High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The .45 Schofield or .45 Smith Wesson is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith Wesson for their S W Model 3 American top-break revolver. It is similar to the .45 Colt round though shorter and with a slightly larger rim, and will generally work in revolvers chambered for that cartridge. In fact, US government arsenals supplied .45 Schofield cartridges for both the Schofield revolver and the Colt Army revolver to simplify their armament needs. 45 Colt cartridges cannot be used in .45 Schofield firearms, since the .45 Colt is a longer cartridge.