Editing Rifling (section)

== History ==
[[File:Zuege.jpg|thumb|left|Traditional rifling of a 9 mm handgun barrel]]
{{main|Rifle}}

[[Musket]]s are [[smoothbore]], large caliber weapons using ball-shaped ammunition fired at relatively low velocity. Due to the high cost, great difficulty of precision manufacturing, and the need to load readily and speedily from the muzzle, musket balls were generally a loose fit in the barrels. Consequently, on firing the balls would often bounce off the sides of the barrel when fired and the final destination after leaving the muzzle was less predictable. This was countered when accuracy was more important, for example when hunting, by using a tighter-fitting combination of a closer-to-bore-sized ball and a patch. The accuracy was improved, but still not reliable for precision shooting over long distances.

Like the invention of gunpowder itself, the inventor of barrel rifling is not yet definitely known. Straight grooving had been applied to small arms since at least 1480, originally intended as "soot grooves" to collect [[fouling|gunpowder residue]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Manucy |first1=Albert |title=Artillery Through The Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America |date=1949 |publisher=National Park Service Washington DC |pages=70}}</ref>

Some of the earliest recorded European attempts of spiral-grooved musket barrels were of [[Gaspard Kollner]], a gunsmith of [[Vienna]] in 1498 and Augustus Kotter of [[Nuremberg]] in 1520. Some scholars allege that Kollner's works at the end of the 15th century only used straight grooves, and it was not until he received help from Kotter that a working spiral-grooved firearm was made.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greener |first1=William Wellington |title=The Gun and Its Development |date=March 1, 2013 |publisher=Skyhorse |isbn=978-1616088422 |page=620 |edition=9th}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrml.org/historical/longrange/history02.htm |title=Long Range Shooting: A Historical Perspective |author=Curtis, W. S. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622145927/http://www.lrml.org/historical/longrange/history02.htm |archive-date=2007-06-22 }}; Petzal, David E., and Bourjaily, Phil, with Fenson, Brad. ''The Total Gun Manual'' (Canadian edition) (San Francisco: WeldonOwen, 2014), p. 5.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Merrill |first1=Art |title=How To Calculate Rifling Twist Rates For Stabilizing Bullets |url=https://www.ssusa.org/content/how-to-calculate-rifling-twist-rates-for-stabilizing-bullets/ |website=Shooting Sports USA |access-date=19 May 2022}}</ref> There may have been attempts even earlier than this, as the main inspiration of rifled firearms came from archers and crossbowmen who realized that their projectiles flew far faster and more accurately when they imparted rotation through twisted fletchings.

Though true rifling dates from the 16th century, it had to be engraved by hand and consequently did not become commonplace until the mid-19th century. Due to the laborious and expensive manufacturing process involved, early rifled firearms were primarily used by wealthy recreational hunters, who did not need to fire their weapons many times in rapid succession and appreciated the increased accuracy. Rifled firearms were not popular with military users since they were difficult to clean, and loading projectiles presented numerous challenges. If the bullet was of sufficient diameter to take up the rifling, a large mallet was required to force it down the bore. If, on the other hand, it was of reduced diameter to assist in its insertion, the bullet would not fully engage the rifling and accuracy was reduced.

The first practical military weapons using rifling with black powder were [[Breech-loading weapon|breech loaders]] such as the [[Queen Anne pistol]].