Swamped barrels were the norm for 18th c. guns. There were no straight, parallel sided barrels until the 19th c. The swamped barrel could be considered as the heart of gun architecture in the 18th c. It's use causes the stock to be wider at, and behind the breech, and in the wrist, where strength is needed, and narrower down the fore stock, and is much more appealing to the eye. In an artistic sense, the human eye abhors parallel lines, and there are few, if any on the early guns, whether they be rifle, or smooth bore. Even the majority of ramrods were tapered.
