projectile weights covered within this manual are less than most. Furthermore load data coverage for some of the newer powders released since 2012 is also very limited. Assuming again that you may only own one or two manuals, and not loading Nosler projectiles, but want a newer manual that covers more of the newer powders out there, take a good look at Lyman's 50th edition handbook. The Lyman handbook includes data for more cartridges, powders, and projectile weights than the Nosler handbook does.Now let's assume that you are asking this question as someone who owns the 7th edition, would purchasing this manual worth the expense? I get it, maybe you would rather spend your 25-40 bucks on reloading components rather than a new handbook especially if there's nothing new in this one. After all many of us get into reloading with the implicit desire to save money (though some of us have long left that idea behind). To those of you I would say that the upgrade from 7th to 8th is wholly underwhelming. After comparing a dozen or so load tables I can say that the majority of the data is cut-and-paste from the 7th edition. The only remarkable inclusions are the "Nosler" named cartridges (26, 28, and 30 Nosler), O.A.C.L, BC, and SD data for the newer projectiles, and a small spattering of data for some of the newer powders (though you'll actually find much more data on the powder manufacturer's websites). All-in-all I'll have to mostly agree with other reviewers that have suggested that it's not really worth much upgrading form the 7th to 8th unless you own, or plan to own, a rifle chambered in 26, 28, or 30 Nosler.Now to the few of you that are new to reloading and have suffered through this review this long to find out if this book is for you.........mostly no. The recurring theme in this review is that the Nosler 8th edition manual is of most utility to those that fit a specific niche. Namely if you own, or plan to own, a rifle chambered in one of the new overbore "Nosler" cartridges, then yes, you should get this manual. If you load Nosler projectiles, and don't already own a copy of Nosler's 7th edition handbooks, then yes, you should get this manual. However if you fall outside of the previous two categories and care about how much utility you get for your money, then no, you should look elsewhere. I'd generally recommend Lyman's 50th edition handbook as the "catch-all" handbook for metallic cartridges.

I am just getting into reloading, and I found this book to be informative and helpful in every way. It includes load data for a lot of newer cartridges, like my latest project, the 6.8 SPC, and also includes both velocity and accuracy data for a variety of powders, and reloading friends have told me their results track with those supplied here. That information saves a lot of experimental expense. I could not be happier with it.

Nosler makes very high quality reloading parts. I think the best thing about their guide, whether you use their bullets or not, is their comprehensive list of powders, powder weights and the most accurate tested. (Something Hornady's guide neglects to mention). Unlike Lee's guide, Nosler's includes three weights of powder and quite a few powders Lee doesn't list at all.

Great looking reloading book. The outline is slick and easy to read. Each cartridge contains brief technical data and even longer articles from various industry writers. A great sitting-on-the-toilet read!Keep in mind there is no .50 cal data since Nosler does not produce that size of projectiles. Still a great book to add to your collection.

I was surprisingly disappointed with this book. Many pistol calibers completely missing. Also the popular components (bullets, powder) I use were not in any of the data. My 35 year old Nosler book has better info. I am returning this one for it is worthless to me.