Is this a stupid question?

[mkeen]

In the new book, The Lancaster Long Rifle by Patrick Hornberger many of the guns labeled as a rifle have a smooth bore barrel and are not rifled. I thought a rifle had to have a rifled barrel. At least that's what the dictionary says. Is it assumed the barrels were rifled early in their existence and were later bored out to be a smooth bore?

Martin

[Dphariss]

Smooth rifles were made and many more were bored smooth in later years. Perhaps when the owners eyesight failed or to make a shotgun when the large bore rifle was no longer needed.
I have read that some rifles listed as smooth show vestiges of rifling farther down the bore. But I suspect that few are ever bore scoped. Proving they were made smooth or rifled originally is impossible at this date.

A smooth bore stocked as a rifle with rifle sights is a "smooth rifle".

Dan