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Best Reloading Data: Hogdon, Alliant, VihtaVuori, Accurate

Pew Pew Tactical Founder and Editor, Eric Hung’s Reloading Station
Want reloading data that's correct, updated, and free? We cover the best sources for popular powders like Hogdon, Alliant, Accurate, & VihtaVuori.
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    Ammo reloading is a great way to save money and get custom ammo that takes your shooting to the next level.  Plus it’s just plain fun.
    Bunch of 9mm
    Mmmmm, shiny ammo – my favorite.
    But to do it right – and in a way that won’t get your gun, your hands, or your face damaged – you the right reloading data. Traditionally people have used a reloading manual as a resource to get the information they need.
    $14
    at Amazon

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons
    But who uses actual books anymore?  …well I do, but the point I’m trying to make here is that these days you can find anything and everything online, including digital reloading data tools.  
    I wasn’t kidding about the “anything and everything” bit.
    I wasn’t kidding about the “anything and everything” bit.
    Of course, there’s nothing wrong with using a physical reloading manual if you prefer, but online reloading data tools are really useful.   Plus…online reloading data tools are free.  And they’re updated constantly, so there’s no need to go out and by each new edition to make sure you have reloading data for the newest rounds. Sold on reloading data tools yet?  
    Pew Pew Tactical Founder and Editor, Eric Hung’s Reloading Station
    Pew Pew Tactical Founder and Editor, Eric Hung’s Reloading Station
    Good, because I’m about to show you some of the most useful reloading data tools on the web and it would be really awkward for both of us right now if you weren’t interested.

    Some Vocab for the Uninitiated

    I’m going to skip the basic ammunition terms like a bullet, cartridge, and round but you can learn more about ammunition basics by checking out our Definitive Resource on Ammo and Reloading. Instead, I want to really quickly talk about two terms: starting load and maximum load.   You can probably guess what these refer to, but just in case, the starting load is the minimum recommended amount of powder in grains (grs, gr, or grn all stand for grains) to use in the round.  It’s also commonly called the minimum load or minimum starting or start load. Not every tool gives a minimum starting load recommendation since there are a few reasons that you may want to down load, or intentionally use less powder in, your round, like creating a subsonic round or reducing recoil. If you’re planning on competing with your rounds, keep in mind that most competitions have a minimum power factor for the ammo used, so you can’t down load your competition rounds too much.  (If you’re not sure what that means, read our guide on Load Development for Beginners for more info.) When developing a new round, start with the minimum starting load and build up from there to determine exactly how much powder you want in your recipe. Maximum load, on the other hand, refers to the highest recommended amount of powder to use in the round and is much less flexible than the minimum load.   When it comes to overloading your round, the best case scenario is creating a round that’s more powerful than you can manage, hurting your accuracy and possibly you with excessive recoil, but you can also end up with a round that creates too much pressure, damaging your gun.   The video below shows you how to tell if your reloaded ammo will have excess pressure.  If you’re new to reloading or even if you’ve been around the block a few times, you should give it a watch to help you and your gun stay safe when you’re reloading. Though extremely rare, overloading a round can even cause it to explode, ruining your firearm and sending you to the hospital. Not a great way to end your range day, so just don’t overload your rounds and just generally be careful reloading because it can be dangerous if you aren’t careful, okay?  Okay. Now that I know you’re not going to hurt yourself (or at least if you do it’s not my fault), let’s move on to the tools themselves.

