Rifle

Rifle, strictly, any firearm with a “rifled” bore—i.e., with shallow helical grooves cut inside the barrel. These grooves, by causing the bullet to spin, steady it and increase its accuracy, velocity, and range. The term “rifle” is more narrowly applied to the long-barreled hand weapon fired from the shoulder. Rifles are generally classified by caliber or decimal fractions or by mode of action.