This was an early design, probably dating from around 1881. During 1874, Smith & Wesson started to discontinue manufacture of the No.1 and 1½ rimfire revolver in preparation for the new center-fire versions. Page 314 of Charles Suydam’s work on U.S. Cartridges and their Handguns, mentions a cartridge, resembling the second specimen below from a box labelled “50 36/38Cal. central fire cartridges for Smith & Wesson’s .38 Automatic Ejection Revolvers”. It is speculated that these were could have been experimental, or otherwise very early commercial manufacture. (Erlmeier, Brandt Ref. 347)
