"H" Base S&W .32 long cartridge?

[jlechtm]

I have what appears to be a Smith & Wesson .32 long rimfire cartridge. It has a clear "H" stamped into the base.

It was sold to me as a Henry cartridge, found in LaGrange, TN, but it's too small to be a .44 cal rifle.

Does anyone know if S&W would have stamped an "H" in the base of a model 2 revolver cartridge? Was there a Henry pistol?

If not, any ideas? I'd like to confirm that it was period, if possible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jack]

The .32 rimfire was a common civilian cartridge post Civil War up to about WW2. The 32 rimfire was generally used as a small game hunting cartridge, like the 22 Long Rifle cartridge is today.
The 'H' stamp on the base indicates it was made by Winchester, the company that bought the Henry rifle company.
The Henry rifle that was used in the Civil War was chambered for a 44 rimfire cartridge, known as the 44 Henry flat (the nose of the bullet had a small flat at the front where it rested against the next cartridge in the tubular magazine)
As to whether the 32 rimfire is Civil War period, to my knowledge, it is not.

 

[Frank G. Duncan]

32 Rimfire

The .32 rimfire was a common civilian cartridge post Civil War up to about WW2. The 32 rimfire was generally used as a small game hunting cartridge, like the 22 Long Rifle cartridge is today.
The 'H' stamp on the base indicates it was made by Winchester, the company that bought the Henry rifle company.
The Henry rifle that was used in the Civil War was chambered for a 44 rimfire cartridge, known as the 44 Henry flat (the nose of the bullet had a small flat at the front where it rested against the next cartridge in the tubular magazine)
As to whether the 32 rimfire is Civil War period, to my knowledge, it is not.

As noted, Winchester has always marked their rimfire cartridges with an H after Henry rifle, the predecessor to the Winchester lever action rifle. Even today, Winchester 22's have an H on the bottom.

The 32 rimfire is indeed a Civil War cartridge. The Smith & Wesson Model 2 was chambered for it and I have one at my left hand even as I type that has a factory letter saying it was shipped from the factory in 1864. They were popular with folks headed West and Union officers. Although not as powerful as some of the muzzle loading revolvers, they were much faster to reload.

Many other weapons of the day were also made to take this 32 rimfire. I have a Frank Wesson "Two Trigger" tip up rifle that was 32 rimfire and has been converted to 32 S&W centerfire.