CHAPTER 8

RIFLING TYPES AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION

OBJECTIVES:
• To be knowledgeable in different effect of
the rifling’s in the accuracy of the gun
• To know the effects of the rifling’s in gun
identification

Rifles, revolvers, self-loading pistols and most single-shot pistols have rifled
barrels. Shotguns are generally smooth bored, although some older weapons were
provided with a short length of rifling at the muzzle for use when firing solid slugs. This
system of rifling was called paradox rifling. Some of the more modern shotguns
specifically designed for firing shotgun slugs are also found with rifling. This can either be
a short section of rifling at the muzzle end, similar to the old paradox rifling, or rifled down
the whole length of the barrel. These are sometimes referred as ‘slug barrels’.

Rifling consists of a series of spiral grooves cut into the inside surface of the bore
of the barrel and are there to impart a spin to the bullet through its longi- tudinal axis.
This gyroscopic effect stabilizes the bullet during its flight, prevent- ing it from tumbling
end over end and losing its accuracy.

Rifling in a barrel consists of lands and grooves

The grooves are the depressions cut away by the rifling cutter.
The lands are the portions of the barrel not touched by the rifling cutter and
are therefore left standing proud.

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 The number of inches of the barrel required for the rifling to prescribe one
complete spiral is called the twist. For most modern weapons, this is consistent
throughout the barrel’s length.

Older weapons often had a gain twist in which the rate of twist increased
from breech to muzzle. This was to assist in the soft-lead bullet gripping the rifling
with the high rate of acceleration given by black powder propellants.

Rifling can be right- or left-hand twist, with neither appearing to have any
advantage over the other.

Class characteristics

When dealing with rifling, each weapon will possess a series of family
resem- blances which will be present in all weapons of the same make and model.
Correctly called class characteristics, they relate to the number of lands and
grooves, their direction of twist, inclination of twist and their width.

Skid marks
This result in an observed short length of rifling engraved on the bullet which
appears to be parallel with its longitudinal axis. As these marks are more
pronounced at the nose end of the bullet, they have the appearance of a widening
of the land impression at this point. The marks so produced are called skid marks
and are a very useful and simple identifier for bullets which have been fired in a
revolve

General introduction to rifling

There are a number of different methods by which the rifling may be cut into
the barrel of a weapon. A competent forensic firearms examiner should not only be
aware of the various methods, but should also be able to identify which method has
been used in a particular weapon.

The ability to correctly identify the type of rifling is, in fact, of little or no use
to the examiner when carrying out a micro-stria comparison. It is, however, one of
those frequently, albeit nonsensical, questions encountered during the qualification
of an expert in court.

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Rifling process

The actual rifling of a weapon is carried out in a number of stages. Firstly,

the weapon is rough bored using a simple drill. It is then reamed to smooth out the
roughest of the spiral scratches produced during the drilling.

The barrel is then rifled using one of the methods as listed under Rifling
Methods. After rifling, the barrel is then given a final smoothing. The most fre-
quently used methods for this are lead lapping and ball burnishing.

Rifling methods

1. Hook Cutter rifling

The most simple method of cutting the grooves is by use

of a ‘single hook cutter’. In this, a hardened steel cutter, in the
shape of a crochet hook, is set into a recess in a steel rod of
slightly smaller diameter than the bore of the barrel being
rifled. As the cutter is dragged through the bore, the barrel is
rotated at a fixed rate to impart the spiral of the rifling. Each
pass of the tool only cuts one groove, and the barrel must be
repositioned and the process repeated for the number of
grooves required. As each pass of the cutter only removes a
few thousandths of an inch of metal, the height of the ‘hook’
must be raised and the grooves all cut again, with up to 80
passes being made for each groove. This is a very time-
consuming and, as the hooks rapidly wear out, an expensive
method of rifling

Hook rifling can be identified by (i) the presence of longitudinal

striations in the cut grooves and (ii) the similarity, as the same tool is used for every
groove, between the micro stria in the grooves

2. Scrape cutter rifling

The ‘scrape cutter’ method of rifling uses a bar with curved and hardened
steel scrapers set into it. The number of these scrapers corresponds to the
number of grooves required. As a result, all grooves are cut with one pass after
which the height of the scrapers is increased and further passes are made. This
method produces extremely fine rifling and is used on some of the best weapons.
Scrape cutter rifling is very similar to hook cutter except that as a
different scraper is used for each groove, there will be no underlying similarity
between the grooves.

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 3. Broach rifling

The most commonly used rifling method is called

‘broach rifling’. This, in a very simplified form, can be
thought of as a series of 20 or 30 steel discs on a rod,
with each disc being slightly larger than the one preced-
ing it. Into each disc is cut the profile and number of
grooves required with the last disc possessing the final
calibre and dimension required.

Broach cutter rifling can be recognized by the

longitudinal striations on the lands as well as the grooves
on the weapon’s bore.

4. Button rifling
Button rifling’ is a very commonly used method but is
generally only used on the cheaper weapons,
particularly those of 0.22 calibre.
In this type of rifling, the barrel is bored slightly smaller
that the final required diameter. A ‘button’ on the end of
a long rod, containing an exact negative of the rifling
required, is then pushed or pulled through the bore
forcing the metal to expand into the final shape required

5. Button rifling tool

Is, especially in the cheaper weapons, very easy to

identify as the circular marks produced during the reaming
of the bore are not eliminated during the rifling. These
marks are simply pressed into the metal and are visible on
both the lands and grooves.

6. Swage or hammer rifling

Another method which is similar to button rifling but produces a very much
higher quality is called ‘swaging or hammer rifling’. In this method, the bore is
reamed slightly larger than the required final diameter. A mandril (an extremely
hard steel plug tapered at both ends) containing an exact negative of the rifling
profile required is then passed through the bore whilst the outside of the barrel is
either hammered or hydraulically squeezed on to it. This method causes the metal
not only to work-harden, but also to increase in density. Assuming the mandril is of
a good quality, rifled barrels of an exceptional quality are produced.

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 7. Other methods of rifling
Other methods of rifling, such as electrolytic and gas cutting, do exist
and are used but only to a very limited extent.

A report on the use of electrochemical machining for the production of

rifling in barrels appeared in the journal of the Association of Firearms and
Toolmark Examiners in 1988 (Pike, 1988). The barrels reviewed in the report
were being made by Cation Co., a small company in Rochester, New York,
USA, for an arms manufacturing company called Coonan Arms.

Since 1993, Smith & Wesson (S&W) has also been using an electrochemical
machining technique to rifle most of their revolver barrels. The only revolver
barrels that S&W still broach rifle are their 0.22 calibre barrels and ported barrels.

Rifling forms

When black powder was used as a propellant, the extremely heavy fouling
produced was a major problem. After a few rounds, the bore became so heavily
fouled that subsequent rounds would hardly touch the rifling, leading to a
subsequent fall-off in the weapon’s accuracy.

In an attempt to counter this problem, a whole variety of rifling profiles were

designed with each claiming to have distinct advantages over the rest. Every
shape imaginable was tried at one time including square, round, triangular,
ratchet, comma and polygroove rifling, which looked like the petals on a flower

Forms of Riflings

Polygroove rifling Conventionaleight-groove

rifling

Polygonal rifling Lancaster

oval-bore rifling

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 Ratchet rifling Whitworth rifling.

Modern rifling tends to be either square or polygonal. Polygonal rifling has

no sharp edges and consists of a rounded profile which can be difficult to discern
when looking down the barrel. This type of rifling is almost exclusively manu-
factured using the hammer or swage process.

The advantages of polygonal rifling

include:

• no sharp edges to wear;

• no corners for fouling to build up;
• less metal fouling on driving
surfaces of the rifling and
• lower friction between bullet and
rifling resulting in higher velocity.

Reference:

Firearm and Ballistics by B, J Heard

Video Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yEqvuPL
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ODXk
YaJo8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_yemjfg
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