Multi-Radial Rifling — True Innovators or Spin Doctors?

[6ShotsOr5?]

Italian arms maker Sabatti introduced what they claimed was a new type of rifling last year called Multi-Radial Rifling (MRR). It looks basically like polygonal rifling with more rounded corners. It is so rounded that you can barely notice the rifling. But you probably don’t need anything more than this subtle deformation to spin a bullet, especially if the bullet has a little harder surface like a jacketed bullet or a monolithic bullet.

http://www.italianfirearmsgroup.com/news/sabatti-mrr-multi-radial-rifling

It seems believable that this would give even less fouling, higher velocities, and longer barrel life than “standard” polygonal rifling. It looks like a really good idea to me.

There is a posting on the Firearm Blog today that has some discussion about it. It says that the Sabatti shooting team have basically not ever needed to replace barrels since switching to the MRR, but then they could be spin-doctoring since they are trying to sell rifles...

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/07/06/trijicon-sabatti-hornady/

Barrels are still going to have throat erosion and high-temp fire cracking etc. even if the rifling doesn’t wear out, but that doesn’t mean this MRR might not be a substantial improvement for all the obvious reasons. Just setting back periodically could truly be like a new barrel if the rifling never wears out.

I don’t think Sabatti sells just the barrels only. Do any of you non-Sabatti sponsored shooters have any high round count experience with one of these MRR-barreled rifles? Do you know of anyone else selling a more rounded version of polygonal rifling that is something like this MRR?

 

[ireload2]

Just marketing hype.

Just look up Whitworth rifling. The segmential rifling used on Japanese Type 38 rifles in cal 6.5 is the same design.

The Brits called it Metford rifling. Due to rapid erosion from cordite the Brits dumped Metford rifling in favor of Enfield pattern rifling.

 

[butchlambert]

Have they ever won anything?

 

[gme]

Schneider barrels have what they call P5 rifling, pretty much the same thing, they make the same velocity claims, I've put a few of them on, they seem to shoot fine
http://www.schneiderriflebarrels.com/#rifling

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

Just marketing hype.

Just look up Whitworth rifling. The segmential rifling used on Japanese Type 38 rifles in cal 6.5 are the same design.

The Brits called it Metford rifling. Due to rapid erosion from cordite the Brits dumped Metford rifling in favor of Enfield pattern rifling.

Thanks for the history lesson @ireload2. I edited my post to say that they claimed it is new, which it clearly is not.

 

[Bbear]

Charles Newton built his rifles with the 'Metford' rifling. I've got one and looking down the barrel you can barely tell there's any rifling. Soon as the dies get here, I'll put it to a test.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Id be willing to bet its for speed or ease of manufacturing not accuracy

 

[Tommie]

Heck. I thought Sabatti only made shotguns.

 

[micmac]

Have they ever won anything?

At present their off the shelf rifles are killing it unlike any we have seen ,but note these are factory rifles not bench guns asembled from select components.

Barrel life of a hamer forged barrel no mater the rifling is considerably longer than both cutt and button rifled barrel

Multiaraidal is just a PR spin on Polygonal rifling , what suprises me is that is used and works on Rifles. so far polygonal rifling was mostly used in pistols.

 

[dcali]

Mostly hype, I would guess. People have tried all kinds of rifling over the years. Definitely hype on the barrel life.

However, I bet there is a form of rifling that will help prevent bullet blow ups at high rpm (like people often get with 90 grain .224 bullets). Sharp corners are the enemy here. So for specific applications, it would make sense to try some smoother rifling profiles to help ensure the bullets survive.

But in general, I am highly skeptical.