Effective December 15, 2010, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Hunter in Washington online course—the official hunter education course of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Go to the new Washington course

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Washington certification.

2.4 Why Are Some Long Guns Called Rifles?

The drawing below shows the bore of a rifle or handgun barrel and a shotgun barrel. The spiral grooves inside the rifle barrel are called rifling. Rifles get their name from the rifling inside the barrels. The rifling inside a rifle barrel makes bullets spin. Spinning helps bullets fly accurately, point first, toward the target.

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Official hunting safety course for Washington hunters last modified: October 29, 2010
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