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The term "rifle" means that the inside of the barrel (also called the bore) has spiral lines engraved in it. These spiral grooves are known as rifling- they cause the bullet to spin when fired, causing it to travel straight. If a firearm has no rifling, then it is a smoothbore- and may be called a musket or a shotgun.
So- some muzzle loading firearms- such as the Brown Bess Musket from the 1700s- ARE smoothbore- but they are not rifles. A muzzle loader like the .50 Hawken I hunt with IS rifled, and not a smoothbore.
There is a neat little article on this at the link below:
What else can I help you with?
What is the difference between rifles and muskets?
Muskets have smooth bores and rifles have rifling - spiral grooves to make the bullet spin. Rifles have longer range and better accuracy. Both were originally muzzleloaders, but rifles eventually began to use metallic cartridges.
What is a star gauge?
This was a term used for certain US military rifles- the bores were checked using a special guage. Rifles that were found to have a high degree of uniformity to the rifling were marked at the muzzle with a star. Today, these might be known as "Match" quality.
What were the two most popular artillery pieces?
Rifles cannon bores and Napoleon
What are smooth bores?
Smooth bores are bores or barrels in guns that do not contain rifling. Rifling is made up of lands and grooves that cause the bullet to turn within the barrel of the gun. This turning gives the bullet and gun its accuracy. A smooth bore gun is much less accurate than a rifled bore gun.
Is a cannon a gun?
In the true sense of a cannon (smooth bore) yes. If the field piece has a rifled bore then it is technically a rifle. Modern artillery is primarily composed of large bore rifles. Tanks are an exception to this, their main armament is commonly smooth bore, although more and more are starting to revert back to rifled bores.
What are smooth-bores?
Smooth-bore refers to a firearm or cannon which does not have a rifled barrel (a rifled barrel is one with ridges that corkscrew down the barrel to impart a spin to the bullet)
What is a big bore air rifle?
Air Rifles come in several different bores. .177, .20, .22, .25, 9mm, 45 Cal, 357, and 50 Cal. Big bore usually refers to the 9mm, 45 Cal and 50 Cal. These rifles fall into the PCP class of Air Rifles.
What kind of ammunition was used in muskets?
Muskets were muzzle loading firearms- MOST with smooth bores. They used gunpowder poured own the barrel, and a lead ball that was pushed down the barrel with a ramrod. RIFLED muskets might use a round lead ball wrapped in a greased cloth patch, or a lead Minie Ball- but still required powder to be poured down the barrel. The powder was sometimes wrapped in thin paper tubes (cartridges) that could be bitten open, and powder dumped down the barrel. Check Wikipedia for the term Minie Ball for more information.
How tall is Brad Bores?
Brad Bores is 6'.
Does the spiral pattern in a sniper rifle make a shot gun a non rifle?
ALL rifles have barrels that contain "rifling". This is usually in the form of spiral grooves cut into the inside of the barrel- a few have a non-round barrel, with flat surfaces that twist as you go up the barrel. At one time, ALL shotguns had smooth bores- no rifling. However, SOME shotguns now have barrels with rifling, used to shoot slugs. They are still not rifles, as they are meant to shoot shotgun shells.
How much is a Lithgow SHTLE 1918 bolt action 3MD rifle worth?
Depending on condition and originality, a SMLE in good condition is $150-$225. Rifles that have been sporterized are worth less, original condition rifles with good bores, good wood, etc are worth more.
Can you shoot rifled slugs out of a non rifled barrel?
Rifled slugs were designed for smooth bore barrels because they lack rifling. Sabot slugs are made for rifled bores but they can fire through smooth bores with loss of accuracy. I am not sure about rifled slugs in a rifled barrel because I think the bullets rifling can improperly connect with the bores rifling and you risk scratching the barrel.
