Got my copy of the new (4th edition) Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook the other day. Nothing especially new or exciting - from my point of view, at least. In the reference section, there is a very good chapter on the CBA by fellow member Tom Acheson. The bulk of the reference section is written by Mike Venturino. Mike got his foot in his mouth recently with an article in the Handloader, but in his stuff in this publication he stuck mostly to bullet casting and reloading for BPCR competition, and I think he pretty much knows what he's talking about there. There's a large chapter on “The Metallurgy of Cast Bullets” by Robert J. Block, Ph.D., P.E. that I'm going to have to make two or three more tries at reading (he's not as easy to follow as Dennis Marshall was).
Lyman has made an unusual and very commendable departure from custom with this Handbook: they have included loading data for CB's from molds made by RCBS, Lee and Saeco, in addition to Lyman.
They've also made one change that has my curiosity working 'way overtime. I hope somebody can help me out here. I'm referring to their depiction of Lyman bullet 311644. Every drawing I've seen of that bullet, up to and including their 49th Edition Reloading Handbook shows that bullet having almost as many steps in diameter as the stairs up the Empire State Building. This new book shows a nice, tapered body, spire point bullet.
Did they change the bullet, or did they just change the picture? And what does that bullet look like, anyway?
Wes