Cartridges of the World

1965

Frank C. Barnes Author
1965 – 1st edition
1969 – 2nd edition
2016 – 15th edition
2019 – 16th edition

About Cartridges of the World

Cartridges of the World is one of the most widely used reference books on ammunition ever published. Frank C. Barnes wrote the first edition, published by Follett Publishing Company in 1965, as an illustrated guide to the dimensions, history and loading data of rifle, handgun and shotgun cartridges from around the world. The book has been revised regularly ever since, through DBI Books, Krause Publications and Gun Digest Books, and later editions cover more than 1,500 cartridges, from current factory rounds to obsolete, military, proprietary and wildcat designs.

After Barnes, the book passed through a series of editors, including Ken Warner for the 4th through 6th editions, Mike Bussard for the 7th, M.L. McPherson for the 8th and 9th and Stan Skinner for the 10th and 11th. The 17th edition, released by Gun Digest in June 2022 and edited by W. Todd Woodard, longtime editor of Gun Tests magazine, runs 704 pages, adds more than 30 cartridges not in the previous edition, and includes new photos of each round, updated charts and six feature articles. For handloaders, collectors and anyone trying to identify an unfamiliar round, it remains a standard bench reference.

Key Facts

1965: First edition by Frank C. Barnes published by Follett
1976: 3rd edition, first of several published by DBI Books
2000: 9th edition published by Krause Publications
2016: 15th edition
2019: 16th edition
June 2022: 17th edition, edited by W. Todd Woodard, 704 pages

Sources

Profiles on Minuteman University.com are editorial content compiled from public sources. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship by, or affiliation with this site or the Gun Websites Firearms Network. Corrections and removal requests are welcome through Contact Us.