Preferred Side Lock Barrel Length

[Stick Man]

Whether Flintlock or Percussion, Jaeger, Kentucky Longrifle, or Hawken, what barrel length do you prefer? Also, what barrel width do you prefer for your rifle's caliber and do you prefer it swamped?
Finally, what barrel length would you suggest for a wooded, Western mountain environment?

 

[Gene L]

That's a lot of ground to cover that is way too general for a meaningful answer. Somewhat of an apples and grapefruit comparison.

I've never had a swamped barrel rifle, but have one on order. Rice barrels I am led to believe only make swamped barrels in 38" or 42". People who have swamped barrel rifles swoon over them and I'm looking forward to owning one.

Were I looking for a rifle for a wooded, western environment, it most likely would be 34", maybe less. I say this having never been in such an environment with a rifle. Distance across the flats would be either 13/16 or 7/8, depending on the caliber.

But this is a general answer that is probably not very useful.

 

[wattlebuster]

I like swamped 38 inch barrels. Mine are in 62 54 an 40 cals. As to the style thats according to what pleases your eyes

 

[Ames]

I'll take a 42" barrel on any gun. Just like the look of long guns, I guess.

 

[Vaino]

For LRs I prefer long bbls... for most of.my Lancaster builds.... Rice .54 cal., "C" weight swamped bbls X 44" long. Have used Rice .50 cal., "B" weight swamped bbls X44" long on a couple Lancasters. Both bbl sizes yield LRs of very manageable weights and have excellent balance.

The Bucks County builds lately have Rice .50 cal., "B" weight swamped bbls X 46" long. These bbls make for a light, well balanced LR.

For half stock Hawken builds, a 54 cal. straight tapered bbl x 36" long is used. They're 1" at the breech, tapering to 7/8" at the muzzle. A nice light, well balanced big game hunting rifle is the result.

The top pic is of a .54 Lancaster, below that is a .50 cal. Lancaster and the bottom pic is that of a Bucks County. All have bbls as stated above.....Fred

 

[Loyalist Dave]

It really depends more on the brush, less on the terrain (imho). Although, I have some German friends who are big fans of small, light rifles, of whopping calibers for their size for use in mountain, hunting settings....whether in black powder or in modern rifles. :shocked2:

As above, I too prefer a 38" .54 barrel, swamped. Out your way, where the bears come a bit bigger than where I live, I'd probably go with either a swamped 37" Edward Marshall Barrel in .58 or .62, or a swamped, 31" Jaeger in .58 or .62.

(I'd probably go with .58. :wink: )

LD

 

[Donny]

Mt man. I would go with a 38" bbl Hawken...54 cal. 38" seems to be the optimum for me target shooting.
Eastern hunter..I have a 44" swamped .40 that is real light, maybe too light for target shooting, but I like it.
JM Davis Museum has mucho halfstock rifles within the 40" -42" range.

 

[kaintuck]

KENTUCKY 44" "B" weight 50CAL SWAMPED brass
Penn 42" 40cal "B" swamped brass
Tenn 44" 40cal "B" swamped iron

:hmm: :grin:

marc n tomtom

 

[Stumpkiller]

Don't really have a preference.

My T/C cap guns have 27" barrels (.54 Renegade & .50 New Englander) but my Rice barreled Lehigh has a 44" swamped .54 barrel. I don't even really know what my barrel width is on any of the three.

I do like the more "remote" sights the longer barrel affords as my eyes age.

I hunt in brushy woods and the longer barrel is no problem at all. The swamp helps it balance and the only time I put a sling on it is when dragging a deer and then it is under my arm pointing muzzle forward.

I grouse hunt with a 42" barrel fowler in the same woods (also swamped). The longer barrel helps me point - same with the rifle.

The little New Englander certainly is handy. Much lighter than the Renegade and a large, single unset trigger. I much prefer a single trigger, especially with gloves or mittens.

 

[Lonegun1894]

I have assorted ones from a 3/4"x25", to 15/16"x32, to 15/16"x28, to 13/16"x42". I like them all, and shoot them all, BUT, I have also had some with similar dimensions that just did not fit me at all. You also don't mention intended game or caliber, which will make a difference. The main things I would say are that YOU like it, it fits you, and is of proper caliber for your needs. Could you give us more info of your intended uses please? I mean, I just don't want to recommend a 42" barreled .32 squirrel rifle like mine if you're going out looking for grizzly or moose.

 

[biliff]

My three large caliber rifles have 36, 37 and 38" barrels so I guess that pretty much sums up my length preference. My "other" rifle is a 42" squirrel gun.

Two of the three big bores are swamped, the third is half round/half octagon. The squirrel gun is straight.

Don't worry so much about barrel width as weight. Whatever gets you to what you're comfortable carrying. Heaviest rifle is right at 10lbs, its the only one with sling swivels. The rest go 7-9 lbs. The squirrel rifle is the lightest as the barrel is only 3/4" across the flats.

I've carried these things in the Cascades, Columbia Basin and Idaho. Barrel length is the least of your worries.

 

[Black Hand]

Whether Flintlock or Percussion, Jaeger, Kentucky Longrifle, or Hawken, what barrel length do you prefer? Also, what barrel width do you prefer for your rifle's caliber and do you prefer it swamped?
Finally, what barrel length would you suggest for a wooded, Western mountain environment?

