Progressive Depth Rifling: the most misunderstood feature of Civil War-era rifles

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  • Опубліковано 12 лис 2023
  • Almost all Civil War era rifle-muskets had a special form of rifling in their barrels, with grooves that were quite deep at the breech but got gradually shallower towards the muzzle. For some reason, this made them more accurate. People have been asking why ever since.
    Progressive depth rifling is poorly understood and the source of much confusion and argument. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But does it make a military rifle shoot better? Yes.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 163

  • @PwntifexMaximus
    @PwntifexMaximus 8 місяців тому +32

    The man really goes the extra mile in his presentation. Really gives the air of a distinguished end of last-century gentleman. The suit, the drink, the audio....

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +18

      These antique microphones aren’t cheap.

    • @chaimafaghet7343
      @chaimafaghet7343 8 місяців тому +3

      The end of the last century wasn't that bloody long ago.

    • @tacfoley4443
      @tacfoley4443 8 місяців тому +1

      @@papercartridges6705 Hah.

  • @ResearchPressUK
    @ResearchPressUK 8 місяців тому +22

    Ref. the expansion of bullets (and this was with a shallow grooved muzzle loading match rifle, not a service rifle with its deeper rifling) . . . In February 1865, W.E. Metford experimented by drilling a hole into a barrel a quarter of an inch above where the base of the bullet would be when the rifle was loaded. A plug was then screwed in, in the end of which was a little point. This hole through the barrel came into one of the grooves; the screw plug was set such that it was not projecting sufficiently to cut the paper of a cylindrical bullet on loading. The rifle was then loaded and fired into damp sawdust. When examined the bullets carried a little line scored in, beginning a quarter of an inch from the base of the bullet. This showed the bullet expanded fully before it had moved any practical amount from its position in the barrel.

  • @techfixr2012
    @techfixr2012 8 місяців тому +16

    Progressive rate rifling is used in artillery to prevent stripping, I was unaware that Progressive depth was used also. I guess it could be called choked rifling.

    • @tullyhowell1624
      @tullyhowell1624 8 місяців тому +3

      Gain twist ( progressive) rifling was used in most of Colt cap and ball revolvers of that era

  • @tvbopc5416
    @tvbopc5416 8 місяців тому +6

    2 dumb stories - my uncle had an M1861 Springfield he kept behind a cabinet in his house - but he passed and I don't know what happened to it. And just a couple months ago I went to buy an M1841 'Mississippi' rifle in an antique store I'd been going to for 20 years - I used to take it down and fiddle with it for years - only to find the owner had died and the store was now a CPA storefront. Moral of the stories - if you see it, get it.

  • @vicroc4
    @vicroc4 8 місяців тому +20

    My immediate guess about how progressive-depth rifling was discovered was that it was an accident. That's usually how huge breakthroughs are made. I even pegged it as a manufacturing error, though I didn't suspect that it was because of trying to rifle a smoothbore.

    • @frydemwingz
      @frydemwingz 8 місяців тому

      I dont want to stomp all over your worldview because I dont even know what it is, but all those stories you hear about stuff being discovered on accident isnt true at all. At best those stories rise because it makes for a quick, nice story, and at worst it's a cover story for stealing research or equipment. Whoops! we accidently entergized the microwave equipement we acidently made on accident next to the chocolate bar I accidently had in my pocket! silly me. You dont belive this, do you?

  • @bakters
    @bakters 8 місяців тому +3

    He oversold his video and he delivered on his promise. That's a paradox, it should not have been possible! ;-)

  • @carlericvonkleistiii2188
    @carlericvonkleistiii2188 8 місяців тому +21

    The question that I have is, HOW did they accomplish the progressive depth rifling?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +18

      A cam mechanism on the rifling machine guided the blades to cut progressively deeper grooves towards the breech. It can also be done manually by adding thin shims.

    • @carlericvonkleistiii2188
      @carlericvonkleistiii2188 8 місяців тому +6

      @@papercartridges6705 Thanks, I'll have to think on that. I had considered using shims to achieve a varied depth, but imagine that it would result in a "stepped" groove.
      My thoughts on the process were:
      rifle the whole barrel to .005;
      rifle the first 3/4 of the barrel to .0075;
      rifle the first 1/2 of the barrel to .010;
      rifle the first 1/4 of the barrel to .0125.
      But this would leave .0025 "steps" between the depths. I suppose that lapping the bore could smooth the "steps" away. Or one could take more but smaller steps over increased fractions of the barrel, i.e. .001 per each 10th of the barrel length.
      Interesting engineering problem...

