American rimfire cartridge used in early post-Civil War revolvers and single-shot pistols; predates the .38 Special by over two decades.
Type: Rimfire
Introduced: 1868, United States
Parent case: Proprietary
Standardization: Proprietary
Bullet diameter: 0.375" (9.52 mm)
Rim type: Rimmed
Primer: Rimfire
Production status: Discontinued
Also known as: .38 Long RF · .38 RF Long
History: Introduced in 1868 as an improvement over the .38 Short Rimfire, the .38 Long Rimfire offered more powder capacity and was chambered in several Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers of the Reconstruction era. Superseded by centerfire .38 cartridges in the 1880s.