Can revolvers use polygonal barrels?

It works well with the Glocks so I suppose it would do equally well with a revolver, speaking strictly about jacketed bullets....but.......and this is my one gripe about the Glocks...to shoot lead alloy bullets (I cast most of my own), I've got to buy an add'l barrel! Obviously, this would eliminate the use of lead alloy in a revolver...but...good question, Count.
 
S&W has been using a type of polygonal rifling since 1996. It is completely different from what Glock uses. Most people who look down the bore don't even notice that the lands and groves are not square on the corners. It works well for jacketed bullets but with cast lead bullets you must have the correct dia. and length. Short bullets do not seem to present enough surface to the rifling and don't spin and stabilize the bullets as well. It is easy to clean the lead out of it though. I thought I was going to really dislike it when I bought the first one but it actually works as well as the old square rifling with all of my cast lead handloads.
 
What S&W uses isn't really a type of polygonal rifling. In the 1990's they changed the process they used for rifling their barrels for the old broached method to the new ECM (electro-chemical machining) method. Basically, they etch the rifling into the bore using electrically charged chemicals. It's supposed to produce a glass smooth finish and a very uniform final product. The process leaves the groves with rounded edges, as opposed to the sharp square edges that cut rifling produces. From what I have read this new method produces some barrels that are scary accurate with jacket bullets, but can be hit or miss with lead alloy bullets.
 
Polished button polygonal rifling? It's still polygonal, isn't it?

My R8 claim's it to be Polygonal.
Click to expand...

I believe there are a couple of Performance Center guns that use polygonal rifled barrels, the R8 being one of them. However, S&W's regular production guns don't use polygonal rifling, they use a conventional rifling pattern that has rounded edges on the lands thanks to the ECM process.
 
I've seen a lot of custom built revolvers based on the S&W 27/28, 586/686, 29/629 and Ruger GP100 and Redhawks, BlackHawks and Super Blackhawks, all with polygon barrels. This is very common for the long range shooters competing at 200 yards. Shilen and Lothar Walther are common barrel makers in these builds.

The polygon barrels are not impossible to use with lead, but for the best result you need a pretty hard boolit (water quenched WW at least) and the usual mantra about the bullet being sized at least .001-.002" over bore diameter.

I've used this formula with great results in my earlier Desert Eagle, and as we all know they use true polygon barrels. The bullet was the Lee 310gn RF for the .44 Mag.
 
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