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.35 Smith & Wesson
.35 Smith & Wesson
Type	Pistol
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designed	1912
Manufacturer	Smith & Wesson
Produced	1913-1921
Specifications
Case type	Rimless, straight
Bullet diameter	.32
Neck diameter	8.82 mm (0.347 in)
Base diameter	8.83 mm (0.348 in)
Rim diameter	8.85 mm (0.348 in)
Case length	17.21 mm (0.678 in)
Overall length	24.16 mm (0.951 in)
Ballistic performance
	Source(s): "Textbook of Automatic Pistols"

The .35 Smith & Wesson (S&W) is an obsolete centerfire pistol cartridge developed in 1912 for the newly designed Model 1913 self-loading pocket pistol.

Description

The .35 S&W Automatic intended to compete with the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32 ACP and Model 1908 .380 ACP pistols. The .35 caliber name implied a cartridge of diameter directly between those two popular calibers. In reality, actual bullet diameters were .312 for the .32 ACP and the .35 S&W,^[3] and .355 for the .380 ACP. As such, the .35 S&W Auto is actually an 8mm round instead of a 9mm round as the name implies. Smith & Wesson named it as such so as to not be confused with the similarly sized .32 ACP. Despite possible reliability problems, .35 S&W pistols can fire .32 ACP ammunition.^[3]

The bullets are rather unusual with a full diameter un-jacketed lead-alloy surface enclosed within the case, and a sub-caliber jacket encasing the exposed nose with a rounded form for reliable loading.^[2] The .35 S&W failed to catch on for a couple of reasons. One reason is that the advanced features of the Model 1913 failed to compensate for the earlier availability of the Colt pistols. Gun purchasers were also skeptical about a non-standard cartridge when .32 ACP ammunition was widely available, as at the time it was one of the most popular pistol cartridges in the world. The .35 S&W Auto also did not perform as well ballistically as the .32 ACP that it was trying to compete with.^[2]

Approximately 8,350 Model 1913 had been made when production stopped about 1921. Smith & Wesson shifted production to their Model 32 self-loading pistol chambered for the .32 ACP from 1924 to 1937. No other firearms were chambered for the .35 S&W, and the cartridge is considered obsolete, and ammunition is rare and highly collectible.^[4]

References

^ *Sharpe, Philip B. Complete Guide to Handloading, p.430. New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1953.
^ ^a ^b ^c *Wilson, R. K. Textbook of Automatic Pistols, p.253. Plantersville, SC: Small Arms Technical Publishing Company, 1943.
^ ^a ^b Barnes, Frank. Cartridges of the World 13th Edition, page 337-338
^ *Quertermous, Russell & Steve Modern Guns, p.398. Paduca, KY: Collector Books, 1981. ISBN 0-89145-146-3