Driving band

Freely rotating bands can be used to reduce the spin imparted to the round as is preferable for HEAT warheads or fin-stabilised projectiles fired from general-purpose rifled barrels.

Gerald Bull worked extensively on ways to eliminate the driving band, leading to the development of his Extended Range, Full Bore ammunition using an inversion of the pre-cut rifling for his GC-45 howitzer.

Some weapons that operate at high rates of fire, such as the GAU-8 Avenger Gatling cannon, use plastic driving bands instead of soft metal.

Using plastic as a swage material reduces wear on the barrel's rifling, and extends the life and average accuracy of the weapon.

During World War II, German ammunition sometimes used iron driving bands instead of copper due to material shortages.

Russian 122 mm shrapnel shell, which has been fired, showing rifling marks on the copper driving band around its base and the steel bourrelet nearer the front
Modern 155 mm artillery ammunition – these shells are unusual in having two driving bands. The shell on the right is a modified M107.