Glock barrels, why polygonal rifling?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I too had heard that polygonal barrels won't shoot cast bullets well, and if they did, they would blow up in your hand due to lead buildup.
I've not heard much that suggests they wouldn't shoot cast bullets well although some may not. Actually, if they consistently shot poorly with lead bullets, it would probably make the whole Glock/lead bullet mismatch issue a non-issue because people wouldn't keep shooting lead in Glocks.

The information available indicates that polygonal bores:

1. May build up lead faster than conventional rifling under some circumstances--circumstances which are difficult or impossible to accurately predict.

2. Make leading more difficult to detect due to the lack of lands and grooves.

3. Have a tighter fit to the bullet which makes them less tolerant of lead buildup, particularly if a jacketed round is shot through a leaded barrel.

It's not an issue of they WILL blow up, it's an issue that sometimes they can and it's difficult or impossible to come up with a solid rule of thumb for how to insure they won't.

For anyone seriously interested in the topic, I recommend a book called The Glock in Competition which has a chapter that outlines the issue. The chapter is written by a forensic engineer who did extensive testing on a number of Glocks to characterize the problem.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top