The part of the shotgun or rifle that actually gives the pellet or bullet its spin is called:

• A. Rifling
• B. Stock
• C. Sights
• D. Chamber

Answer: (A)

Rifling is the inside feature of a barrel that actually puts spin on the bullet or slug. Those spiral grooves (with the opposite lands) grip the projectile as it speeds down the barrel and force it to rotate. That rotation, or angular momentum, creates gyroscopic stability, helping the projectile fly straight and harder to tumble, which improves accuracy at longer ranges. The other parts don’t affect spin: the stock is for handling and recoil control, the sights are for aiming, and the chamber simply holds the cartridge until firing. Note that most shotgun barrels are smooth bore, so they don’t impart spin to shot pellets; rifling is what gives spin to rifled slug projectiles or to slugs fired from rifled shotgun barrels.