What are potential advantages to having a firearm with polygonal rifling versus conventional rifling?

Providing a better gas seal around the projectile as polygonal bores tend to have shallower, smoother edges with a slightly smaller bore area, which translates into more efficient seal of the combustion gases trapped behind the bullet, slightly greater (consistency in) muzzle velocities and slightly increased accuracy.

What does polygonal rifling do?

Polygonal rifling works by squeezing the bullet instead of cutting into it like traditional rifling. Polygonal rifling is common in pistol barrels, and is used by Glock (Gen 1-4), Walther, Heckler & Koch, and several other companies. This gives the polygonal barrels a tighter gas seal on the projectile.

What is the best type of rifling used in firearms?

Button-rifled barrels can be extremely accurate; more bench-rest records are held by shooters using guns with button-rifled barrels than by any other type. Button-rifled barrels are very common on modern centerfire and rimfire guns.

What does rifling cause the projectile to do?

Rifling works by spinning the projectile about its axis, causing gyroscopic forces that spin-stabilize it throughout its flight; tighter rifling will spin a bullet faster, while looser rifling will spin a bullet slower.

What brands of firearms have polygonal rifling and which brands have conventional cut rifling?

But a number of firearms manufacturers use polygonal rifling, most notably Glock, H & K, and Kahr. For years people have wondered about the effects of the different styles of rifling, and whether one or the other would offer specific advantages for accuracy or velocity from a given cartridge.

When was polygonal rifling invented?

While polygonal rifling sounds like a new idea, it has actually been around for about 150 years. It was perfected by Heckler and Koch in the 1960’s. Then, Glock picked up on the benefits and made it mainstream.

Does rifling make a bullet faster?

Does rifling increase power?

Rifling gyro-stablizes the bullet by spinning it along its axis. It makes a gun more accurate. It does not really increase the lethality of a projectile upon impact, but it does make it a lot easier to hit with.

Why does rifling improve accuracy?

Rifling helps impart a spinning motion to a bullet when it’s fired. A spinning bullet is much more stable in its trajectory, and is therefore more accurate than a bullet that doesn’t spin. This is exactly why is is better to throw a football in a spiral.

What is Riflings inside the barrel and what is the purpose that there are firearms that has Riflings?

General Rifling Characteristics To help stabilize the flightpath of a bullet, manufacturers cut spiral grooves into the gun barrel. This pattern of grooves on the barrel leaves corresponding raised and lowered areas on the surface of the bullets fired from it.

What is the importance of rifling?

Rifling refers to the spiral grooves that are cut into the internal surface of a gun barrel. Rifling helps impart a spinning motion to a bullet when it’s fired. A spinning bullet is much more stable in its trajectory, and is therefore more accurate than a bullet that doesn’t spin.

What are the advantages of polygonal rifling?

For shooters, polygonal rifling has distinct advantages over its swaged brothers. For one, the bores create a tighter gas seal leading to higher muzzle velocities, but less lead deposits/cleaning and extended barrel life are also considerations.

What are the benefits of polygonal rifled barrels?

Finally, the hammer forging process used to create barrels with polygonal rifling is less likely to leave traverse tool marks, another cause of fouling, and a problem more common in conventionally rifled barrels. Accuracy, longevity, and strength may be the greatest practical benefits of barrels with polygonal rifling.

What is polygonal rifling in forensic firearms?

Polygonal rifling prevents the forensic firearms examiner from microscopically measuring the width of land and groove impressions because the lands and grooves have a rounded profile instead of a well-defined rectangular profile.

What is traditional rifling?

Traditional rifling (left) and polygonal rifling. Firearms identification, a broad term used in forensic science to describe the study of what is usually incorrectly referred to as “ballistics”, includes the study of the tool marks left on a bullet from the lands and grooves as it passes down the barrel.