    • @Frank-bc8gg
      @Frank-bc8gg 8 місяців тому +5

      if I recall correctly there was a video on the resident gunsmith of Colonial Williamsburg and in the rifling process they added shims of paper that compressed over time, maybe you can use that concept to prevent stepping. or simply lap the grooves using a spring loaded bit to smooth the transition between the steps

  • @leadisgood
    @leadisgood 8 місяців тому +5

    i think a best way i get it explained is to say the bore diameter is consistent and the groove diameter gets "tighter" towards the muzzle and actually squeezes the bullet smaller at the muzzle.when i say" rifling gets shallower" it confuses people.the land height is consistent if measured from the bore. centerline.
    great video thanks

    • @tvbopc5416
      @tvbopc5416 8 місяців тому +4

      Thought of the German sPzB41 when I saw this vid - the Germans got great results from 'squeezing' an A/T round.

  • @lemontier
    @lemontier 8 місяців тому +14

    Thank you for a very non boring video. I find this stuff to be quite fascinating. I bought a Parker Hale 2 band new in 1975, serial #3000. I know that it has progressive depth rifling but never knew what it was all about. 48 years later I finally found out. Thanks for the education!

  • @SchwarzTulip
    @SchwarzTulip 8 місяців тому +2

    I love how clinically self-aware you are about how -dull- -boring- exhilarating these videos are.
    Jokes aside, though - these long, thorough, well-researched videos are my favourite type of content you produce. Thank you for taking the time to put these together!

  • @bobsmalser8304
    @bobsmalser8304 8 місяців тому +2

    More serendipity in rifling from a century earlier. George Washington was well familiar with long rifles in his wilderness travels as a surveyor, and intended to use them as terror weapons at Boston. Europe had rifles, but none had the range of the Pennsylvania long rifle developed to overcome severe lead shortages in the colonies caused by mercantilism. Pennsylvania gunmakers reduced the caliber and increased the velocities by slowing the rifling twist so a ball smaller than 50 caliber would kill an elk or bison. Probably an unintended consequence, the faster velocity also doubled the range over 60-65 caliber European rifles. At Boston, 300 yard individual shots were documented as well as team firing neutralizing crew targets at 500 yards. General Howe put a bounty on capturing a rifleman with rifle and English rifles like the Ferguson largely didn’t improve in range until that happened.

    • @chaimafaghet7343
      @chaimafaghet7343 8 місяців тому

      Not so much the rifles as the, as you say, terrorists using them. They were well known and also well known to be largely useless on a real battlefield.

  • @thinkfocus
    @thinkfocus 8 місяців тому +6

    Thanks Brett! I have an Express cartridge double with Turners Patent Rifling probably made 10-12 years after this. Turner made the first half progressive depth with sloping sides, then the second half constant depth with square sides. Original ammo was paper patched. After a lot of frustration in past years I left it in the safe; now I am having a go at paper patching it.

  • @FelixstoweFoamForge
    @FelixstoweFoamForge 8 місяців тому +3

    Well. I still don't understand exactly WHY progressive rifling is a good thing, but that was a bloody good video."It works.". "why, how?", "it just does, ok?"

  • @Ostenjager
    @Ostenjager 8 місяців тому +4

    I really wish we could convince Italian gun manufacturers to adopt PDR for their Civil War repros, but I guess we're just stuck with buying originals or living with garbage accuracy.

  • @codaktakman7636
    @codaktakman7636 8 місяців тому +1

    Did Happen to be watching this at night before I go to sleep, but I made it through.

  • @michaelwright2986
    @michaelwright2986 8 місяців тому +4

    I am so waiting for somebody to come up with a marketable skill from this.

  • @sinisterthoughts2896
    @sinisterthoughts2896 8 місяців тому +14

    riveting. there is so much knowledge and understanding to be gained from the past. on a past video you mentioned there are some barrel makers who will do this, if I recall correctly. very interesting subject matter.

    • @johndally7994
      @johndally7994 8 місяців тому +3

      That’s my question as well. You have mentioned that there is someone making barrels with the correct rifling for the P53 Enfield. I’ve read all four of your books and vaguely remember the name of maker is mentioned there as well. The Italian makers probably think their guns will be used for shooting blanks.

    • @sinisterthoughts2896
      @sinisterthoughts2896 8 місяців тому +1

      @@johndally7994 to be fair most the Italian ones probably will be primarily for blanks, maybe some patched ball for the fun of it, not for serious shooters looking for performance.

    • @tacfoley4443
      @tacfoley4443 8 місяців тому

      Parker-Hale of Birmingham, now long-gone, cut rifling like this into the barrel of their Model of 1861 Musketoon. Not sure if they did it with any others they replicated, though.

  • @Everythingblackpowder
    @Everythingblackpowder 8 місяців тому +4

    Well I’m a little disappointed that the knowledge I’ve gained from this wont translate to any marketable job skill in the 21st century but other than that I thought it was a great video. Does anyone sell or make barrels for reproduction guns that have progressive depth rifling or is your best bet to buy an original gun?