    Hodgdon Reloading Data Center

    Hodgdon Reloading Data Center
    Hodgdon Reloading Data Center
    Hodgdon Powder Company is one of the world’s largest powder manufacturers, producing smokeless powder under the Hodgdon, IMR, and Winchester brand names, as well as black powder as GOEX. These are some of the most popular powder brands on the market right now, so it’s easy to see why Hodgdon’s online reloading data tool, the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center, is so widely recommended. It’s also super easy to use.   For rifle and pistol reloading, just select the cartridge you’re using and it will return data for you to browse for every bullet weight, manufacturer, and powder in their line up or you can select the bullet weight, manufacturer, and/or powder that you want to use to get more focused results. For shotgun reloading, just put in the gauge and shell to browse your options, or get specific by also inputting your preferred load type, shot weight, manufacturer, and powder.
    Hodgdon Reloading Data Center Pistol Reloading Data Tool
    Hodgdon Reloading Data Center Pistol Reloading Data Tool
    Hodgdon also lets you look at data for up to four different pistol cartridges, rifle cartridges, or shotgun shells at the same time, making it easier to refer back and forth between different rounds. You can print the data or email it to yourself or someone else to share it or have it to refer back to later. Hodgdon Reloading Data Center only provides data for Hodgdon manufactured powders, but the odds are pretty good that you’re using one already and with such a large selection of powders available from Hodgdon’s brand, you’re sure to be able to find a powder that works for you. Just select the cartridge and bullet weight (or gauge, shell, load type, and shot weight) that you want to use, then look at the data to see what powder produces the velocity and pressure you’re looking for.
    Sample of Data for 9mm Luger from Hodgdon Reloading Data Center
    A sample of Data for 9mm Luger from Hodgdon Reloading Data Center
    And if you’re looking for more information on ammo reloading, you can also browse Hodgdon’s Reloading Education section for some comprehensive but easy to understand reloading help. The one downside: Hodgdon only provides data for rifle, pistol, and shotgun ammo, but not for revolver ammo. What’s your take on Hogdon’s tool?

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    Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide

    Alliant Powder Reloader's Guide
    Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide
    Alliant Powder’s Reloader’s Guide isn’t as useful as the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center, but if you prefer using an Alliant Powder, it will still get the job done. One thing to note about the Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide is that it provides recipes rather than ranges for powder, which makes it more difficult to figure out how much of what powder to use to get the velocity you want.   Alliant suggests starting your round with 10 percent less than the recommended amount of powder in the recipe and working your way up to determine the right amount of powder for you. The amount in the recipe is the maximum load, so don’t exceed it.
    Alliant Powder Reloader's Guide Recipe
    Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide Recipe
    The Reloader’s Guide isn’t a handy little tool where you just put in your cartridge and bullet data and it returns a neat little box with everything you need to know.  It’s more of an index. The guide is primarily focused on shotgun reloading data, so from the main page you’ll follow the link for your gauge and shell type and then from that page, you’ll find your hull and shot weight and follow that link to pull up your recipe. For rifle and handgun ammo, you’ll follow the link for your category (Cowboy Action Handgun, Pistol/Revolver, or Rifle) from the home page, then follow the link for your cartridge and bullet type. Unlike Hodgdon, Alliant Powder provides reloading data for revolvers, but also only provides reloading data for centerfire rifle and handgun loads.

    VihtaVuori Reloading Data

    VihtaVuori Reload App
    VihtaVuori Reload App
    The next reloading data tool on our list is VihtaVuori’s reloading data guide. The site itself is straightforward enough. Choose your category (rifle, pistol, or cowboy action shooting), choose your caliber, and then find your bullet and powder type on the table for your minimum and maximum loads, or browse the data table to help you find the right powder for you. Not as flashy or fun to use as Hodgdon’s tool, but it’s so simple, intuitive, and organized that it’s virtually impossible to get confused. Where VihtaVouri really stands out, however, is with their free VihtaVuori Reload app.
    VihtaVuori Reload App Sample Diary Entry
    VihtaVuori Reload App Sample Diary Entry
    The Reload app gives you offline access to the same tables that you can find on VihtaVuori’s website.  That’s pretty handy if your workshop is in a shed in the backyard without a wifi connection. But the coolest part of the app is the diary.  No, it’s not for writing about your feelings (though if you want to do that, then more power to you).  Rather, the diary function is a dream come true for load development and recipe recording.

    VihtaVuori Reload App Sample Diary Entry

    For each entry, you can save detailed information about the powder, bullet, primer, case (including the number of times it as loaded and trimmed, how it was resized, the trimmed length, and the cleaning method), and final cartridge, as well as the date loaded, purpose of loading, gun it was shot out of, and even a rating for its performance. If that’s not enough, there’s a notes section which you can use to record any other information you could possibly want to save.  And if you want to write about your feelings, you can do that in the note section, too. It is a diary after all.
    VihtaVuori Reload App New Diary Entry
    VihtaVuori Reload App New Diary Entry
    And you can use the diary with whatever powder you like, even if it’s not made by VihtaVuori, so Reload is a great app for anyone who enjoys load development, no matter what brands they prefer.

