.35 S&W Auto

The .35 Smith & Wesson (S&W) is a centerfire pistol cartridge developed in 1912 for the newly designed Model 1913 self-loading pocket pistol 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. Actual bullet diameters were .31 for the .32 ACP, .32 for the .35 S&W, and .36 for the .380 ACP. The advanced features of the Model 1913 failed to compensate for the earlier availability of the Colt pistols. Gun purchasers were skeptical about a non-standard cartridge when .32 ACP ammunition was widely available. Approximately 8350 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. 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.