Polygonal Rifling is a scam?

[Harrylee]

OK now I’m totally perplexed on the Polygonal Rifling in handguns. Ran across this today and it all made sense. Seen this guy before and he knows his stuff. So what do you guys think?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLN5xsZlaaE

[Bobshouse]

I stopped watching as soon as he said that in the 45 caliber they had a 8 sided polygon. He does have lots of great reloading videos also.

[ripley16]

How many sides are in a .45 Glock barrel then?

[Bobshouse]

I don't know, but 8 would be a hexagonal.

[340pd]

I love it in my PM9. Accurate and very, easy to clean. I never shoot lead in any of my handguns so that is a moot point for me.

[marshal kane]

Why stop watching? Was he wrong about the number of sides in the .45 caliber? A polygon just means a closed figure with X number of sides e.g. octagon is an 8 sided polygon vs. a hexagon is a six sided polygon, etc. Triangles, squares, and rectangles are polygons with their own designations.

I don't believe polygonal rifling is a scam, it's just a different form of rifling. For me, it shoots no better than conventional rifling, YMMV. The only advantage I can see is it's easier to clean since it lacks the sharp corners found in conventional rifling.

[Bawanna]

They talked about all those "gons" in that arithmetic class I failed along with pies and angles and triangles.

Never could grasp it myself. I was a natural at spelling though. Sorry jocko, that was a low blow.

[yqtszhj]

They talked about all those "gons" in that arithmetic class I failed along with pies and angles and triangles.

Never could grasp it myself. I was a natural at spelling though. Sorry jocko, that was a low blow.

Oh man, thats easy:

1. Pie = delicious dessert
2. Angle = the shape of the cut of the pie.
3. Triangle = that thing hanging on the back porch that they ring when it's time to eat. aka. the dinner bell.

[WMD]

I got to 11 minutes and couldn't take anymore. He does not understand. Poly rifled barrels do blow up due to excess pressure with lead bullets. BUT..... it is not caused by the end of the chamber. A poly rifled barrel represents a little tighter fit to the bullet than standard land and groove rifled barrels. This tighter fit does cause a bit more pressure hence, you get a few more feet per second velocity out of the muzzle. This equates to higher knockdown energy. This is the major advantage to the poly rifled barrel. Poly rifled barrels are great for CCW's especially if they are in a smaller caliber. The poly rifling maximizes the potential of the cartridge due to the increase in energy. Getting back to leading.... A poly rifled barrel leads very quickly because of the tighter fit. You can leave serious lead deposits in the barrel in as few as 4 or 5 shots. These lead deposits may appear as obstructions when you take your next shot. Guess what happens when the bullet hits an obstruction in the barrel? Bingo! You just blew up your gun.

Why he calls the Glock 8 sided barrel a poly barrel is beyond me. Nort sure if he actually graduated. ;-) This is one of the problems with the internet. You get to hear lots of peoples opinions. Seldom do you hear the actual facts or the real science behind the topic. JMO ;-)

[Bawanna]

Heard the same from a Glock Armorer instructor. He said you might get away with shooting a 1000 lead bullets and it might blow up on # 2 also.

Many shoot a bunch and figure it's BS to sell jacketed bullets, but it's Russian roulette. I'm not taking the chance myself, not that I'm over concerned about the gun, I can get another but I love my hands, about all I got left that works good and they are getting a bit rusty at that.

[Armybrat]

They talked about all those "gons" in that arithmetic class I failed along with pies and angles and triangles.

Never could grasp it myself. I was a natural at spelling though. Sorry jocko, that was a low blow.

You said pie...

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w349/ScoPro/PecanPie.jpg

[Bawanna]

That looks just like my mom's pecan pie. Are we brothers by any chance. My favorite too.

[Bills1873]

Oooohhhh! Lady, I'm droolin' here!

[SaltyNC]

Now I'm hungry. Great looking pecan pie.

There have been some interesting problems lately with polygonal barrels that were nitride treated experiencing pitting/surface deterioration after as little as a hundred rounds. It's nothing to do with the poly design, but it sounds like manufacturers are trying to reduce costs and trying different surface treatments that may be more sensitive to slight variations during processing.

Salty

[Barth]

Didn't watch the video.
Only shoot jacketed bullets.
Was always under the impression that polygonal rifling tended to produce slightly higher velocity?
Hk switch from traditional lands and grooves to polygonal some years ago.
Interestingly my third party Match Barrels (Jarvis, Bar-Sto and Storm Lake) are all conventional.
Personally I really don't have a preference.

[Bobshouse]

They talked about all those "gons" in that arithmetic class I failed along with pies and angles and triangles.

Never could grasp it myself. I was a natural at spelling though. Sorry jocko, that was a low blow.

Someone call 119....Laughing so hard my sides are aching. Thanks Bawanna, I needed that more than you know.

[O'Dell]

Didn't watch the video.
Only shoot jacketed bullets.
Was always under the impression that polygonal rifling tended to produce slightly higher velocity?
Hk switch from traditional lands and grooves to polygonal some years ago.
Interestingly my third party Match Barrels (Jarvis, Bar-Sto and Storm Lake) are all conventional.
Personally I really don't have a preference.

I'm with you, Barth. I've shot a lot of both types, and while I love my HK's, Kahrs with the polygonals, and others, I like them for other reasons. I've never notice a difference in rifling styles when it comes to firing them.

[ripley16]

I prefer a polygonal barrel because they are usually easier to clean. I've also fired a small amount of lead bullets, 1000 rounds, through my HK barrels without any problem. I just cleaned them after each use.

[Bobshouse]

I have a Glock with a polygonal barrel. I replaced it. I couldn't find a replacement barrel for my PM so I purchased a CM. The ability to shoot lead is a big deal for me since I smelt my own rounds. Casting bullets opens a whole new branch to the hobby which I enjoy greatly, but I am still wary about using lead in a polygonal barrel.

[CPTKILLER]

My Kahr MK9 is more accurate than a Springfield EMP. I sold the EMP and kept the MK9. That says a lot.

[Tilos]

The guy's sketch/drawing is about the worst I've seen and doesn't look anything like the barrel in the close up.
Makes me wonder what he was smoking.

I have a Glock 40 (G23?) with a Storm Lake 9mm drop-in barrel, with conventional rifling.
The outside diameter of a 40 barrel on a 9mm makes for a very thick barrel, less prone to burst in the event of a ka-boom.
Shoots everything I put in it...
:)
Note: functions best with G19 mags.

[WMD]

Yeah, I couldn't figure out that dude's sketch either. That is not what I see when I look in a polygonal rifled barrel. ;-)