2022 Reprint of the 1962 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Profusely illustrated with photos of actual cartridges and dimensions. Illustrated Edition of 1959 in Facsimile. This is one of the classic descriptions of wildcat cartridges, first published in 1949 and revised and expanded in this 1962 edition. This is Ackley's major effort at tackling the loading data, theory, and practice of wildcat cartridges. A wildcat cartridge, often shortened to wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and/or firearms are not mass-produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic (such as the power, size, or efficiency) of an existing commercial cartridge. Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not generally serve a purpose in military or law enforcement, it is more a hobby for serious shooting, hunting, gunsmithing and handloading enthusiasts, particularly in the United States.