Read the markings on it. If it says Italy or Spain somewhere it is probably a reproduction. If it says BLACK POWDER ONLY, it is definitely a repro because they didn't know that smokeless powder was going to be invented.
rM ROD FOR BLACK POWDER WEAPON
Possibly. There were several conversions for the original "ball & cap" revolvers, that changed them from "ball and cap" to metallic cartridge revolvers. HOWEVER- even when changed to fire a metallic cartridge, many are still a BLACK POWDER firearm- and will not safely fire modern high pressure SMOKELESS powder cartridges. I might find a conversion cylinder for a Colt Navy .36 caliber revolver, but the brass frame is just not going to be up to firing .357 magnum ammo.
The .44 S&W Special is a cartridge currently loaded with smokeless powder, as opposed to earlier cartridges such as the .44 Colt or .44 Russian. Those cartridges, generally considered obsolete, were loaded with black powder. Smokeless powder should not be used in firearms built for black powder- the pressures are too high to do so safely. You may also find .44 caliber BULLETS (not cartridges) intended for use in a black powder revolver. These are typically made of a very soft type of lead, different from the harder lead alloys (lead-tin-antimony) used in modern firearms.
I have one.
You are unlikely to find black powder carridges stocked in any stores in the US. They are a specialty cartridge. You might try a source such as The Old Western Scrounger unless these are .38 RIMFIRE. Many of the H&A guns were rimfires- and that is an obsolete cartridge no longer in production. PLEASE have your H&A checked by a pistolsmith before shooting ANYTHING in it-
First, find a copy of the owner's manual for YOUR pistol. Second, use ONLY black powder, or a modern black powder substitute, such as Pyrodex. The ROUGH rule of thumb is one half the bore diameter in grains of powder. A .32 cal would use ABOUT 12-16 grains of powder.
You can get it over the web from powder inc (check the related links) black powder is hard to find in retail stores due to shipping and insurance costs as well as federal storage and record keeping regulations.
from your house
Check the on line auctions.
You must take it to a gunsmith to find out.
Try Colt customer service here: http://www.coltsmfg.com