What Is a Gun's Bore?
Firearms work by propelling a projectile along a length of tube, commonly known as the barrel. Firearms have various specifications for compatible ammunition. If you want to use a firearm, you should know about the bore, how to measure it and what type of ammunition you can use.
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Types
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Gun bores can either be smooth or rifled. Smooth-bore weapons have nothing inside of the barrel, and can be seen on antique muskets and modern tank barrels. Rifled barrels have runners spiraling along the inside, which guide projectiles along a spiral path to give the projectile more accuracy. Handguns and shoulder rifles have rifled barrels.
Significance
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Rifled bores came into prominence for handheld firearms in the eighteenth century. Before this, the primary firearms were muskets. These had very low accuracy, and therefore required a line of musketeers firing to provide any noticeable effect on opposing forces. With rifling, the accuracy of projectiles increased, enabling long-range firing.
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Measurement
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A rifled gun's bore measures the diameter between opposing lands or grooves, usually in inches. For example, a .22-caliber rifle has a bore diameter of 0.22 inches. A shotgun bore measurement uses gauge, or the number of lead pellets for that bore that would add up to one pound.
Maintenance
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Regular cleaning of a gun's bore will prevent fouling, i.e., copper and carbon residue on the bore from rounds traveling through the barrel. Too much fouling can make the bore nonfunctional.
Warnings
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The bore has to match the projectile in order to provide a seal for the propellant to ignite. Never try to load ammunition not intended for a gun's bore type. Doing so can cause irreparable damage to the weapon or grievous personal injury.
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