.32 S&amp;W.32 S&amp;W .32 S&W The .32 S&W cartridge (also known as the .32 S&W Short) was introduced in 1878 for Smith & Wesson pocket revolvers. It was originally designed as a black powder cartridge. The .32 S&W was offered to the public as a light defense cartridge for "card table" distances. Design. Originally designed by the Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC) as a black powder cartridge using nine grains of black powder, the round has been loaded with smokeless powder exclusively since 1940. It is low-powered and perfect for use in small frame concealable revolvers and derringers. The round remained popular in  the United States and Europe long after the firearms chambered for it were out of production. At one time, it was considered to be the bare minimum for a self-defense round and was judged unsuitable for police work. For defensive uses, the .32 S&W is grouped with other turn-of-the-century cartridges designed for use in "belly guns"—guns meant for use in point-blank defensive situations, such as in a carriage or an alleyway. These cartridges include the .25 ACP, and the .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle. For comparison, the .32 S&W projectile is over 40% larger  in diameter and over twice as heavy as the 40-grain lead round-nose bullet used in the .22 Long Rifle of its day (known as standard velocity today). The .32 S&W's velocity of approximately was very close to the .22 Long Rifle's performance from a sub- barrel, but with larger diameter and better sectional density. Although the .32 S&W's round-nose bullet was less than optimal for defense, the centerfire design did offer significant improvement in reliability over these other common handgun calibers of the day. This performance made guns chambered in the cartridge very popular  as a gentleman's "vest gun" as evidenced by sales of around 5:1 based on surviving examples (the .22 rimfire variants being significantly rarer). Having twice the bullet weight and similar velocity of .22 rimfire in the same platform, the .32 S&W has around double the muzzle energy of a .22 rimfire in similar sized handguns. Derivatives. The .32 S&W Long cartridge is derived from the .32 S&W, by increasing the overall brass case length, to hold more powder. Since the .32 S&W headspaces on the rim and shares the rim dimensions and case and bullet diameters of the longer  .32 S&W Long, the .32 H&R Magnum cartridges, and the .327 Federal Magnum, .32 S&W cartridges may be fired in arms chambered for these longer cartridges. Longer cartridges are unsafe in short chambers, so none of these longer and more powerful cartridges should be loaded into arms designed for the .32 S&W. Use in assassinations. Guns chambered in .32 S&W have been used in at least three notable assassinations: Chambered weapons. Notable guns chambered in .32 S&W include:  Other gun types, or gun manufacturers, using .32 S&W include: .32 S&W The .32 S&W cartridge (also known as the .32 S&W