By The Book

I can always tell when the calendar turns over into a new year because the new edition of Hodgdon’s Annual Manual shows up in my mailbox, and each new version is invariably a step above the previous year’s edition.

The Annual Manual for 2025 does not break the mold, with a cover declaring “11,000+ Loads” and “More Loads Than Any Other Manual.” There’s a cover story on “How to Build the Ultimate Reloading Bench,” which tells me everything I needed to know about 20 years ago, because nowadays, my loading bench — hell, my entire workshop — looks like somebody called in an airstrike and there were no survivors.

Winter does that to my workshop, of course. Stuff winds up stashed “temporarily” inside to gather dust until spring, when I throw the doors open, along with the sliding windows, move junk out, fire up a vacuum and engage in a little rural renewal. But I digress.

The Hodgdon Annual Manual came along several years ago, and I have yet to miss an edition. In my humble estimation, they keep getting better. Aside from the fact that late Bob Hodgdon was a dear friend of mine, and his son, Chris, is still a pal, this magazine-format book was and remains one of the best reference guides for metallic cartridge reloaders.

This year’s version spans 192 pages, same as the past couple of editions, and from one cover to the other, there is something inside for every reloader, whether it’s just recommended loads and data, or the various magazine-type articles which grace the first several pages. There’s an article on the legendary .257 Roberts celebrating its 90th anniversary with beaucoup loading data, which I will keep forever as “the Bob” is one of my favorite cartridges — and there also appears to be some new data for the .41 Magnum, .45 ACP and .45 Colt. Beat that with a stick!

I’ve got a small stack of past editions on a shelf above my loading bench where I stack my boxes of loading dies, and it’s fun to compare some of the older data with updated information.

There is one pet peeve I’ve had over the years, and that is the absence of any data for loading the .300 Savage. I’ve got a Model 99, which my grandpa gave to me when I graduated from high school somewhere way back in the previous century. Sure, I’ve got about a half-dozen hard cover manuals from Speer, Nosler, Sierra and Hornady with plenty of data, but for whatever reason, Hodgdon’s Annual Manual seems to have left the Savage at the bus station. I think if I ever crack a new issue open and discover they’ve included the .300, I’m probably going to suffer a cardiac; the surprise will be too much to bear.

Slick and Simple

The Annual Manual is no cheap trick, either. This thing is printed on very nice slick paper with a slightly heavier cover featuring excellent photos inside and out, and all the recommended loads printed in an easily-read type font.

I took a quick glance at data for the .38 Special and .357 Magnum, and stopped counting at 100 in each section. If I had nothing else to do, and an unlimited amount of money, time and components, I could probably spend the remainder of my “golden years” at the bench, at the range, back to the bench, back to the range and so forth to the point of driving my family nuts.

Even more pages of my Annual Manual would be dog-eared with certain loads circled in blue or black ink or covered with a streak from a highlighter, with notes in the column edges than already are.

In the new edition, according to cover lines, you’ll find updated data for 86 rifle and 30 pistol cartridges, along with 1,000+ shotshell loads. You’ll find a complete list of burn rates on page 59, and on the following 11 pages, one can find details on all Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester, Accurate and Ramshot powders.

Visible Contempt

As reported earlier, I skipped the annual SHOT Show in order to testify against some nasty gun control bills in Olympia, Washington. Goes with the job.

One thing 2A people should watch for — and I did because it was unavoidable — are the reactions from orange T-shirt-wearing anti-gunners who also show up for such hearings. Having testified on two measures — one limiting the number of guns and rounds of ammunition one can purchase in a 30-day period and the other requiring a permit from police before purchasing a firearm — I was greeted with facial expressions ranging from visible contempt to hostility.

Each experience I’ve had over the years of attending and testifying or simply covering such hearings as a journalist has simply reinforced a notion, which became a conclusion, that the gun prohibition crowd brims with hatred. One woman shook her head while staring at me with such malevolence it made me wonder if she had a voodoo doll dressed in blue jeans and a tiny tweed jacket.

It’s impossible to fall back on years of reporting experience and simply remain indifferent when confronted with what appears to be visceral hatred. And these people have the gall to accuse gun owners of being dangerous? I should have attended the SHOT Show. Nicer surroundings, a better class of people, the ability to see old friends and not worry about someone throwing a sucker punch from the rear

Friendlier Pursuits

Mentioned earlier was the .257 Roberts, a cartridge for which I’ve found plenty of uses over the years, not the least of which is doing my part to reduce the coyote population as the calving/fawning season looms.

So, imagine my frustration when the first ‘yote I see this year is trotting across the large field across the rural road from my house. This yodel dog appeared to be a female watching some pups playing around, and two things struck me: The neighbors should keep an eye on their house cats while I watch out for our 10-month old puppy, and, this animal is pretty much safe because it’s no longer possible to fire a shot in the growing neighborhood.

There have been some coyote scares in the urban environment known as Seattle and nearby Renton in recent months. A youngster and an older lady protecting a pet were bitten late last year by coyotes in separate incidents.

Watching coyotes is very instructive. There appears to be a good crop of cottontail rabbits in the area, including the ones living under my workshop, so ‘yotes are lurking around with some frequency. Coyotes are persistent, and they’re a lot smarter than Wile E. Coyote of cartoon fame. No ACME explosive devices here!

It’s about this time of year I make a little trek to eastern Washington to look for coyotes, and along for the ride goes my own .257 Roberts, built on a Mauser ’98 action with a Douglas barrel. I load up with 100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips over a dose of IMR 4895, and they warp out of the barrel at around 2,900 fps (which translates to more than 950 yards covered in a second), the songdog on the receiving end of the bullet will never hear the shot.

Still, coyotes can be fascinating just to watch. They’re wary, patient and when they’re in a good spot, not much happens that escapes their attention. Except maybe for the guy hiding in the brush with a good, scoped rifle and a bit more patience than the coyote!

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