Need some help - first swamped barrel

[galamb]

Just working on my building pattern (used a rough pattern to cut out the stock blank) at this point and am not positive about a couple of aspects of shaping the forestock with a swamped barrel. Have done a fair bit of reading and just want to make sure I have it correct.

My questions are with regards to how the forestock follows the swamped barrel.

From a birds eye view, do I have it correct that the sides of the forestock generally follow the swamp profile, such that if I leave say 1/8" on either side of the barrel ahead of the lock panel, that will consistently be 1/8" following the tapers, straight sections (waist) and flares?



Second question is about the bottom of the forestock - it doesn't appear that it follows the swamp profile (unless I'm really missing something that I'm reading) but does it instead taper from breech to muzzle end? (barrel is 15/16" at the breech and 13/16" at the muzzle) OR is it relatively parallel to the bore???



Thanks in advance...

[E.vonAschwege]

Hey galamb,
   Your images are correct:  from the birds-eye view, the forestock should follow the taper and flare of the bore.  3/32 to 1/8" is a good rule of thumb, certainly no more than that.  From the side view, the top edge of the forestock should be a straight line from the breech to the muzzle, about 1/3 to 1/2 way up the barrel side.  The bottom of the forestock should follow roughly the line of the ramrod.  As you've noted, the ramrod hole may not be parallel to the bore.  On these images it looks really exaggerated, but on a completed longrifle it's a good thing to have it slightly tapered.  The difference between the depth of the forestock at the entry thimble and at the muzzle may be 1/8", but over the length of a barrel the taper is not noticed.  What IS noticed is when the forestock web at the muzzle is really large when it doesn't need to be.  That said, the web on my guns is still larger at the muzzle than at the breech - it kind of splits the extremes of having a parallel ramrod vs too much taper.  Hope this helps,
-Eric

[galamb]

Thanks, that makes perfect sense and was what was causing confusion (in my mind).

Figured if I left the web thickness at 1/8" at the muzzle, the ramrod would "crash" into the barrel near the breech unless I tapered the ramrod channel to keep the web the same 1/8" at the breech end.

[Rich]

I think you have it right. As to the bottom, I use 1/8 web at the muzzle and 1/8 at the breech. The reason for that is that you will have to get the front lock bolt through the web. The swamp of the barrel may allow you to make the breech web smaller and still have room for the lock bolt if all goes perfectly with the ramrod hole. Using 1/8 at the breech works for me.

[galamb]

Thanks - yes, I planned on a 1/8" web which is why I figured the lower forestock line "must" be tapered.

I will be building this as a percussion conversion and not specifically a recreation of a particular rifle (so could dispense of the front lock bolt), but want to include one since it would more correctly portray a conversion.