VII. Reloading Information
C. Manufacturer Information
3. Hodgdon
a. Hodgdon Data Manual No. 25
by Dave Munroe (dmunroe@hpvclmun.vcd.hp.com)
Detailed comparative review of:
Hodgdon Data Manual No. 25
(printed December, 1988)
This is a very different and fascinating reloading manual. Naturally, it
deals mostly with Hodgdon smokeless powders, but this manual also contains
shotshell, Pyrodex, and Black Powder load data.
According to its opening chapter, the Hodgdon Powder Company would not be where
it is today if its founder, Bruce Hodgdon, hadn't refused to wear a necktie at
his job with the Gas Company. Therein follows an interesting history of the
Hodgdon Powder Company and the making of Hodgdon rifle powders. Here you will
discover that most Hodgdon propellants are really made by Olin and that others
are imported from Scotland. In any case, their description of manufacturing
spherical powder and Pyrodex makes for interesting and worthwhile reading;
numerous photographs also illustrate this process. A brief description of
the characteristics of each Hodgdon powder follows, including Pyrodex.
Next follows a somewhat brief but adequate description of cartridge cases,
case trimming, headspace, primers, and bullets. A fairly extensive amount
of knowledge and good advice is given about powder and understanding pressure.
Their step-by-step reloading procedure is also brief but adequate. This is
followed by sections on rifle and pistol case dimensions. It would have been
more convenient to have this information provided with the actual load data
rather than in a separate section.
Load data is presented in a somewhat unorthodox manner. It is divided up into
these sections:
- rifle data
- jacketed bullet data
- H1000 (powder) data
- lead bullet data
- silhouette data
- pistol data
- shotshell data
- Pyrodex data
- black powder data
Load data was developed using pressure barrels. In addition to providing
data for Hodgdon powder, the jacketed bullet data section also contains loads
using IMR and Winchester powder. Information for each caliber consists of
(test) barrel length, bullet diameter, primer size, maximum case length, and
the trim-to length. A reasonably good selection of bullet weights are given,
although no mention is made of bullet type (other than being jacketed or lead).
No historical or other characteristics is given about the calibers, thereby
presenting the reader with just lots of tables and no text. This takes away
some of the charm usually found in a reloading manual. For any given caliber
and bullet weight, a large number of powder selections are given. A starting
and a maximum load is given with the corresponding velocity and pressure
values. No indication is given as to which powder might offer the best
accuracy. No energy data or ballistic information is given, nor information
on load density. Unless you are familiar with the characteristics of
numerous Hodgdon powders, you might be at a loss choosing among the many
loads provided.
The rifle reloading section ends with an article on benchrest shooting. The
techniques for accuracy presented here can be applied to your everyday
shooting.
This manual provides reloading data for am amazingly large list of rifle
calibers; much larger than even Hornady. However, calibers such as the 10mm
Auto are too recently popular to have made the 25th edition.
The silhouette data is preceded by an introduction to silhouette shooting
by David Bradshaw. It provides a good introduction to the sport, but I would
like to have seen more emphasis on Production class guns. Sure, the Unlimited
guns (XP-100's, and 14" T/C's) get top scores by being able to group 2" at
200 meters, but the Production class is a large part of IHMSA and the key
idea is that you can take an unmodified out-of-the-box gun, do well with it,
and have fun.
The section on shotshell data is extensive and very detailed. A step-by-step
sequence, with photographs, demonstrates the shotshell reloading procedure.
The shotshell data section contains information on wads, cases, safety and
steel shot, factory loadings, slugs, buckshot, load applications (i.e. trap,
skeet, waterfowl), and shotshell dimensions. Actual loading data is very
detailed and covers 10ga., 12ga., 16ga., 20ga., 28ga., and 410ga.
Any charm missing from the smokeless powder sections of the manual is regained
in the Pyrodex and Black Powder sections. The Pyrodex section begins with an
introduction to muzzleloading, with a very readable and enjoyable part that
describes the considerations and techniques that have been perfected over the
years. Even if you've never been interested in black powder guns, I'd
recommend reading this section - you might even get hooked!
Next is a section on factory testing of Pyrodex, and Pyrodex load data.
Lastly, the Black Powder section is introduced with an article on the
techniques of shooting flintlocks - again, very readable and enjoyable to
the black powder shooter and intriguing to the rest of us. This is followed
by black powder load data, hints, ball sizes, and a case interchangeability
chart (which tells you, for example, how you can make a .45-70 out of an
older .40-60 case).
