The ones actually marked for 8mm Lebel were those made for the French during WWI. But after the war, when the Spanish decided to export the junque to the U.S., they chambered them for either .38 Special or .32-20 (S&W made the same gun as the M&P in .32-20; though only the .38 Special model was called the M&P). The change to .32-20 from 8mm Lebel was minimal; the barrel was the same, only the chambering was changed.
Sometimes the Spanish took an unusual approach to caliber marking; a friend owned one of those revolvers marked "USE CARTRIDGES THAT FIT BEST."
There is also an interesting situation regarding the material used in those guns. Many writers of the time called it "pot metal", cheap cast iron of the type used in making cook pots, hence the name. At some time more recently, the original meaning of "pot metal" was forgotten, and the term came to mean cheap cast zinc or some zinc alloy which was supposedly melted in a pot. Some helpful, if ignorant, soul put that meaning into Wikipedia and the error is now impossible to correct, even if anyone cared to do so.
However, the mistake has had some ramifications. I once posted to the effect that those guns were made of "pot metal", only to be told by an owner that he had tested his with a magnet and it was made of "steel". Nope. They are still cast iron, and they still blow up, no matter what Wikipedia says.
Jim
