"rifling throws the bullet off to the side at long ranges and the direction depends upon the direction of the twist. I had done some long-range shooting with my 1917 as a high-schooler but had never fired a 1903 at long range until I got to Trinidad; in my teenage ignorance my usual 1-foot horizontal allowance for the twist immediately turned into a 2-foot miss!"

I believe that this is the reason for the RH twist. Most of the Pope 30 caliber barrels were used on match rifles. Many were used by members of teams and had to be able to share sight setting and wind drift information.


MP Sadly Deceased as of 2/17/2014