To shamelessly paraphrase Braveheart:
Some barrels are longer than others....

Each type/style of gun and school of building will have an "appropriate" barrel length. I've hunted in MT with a 42" barrel, 36" barrel and a 30" barrel. They all worked just fine in a Wooded mountain environment.

 

[BrownBear]

Each type/style of gun and school of building will have an "appropriate" barrel length. I've hunted in MT with a 42" barrel, 36" barrel and a 30" barrel. They all worked just fine in a Wooded mountain environment.

Dat's it-

A mix of style, school and job to be done.

My assortment of barrels ranges from 24" to 42" and calibers from 30 to 75. Some of that's appropriate to the style, but some is pure functionality. While the 24" versions are probably stylistically more appropriate for Jaegers, none are in fact Jaegers. But they're nonetheless tops for jobs requiring me to dive into the really deep tangles.

 

[pab1]

I probably missed it in the previous posts but for me the bore diameter and width of the barrel can make a big difference. I had a 1" .32 cal Green Mountain drop in barrel for a Renegade that was way too heavy. I never had a desire to pack it around so I sold it without firing it. It would have to be cut pretty short to be a reasonable weight. I hunt in terrain ranging from wide open plains to heavy cover. For .54+ cal 15/16"-1" barrels I find a length up to 32" to be convenient for hunting.

 

[Stick Man]

I want to get a Muzzleloader specifically to hunt the muzzleloader elk season in Idaho. I'd also like to just shoot some things with it here at home in regular rifle season. That could be elk, or deer, or antelope. Elk will be in the mountains (typically the Bighorns), deer can be the mountains too, but I also hunt them (like antelope) down low. Typically where I hunt down low there are hills and gullies and can often be very rocky rather than just flat land.

 

[Vaino]

Considering killing power and rifle weight, I'd opt for a Hawken style w/ a .54 cal. X 36" long tapered bbl....1" at the breech tapering to 7/8" at the muzzle.

Shown below is a LHed Hawken w/ the above bbl and the customer uses it on elk and it can be toted all day because of its lighter weight.

The .54 PRB if zeroed at 100 yds yields a 2" mid-range height and is easily good out to 130 yds. Last elk I shot w/ that combo was a lead cow at 107 paced off yds. She went 40 yds after the shot ....Fred

 

[mooman76]

I don't really have a preference either but do not care for short barreled(24") ones but do have a couple. Too long and it can be more difficult to hunt with. I have a hard time fitting the longer barreled ones in my car also. I have an assortment of rifles from 24" - 41". For hunting I find one with about a 32" barrel about right. I don't care about the width as long as it isn't unnecessarily wide for the caliber. I have a .32 with a 41" 1 1/8" barrel and is cumbersome and weighs a ton. I'd want at least a 54 for elk but would probably get a 58.

 

[Tom Compton]

I want to get a Muzzleloader specifically to hunt the muzzleloader elk season in Idaho. I'd also like to just shoot some things with it here at home in regular rifle season. That could be elk, or deer, or antelope. Elk will be in the mountains (typically the Bighorns), deer can be the mountains too, but I also hunt them (like antelope) down low. Typically where I hunt down low there are hills and gullies and can often be very rocky rather than just flat land.

I built a .54 half stock for NM and CO (would be great for the Big Horns too. I was there in July). L&R 1" x 32" straight barrel.

My small game and target Gun is a .40 SMR w a straight 7/8" x 42" Douglas bbl. if it gets too heavy I can have it bored to a larger caliber.

I think swamped barrels are an answer to a problem that doesn't exist. They cost more and require more time/money to inlet. Balance is a function of mass and length past a balance point. A barrel can have a larger bore, be smaller across the flats, shorter, tapered or turned octagon to round to achieve the same balance point as a swamped barrel. A shorter stock will also change the balance.

I don't care if others want to spend extra to get a perceived improvement. It's really ok by me I just don't like seeing someone else dragged along only because some have fallen into a worship mode. Wouldn't b surprised if a new fad comes along w a pig belly or reversed swamp.
TC

 

[pab1]

I want to get a Muzzleloader specifically to hunt the muzzleloader elk season in Idaho. I'd also like to just shoot some things with it here at home in regular rifle season. That could be elk, or deer, or antelope. Elk will be in the mountains (typically the Bighorns), deer can be the mountains too, but I also hunt them (like antelope) down low. Typically where I hunt down low there are hills and gullies and can often be very rocky rather than just flat land.

Your budget and what type of projectile you want to use will be a big part of the decision. A .54 cal Lyman GPR is reasonably priced, very accurate with a prb and will work well for what you describe. If you want to spend more that opens up a lot more options. If you plan to shoot conicals you might decide on a 50 cal.

 

[Vaino]

I have a .45 w/ a 7/8" x 42" straight bbl and most shooters wouldn't like it....it's too muzzle heavy and your .40 would be heavier yet.

You're in a minority asre swamped bbls....most prefer them. Perhaps you're just joshing w/ us?

There are definite advantages to a swamped bbl besides excellent balance. The larger breech width enables better architecture in the lock/wrist areas as anyone who has built LRs can relate and the aesthetics of a LR are enhanced w/ a swamped bbl....the latter is important to those of us who appreciate the beauty of a LR.

But I suspect you already know this?....Fred