I've been considering building a kit and need an answer to a question. I never heard the term "swamped" applied to a rifle barrel until I started reading the term on this forum. What is swamping and why were barrels swamped? Thanks
A swamped barrel is wider at the breech, tapers towards the middle, and then anywhere from about 12" to 18" from the muzzle it flares back out to be wider again at the muzzle. Sort of like an hourglass tipped on its side though no where near as dramatic in the changes. This was how rifle barrels were made back in the 1700's. They were made by hammer forging a flat piece of wrought iron around a mandrel; removing the mandrel; reaming out the hole to make sure it is smooth and perfectly round, and then rifling the barrel. Because of this method the resulting barrels made from the same mandrel could vary in caliber, which is why the gunsmith always included a ball mold for the correct size lead ball for that particular rifle.
Longrifles of course evolved from the Jaegar rifles that the Moravian gunsmiths had been making in Germany for the previous 100-years or so before migrating to America. Those Jaeger (hunter) rifles are much shorter, stouter rifles typically around .62 caliber. They also used swamped barrels for balance and weight reduction (nothing light about a Jaeger rifle). They also used very short blades on the front sights, which carried over to the longrifles. Some of that swell near the muzzle may have also been to get that front sight a little closer to being on the same plane as the rear sight, but that is conjecture. Modern reproductions of swamped barrels as well as tapered and straight modern barrels tend to come with much taller blades as the front sights.
I have two longrifles. My first one was a Traditions Pennsylvania Longrifle and it has a 40¾" straight octagon barrel. It is very nose heavy and is best shot from a rest (tree branch works fine!). It is much more heavily decorated than you would have found during the Rev War Reenactments, but I used it for years without a problem.
My second one is a beautifully made Early Lancaster/York rifle that was made by "tg" who used to be a member here. It has a 44½" long barrel which is wonderfully balanced and a pleasure to shoot off-hand. It is a little more than 2-pounds lighter than the Traditions rifle, mounts easily; swings easily; stays on target; and the balance is in my left hand on the forearm where it is easy to hold it. I don't have to push my hand way out to get the balance point or pull it in close. Balance is right where I'd normally and comfortably place my left hand. And my Early Lancaster is a long, longrifle. It measures 60¼" from butt to muzzle. There is just no comparison between this and a straight or straight tapered barrel. The swamped barrel is far more comfortable to use!
It's commonly an extra $100 to $150 option for a swamped barrel when a builder is making a gun for you but it is worth every penny. Price is more not only because of the price of the barrel itself, but also because of the additional carving of the stock it takes to fit a barrel with varying dimensions down its length. If I had to skimp, I'd skimp by going to the next lower grade of wood than what I wanted before I would go without the swamped barrel.