  • @thebotrchap
    @thebotrchap 8 місяців тому +5

    Funnily enough the standard French infantry rifles muskets used uniform depth rifling from 1857. Only the chasseur carbines and artillery musketoons retained progressive depth rifling.

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +5

      Probably another example of the pragmatic French approach to the rifle for the line infantry… good to have, but nobody is expecting spectacular accuracy. After all, if you are aiming with your knuckle… your rifle probably doesn’t need the tricky expensive progressive depth rifling.

    • @thebotrchap
      @thebotrchap 8 місяців тому +3

      @@papercartridges6705 I read a French report stating that progressive rifling was only good with tamisier bullets with the pillar breech and no good with miniés 😆 The chasseurs carbines, aside from the 1859, all had pillars and progressive rifling and kept it even once the pillar was removed.

  • @andrefonteyne2591
    @andrefonteyne2591 8 місяців тому +2

    The French rebored their muskets in order to use heavier bullets, because French bullets were very light compared to the British bullets, so they considered them to be underpowered. The French bullet weighed only 25.6g compared to 31.3g for the English bullet, which gave 1/3 additional penetration at the distance of 270 m. Swedish, Prussian and Russian bullets fall between these two extremes in terms of weight and penetration.

  • @EXO9X8
    @EXO9X8 8 місяців тому +5

    This mic is really muffled makes it hard on the folks hard of hearin

  • @jharchery4117
    @jharchery4117 8 місяців тому +6

    Thanks again for another great video. May I suggest you partner with Cap and Ball on a project? You two do a great evidence based review of firearms and I think you two would be great together.

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +7

      I talk with Balázs from time to time, we have very similar interests and I have been watching his videos for years! Great content.

  • @sierrahun1
    @sierrahun1 5 місяців тому

    Great material for falling asleep. I slept like a log. I'd appreciate more civil war era lullaby. Thank you, Brett, Professor of Musketry.

  • @user-og5rk5lt1s
    @user-og5rk5lt1s 8 місяців тому +8

    I think the real issue with producing a true to form replica is that in many cases the cost would exceed just buying a decent genuine example from the period. Indeed even without the added cost of progressive depth rifling modern replicas are often more expensive than serviceable antiques. Everyone always says they want a modern replica of X rifle until they find out that it will cost 5000 dollars. I know I'm guilty of that.

    • @danielcurtis1434
      @danielcurtis1434 8 місяців тому +2

      I think we’re al “guilty of that”!!!
      I think pump action rifles could have changed the game in WW1. However the economics don’t work out these days even though they did in 1890.
      I think the replicas that have a chance in hell already have been tried or have been on the market for years.

    • @scottm9605
      @scottm9605 8 місяців тому

      ​@@danielcurtis1434agreed about the replicas. Though I think there could be room for some of the guns from the acw to have a modern iteration if interest in the war spikes again.

    • @krockpotbroccoli65
      @krockpotbroccoli65 8 місяців тому

      I think they don't do it because the machinery and tooling doesn't exist anymore. Still though, that's no excuse to have such shallow, useless rifling.

    • @quentintin1
      @quentintin1 8 місяців тому +2

      @@krockpotbroccoli65 yesn't
      like he explained in another video, Persersoli et al making replica rifles use modern rifling tooling, which in most case is either cutting the rifling with a broach, or with a button
      both of which are very expensive tools to have made, an there is a limit to how deep you can go with either as they are single pass cutting tools, which are just forced down the bore with a press once and it's done
      back then rifling was cut on a rifling machine, which would run a cutter down the bore at a rate given by a cam groove, and the depth would be adjusted between passes until matching the specified depth, which allowed for more specific rifling patterns, but cost more as you needed to buy the machine, but also the cutters, cams and you needed multiple passes to rifle one barrel, thus taking more machine (and operator) time, which is the real costly item as when the machine is used to make one item, you can't make another one, unless you are willing to buy a second machine and set of tools

  • @johntarvin2878
    @johntarvin2878 8 місяців тому +2

    Fascinating, not boring at all

  • @meguy798
    @meguy798 8 місяців тому +2

    I was actually really excited when I saw the video come up in my feed, especially after the previous one on reproduction rifles!

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +5

      Never ceases to surprise me that people are excited about some history nerd droning on for 22 minutes about how deep grooves in antique muskets are.

    • @milesdavis1620
      @milesdavis1620 8 місяців тому

      @@papercartridges6705 you think you are the only nerd?

    • @warwolf416
      @warwolf416 8 місяців тому

      @@papercartridges6705 Honestly I’ll listen to you drone on about any topic like this, it’s really fantastic! I’ve really enjoyed the few times I’ve been able to stop by your shop and talk a few hours!

  • @HistoricWrath
    @HistoricWrath 8 місяців тому +4

    18:20 I can understand why recreating the progressive depth rifling would be difficult/ expensive to do for the repro makers, but I don’t understand why they wouldn’t at least have constant depth of a more period correct depth. Getting larger dies can’t be that difficult for the makers.

