Large-bore rimfire pistol cartridge of the Civil War and Reconstruction era; used in National Arms Company single-shot pistols and early revolvers.
Type: Rimfire
Introduced: 1864, United States
Parent case: Proprietary
Standardization: Proprietary
Bullet diameter: 0.454" (11.53 mm)
Rim type: Rimmed
Primer: Rimfire
Production status: Discontinued
Also known as: .46 Short RF · .46 RF Short
History: Produced during the Civil War era for large-bore rimfire revolvers and single-shot pistols, the .46 Short Rimfire represents the upper end of rimfire handgun cartridges before the introduction of large centerfire revolver cartridges. Encountered in National Arms Company and a handful of other period handguns.