Grooves cut into the inside of a gun barrel for the purpose of spinning the bullet when fired.
Grooves
Grooves on inside of the barrel= a RIFLED firearm- the grooves are known as rifling. Grooves on the outside of the barrel= fluting, done to reduce weight
The spiral grooves in a guns barrel are known as rifling. Its what puts a spin on the bullet as it leaves the barrel for accuracy. The grooves are called..... well, grooves. The ungrooved part between grooves is called a land. So looking through the barrel of a rifled firearm, you will see the "lands and grooves" that make up the rifling.
A shotgun is an example of a smoothbore. The inside of the barrel has no grooves cut into it, as a rifle would have.
The barrel has deep grooves milled into the outside of the barrel. Called flutes, the grooves reduce the weight of the barrel, yet leave it a stiff barrel with very good accuracy.
Grooves can be on the outside of the barrel- called fluting- and they are cut with a milling machine. Grooves can also be inside the barrel- that is the rifling. It is cut by a special tool. The earliest rifling tool cut one line at a time, gradually getting deeper and deeper. Now a rifling tool called a broach may be used- made of extremely hard material, it is pulled through the barrel by a machine, and cuts all of the rifling in one pass.
on the muzzle end of the barrel there will be 3 grooves for the handgaurd/extension, if the barrel is smooth on the outside with no grooves it is a riot gun.
The barrel is straight. However, there are spiral grooves cut on the inside of the barrels. These spiral grooves, called rifling, make the bullet spin when it is fired. Just as a thrown football spins for an accurate throw, the spinning bullet makes for an accurate shot.
The first gun with a rifled barrel (a rifle is any gun with grooves cut into the barrel to give the projectile spin) used by American forces was the Kentucky rifle, used in the revolutionary war.
Threaded
The rifling in the barrel. These are grooves cut on the interior of the barrel that twist around and cause the bullet to spin as it passes down the barrel. The spin stabilizes the bullet and promotes accuracy.