Robbins & Lawrence Rifling Machine

A computer animation created by Demonstratives, Inc. of the museum's 1853 Robbins & Lawrence rifling machine.

[johnstewart]

I watched guys do this by hand at Williamsburg. They pulled and pushed a rod, the handles of which rode between guides that established the twist of each cut. They said the old octagonal barrels established the “indexing.” Cut one groove to satisfaction, lock the barrel into the vise on the next flat sides, and cut another groove. Octagons always have two flat (parallel) faces on opposing sides.

[andrewlambert]

This machine made the USA into the leading arms manufacturer in its day and was far ahead of its time in design. It also helped the North in civil war to beat the South. The south did however get hold of a number of these machines that the North tried to destroy to prevent them from falling into South hands. The design of this machine was so far advanced that it is still valid today as a cut rifling machine.

[GraemeBoddy]

I always wondered how they rifled barrels...this is an excellent video, thanks!

[beestoe]

There is a really primitive rifling machine at the John M Browning museum that he used. It was made from a log with rifling type notches cut on the outside of it and a steel rod with a cutter attached to the end. He just pushed and pulled the log back and forth with a handle and the cuts in the log made it twist. Pretty neat stuff.

[andrewlambert]

Has anyone out there thaught about the fact that Pratt and Whitney made a copy of this very machine and that this design is still used today for cut rifling. What does that say about the intelligence of our fore fathers?

[crewcutter]

amazing video, no audio needed, but shows you exactly in detail how the process is done.

[ChucksSEADnDEAD]

You have broaching, in which all groves are cut at the same time with a broach; button rifling, in which a button is pushed/pulled trough the barrel, pressing the grooves and lands into the inside; hammer forging, in which a mandrel with the "inverted" rifling is used to forge the barrel and flow forming, in which extreme pressures force the metal to "flow" around a mandrel with the reverse rifling.

[janpietervanderborden]

Seldom I have seen a more sophisticated animation film of a machine. Great job!

[bldlightpainting]

This is a fascinating animation of how rifling used to be cut into firearm barrels providing the necessary twist for bullet stability.

[andrewlambert]

Extremely important! Machines must be created so that they can never ever be regulated by any gov. This is going to be my main goal from now on. I hope it is yours as well. My so-called gov. In Sweden tried to regulate the machines used in the manufacture of guns. And guess what. Seconds after writing this I found a way to make rifling an integral part of a lathe which can never be regulated.

[kenf]

The only exceptions are: in the inset it shows the barrel turning rather than the cutter. This is so you can see the cutter cutting, which would be difficult if the cutter were shown turning. The indexing gear on the bump stop shows to turn on each stroke. The wedge should drop the cutter on the return stroke to prevent galling, it hits the bump stop to return it to the raised position for the next cut. The index pawl should index the bump stop only once in a complete rotation of the barrel.

[chadgdry]

wow, wow, wow, that was a great visualization of the 1853 technology.  Wow, how in the world did they think that bit of machinery up...

[StateExempt]

Very fascinating illustration of what was possible even in old times!

[marcellucassen]

This is a very nice video that shows how to rifle a barrel, another way is to insert a shaped rod and hammer the outside of the barrel while the metal is hot, this will rifle and also harden the barrel at the same time

[AnonYmous-iwrh]

ingenious

Those old geezers really knew their stuff

[tristanmorgan]

Thank you for your video it's really interesting I've always wondered how this was done especially years ago it's like a lost art to me

[donaldasayers]

The animation is not wrong, that is what the machine did and how it worked. Yes the final cut will be slightly deeper than the others but only slightly as it takes many many strokes to complete the rifling and the advance on the cutting tool is very, very small. Certainly not "five times as deep".

[honkie]

At 28 seconds the cutter spirals within the barrel. At 1:28 the barrel revolves around the cutter. Watch the cutter, the position remains the same, always at top center.

[MrPotatochips]

will have to stop by and see this museum this spring. :D

[bigearl]

That's just cool! Explains alot. Thanks for sharing. Earl