Reloading ammo is a discipline as old as firearms and shooting themselves. But one of the top bullet and reloading supply manufacturers has moved the timeworn pastime decidedly into the future.
Hornady announced recently that the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, 9th Edition is now available for download on a number of digital platforms. The move to digitize one of the most important tools of ammunition reloading is a sweeping act, putting the company ahead of the curve. A quick survey of some of the most popular digital retailers shows Hornady is one of the first major reloading supply manufacturers to make the jump to a digital reference.
Presently, the reloading manual is available as a download for Apple devices — such as the iPad and iPhone — via iTunes. It is also available at Amazon as a Kindle edition. The Kindle version not only makes the reloading manual compatible with Amazon's proprietary devices, but also on Android systems with the Kindle app.
Hornady's latest iteration of its reloading guide might have changed its format, but the manual still remains an important reference for handloaders.
The 900-page manual retains its heart and soul — the data that is key to reloading ammo with Hornady bullets. Like its hardbound forebear, the digital reloading guide includes the velocity/powder charts for applicable Hornady bullets that makes building an accurate round a snap. And the 9th edition of the reloading manual has been enlarged to include expanded data on 20 favorite calibers and also a variety of new propellants.
The manual isn't just for those who are an old hand at reloading ammo, it also includes important sections for first-time handloaders. The reloading guide has step-by-step instructions on reloading metallic cartridges, taking handloaders from case prep to producing a shootable cartridge. It also has a section explaining the finer points of internal, external and terminal ballistics. This has been a cornerstone of the reloading manual's for years and has raised the ballistic IQ of more than one bullet-head.
Hornady still prints its hardbound edition of the reloading guide and plans to in the future. But the digital version of the manual does have one edge on its hard copy counterpart — price. Retailing at $18.99, the digital reloading guide is more than half the price of the print edition. That's no small change these days, given the money saved is more than enough to buy a bit more powder, box of bullets or a bag of brass.