    • @chaimafaghet7343
      @chaimafaghet7343 8 місяців тому +3

      You can only take off so much material in a pass. That said they've probably shifted enough of the monkey models that there's now enough of a market of slightly annoyed shooters who would pay the $100 upcharge or whatever vs. finding an increasingly rare Parker-Hale.

  • @johnfisk811
    @johnfisk811 8 місяців тому +5

    Thank you Brett. Well presented. Have ‘fun’ in your deployment……. May it not be ‘interesting’.

  • @duncanandrews1940
    @duncanandrews1940 8 місяців тому +1

    Stayed awake for the full 23 minutes Brett.........very interesting and a warning to me when Pedersoli eventually produce their Baker Rifle - shallow rifle grooves.................😩😩

  • @phred.phlintstone
    @phred.phlintstone 8 місяців тому +1

    History and guns, my favorites. Combine these with this super geeky gun tech is fabulous.

  • @sherwoodforester4666
    @sherwoodforester4666 8 місяців тому +2

    I really enjoyed that, cheers Brett!

  • @makmoto0606
    @makmoto0606 8 місяців тому +2

    I survived! Great video as always. Love the historical references and amount of detail. Thanks!

  • @andyedwards9222
    @andyedwards9222 8 місяців тому +2

    That was a fascinating explanation, this from someone with no practical shooting experience but a keen interest in history.

  • @michaelmoorrees3585
    @michaelmoorrees3585 8 місяців тому +2

    I watch Cap & Ball, and C&rsenal, so I found this topic very interesting and informative, just for its historic value !
    I'm also an EE, and have been using an programming microcontrollers (uC), almost since their inception. But as a hobby, I design analog circuits (no digital parts, as those uCs) that wouldn't even been economical in the past, but do mostly as an interesting deviation, that maybe a friend, in the hobby, might employ, but has no benefit in anything marketable.

  • @richardsmith3199
    @richardsmith3199 8 місяців тому +2

    interesting thank you

  • @brucegraham4332
    @brucegraham4332 8 місяців тому +1

    Excellent video.

  • @thess344
    @thess344 8 місяців тому +1

    Enjoyed this presentation.

  • @woodsmanforlife1677
    @woodsmanforlife1677 8 місяців тому +1

    Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

  • @CelPal-do3yy
    @CelPal-do3yy 8 місяців тому +1

    Dziękuję :D Świetny wykład Panie Profesorze :D Gratuluję prostego i historycznego wytłumaczenia gwintu progresywnego. Dobra robota !

  • @davidandrew1078
    @davidandrew1078 8 місяців тому +2

    Watching grass grow.

  • @gonatas1
    @gonatas1 8 місяців тому +6

    Great content. Did the US stop using progressive depth rifling sometime before ACW? I was thought I read that someplace. I think Enfield kept using it….

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +7

      The U.S. kept progressive rifling for rifle-muskets like the 1863 Springfield through the war. I don’t know if the trapdoor Springfield breechloaders kept the progressive depth or not.

  • @davidwilliam6331
    @davidwilliam6331 4 місяці тому

    Excellent presentation!
    Very interesting historical information, regarding how progressive depth rifling was made and how the accuracy from progressive depth rifling was discovered!

  • @wrxs1781
    @wrxs1781 8 місяців тому +2

    Well done Brett.

  • @ohlordy2042
    @ohlordy2042 2 місяці тому +1

    Well....here's my amateur theory as to why progressive depth rifling is superior with expanding Minie type, soft lead bullets.
    The bullet has, inherently, a smaller diameter than the bore. This is so it can be easily dropped down the barrel. As such, the bullet relies on pressure to expand its hollow base to contact and then squeeze into the grooves of the rifling.
    Deep rifling is needed near the breech, because the bullet must squeeze far enough into the rifling grooves to ensure good grip and get the bullet rotating with the rifling but without stripping of the bullet. The high pressure of the charge detonation near the breech is sufficient to expand the bullet sufficiently to fully occupy this deep rifling.
    As the bullet moves down the barrel, pressure drops. The bullet, which relies on pressure to remain expanded, will inherently contract back towards its resting (atmospheric pressure) size and diameter.
    Thus, if rifling was the same depth down the whole barrel, the bullet would naturally contract away from the walls of the barrel (both in the lands and grooves) as the bullet moves down the length of the barrel. The pressure seal would be broken, gases would escape past the bullet, chamber pressure would drop, bullet galling would increase and bullet stability would decrease.
    By progressively decreasing the depth of rifling down the barrel, the grooves of the barrel contract at least as fast as the bullet diameter shrinks due to pressure drop. This would greatly reduce gas escape and ensure the bullet remains tight against the rifling, thereby maintaining bullet stability.
    If groove depth decreases faster than bullet diameter shrinkage in the grooves (i.e. the bullet actually got squeezed out of the shallowing grooves), then this would force soft lead back into the emerging gap around the bullet in the position of the lands.....thereby maintaining a completely gas tight seal right around the bullet (in both the lands and grooves).
    Thus, only progressive depth rifling (with a carefully calculated, correct rate of groove shallowing) ensures a perfect, gas tight seal and fit the whole way down the barrel.
    Makes sense to me.

