When I first got into reloading some 20+ years ago, the Hornady load manual was my first purchase. At that time, you could buy the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading in a two volume set. The first book was load recipes and general handloading information. The second, equally thick book was chock full of ballistic tables. Between the two, I was able to educate myself a great deal about loading cartridges.

Fast forward to fall of 2016. Hornady announced the company is now publishing the 10th edition of the book. The book is a single volume as the internet made printed books of ballistic tables largely irrelevant. I suppose that someone could argue that the reloading book is equally superfluous as one can just look up load recipes online.

I suppose I take a different view. Reloading should be done without distraction for maximum safety and optimal performance. Checking a .243 Win load online might seem like a good idea, but that iPhone or tablet you are using is a distraction trap. A book won’t “accidentally” have you checking Facebook or watching cat videos on YouTube. But, hey – that’s just my opinion. Yours may vary.

The new book includes updated load recipes that cover new powders and bullets (such as the ELD-X and ELD Match bullets Hornady introduced last year.) Also, Hornady added calibers to the book that were not in the prior edition including the 338 Federal, 280 Ackley Improved and 7×64 Brenneke.

The MSRP is $42.07. Amazon will likely have it cheaper, but even at full price, I will be placing an order for one. (Note: Lyman released the 50th edition of its reloading book this year. It is another load manual I recommend.)