This section is from the book "The Home Cyclopedia Of General Information", by Charles Morris. Also available from Amazon: Home Cyclopedia of Necessary Knowledge.
[Dan., to make grooves in.] A gun, or small-arm, the inside of whose barrel is rifled, that is, has spiral grooves cut in it. The effect of the grooves is to send the balls swifter and straighter. The rifles now used are breech-loaders. Cannon are also rifled, with the effect of enormously increasing their range and powers of destruction.
 
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