  • @carloverstreet5884
    @carloverstreet5884 8 місяців тому +3

    Perhaps the marketable job skill would be to learn how to recut those modern made barrels to give them the proper rifling form. I could see that as an interesting project to consume a few years. Meanwhile I'll stick to my PH reproductions.

  • @davidstuck2866
    @davidstuck2866 2 місяці тому

    1st, THANK YOU! This information has kept me from buying a (sadly) poorly made rifle! I can NOT imagine, knowing that the rifling needs to be made MUCH deeper, Pedersoli continues to make what I am going to call defective rifles. It also has convinced me to do research on the depth of the rifling of their cap and ball revolvers. Which I am planning to buy very soon. I am glad that you made this video, and that I watched it!

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  2 місяці тому

      Glad it was useful!

    • @davidstuck2866
      @davidstuck2866 2 місяці тому

      something that i thought of this morning, is the depth measured on one side, or is that measurement a total of both sides? I want to measure the rifling on all of my guns now. so I want to make sure I am doing that right. time to buy some cerro-safe!@@papercartridges6705

  • @1799to1815
    @1799to1815 8 місяців тому +1

    Great video. I really appreciate your efforts! You're visuals are great!

  • @joekirchner2374
    @joekirchner2374 3 місяці тому

    Thank you for all the great information!

  • @charliebrenton4421
    @charliebrenton4421 8 місяців тому +3

    This subject is fascinating. First learned about it on the video about Italian replica rifles. Great content!

  • @michaelcenkere7900
    @michaelcenkere7900 8 місяців тому +1

    Another great video.

  • @wixworks
    @wixworks 8 місяців тому +2

    I follow your posts because they are informative and interesting. I have a particular interest infirearms from the early to the mid 19th century. Your general post have cleared up a number of points for me and your specific dives into such subjects a s gun cotton and other innovations are full of information and add interesting detail to the period. Thank you.

  • @karsonbranham3900
    @karsonbranham3900 8 місяців тому +1

    Great video!

  • @ianseddon9347
    @ianseddon9347 7 місяців тому +1

    An excellent and entertaining video, thank you Professor 😉 seriously good knowledge.

  • @mikehoare6093
    @mikehoare6093 8 місяців тому +1

    your outfit is impeccable !
    your seperate collar shirt is my favourite !!!!!!!!!!!

  • @mulehead99
    @mulehead99 8 місяців тому +4

    Really enjoyed that video. So I have a P-H early British P53 that I know has PR, but I also have a contract original P53 from 1862. Would the contractors have used PR by then?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +5

      Yes. By 1862 it should have progressive rifling, or it would not be accepted by the inspectors for military service.

  • @johnathansaegal3156
    @johnathansaegal3156 8 місяців тому +2

    My question is... HOW did they cut them progressively?

  • @kdude24m
    @kdude24m 8 місяців тому +3

    Just wondering, with the modern constant depth rifling barrels would a copper bullet made to the minie or Pritchett form perform better or is it about the same regardless of whats used?

  • @timpartin00
    @timpartin00 7 місяців тому +1

    Brett great conversation as usual! Do you ever talk about “gain twist” rifling? What’s the deal with that? Keep up the great work sir!

  • @kaleufarias7705
    @kaleufarias7705 8 місяців тому +2

    Do you have pictures or blueprints of these tools/machines that can cut progressive depth rifling? It would be interesting to do a video on the machines of that era and how they worked.

  • @Bhartrampf
    @Bhartrampf 8 місяців тому +5

    Very informative, as always. I had forgotten about this, I own and have read Manns book. Do you sell a book on paper cartridges? I see a few books on your your bookshelf that have the same title.

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +6

      I have one book specifically on the development of the Enfield paper cartridge, “The English Cartridge” is available on Amazon.

    • @Bhartrampf
      @Bhartrampf 8 місяців тому +3

      @@papercartridges6705 thank you

  • @cody481
    @cody481 8 місяців тому +1

    Interesting stuff

  • @hokehinson5987
    @hokehinson5987 8 місяців тому +2

    Progressive rifling sounds like it's was a purposely done...the surprise was the accuracy was improved.
    Gotta luv the French..
    Their engineering is quirky but in many ways better...BTW luv French cars,
    Motocycles, & military hardware.

  • @gerald5344
    @gerald5344 8 місяців тому +2

    So, anyone know where I track down a decent attic-find Pattern 1853 with progressive-depth rifling?

