From: hes@unity.ncsu.edu (Henry E. Schaffer)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Handloader's Digest - A Book Review
Date: 17 Apr 92 12:44:39 GMT
Organization: Computing Center, North Carolina State University

HANDLOADER'S DIGEST  12th ed.
Edited by Ken Warner
DBI Books 1990 8 1/2" x 11" paper 384 pages ISBN 0-97349-104-1

  Why would anyone in their right mind pay $18.95 for what is mostly a
compendium of slightly out-of-date catalogs of reloading equipment
and supplies?  I never could figure this out, and so I have never
done that.  Even though I saw on the cover such enticing statements as
"THE WORLD'S GREATEST RELOADING BOOK" or "Latest developments in major
equipment and techniques.  Rifles, Handguns, Shotguns and Wildcats
covered in a broad range of articles.  Expanded catalog of tools,
accessories and components including prices and specificiatons - all
extensively indexed for fast reference."

  But eventually I found one on sale (half price I think, perhaps
less) and couldn't pass it by.  What the heck, I could see for 
myself.

  It's organized with about the first 167 pages being a series of
about 35 feature articles - kind of like gun magazine articles but
with some difference I'll explain below.  Then a few pages of ammo
tables and then over 200 pages of indexed catalog material.  The
catalog material is out-of-date, and is somewhat so even immediately
after the book comes out since most of these manufacturers put out
one or more catalogs per year.  But still it is handy to have an
indexed group of them to let you browse and get ideas, although this
isn't too much of a surprise.

  The real surprise was in the feature articles.  They aren't 
really gun magazine articles - they aren't glib enough.  No smiley.
Ken Warner found articles which, by and large, are solid, informative,
and factual treatments about many, many aspects of reloading.  They
aren't gee-whiz and they have lots of data and thorough discussion
included.  They're a bit more technical than usually found in the 
slick gun-mags (other than Handloader), and maybe a bit less exciting -
but there sure is a lot of meat there.  For example there is a 12 page
article (really quite long for a gun-mag article) by C. E. Harris (is he
the net's own Ed Harris?) on "What Good is the 7.62x39mm?" which is a
treatise on the history, ballistics (both exterior and terminal) and use
of this round in several rifles.  A number of references are also
included.  Really an article worth keeping.

  There are other articles on hunting topics from varmints to large
American game to African game.  There are discussions on a number of
other calibers such as the .401, .475, .416 Taylor, .416 Remington,
and the .250 Ackley Improved.  There are articles on dies and gadgets for
reloading, on trajectories, on guns, and on bullets and powders.  Authors 
include Edward Matunas (with 5 articles!), Dean Grennell, and Sam Fadala.
I'm not going to type in the titles and authors of all these articles,
but I think I've given a reasonable indication of the scope.

  I think that I want to keep this set of articles in my library,
but it's a pity that they'll take up so much shelf space - because, you
see, there's over 200 pages of out-of-date catalogs attached at the
back of the book!  :-)  I'll probably want to buy the 13th edition when
it comes out.

--henry schaffer  n c state univ