    Accurate Reloading Powders Load Data

    Accurate Reloading Powders Load Data
    Accurate Reloading Powders Load Data
    Last up is load data from Accurate Reloading Powders, but there’s really not much to say about it. Accurate’s Complete Load Guide is more of a reloading manual in PDF form than a load data tool, but that’s not necessarily a problem.   If you really enjoy using a reloading manual, but don’t like the cost or space it takes up, the Reloading and Loading Data Guide gives you the best of both worlds.  You can always print out just the pages you need if you’d still like a hard copy but not the whole thing.
    Accurate Reloading Powders Reloading & Loading Data Guide
    Accurate Reloading Powders Reloading & Loading Data Guide
    Accurate also provides at a glance guide in PDF format for their popular Nitro 100, Solo 1000, Accurate TCM, and Accurate No. 11FC powders.   These are great for quickly looking over from your computer or phone without having to skip over all the extra stuff you don’t need or you can print them out and pin them up in your workspace so you have your load data whenever you need it without having anything extra on your workbench. The PDF format also means that you can download whichever version you prefer to your computer or mobile device for offline access whenever you need it.

    Conclusion

    Whether you use a reloading manual or a digital reloading data tool, making sure you have accurate reloading data is essential for producing the best possible rounds. Any of these reloading data tools will serve you well.  Which is best for you depends on your personal powder and reloading data tool preferences.   My personal favorites are the Hodgdon Reloading Data Center for getting reloading data and the VihtaVouri Reload App for recording load development info and recipes. We know this is just scratching the surface of the world of reloading, we have a lot more information in our Beginner’s Guide to Reloading! Do you use a reloading data tool or reloading manual?  Which one? Still have questions? Let me know in the comments! Ready to get some powder…check out Best Places to Buy Reloading Supplies.

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    8 Leave a Reply

    • Pete Olliffe

      Hi Guys i am looking to load an obsolete calibre of 8-72R , the rifle is an 1910 Kreigof drilling , i have cases dies etc and im looking to use 316 cast lead bullets as its not the later 323 type with vit 165 powder (vitavouri) any help would be great

      February 26, 2024 4:05 am
    • Phillip Hopkins

      Why doesn't Hodgdon show loads for the .20 Vartarg with H335 powder and 32 grain Hornady Vmax ? I know the .20 is still a wildcat but there are tons of them out there and they SHOOT !

      July 30, 2023 10:07 am
    • Andrew Crawford

      Is there a reference guide for type of powder to use for handgun target loads verses hunting? I went to the Hodgdon site listed above in the article - put in 9mm, 124 gr, .355 diameter and it spit out 20 powder choices for HDT XTP but only 1 choice for FMJ's???? So how do you choose brand and power type? Is the powder I buy for my 9mm and 45acp going to work with my 5.56 or 7mm Rem Mag?

      February 26, 2023 3:20 am
    • Ed Becka

      Hornady has become greedy and now charges a fee for the powder weight information. I used to use it all the time - I printed out several recipes and put them in the reference section of my binder. It seems that if we're buying their bullets, they should be glad to supply the data.
      I had the Hornady book along with numerous others, but sadly lost all of them along with my loading logbook that had my data from 1975 through 2014.

      January 9, 2023 12:22 pm
    • Marc Buxton

      I would like to dispute the statement that the Hodgdon data center does not have revolver
      data. Just click on the "pistol" icon and scroll down the arrow next to any and you will
      find a plethora of revolver data including 38, 357, 41, 44, 45 etc calibers. I use the listed
      data extensively.

      August 21, 2020 10:31 pm
    • Vernon Cunningham

      Have at one time or another used any and all of these they are all outstanding . Some you just have to use your a teeny bit more dang! None are any way more useful than others . They are free.

      May 12, 2020 4:07 pm
    • Fred Ellis

      I have a Dillion Square Deal Reloader. I have reloaded several thousand rounds of .45acp. Recently I realized that my "Home Made" reloading bench was inhibiting the lever action. So I cut some wood away. Now my bullets mostly come out at 1.253 in OAL. But sometimes I've used too much pressure and come out under 1.250 anywhere from 2 thousandths to 8 thousandths under. So I usually take them apart and do them again. But I am wondering if I could actually shoot these bullets. I use 230 grain Berry's Plated over the Min Load of 7.6 grains of Accurate #5. thanks, fred.

      May 3, 2019 9:46 am
      • James

        Having a tiny bit short OAL with a minimum load shouldn't hurt your gun or you and they will fire just fine, however your accuracy won't be as good as if the tip of the bullet is fully chambered in the barrel with the recommended OAL. Basically they are usable but not optimal, however if you do seat the bullet to low with a higher charge you can damage your gun and potentially hurt yourself

        July 22, 2022 12:43 pm
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