  • @trollforge
    @trollforge 8 місяців тому +3

    Ok, I understand How progressive grooves work, if not why, but, How is it accomplished?
    If you were to measure at the lands with a bore micrometer, at the breach, and at the muzzle are they going to read the same internal diameter? If you took a barrel and turned it down on a lathe so that the muzzle Outside Diameter is the same as the breach OD, and measured from the groove to the OD, are they going to be the same at breach and muzzle?

    • @gonatas1
      @gonatas1 8 місяців тому +3

      Bore is same length of barrel. Grooves deepen at breech end.
      Machines used to accomplish this cam the cutting tool deeper in a uniform slope as the tool approaches the breech and then shallower as the tool is withdrawn out the muzzle.

    • @trollforge
      @trollforge 8 місяців тому +1

      @@gonatas1 Thank You!

  • @mrmeowmeow710
    @mrmeowmeow710 8 місяців тому +1

    DAMM good history video👍👍

  • @stoneomountain2390
    @stoneomountain2390 8 місяців тому +3

    Ah, professor, but how did they do it?
    I can't see them rifling in quarter lengths and then pulling a spring loaded cutter through to smooth the gradient as an industrial ptocess.

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +11

      The rifling machines had cams that applied the appropriate pressure on the cutting blades as they were passed through the bore. It could also be done by manually applying shims, which is how it’s typically done by barrel makers today.

    • @stoneomountain2390
      @stoneomountain2390 8 місяців тому +3

      @@papercartridges6705
      Huh, interesting.
      Cams, not a involved gearing system. OK. thanks for the information.

  • @davidraines1380
    @davidraines1380 8 місяців тому +3

    I wonder if anyone can do this to a rifle that already has a constant rifling. Sure would like to have it done to my black powder gun

    • @stoneomountain2390
      @stoneomountain2390 8 місяців тому +5

      They will probably spend more time "chasing the thread" than actually cutting.

    • @stoneomountain2390
      @stoneomountain2390 8 місяців тому +5

      Oh, yeah. There's a comment in the video that led to this one that speaks of a company that does progressive depth rifling.
      I think he said Richmond and mentioned a $250 cost.

  • @asherdog9248
    @asherdog9248 8 місяців тому +1

    This is a great video, but I am very dubious that progressive depth rifling is any more accurate than constant depth rifling of adequate depth. I have seen many photos on the Shiloh Sharps board of snow bank recovered bullets that show even 1:16 alloy fills the tinest of voids. You can even see a line where a paper patch ends don't quite meet. I have talked to several N-SSA top shooters who will say that a constant depth rifling is just as accurate. I am not saying you are wrong it just dosen't make good sense to me why the need for progressive depth rifling rather than deep enough rifling to grab the bullet. I can see how a fouled barrel could shoot better with progressive depth rifling, but that is a different story. It would be super interesting to get a high speed camera to see if the thin rifling are failing to stablize the minie as compared to a Whitacre barrel. I suspect you are correct, but I think a .15" constant depth would stablize the minie just fine.

  • @skylerslack12
    @skylerslack12 7 місяців тому +2

    Kind if off topic but is it possible to use a burton bullet in a Pritchett style cartridge? I like idea of just breaking off the bullet from the powder cylinder instead of clumsily taking it out of the wrapper. The reason i ask is because Pritchett bullets are rare and hard to come by, even the molds, while burton bullets are everywhere. Perhaps this is an idea for an experiment video?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  7 місяців тому +2

      Most other European cartridges used a “Burton” style bullet in the paper patched cartridges just like the Pritchett. The only requirement is that the bullet be sized small enough that it fits into the muzzle while still wrapped in the paper.

  • @phred.phlintstone
    @phred.phlintstone 8 місяців тому

    A few pictures, diagrams or photos would be perfection.

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +1

      I made the best diagrams I could, with my capabilities. It’s very hard to illustrate a few thousandths of an inch variation in a rifle groove.

  • @EastBayFlipper
    @EastBayFlipper 8 місяців тому +1

    The progressive nature and decreased diameter is the principle behind squeeze bore designs to boost velocity.
    In WW2 the German army had a squeeze bore anti tank gun with tungsten penitrators.
    It's still exceptionally accurate 😉

    • @aker1993
      @aker1993 8 місяців тому +1

      The British too also dabble to the that concept too called littlejohn adapter for the 2 pounder guns

  • @Dr._Spamy
    @Dr._Spamy День тому

    Makes sense because lead has no elasticity. In a bore that's getting progressivly narrower to the muzzle, a bullet would have better contact over the whole barrel length. On a constant bore diameter and grove depht it may start to wiggle after a while (if the expansion of the bullet don't happens over the whole barrel length).
    Never the less i wonder how they did this progressive depth rifling !?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  День тому

      They had a cam-like device that made the blades draw deeper cuts at one end and shallower at the other. The same thing can be done on conventional rifling engines, by using thin shims and gradually increasing them (laborious though!)

