This cartridge is described on page 312 of U.S. Cartridges and their Handguns by Charles R. Suydam. It is attributed to Smith & Wesson and has a case length of 1.113”, which is longer than the 32 S&W Long. There was also a discussion on the IAA FORUM where is was stated that it might have been produced as one of a series of improved cartridges produced for Smith & Wesson that eventually evolved in the introduction of the 38 Special and even the 44 Special. It is loaded with a self-lubricating bullet, an invention by D.B Wesson, one of the founders of Smith & Wesson and he received a patent for his design in 1893. It came from the black powder era before the invention of smokeless powder, so fouling of the revolvers was a constant problem. The bullet was made with a hollow core in its base, about 1/8th inch in diameter. Inside this core, a copper plug is inserted, and the core is filled with lubricant. The base of the core has a brass plug, and four tiny passages are drilled along the side of the bullet and these passages are also filled with lubricant. When the cartridge was fired, the stopper was pushed through the copper tube forcing the lubricant through four holes in the bullet. The lubricant supposedly reduced fouling and increased accuracy.
