Swamped Barrel Inlet?

[Erzulis boat]

Are you guys inletting swamped barrels by hand typically, or are you farming it out?
I prefer the scratch build method, but am not looking forward to inletting a swamped barrel on my Blok-O-Wood.
Are there folks that will pantograph rout a channel in my lumber?
I do not scare easy, but inletting 44" of swamped barrel does not sound like fun.
Any suggestions?

 

[George F.]

I rough mine out with a template and a router then its done by hand. I've heard of guys doing them by hand in a day, but I can't seem how it's possible.
.....George F.

 

[rich pierce]

I do them by hand. Just finished one, in fact. Must have spent 8 hours on it. But I can do better and expect to speed up a lot. I like working with hand tools and realize it can be done with power tools faster. I lay it out, wallop a large gouge down the middle to clear a lot of wood, then stab down with a 1" wide chisel and remove, stab down and remove, etc.

As I went along this time I found I could use a backsaw to advantage. I am going to buy 2 stiff backed backsaws, grind the "set" off one side on each one so it can cut straight down and not make the slot wider on the "out" side. Then I'll set up little fences on the blank and make the outside vertical cuts in a jiffy.

Swamped barrels are not continuously swamped, for the most part, but feature a taper to a middle section then a straight flare. So a straight saw, perhaps only 6-8" blade, would do the trick to establish the outside cuts. Same can be done for the middle cuts and then just hog out with a chisel. I think MB does them this way and has posted on it.

 

[Erzulis boat]

That is good to know!
I obviously had the mistaken impression that the "swamp" was a continuous (sic) curve.
That does not make it seem so bad.
I enjoy inletting.............but only to a point!
I will have to get a swamped barrel to actually handle. Even though I still hold no aversion to having it done however.
An "A" profile in .40 cal. looks too good to be true!

 

[Stumpkiller]

Fred Miller did mine (and the ramrod channel) for $75.

Fred Miller
4025 Red Ridge Rd.
Miffinburg, PA 17844
570-922-1861

Just in case you get cold feet. Many pros farm out their inletting to him.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I inlet my first couple dozen by hand, but Fred Miller does all of mine now.

 

[mikelange]

Depending on who you buy your Blok-O-Wood from, the supplier may offer the option of having the barrel channel inletted. In fact, I just checked my various catalogs -- Muzzleloader Builders Supply in Ozone, Arkansas offers this and other options. You would have to know when you ordered, obviously, exactly which barrel you were planning to build around.

 

[bob1961]

when i bought my stock pre shaped from pecatonica river all i had them do is the barrel channel to rices spec's and the ram rod hole....i done the rest by hand even though it was pre shaped....still had to take off at least 1/8" of wood all around................bob

 

[Zonie]

"...i had them do is the barrel channel to rices spec's and the ram rod hole....i done the rest by hand even though it was pre shaped....still had to take off at least 1/8" of wood all around................"

You had to take 1/8 of an inch off of the barrel channel??

When I ordered my stocks from Pecatonica with the swamped barrel and had them cut the channel, all I had to do to it was a little sanding in a few snug places. In other words, the barrel fit like a VERy tight glove.

 

[mikelange]

I took it to mean there was still that much wood to be removed from the stock, overall -- which to me would be a good thing. The bulk of the work of wood removal is done, but the final shaping's still up to the builder.

 

[LSU TIGER]

For the time I spent cutting my own, Fred Miller sounds like a bargan! I was working a pretty soft piece of maple that wouldn't cut smooth. When I drilled the ramrod hole, I was expecting the stock to split! Just send the barrel and wood to Fred. The quality is great.

 

[Boer]

In the book "Gunsmithing tips and projects" is an article by Bivins on "Inletting the Swamped Octagonal Barrel" The rest of the book is worth the price if you are interested in gunsmithing.

 

[Erzulis boat]

Thank You all-
Fred Miller sounds like a great source.
I still need some more builds under my belt. My main concern is having the ramrod channel and barrel inlet balanced correctly (a parallel balance).
This would allow me to see an example of the correct setup.
The barrel channel and ramrod hole were easy on Cherry, but I do net get the "warm and fuzzy" feeling from 44" of swamped steel! :hmm:

 

[rich pierce]

I sure like inletting the barrel on a blank myself, as it gives me a really good feel for how the wood works before I tackle finer work. I think that's an advantage. Also if I've not built in a little while it gets my skills back up to speed.

 

[Erzulis boat]

I really would like to do it myself, Rich.
If all the "nightmare" only involves time, and not so much experience, I can tackle it.
Cherry is my first rifle, and I have only built (completed) 2 pistols as of yet.
The only kit I have ever done is that pepperbox in the "Pistol" section, and that does not count!
I just don't want to lose my excitement and momentum by destroying a blank.
Scratch building is the only thing that appeals to me.