Also known as: rifling twist, lands and grooves.
| Rifling | Spiral grooves cut in the bore, leaving raised lands between |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Spin an elongated projectile for stability and accuracy |
| Twist | The rate at which the grooves turn along the bore |
| Systems | Many number, width, and depth of grooves distinguish the guns |
Spin for stability
Rifling cut a set of spiraling grooves into the bore, leaving raised lands between them. An elongated projectile driven through this bore was made to spin about its long axis, and that spin stabilized it in flight much as it does a rifle bullet, giving rifled guns their far greater range and accuracy over smoothbores.
The rate of twist, and the number, width, and depth of the grooves, varied from one system to another. These features, and the marks the rifling left on a recovered projectile's sabot or band, help identify the gun a projectile was fired from.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Benton, James G. A Course of Instruction in Ordnance and Gunnery. 2nd ed. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1862.
- Gibbon, John. The Artillerist's Manual. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1860.