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For guns, a "smoothbore" is a gun that was smooth on the inside of the barrel(or bore). These were also called "muskets" or "smoothbore musket". Later, gunsmiths began to cut a spiral groove in the bore which was called "rifling" that gave a spin to the bullet, resulting in a straighter trajectory and longer range. These were called "rifles".
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Do revolvers have smooth bores?
MOST revolvers are not smoothbores, but have rifled barrels. A very few revolvers were made as SHOT pistols, and have smoothbores. These are rather rare collectors items, and require special registration with the BATFE as an "Any Other Weapon"- or AOW.
What type of guns are there?
There are dozens- possibly hundreds of different types of guns. They may be divided into handguns and long guns, rifle or smoothbores, or divided by the type of actions.
Was the Stevens 22lr a smooth bore or a rifle bore?
MOST were rifled firearms, but a small number of smoothbore .22s were made. They are usually marked "shot only". Many older rifles can APPEAR to be smoothbores- until they are thoroughly cleaned.
How many military rifles were available in the US just before the US Civil War?
Just before the start of the US Civil War, it is estimated that 700,000 rifles were available. Half of these, however, were obsolete smoothbores, and only 36,000 could be considered modern .58 caliber.
What is the main difference between Rifles shotguns and handguns?
A handgun is made to be fired with one hand. Rifles and shotguns, from the shoulder, with two hands. Shotguns are smoothbores- the inside of the barrel is a smooth tube. Rifles have spiral lines cut on the inside of the barrel. These lines (rifling) cause the bullet to spin in flight, improving the accuracy.
How many cannons were used at the Battle of Gettysburg?
The Confederate Artillery under the command of Col Alexander numbered some 150 pieces, mostly 12 pound Napoleon smoothbores and a lesser amount of 3 inch parrot rifled cannon. The Union Artillery, under the command of General Hunt, numbered some 230 pieces more or less with most being the 3 inch rifles.
Is there such thing as a triple barel shotgun?
Although I know of no "three-barrel shotguns", it is entirely possible that someone, somewhere, sometime made one. However, there is a type of long-gun commonly referred to as a "drilling", which is probably best described as a side-by-side shotgun with a third barrel located centrally below the two smoothbores. This third barrel is usually rifled, and is chambered for a .30" caliber or smaller rifle cartridge. "Drilling" is actually a mis-spelling of "dreilling", deriving from "drei", the German word for "three" and it is generally thought that this type of general hunting arm originated there. fenianmarksman
Advantages the american patriots had in the Revolutionary war?
The patiots new the geography well. Gen. George Washington was also commander-in-cheif of the Continental Army, and Washington was one of the best generals in history. Many of the patriots also owned rifles. The Patriots faced many hard times but they were determined to fight to defend their homes and family
What is the age and value of a Winchester Model 34-A Wingmaster 22 caliber?
This question cannot be answered because Winchester never made a 34-A Wingmaster 22 caliber. The "asker" should take the gun in hand and copy down exactly everything that is stamped on the gun and tell where it is stamped. "WINGMASTER" is a Remington Trademark so Winchester cannot use it. Chances are that the model "34-A" may not be complete or correct. Remington made a lot of 22's to the point of "ridiculous-modelitis" . They did make some 22 caliber rifles with smoothbores that shot .22 caliber Rimfire Shotshells at tiny clay pigeons that were thrown from a springloaded target thrower that actually was attached to the gun. They were marketed using the term "SKEETER". The smoothbore versions are worth approximately 50% more than the rifled version of the same model and, of course, conditon oand originality are the predominant factors. Don Schiimpff Redding, CA
What weaponry was used in civil war?
From the website of http://www.civilwarhome.com/civilwarweapons.htm Infantry tactics at the time of the Civil War were based on the use of the smoothbore musket, a weapon of limited range and accuracy. Firing lines that were much more than a hundred yards apart could not inflict very much damage on each other, and so troops which were to make an attack would be massed together, elbow to elbow, and would make a run for it; if there were enough of them, and they ran fast enough, the defensive line could not hurt them seriously, and when they got to close quarters the advantage of numbers and the use of the bayonet would settle things. But the Civil War musket was rifled, which made an enormous difference. It was still a muzzle-loader, but it had much more accuracy and a far longer range than the old smoothbore, and it completely changed the conditions under which soldiers fought. An advancing line could be brought under killing fire at a distance of half a mile, now, and the massed charge of Napoleonic tradition was miserably out of date. When a defensive line occupied field entrenchments-which the soldiers learned to dig fairly early in the game-a direct frontal assault became almost impossible. The hideous casualty lists of Civil War battles owed much of their size to the fact that soldiers were fighting with rifles but were using tactics suited to smoothbores. It took the generals a long time to learn that a new approach was needed. Much the same development was taking place in the artillery, although the full effect was not yet evident. The Civil War cannon, almost without exception, was a muzzle-loader, but the rifled gun was coming into service. It could reach farther and hit harder than the smoothbore, and for counterbattery fire it was highly effective-a rifled battery could hit a battery of smoothbores without being hit in return, and the new 3-inch iron rifles, firing a 10-pound conical shot, had a flat trajectory and immense Penetrating power. But the old smoothbore-a brass gun of 4.62-inch caliber, firing a 12-pound spherical shot-remained popular to the end of the war; in the wooded, hilly country where so many Civil War battles were fought, its range of slightly less than a mile was about all that was needed, and for close-range work against infantry the smoothbore was better than the rifle. For such work the artillerist fired canisters tin can full of iron balls, with a propellant at one end and a wooden disk at the other-and the can disintegrated when the gun was fired, letting the iron balls be sprayed all over the landscape. In effect, the cannon became a huge sawed-off shotgun, and at ranges of 250 yards or less it was in the highest degree murderous
What was the most commonly used weapons used in the revolutionary war?
The flintlock musket. This was a firearm which could be fired two to three times per minute by a trained man. When the trigger was pulled the hammer struck a piece of flint, which caused sparks which would ignite loose gunpowder in the "pan". This made the powder burn and the flame flashed through a hole into the chamber of the weapon, igniting the main charge of powder, which exploded, driving the bullet out of the barrel. The barrel lacked rifling. Rifling is spiral grooves cut into the inside of the barrel, which impart a spin to the bullet and make it fly farther and on a much more accurate path, like a spiraling football pass. The standard muskets of both sides, lacking rifling, were "smoothbores". They imparted no spin to the bullet and were wildly inaccurate, more like a knuckleball in baseball. All muskets though could have a bayonet attached, and this was really the main weapon. The opposing sides would line up and blaze away at each other for a while, usually doing little harm. Then one side or the other would make a bayonet charge and this would settle the battle.There is a myth that in the Revolution American riflemen were hiding behind trees fighting "Indian style" at the British lined up with their inaccurate muskets. There were riflemen with Washington's army, but only a relatively small number, from the backwoods of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Their weapons were very accurate, but slow to load.
What kind of weapons were used at the Battle of Bull Run?
Confederate and Federal infantry used muzzle-loading single-shot muskets in a variety of calibers, including .54, .58, and .69 caliber. Artillery was also muzzle-loading and ranged from 6-to 12-pounder smoothbores up to to 20-pounder rifled artillery. Officers of both armies carried sabers and were armed with revolvers, usually .36 and .46 caliber.
