I would firstly like to thank all those who have read this thread and commented (or even criticised) in a constructive manner.

Tac seems determined to prove time and again that while he supposedly has great deal of experience he has nothing to contribute aside from venom and ire. I sinvcerely hope that the thousands of posts he was banging on about are not of the same nature. Very sad

Strebbo, thank you for your reply to Fenrir. I was about to ask him whether he would prefer to send his daughter out driving and just sit there without giving her any benefit of his experience or what he knows of driving at all, and let her learn through trial and error - after all, it is experience that counts right? I hope she survives his Darwinesque teaching methodology!

My 'book learning' has drawn on the experience and skills of others, from a number of different sources from a number of different reloading disciplines. This is the wonder of writing - communication and sharing of ideas where having someone to show you face to face is not possible. This indirect communication is one of the fundamental differences of that destroyed the Neanderthals and handed the evolutionary baton to Homo Erectus; the ability to communicate and share ideas more effectively.
Would the people who criticise my sharing of this book learning advocate not using reloading manuals - which is in effect drawing on other peoples' findings and calculations - or did they just go by their own experience and guess their way along to success or failure?

Blackbaron, I wholly agree - if a mod can't put the thread back on track I can always remove it and repost it in the hopes that the highly experienced asinine people can refrain from their jibes. I only ever wanted to share my journey towards reloading, explaining the motivations, approach, and later on any trials and tribulations I encounter that may help or encourage other aspiring reloaders.