Now in its Eighth Edition, Frank C. Barnes made this book a lifetime work. The current edition is edited by M. L. McPherson as Barnes passed away in 1988. It is a monument to Barnes' life that this book has been so well received and so enduring.

Cartridges of the World is the definitive work on the subject matter and a ready reference for all firearms enthusiasts and hobbyists. It is as close as I know to an exhaustive list of current and obsolete metallic cartridges, including metric, imperial, and American sizes.

This book comes in handy when you are trying to identify a cartridge or find the caliber of a particular firearm. For example, how would you find out what kind of ammunition fit an obsolete military rifle from the Austro-Hungarian Empire circa WWI? Using this book, you can find the proper cartridge to fit the specimen. Would you like to know the ballistics of a particular cartridge? You can look up some 1,500 different cartridges in the 512 pages of Cartridges of the World.

A typical listing runs a half a page and shows a photo or scale drawing of the cartridge; loading data, usually factory as well as suggested handloads; and a written description detailing history and pertinent facts about the particular cartridge. Barnes includes pithy comments about the cartridges as he deems proper and they are best taken with a grain of salt as they are his opinions, as oposed to the factual descriptions of the size, weight, and so on.. Many of the listings also include engineering drawings of the cartridge with dimensions.

While it is by no means a reloading manual, Barnes included data for many obsolete cartridges in Cartridges of the World, thus making it an invaluable source for persons who want to make some ammunition for that very special but obsolete weapon.

Separate sections discuss Rifle Cartridges, Handgun Cartridges, Shotgun Cartridges, Rimfire Cartridges, Metric Cartridges, and British Sporting Cartridges. Also included are many listings of Wildcat Cartridges, like the 35 Whelen, the 6mm PPC, and the 257 Roberts. The book also has a special section on obsolete black powder ammunition from the American West. In short, there is something for everybody in this book.

I believe that Cartridges of the World belongs in the library of every firearms aficionado.


Recommended: Yes