Mountain Rifle Barrels

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I am doing some research on mountain rifles from Western NC, and TN.  Do you see swamped barrels on those? I am having trouble telling from the images.  Could anyone suggest a good size or weight for a .45 cal barrel in a Mtn rifle??

Coryjoe

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Rice has a "Southern Classic" swamped barrel in 42" that appears to be the closest stock barrel........much lighter and smaller width that the heavy original iron barrels apparently.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Dr. Tim Boone,

As always you are so helpful.  That is the barrel I was looking at, so it works out great.  Thanks.

Coryjoe

[rsells]

I have three original mountain rifles.  Two have straight barrels and one is swamped.  The swamp is not as obvious as todays barrels, but it is swamped.  I have used "A" weight for .32 and .40 cal rifles and they came out well.  Also, I have used "B" weight swamped barrels on .45 with good results.  However, I have also used straight 13/16 barrels for .40 and .45 cal rifles with good feeling rifles coming out of the builds.  Currently, I have been using 3/4 barrels for .29 and .30 cal rifles resulting in slim good feeling rifles.  Good luck with your build.
                                                              Roger Sells

[Larry Pletcher]

Mike Miller used the Southern Classic barrel to build my Dickert rifle. Mine is a .50, and Mike said it was the largest bore available in this profile.  (I told Mike I wanted  light profile because of my shoulder trouble.  He said he knew just the profile and called it "Rice's Old Man's Barrel").  I am very happy with the balance and weight.  It is easily the most comfortable rifle to carry that I have.   I think you will be very pleased with this barrel.

BTW, when I received the rifle this fall at Friendship, I took it to Rice's booth and showed it to Liston. He told me it was the first completed rifle he had seen with this profile.

Regards,
Pletch

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I am using the Southern Classic .50  in a Matthew Gillespie mountain rifle.... Not as severe a taper and flare as the other "A" , "B' "C"  contours

[G-Man]

The majority of original mountain rifles I have seen have swamped barrels - even late examples.

As Roger pointed out the profile is often almost imperceptible - much less pronounced than most standard swamps today.  And the narrow waist is often a lot farther back - a little forward of the mid-point of the barrel length or a little more - i.e. in that 60 percent range.

And they are often very long, and very heavy (not always though), in spite of being swamped.  Little holes in big hunks of iron are common in these rifles.

I would go with something at least 44 inches long; even longer is better - you see a lot of 45-47 inch barrels on these rifles.

Guy

[realtorone]

My Dyer rifle has a double swamped barrel.Also the flats are ground on the top five only .The flats hidden by the stock are hammer finish only.Its 50 Cal ,50 inches in length

[David Price]

Pletch,

Is that "Old man's"  rifle barrel slimmer and lighter than there B weight 50 cal. brl?

Being an old man, this sounds like this might be a good barrel for me.

David

[Don Getz]

I certainly am not an expert on southern guns, or their barrels.   However, I seriously doubt that you would find many
with a light swamped barrel.   I made a lot of barrels for Warren Fitzgerald, most were copies of southern barrels.   One
barrel that I remember had a flair at the muzzle which was much larger than the breech..........Don

[Dennis Glazener]

Rice has a "Southern Classic" swamped barrel in 42" that appears to be the closest stock barrel........much lighter and smaller width that the heavy original iron barrels apparently.

Yes and John Getz makes a very similiar barrel that I believe he calls a light ?. There is difference in the Rice and Getz profiles but on a rifle I doubt you can tell it without measuring them with a mic.

I have a Rice laying here on the desk right now and its .937 at the breech. And yes in a .50 caliber both are very light and are beautiful barrels. But like G-man I have seen few originals with that light a barrel. However I know of one Mathew Gillespie that a cousin of mine owns with a barrel that is very close to these profiles and that's enough for me to pass-up those 1 1/16 inch monsters in favor of one of these! My problem is that both of my Gillespie patterns are made for those bigger breeches!

Dennis

[Pete G.]

I have an old rifle from east Tennessee that has a barrel that is so lightly swamped that I didn't realize it until I measured it.

[Larry Pletcher]

Pletch,
Is that "Old man's"  rifle barrel slimmer and lighter than there B weight 50 cal. brl?
Being an old man, this sounds like this might be a good barrel for me.
David

According to Mike Miller, it was the slimest profile that Rice will do in a .50" bore.  In checking Rice's web site, it's available in 'A' weight up to .50 caliber.  It's also described as a "light weight swamp ( 50 cal. 3 lbs. 13 oz.) " and to compare to a GA "B" 50 cal. that weighs 4 lbs. 7 oz. Mine is 42" BTW.  I'll have it at Friendship for the WoodsWalk.  I hope that helps.  Good to hear from you, David.
Regards,
Pletch

[Jack Hubbard]

Ask Ed Rayl....He has made a bunch of them...

[huckfinn]

My current project is a Tennessee rifle for my son.  I got the barrel from Rice, it is a .50 caliber swamped barrel, 36" long.  It is called a JLR barrel which means "Jim's Little Rifle".  It has the round bottom rifling and they installed the lollipop breech plug for me.  Hope I have it done for his 12th birthday in four years