smoothbore

American  

[smooth-bawr, -bohr] / ˈsmuðˌbɔr, -ˌboʊr /

adjective

1. (of firearms) having a bore that is smooth; not rifled.

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noun

1. a smoothbore gun.

smoothbore British  

/ ˈsmuːðˌbɔː /

noun

1. (modifier) (of a firearm) having an unrifled bore

   a smoothbore musket

2. such a firearm

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Other Word Forms

• smoothbored adjective

Etymology

Origin of smoothbore

First recorded in 1790–1800; smooth + bore ²

Example Sentences

The Leopard 2 is a third-generation German-made main battle tank with a 120mm smoothbore cannon that has been in service since 1979.

From Washington Times • Jun. 7, 2023

Rheinmetall AG, a German defense contractor that makes the 120mm smoothbore gun on the Leopard 2, says the tank has been deployed by “more nations than any other.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2023

The tank weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120mm smoothbore gun and can hit targets at a distance of up to five km.

From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2023

This was the muzzle-loading Springfield Model 1861, which could shoot two or three rounds a minute—slower than the smoothbore muskets of the Revolutionary War, but with longer range and greater accuracy.

From Slate • Oct. 24, 2019

After Pendleton and Van Ness loaded the pistols, which were smoothbore and took a quite large .54-caliber ball, Pendleton whispered to Hamilton, “Should I set the hair-trigger?”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis