Got myself a little gift

[GunnyMack]

I've always wanted the Pet Loads books.
I saw the Complete Volume online so I ordered it.
Ken Waters did a ton of leg work to develop the data. Granted it's older data, lots of powders now extinct or rare as hens teeth but his writing about each cartridge is enjoyable and you can never have enough ' gun stuff ' to read !

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[Drawdown]

I'm same about good reading. Started couple times order both myself from Wolfe, but went for something else, for the reasons you stated, but I'd still like to get it someday. Ive got my boy looking for the "Big Bore Rifles and Cartridges", he'll no doubt get it for me soon i hope! And I'm no big bore man, nothing bigger than .308", but don't mean I won't be? Still be good reading! I sure like reading anything Ken Waters, got one finest articles I've read of anyone's, his in i think 1992 Rifle Magazine.

[Shasta]

After I got burned out in the Carr Fire back in 2018, Pet Loads was the very first reloading manual I replaced. It is a treasure trove of reloading information.

Shasta

[JRD]

Pet Loads is a classic. One of my mentors gave me a copy as a young man and I spent countless hours studying it, even reading about cartridges I'd never load for.
I learned lots from that book, but as you point out it's largely for nostalgia now as available powders and components have changed.

Water's case head expansion method of gauging pressure has also been proven unreliable but I give the man a lot of respect for pioneering with what he had to work with.

[AJMD429]

.
"...you can never have enough ' gun stuff ' to read !"

Yep.... or history stuff...

[Bill in Oregon]

I don't know how many times I have cracked Volumes I and II over the years. I always enjoyed Ken's articles in Rifle and Handloader. Years ago, he wrote about loading for the "old ones" including he .38-55 and lamented the lack of a good .379 jacketed bullet for the older barrel dimensions. That struck something in me and living as I did not far from Dave Corbin's shop in White City, Oregon, I ended up buying a press and ordering a die set to make just such a bullet. Even got a manufacturer's FFL as Dave counseled if I intended on selling them. I got into production and my test bed was a new Marlin Cowboy .38-55 with the traditional .379 bore. The bullets exceeded all expectations for accuracy and I sold 40 or 50 boxes -- and sent a sample to Ken. He actually reviewed them for Wolfe -- and I got a Christmas card from him thanking me for the effort. What a gentleman. I think I still have that card somewhere along with a kind note from Jack O'Connor.

[hfcable]

i bought some of those from you and used them and they grouped really well. still have some left and have at least 20 or so of the loaded cartrirdges. good stuff !!