I was going to buy the newest COW, but after reading the reviews on Amazon, I'm not sure. The reviews of the current one seem to indicate it might not be the best choice. There seem to be a lot of errors and maybe not as readily useable. Of course that's what is on line, and we all know everything on the web is true and accurate. The curmudgeons here tend to internally regulate each other. Any thoughts on whether you would buy the current one, or the previous edition?
Thanks
Bfly

PS Wish I could spell, so I didn't have to edit my posts so often. I'd like to blame some learning disability, but you can't fix stupid.

I think I started with one of the first couple of editions and I have 11th edition as my latest. I use them mainly for reference, and dimensions, as most of the reloading data seems to just be copied from various manuals and never updated. If you look at current reloading manuals, some powders have changed, it seems, and the loads are different then they were a couple of decads ago.
Also a lot of the descriptions of the cartridges seem to be more anecdotal than from actual experience. An example is the 510 Wells Express. To read the description, you would think that no human could fire more than two or three rounds.
I would carefully look at some the loading data in the newest edition, and compare it to loading manuals and see if it is close.

3rd I believe.I'm not in the loading room at present but I will double check tomorrow. Helps also when cross referencing from Donnally's Cartridge Conversion Manual.I recall that he also uses Hornady's 3rd manual as reference which is why I need to double check.

if you are going to use the book as a general referance to identify cartridges then older ones are probably better than the latest edition , but most of the older editions have errors that have remained uncorrected through multiple printings.

If you are a budding cartridge collector you will soon discover that COTW is a very basic referance , and you will rapidly move on to better referance works.

If you are a reloader , or contemplate using COTW as any sort of reloading referance - DONT. The data in there is not reliable enough to use as a reloading manual. base

Thanks.
I should have listed what I will use it for. Mostly it will be for general reference and day dreaming. I enjoy perusing gunbroker and other gunsites to look at the oddball guns, and it would be nice to see what the cartridges are like. I am pretty right brained, so drawings and ballistics make my socks go up and down, more than flowery prose. I do a have a cartridge collection, but I'm not real serious, just what I come upon. For reloading, I've become real conservative. I need a couple references with matching info, before I place my less than lovely face and hands next to a recipe.
Bfly

COTW 4th edition.I agree with muzza in that it a very basic reference; it is good for cross reference however as stated above. If John Donnaly upgrades his book (why?) to include more current manuals then the rules might change. We might be at cross purposes here though as my primary interest is in wildcats + cartridge conversions as well as the history of any said cartridge.I do not think that a man can have too many books to reference upon.

Norman - you are spot-on with your statement about not having too many referance books. Particularly for wildcat cartidges , where identification can be pretty difficult.

COTW doesnt cut it for that specific purpose alone.