Easier to push a ball down a barrel with air gaps. If you have a soft metal it will deform to the hex shape on firing. Less reliable than actual rifling though and the time savings wasn’t worth keeping it. Of note that may have been the later reasoning when rifling was easier and getting more common.
That said, I’ve always kind of wanted a hexagonal shotgun.
Easier to push a ball down a barrel with air gaps. If you have a soft metal it will deform to the hex shape on firing. Less reliable than actual rifling though and the time savings wasn’t worth keeping it. Of note that may have been the later reasoning when rifling was easier and getting more common.
That said, I’ve always kind of wanted a hexagonal shotgun.