.38 rimfire cartridges are a type of ammunition that have been in service in the United States since the mid-nineteenth century. The cartridges are produced in short, long and extra long variants. Much like the smaller .32 rimfire, the rounds were originally manufactured loaded with black powder. In the early 1900s, manufacturers switched to the "new" smokeless powder. The .38 rimfire was preferred to the .32 rimfire for hunting and self-defense purposes because of its larger size and increased power.

History

The .38 rimfire cartridge was a common round for many

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

revolvers A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six ...

and

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

s from the 1870s to the early 1900s. It was a common self-defense round for a small revolver that was often kept in a vest pocket through to the 1890s. Production in the United States of rimfire calibers larger than .22 ceased upon the country's entry into World War II and was never resumed again by any of the major manufacturers. Factory loaded ammunition is no longer available except as collector items.

Uses and variants

The .38 rimfire cartridge was available in short, long, extra long, and also shotshells. Most of the revolvers and rifle which were produced were chambered for either .38 short rifle , or .38 long rifle. While there were a few different rifles produced for the .38 extra long cartridge and a few rolling block, falling block, and

bolt-action Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). Most bolt-action ...

rifles had smoothbore barrels which had a slight choke which enabled it to shoot the .38 RF shotshells, which was good for hunting small game at close ranges. Hopkins & Allen produced

and

s chambered for the .38RF. Rifles of this caliber were produced by Remington (the revolving rifle of 1866), Ballard, Stevens and Frank Wesson, and revolvers by Enterprise, Favorite, Forehand & Wadsworth, and Colt.

References

* http://www.oldammo.com/august04.htm * {{DEFAULTSORT:38 rimfire Pistol and rifle cartridges Rimfire cartridges

History

Uses and variants

See also

References