Swamped barrel on a .45

[GriscomRun]

I'd like your opinions on a rifle in the building stage. I have ordered a Flint long rifle with a 36 inch barrel in .45 and I'm thinking of a change order from a straight barrel to swamped.
This is intended for hunting in Central Pa. And I was thinking it might be a bit easier handling. What do you think ?

 

[longcruise]

Yes

 

[Phil Coffins]

Yes!

 

[smokepolehall]

What is the barrel diameter ? If its a 13/16" it will be a bit nose heavy but not bad. I have not seen a 36" swamped, have saw 38" on up.

 

[BJHabermehl]

This might be too late to help, if it were mine, I’d go with at least.50 cal and swamped. I live and hunt near where you plan to hunt. BJH

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I'd like your opinions on a rifle in the building stage. I have ordered a Flint long rifle with a 36 inch barrel in .45 and I'm thinking of a change order from a straight barrel to swamped.
This is intended for hunting in Central Pa. And I was thinking it might be a bit easier handling. What do you think ?

A swamped barrel has better balance and is more astheically pleasing to the eye. Go for the swamp!
Larry

 

[waksupi]

Swamped, by all means!

 

[IanH]

Once you go swamped, all your non-swamped longrifles will become wallhangers or get sent down the road and replaced....with ones having swamped barrels. The only exceptions might be under 36" at 13/16" .

 

[BoomStick]

A swamped 50 cal is the way to go. I do still take straight 45s and 50s hunting, but my gun with a swamped 50 is easier to carry and handles quicker.

 

[ohiochuck]

yes

 

[morehops52]

Agree with BJH. Go 50 and swamped. No matter the caliber you will be amazed at the lightness and handling with a slight waist in your barrel.

 

[HSmithTX]

Swamped or tapered only for me, not going back to a straight barrel ever I don’t think.

 

[ZUG]

Unless you like carrying a lot of extra weight around the deer woods stick with your straight barrel but for me and MANY others I would want a fast - light handling hunting rifle. My first rifle I built had a straight barrel that was in 1967 all others since then had either a tapered or swamped barrel.

 

[Rifleman1776]

No reason not to swamp. Yes, go for it.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I have to agree with everyone else. Also, the 36" barrel is a good choice. Anything longer tends to bump into things too often and is harder to transport.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I'd like your opinions on a rifle in the building stage. I have ordered a Flint long rifle with a 36 inch barrel in .45 and I'm thinking of a change order from a straight barrel to swamped.
This is intended for hunting in Central Pa. And I was thinking it might be a bit easier handling. What do you think ?

I have two longrifles both longer than yours. The shorter one has a 40¼" straight tapered barrel (Traditions Pennsylvania Longrifle). The longer one (beautifully built early Lancaster) has a 44½" swamped barrel. There is no comparison between the two. The short, straight tapered barrel is nose heavy, making it less comfortable to carry, mount, and hold on target. The much longer swamped barrel on my Early Lancaster is a joy to use. Balance point on it is right where I put my forward hand on the stock. It carries easily, mounts easily and is far easier to shoot offhand. Absolutely go for the swamped barrel if you can get it. My Early Lancaster is also 2-lbs. lighter overall than the Traditions PA Longrifle. Both of my longrifles are .50-cal.

 

[GriscomRun]

OK then ... time to put in a change order

ThanksAll

 

[M. De Land]

I'd like your opinions on a rifle in the building stage. I have ordered a Flint long rifle with a 36 inch barrel in .45 and I'm thinking of a change order from a straight barrel to swamped.
This is intended for hunting in Central Pa. And I was thinking it might be a bit easier handling. What do you think ?

I love the look and feel of swamped barrels but the trouble I have is none that I know of are made of anything but 12L14 steel and I witnessed one come apart two years ago at a match from a short start ball and normal charge.
I made a SMR rifle from a TOTW kit two years ago using a 36 inch by 13/16s across the flats in .45 cal GM barrel and it's the best carry rifle I have ever owned. GM barrels are made of barrel certified 1134 steel.
12L14 has never been certified for barrel steel, it is screw stock alloy and machines wonderfully but is weak in shock load stressing. The low pressure of black powder use, good mach-inability character, realitively low expense and liability deference ( muzzle loading is reloading by definition) is why it is used so often in muzzle loading barrels . The problem is it doesn't give much room for error in loading practices.
I have one of my favorite hunting rifles with a Douglas 12L14 barrel that is wonderfully accurate but I am very careful to dot all the I's and cross all the T's when loading and shooting which should be standard practice at all times any way but I don't kid myself that it will give any margin for even small mistakes.
Hot rolled 12L14 is better I'm told and is the standard now days but it still does not have good shock load numbers compared to certified barrel steel alloys.

 

[M. De Land]

Unless you like carrying a lot of extra weight around the deer woods stick with your straight barrel but for me and MANY others I would want a fast - light handling hunting rifle. My first rifle I built had a straight barrel that was in 1967 all others since then had either a tapered or swamped barrel.

Swamped barrels are not actually a great deal lighter than a straight barrel of the same length with similar breech and muzzle flat OD. They do balance so much better that they feel lighter. Any vast difference in overall weight will be in the stock density rather than in the amount of barrel steel removal to make a swamp in barrels of equal length.
I've turned barrels in my lathe full length , half round and on a taper but while the shavings pile seems enormous it doesn't actually weigh much. Barrel shortening is what really changes the weight. Swamping doesn't actually remove as much barrel mass as does a straight full length taper.
True, flats are milled on a level or taper and lathe turning is on a round surface but the effect of mass removal remains the same. Flats do make a stiffer barrel than does round turning though.

 

[Kansas Kid]

Need to consider what weight of swamp A B C D, makes a huge difference.