12 groove rifling

[bucketlead]

Can anybody tell me the advantage to deep 12 groove rifling in a muzzleloader?
Ryan

[northmn]

I do not know who makes that type of barrel, but I am willing to bet the advantages would be more theorectical than practical. Sounds like something that would foul out worse as the grooves would by neccesity be very narrow. Accuracy in ML barrels is as much that of eveness and smoothness of the bore as anything. The real accuracy buffs used to use a lead plug covered with grinding compound to even out any tight spots in the barrels. This would also smooth out the barrel to prevent patch cutting on sharp edges and burrs. Deep rifling of about .1 is used in Mls to help with fouling buildup. Some original rifles had gain twists which would start out at about 1-70 and end up at the muzzle at 1-48 to stabilize minnie balls. The English believe that a barrel should have an odd number of rifling grooves so that no lland or groove was opposite the other. No one so far has really proved the superiority of any system to an absolute.

Northmn

[missionary5155]

The English believe that a barrel should have an odd number of rifling grooves so that no lland or groove was opposite the other. No one so far has really proved the superiority of any system to an absolute.

Northmn

Sounds like a typical British philosophy. Like attacking a country that just wooped you in a war 20 years earlier. Or giving away a continent to a madman and then trying to attack with obselete equipment and no logistics...
But then I guess they have had some GREAT ideas also... landing aircraft on a carrier from a circular pattern thus using the FAST F4U Corsair before our navy, the angled deck aircraft carrier.... and of course.. "Brew up.. Brew up !
Mike

[JeffinNZ]

The advantage is it creates the opportunity to spend a LOT more time trying to get a barrel clean.

[bucketlead]

Thanks for the response guys. I called TOTW today and talked with them about it. It's American made and designed to shoot ball. It is a european idea and I'll give it a shot. I fear clean up will be a pain also but its just for the range.
Ryan

[mooman76]

Deep rifling in M/Ls is to hold the large amount a fouling BP put out. People are always looking for that magicl idea that makes something shoot better that someone else hasn't thought of yet. I don't see it shooting any better than any other ML and don't see it shooting any worse either just because of the rifling but who knows until you try. It also depends on what is meant by "deep rifling". Typically MLs have deep cut rifling anyway. I don't see it being any more difficult to clean either. MLs clean fairly easy, they are just kind of a pain because of how you have to go about it and the mess and smell.

[reivertom]

Just about any groove depth and number has been tried at one time or another. At one time there were gunsmiths making all sorts of strange barrels. There is a reason that 7 or 8 grooves are prevalent throughout the years. More isn't always better.