Room temperature distributed‐feedback (DFB) laser operation is demonstrated with emission wavelengths ranging from 389 to 399 nm. Second‐order DFB gratings were defined by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching in the top GaN barrier layer of a GaInN/GaN double heterostructure grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Our data allow a precise determination of the effective refractive index neff(λ) over the whole emission range. neff(λ) is compared with previously published values for GaN and GaInN.