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nice features:
- interesting description of powder manufacturing processes
- informative discussion of pressure
- extensive data on shotshell reloading
- extensive information on Pyrodex, and black powder data
and techniques
- has reloading data for an amazingly large list of rifle calibers
missing features that would be nice to have:
- descriptions of calibers, good points, bad points
- information as to which powder might offer the best accuracy
- energy and ballistic information
- load density information
- description of powders
pages: 544
typical cost: $18.00
overall impression:
This is a specialized reloading manual and not something for the
beginning reloader of modern rifle or pistol cartridges. If you
are familiar with the Hodgdon powders, then this manual is a
valuable resource. However, shotshell reloaders and black powder
shooters, even beginners, will discover that this is an excellent
manual.
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The Hodgdon manual has reloading data for these calibers:
rifle cartridges (jacketed bullets)
.17 Ackley Bee
.17 Mach IV
.17-222
.17-223
.17 Remington
.22 Hornet
.22 Hornet (for Ruger only)
.218 Bee
.222 Remington
.222 Remington Magnum
.223 Remington
.22 PPC
.224 Weatherby
.219 Wasp
.225 Winchester
.22-250 Remington
.220 Swift
6mm x .222
6mm x .222 Magnum (6 x 47)
6mm PPC
.240 Weatherby
.25/20
.256 Winchester (rifle)
.25/35
.250/3000 Savage
.257 Roberts
.25/284
.25-06
.257 Weatherby Magnum
6.5 Japanese
6.5 Carcano
6.5 x 55 Swedish
6.5/257
6.5 x 06
6.5mm Remington Magnum
.264 Winchester Magnum
6.5 x 68mm
.270 Winchester
.270 Weatherby Magnum
7mm x 30 Waters
7mm x 08 Remington
7mm Mauser (7 x 57)
7 x 57 (for Ruger only)
.280 Remington (7mm Remington Express)
.284 Winchester
7mm Remington Magnum
7mm Weatherby Magnum
7.5 Swiss
.30 M1 Carbine
.30/30 Winchester
.30/40 Krag
.30/40 Krag (for Ruger only)
.300 Savage
.307 Winchester
.308 Winchester
.308 Winchester match loads (7.62 NATO)
.30/06
.300 H&H
.308 Norma Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
.300 Weatherby Magnum
7.62 x 39 Russian
7.7 Japanese
.303 British
7.65 Mauser
.32 Winchester Special
8mm Mauser (8 x 57)
8mm Remington Magnum
.338 Winchester Magnum
.340 Weatherby Magnum
.348 Winchester
.357 Magnum (rifle)
.35 Remington
.356 Winchester
.358 Winchester
.35 Whelen
.350 Remington Magnum
.38/55 Winchester
.375 Winchester
.375 H&H Magnum
.375 Weatherby
.378 Weatherby
.44/40 Winchester
.44 Magnum (rifle)
.444 Marlin
.45/70
.45/70 (for Ruger or model 1895 Marlin only)
.458 Winchester
.460 Weatherby
rifle cartridges (lead bullets)
.22 Hornet
.218 Bee
.222 Remington
.222 Remington Magnum
.223 Remington
.224 Weatherby
.225 Winchester
.22-250 Remington
.243 Winchester
.244 Remington (6mm Remington)
.25/20
.250 Savage
.257 Roberts
6.5 Remington Magnum
.265 Winchester Magnum
.270 Winchester
7mm Mauser (7 x 57)
7mm Remington Magnum
.30 M1 Carbine
.30/30 Winchester
.30/40 Krag
.300 Savage
.308 Winchester
.30/06
.308 Norma Magnum
.303 British
7.65mm Mauser
8mm Mauser (8 x 57)
.444 Marlin
.45/70
.458 Winchester
silhouette cartridges
.223 Remington
.25 IHMSA
6.5 TCU (6.5 x .223)
6.5 IHMSA
.270 IHMSA
7mm TCU (7 x .223)
7mm BR Remington
7mm IHMSA
7mm x 08
.284 Winchester
.30/30 Winchester
.30 IHMSA
.308 Winchester
8mm IHMSA
.338 IHMSA
.357 Magnum
.357 Remington Maximum
.357-44 Bain-Davis
.357 Herrett
.35 Remington
.35 IHMSA
.44 Magnum
.45 Winchester Magnum
.45 Long Colt (Thompson/Center or Ruger only)
pistol cartridges
.17 Bumble Bee
.22 Remington Jet
.221 Remington Fireball
.256 Winchester (pistol)
.30 Luger
.30 Carbine (pistol)
.30 Herrett
.32 S&W
.32 S&W Long (.32 Colt New Police)
.32 Auto
.32 H&R Magnum
.38 S&W (.38 Colt New Police)
.380 Auto (9mm Kurz)
.38 Super
9mm Luger (Parabellum)
.38 Special
.38 Special +P
.357 Magnum
.41 Magnum
.44 Special
.44 Magnum
.44 AutoMag
.45 Auto
.45 Long Colt
.45 Winchester Magnum
.450 Magnum Express
.454 Casull Magnum