Sileäputkimalliset

Sileäputkimalliset, also known as smooth-bore firearms, refers to a category of guns characterized by a barrel that is not rifled. Unlike rifled barrels, which have helical grooves cut into the interior surface to impart spin on a projectile, smooth-bore barrels are cylindrical. This lack of rifling means that projectiles fired from smooth-bore guns do not spin, which generally results in less accuracy and a wider shot pattern compared to their rifled counterparts.

Historically, smooth-bore firearms were the dominant type of gun from their invention until the widespread adoption of rifling. Early muskets and cannons were typically smooth-bore. They were simpler and cheaper to manufacture than rifled weapons, making them suitable for mass production and equipping large armies. The primary projectiles used were round balls, and for cannons, solid shot or explosive shells. The inaccuracy was often compensated for by firing in volleys at close range.

While largely superseded by rifled firearms for military and precision shooting applications, smooth-bore designs persist today, most notably in shotguns. Shotguns, designed for firing shells containing multiple pellets (shot) or a single projectile (slug), utilize smooth bores to allow the shot to spread out effectively over a wider area at short to medium ranges. This makes them ideal for hunting small game and for defensive purposes. Some specialized firearms, like certain types of submachine guns or muzzle-loading replicas, may also feature smooth bores.