  • @rtc1256
    @rtc1256 8 місяців тому +1

    What companies offer barrel relining services for existing Italian rifles? Who produces new barrels with progressive depth rifling that fit on Italian guns?

    • @johnwestenberger6241
      @johnwestenberger6241 8 місяців тому +2

      Bobby Hoyt can reline a barrel with progressive depth. You can find his contact info online. Dan Whitacre can make new barrels, his website is Whitacre’s machine shop.

  • @myahsoodinim8570
    @myahsoodinim8570 8 місяців тому

    Might there be an advantage in the progressive rifling reducing the profile of the flying bullet - in pushing down the spiral fins that form on the bullet when it bullet first expands?

  • @SionCorn
    @SionCorn 3 місяці тому

    Thank you for the education, it is nice to know more about the rifle that I hold in my hands, especially the unseen stuff that is inside. In my case it is a Colt 1861 Special Contract Musket which is marked 1864. I find the the technical information very interesting, can you tell me the source documents that you show as I would love to find out more. Don't get me wrong, listening to you is great (which is why I'm here) but I also like to read and re-read the original technical books if possible...
    ... and thanks again for taking the time to put this together. 👍

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  3 місяці тому +1

      If I recall, most of the original sources are from Major Mordecai’s report from the military commission to Europe, and from the Ordnance report of small arms experiments in 1856, both available on Google Books.

    • @SionCorn
      @SionCorn 3 місяці тому

      @@papercartridges6705 Thank you for the info, it is very much appreciated. I love going through the original documentation as it gives an insight on what was going on at the time. You can guess where I'm off to next and you now have a new subscriber. Thanks again for what you do, it's appreciated by many. 👍

  • @hokehinson5987
    @hokehinson5987 8 місяців тому +1

    Didn't the French develop a rifle that was smooth bore except for the last 4" from the muzzle was rifled. Examined by other countries revealed it to be as accurate as any rifle of the period.

    • @BrettBaker-uk4te
      @BrettBaker-uk4te 8 місяців тому +3

      The "Paradox" shotguns made by Holland and Holland use that. One barrel single ball, the other shot.

  • @warwolf416
    @warwolf416 8 місяців тому +1

    Very interesting listen! I never bore of these videos. Hearing you discuss it a few times now I am determined to get my Italian 1861 rebarreled to have the correct rifling. I looked up the two barrel makers you mentioned in the other video, Whitacre and Bobby Hoty. Do you recommend one or the other or either one a great choice to go to?!

    • @johnwestenberger6241
      @johnwestenberger6241 8 місяців тому +2

      Hoyt will ream the old rifling out, and insert a sleeve where new rifling will be cut. Whitacre will make a whole new barrel to original specs. Hoyt is 250, whitacre is in excess of 6-700$ with sights. I have a 3 band 1861 whitacre and a 2 band relined by Hoyt colt special. Both are equally accurate.

    • @warwolf416
      @warwolf416 8 місяців тому +1

      @@johnwestenberger6241 Thanks! That’s very informative. I imagine the sights currently on the rifle work fine with the sleeved barrel. A lot to think about.

  • @maxpower6765
    @maxpower6765 8 місяців тому +2

    🥇🏆

  • @HobieH3
    @HobieH3 15 днів тому

    This should really have come with a medical caution

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  11 днів тому

      Oh yes. Everyone who watches my channel, does so against medical (and psychological) advice.

  • @nicholaswalsh4462
    @nicholaswalsh4462 6 місяців тому

    How do you make this rifling?

  • @max4750
    @max4750 8 місяців тому +1

    The audio sounds off at the start of the video.

  • @buckberthod5007
    @buckberthod5007 8 місяців тому +1

    Wouldn't this also allow for less fouling? Gives more place for the carbon to build up?

  • @TheSpadxiii
    @TheSpadxiii 5 місяців тому

    Would a compression bullet work better in repo rifled muskets?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  5 місяців тому

      Probably would. Yes, as long as it is a snug fit in the barrel. The constant depth would not matter as much with a tight compression bullet.

  • @gorbalsboy
    @gorbalsboy 4 місяці тому

    Oh bugger, I have gained new knowledge of little practical use in the modern age but alas have forgotten how to tie my laces😢humbug

  • @bobbowers9037
    @bobbowers9037 8 місяців тому +1

    Does the sharp's rifle have progressive rifling?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +1

      I don’t think so. As a breechloader, it fired a bullet larger diameter than the bore which was forced into the rifling, so progressive depth grooves would not have given any real advantage.

  • @jason60chev
    @jason60chev 8 місяців тому +1

    Do you know the groove depth on an Armsport Richmond carbine?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому

      About 0.04-thousandths of an inch.

