Review of Lyman's Black Powder Manual, 2nd edition
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Lyman's Black Powder manual has a wealth of information, from interesting tidbits to important guidelines and helpful hints about muzzleloaders, equipment (accoutrements), projectiles, loading techniques, propellants, bullets, accuracy, cleaning and maintenance, rendezvous shooting, casting your own lead projectiles, and blackpowder cartridge rifles. Chapters are devoted to pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. History and usage recommendations are provided for all. Particularly useful is the load information for rifles. This information contains velocity, pressure, and energy statistics at the muzzle and 100 yards for various loads by charge volume, projectile size (weight) and type (round ball, maxi ball, conical, sabot, etc.), barrel length, powder type, rifling twist. The greatest drawback to the load information is that only modern barrel lengths are given and--for patched round ball users--typically only one patch thickness is used for all loads. For those of us with functioning antiques or modern reproduction longrifles with barrels over 32 inches, the velocity (and therefore energy) statistics will be rather inaccurate. I believe some of the load data is suspect, though I have not used a chronograph to test this. Nonetheless, and regardless of any potential flaws, the load data certainly will present the reader with baseline or starting information to later build on or as a guideline against which to base his or her own loads. Keep yer powder dry.
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