Dallas,
I think the answer lies within what you want to reload for, factory or wildcat, rifle or pistol and on and on.

Probably the best all round manual for reloading by the general public is the old Lyman manual that used actual guns and gave accuracy loads. After a few years and a few of those manuals, it is amazing to me how you can pick up a new gun, load the accuracy load for that cartridge and get results that are pretty fair. Most time the load will shoot better than the average shooter can hold to a target. The old manuals included black powder guns, shotgun, rifle, pistol, jacketed and cast bullets.

Of course, I do have my individual favorites, like the 1932 Phillip B Sharpe manual, it is a bonified classic book, much less a reloading manual. It has some real great info and pictures within its pages. Example it has a picture of the 5.56 bullet, invented by an American, patent expired, Swiss patened it again and the US Govt paid a fortune for the rights to make the Swiss penetrator bullet.

Then again, I guess if you had no other manual, the PO Ackley books would be just hard to beat. Hogdons older books are also great because they used actual guns, like the Lyman books. I have about a half dozen books made up by members of the IHMSA for heavy handgun reloading. Those books are an excellent source of information for high end hunting loads and extreame accuracy from a handgun.
Ed

Swampfox...Did a Joint military exersize in your area in the early '90's. What they called a J-lot. I was part of Navy SupSalv(civilian) Weathered out one he++ of a storm that hit Destin that year. Found the place a bit sandy and quite flat. Had fun though. Good food...

I have only one problem with what you have said above and that is that you are still using the old manuals that were written when a lot of the powders were military pull down and the technology for testing the factory powders wasn't what it is today and the fact that a lot of powders that we used back then has been reformulated. I feel that if you are using load data from ten or more year old manuals you are taking a chance of having a KA-BOOM. I've read some of the old manuals and have a few in my posession and, except for reference purposes, I would be very careful using them as load data for modern powders.

Hey Bushmaster,
We do have one or two military outfits around here. Navy, helo school, fixed wing school, a seal school and a dive school. Army Ranger school. USAF Specops HQ. AGOS school & HQ, the USAF Armement R & D center, EOD school and several other small things. I came here when I got out of the 101st, back in 1971.

Everything here has stayed the same, just hot and sandy, nothing to do but fish, hunt, play golf and shoot clays. Over and over again, boring. Like CA except with a real government.

My reloading books are like me and my powder, old and crusty. Hell, I have powder in unopened steel cans that has a $4.00 price on it, from a store that went out of business in 1971. They had a 40% off sale! One more pound and I might be near the limit.
Ed

PS: I do reload with fresh new powder once in a while, if'n I ain't fireforming brass, developing a new cartridge, etc.

Yup...Still flat and sandy...Afraid I ain't no spring chicken either. Retired a month ago. But I have moved into the 21st century.

Over the years, I have used Speer, Hornady, Sierra, Lyman and Loadbooks, plus drawing from the writings of Ed Matunas , John Barnsness, and Finn Aagard.

I now have Matunas, Barnsness, Aagard, Speer #13, Hornady, a Loadbook, and a Lyman #48, and am looking for a good Speer #10.

Maybe I'm going to have to look at the Lee manual. I have heard good things about it.

A good manual is necessary for safe and enjoyable reloading. Three are better.

The Hornady manual is the only one I purchased. I got many for free from the manufacturers. I've spent a lot of time getting loading info from the internet. The internet has it all...
Keep it coming...

I really like the Nosler manual, but the Sierra a close second. The Hornady and Lyman manuals are also pretty good.