Smith & Wesson Ladysmith Smith & Wesson Ladysmith The S&W Ladysmith (later styled LadySmith) is a series of handguns manufactured by Smith & Wesson starting early in the 20th century. Early models, branded were chambered in .22 Long. Starting in the 1980s, under the slightly modified "LadySmith" moniker, S&W manufactured several short-barreled revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Smith & Wesson has produced firearms over the years in several standard frame sizes. "M-frame" refers to the small early Ladysmith frame. Later LadySmith small revolvers were made on the somewhat larger "J-frame", the standard S&W small-frame revolver. The tiny M-frame .22" hand-ejector Ladysmith revolver was produced from
Smith & Wesson Model 39 wadcutter bullets only). The shape of the rimmed cartridge limited the magazine capacity to five rounds. A further variant, the Model 952, in 9mm Luger, is still produced in limited quantities by Smith & Wesson's Performance Center. The Model 52 was discontinued in 1992 when the machinery to manufacture the pistol broke down and it was deemed too costly to replace. The Model 39 was the basis for the later Smith & Wesson Model 59, retaining the original 9mm Parabellum caliber, but incorporating a wider aluminum frame with a straight backstrap to accommodate a double-column magazine that could hold 14