As precision shooters and reloaders, we’re constantly searching for new knowledge that can give us an edge. However, much of what we hear about ammunition is based on myths or outdated practices. If you’re serious about understanding how ammo really works, I’ve just uncovered a game-changing resource: Ammunition, Demystified by Jeff Siewert.
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I’ll be referencing this book several times in upcoming articles, so I thought I’d go ahead and share a little about it – and the author behind it.
Jeff Siewert is a recently retired ballistics engineer with an extraordinary 40-year career, working on virtually every caliber from .17 caliber all the way up to 8-inch howitzers! Jeff’s expertise spans bullets, propellants, cartridge case design, bullet-barrel interactions, and more.
Shortly after retiring, Jeff wrote a book to share the insight he gained throughout his career as an industry insider. He’s conducted research for some of the largest ammo companies in the world, and now, he’s sharing that hard-earned knowledge with the shooting community!
Siewert’s book is not your typical how-to guide for reloaders. Ammunition, Demystified pulls back the curtain on the complex science behind ammunition, challenging the common myths that many shooters still believe. It’s a “soft” technical document designed for both shooters who want to improve their understanding and engineers who are working with ammunition design and production. Although the book dives deep into the technical details, Siewert does an excellent job of making these concepts accessible to those who don’t work in the field every day.
For years, the reloading and shooting communities have been influenced by a mix of soft science and myths. That leads most reloaders to have a trial-and-error approach to bullets, primers, powders, and charge weights. We try a bunch of things in hopes of finding a magic recipe that sends all the bullets into one hole. As you might know from my Statistics for Shooters posts, as humans, we naturally tend to see patterns everywhere, but that can often lead to us seeing what we think are meaningful patterns in meaningless noise.
Siewert tackles this issue head-on by emphasizing the value of real scientific principles and how they should influence the way we approach ammunition performance. He also gives many practical tips for narrowing in on components and loads that are most likely to produce low dispersion (tiny groups) and consistent velocities.
I’ve likely read 20+ books on this subject, but I’ve never even thought about much of what Jeff presents in this book. There isn’t another resource like it. It is like the legendary book Rifle Accuracy Facts by Dr. Harold Vaughn, but with a focus on ammunition. I’ve seen used versions of Dr. Vaughn’s book sell for several hundred dollars – and this book could pack just as much value.
Whether you’re a serious competitor, long-range hunter, or simply a reloader who wants to dive deeper into the world of ammo, Ammunition, Demystified is packed with valuable insights that can help you improve your shooting and reloading practices. From understanding the intricacies of bullet-barrel interactions to discovering the true science of how ammunition behaves under pressure, this book offers a level of detail and depth that is unmatched by anything else available to the public.
Siewert’s career has been built on data and research, and this book reflects his commitment to uncovering the truth. If you’ve ever felt like something about your ammo knowledge was missing, this is the book to fill in those gaps.
In fact, I heard Jayden Quinlan, Senior Ballistician at Hornady, say he not only enjoyed reading Ammunition, Demystified – but Jayden said he finds himself pulling this book off the shelf about once a week to reference. When I heard that, it was enough to make me buy a copy. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a hard time putting it down! I’m a little over halfway through it at this point, but I can wholeheartedly recommend it!
Hornady regularly invites Jeff Siewert to join them on their more technical podcasts. Here is a recent example where they discuss gain twist barrels, which gives you a pretty good idea of who Jeff is and how he thinks.
There’s simply no other book like Ammunition, Demystified. It’s the definitive guide to changing ammo from being a mysterious black art to something we can understand. If you enjoy my content – then you’ll love this book!
If you’re still not convinced or just want to know a little more before you order the book, here is a podcast where Jeff talks about the book with the guys from Hornady:
To be clear, I’ve never met or even talked to Jeff – this is just a really good book! I bought the book out of pocket from Amazon. When I find something really helpful, I like sharing it with my readers – so that is what I’m doing here.
Jeff is also the author of Bulletology.com, so you can also visit that for more info.
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