    • @jason60chev
      @jason60chev 8 місяців тому +3

      @@papercartridges6705 I have one, but after watching this video, am skeptical about firing a 60grain charge with a .574/5 minie ball. I guess, like you said, may have to adjust/experiment with the charge to see if I can discover it's best performing load.

  • @heretic134
    @heretic134 8 місяців тому

    As to how progressive rifling works we need to look to the Bernoulli effect as to how that works 😊

  • @doughudgens9275
    @doughudgens9275 8 місяців тому +1

    What you didn’t answer is why modern Italian replicas don’t use progressive rifling? And why such shallow grooves? Why not match what they did in the 19th century?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +1

      I should have mentioned I covered the Italian repros at length in my previous video, on the channel.

    • @matteoorlandi856
      @matteoorlandi856 7 місяців тому

      i think pedersoli simply don't know bout it. when i met them last february and talked about the "magic pritchett" they were not aware of the existence of such bullet so, maby they don't know about the progressive depth rifling either.@@papercartridges6705

  • @user-bl8bd3no3i
    @user-bl8bd3no3i 8 місяців тому +1

    UBER KOOL
    SO DID EARLY GUNSMITHS .. KENTUCKY LONG RIFLE, DO IT IN SMALL SHOPS , TOOLS INVOLVED AND THEY MAKE THE TOOLS
    MUST HAVE BEEN STILL GOING ON 1800S RIGHT 😅

  • @bennyboy27or
    @bennyboy27or 8 місяців тому +1

    When was the progressive rifling abandoned? I'm assuming some early cartridge rifles were progressive because of all the muzzle loaders that got converted. Was it is copper jackets or smokeless powered that pushed the change back to constant depth?

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +5

      Breechloading bullets, forced into the rifling, don’t need progressive depth. It’s really only useful for the very narrow, specific instance of a muzzleloading rifle firing an undersized, short, large caliber heavy bullet that has to expand into very slow twist grooves

    • @bennyboy27or
      @bennyboy27or 8 місяців тому +1

      ​@papercartridges6705 thanks for the reply!

  • @abitnutz6747
    @abitnutz6747 8 місяців тому

    Isn't this in effect a kind of mild tapor bore? It reduces the area of the bore, no? I would expect that this might well increase the accuracy of any rifle, not just an expanding bullet muzzleloader. It would be really interesting to try a 5R gain twist, progressive depth breech-loading rifle. Could call it "Kitchen Sink" rifling because you're throwing every rifling tweak you can think of at it.

  • @user-sg2vu9fh1h
    @user-sg2vu9fh1h 8 місяців тому

    Hey pal! It is me again, I have commented over your recent video about the "worst" rifle in the civil war, I wanted to say i have a problem, I have adhd, Not only that, Autism, that means My topics tend to be narrow, can yoy advice me how to hyperfocus on things i may like at least, but not narrow on? ❤😢
    I do not actually have a narrow topic, at least not yet, im 16, plus my autism is very mild and high function, maybe thats why.
    So please, can yoy give me advice for finding something gokd to waste time on and hyperfocus?😊
    ❤❤

  • @HughStLeger
    @HughStLeger 5 місяців тому

    Can't hear you

  • @Rob-cq9hq
    @Rob-cq9hq 3 місяці тому

    So I have a modern made (relatively speaking) Birmingham made Parker hale rifle 1853. I’ve been told one of their redeeming features is that they have historically accurate progressive rifling. Do you know if that is true

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  3 місяці тому

      If it’s made in Birmingham then yes it has the progressive rifling.

  • @King.Leonidas
    @King.Leonidas 8 місяців тому

    i was laughing my ass off.

  • @davefellhoelter1343
    @davefellhoelter1343 8 місяців тому

    I wounder? Why? has this Gone Away? so far away?
    searching for Ever better accuracy and performance how could this tech work today? with To Days Tech?
    I totally could see the logic and Possibilities or Benifits with pure lead! depending on engineering or skills?
    I suspect this worked with the PSI curve as the PSI droped in a different curve with or Without the Progress?

  • @milesdavis1620
    @milesdavis1620 8 місяців тому

    Why is progressive rifling not used today? I understand that bullet expansion is no longer a thing, but the bullet is still forced into the rifling. It seems if progressive rifling was good then, it could still be good.

    • @papercartridges6705
      @papercartridges6705  8 місяців тому +3

      A modern bullet forced into rifling has a strong super tight grip in the grooves. Progressive rifling is only really useful with muzzleloading expanding bullets that need to grab onto something as they are expanding.

  • @HClaurance
    @HClaurance 8 місяців тому

    I've always wondered what would've happened with expanding bullets and the squeeze bore principle.

  • @GunDrone
    @GunDrone 2 місяці тому +1

    Thanks for telling the truth about Pedesoli repos. They are over priced shit. Traditions is another one I would never buy too. All more modern BP rifles are tight bore and require expensive proprietary bullets. It's all marketing bs.