swamping a barrel

[mike payne]

Have any of you tried swamping a straight barrel? I have 1" 54 cal. that I would like use to build my wife a jaeger with. She is a very small lady and like to lightin it up a little for her if I can.

Thank you
Mike

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Certainly very do-able, but a huge commitment once you start.  I would use an autobody file to remove stock fast.  If it's a Green Mountain or Ed Rayle barrel - forget it!

[Bill of the 45th]

What Taylor said, but better yet, sell it and buy a swamped Yeager barrel.  Unless you're into stringing expletives together, and have lots of time.

Bill

[smart dog]

Hi Mike,
Yes I did that with almost exactly the same barrel you are considering to use.  Mine was a Green Mountain barrel 54 cal, 29" long, and straight 1" diameter.  I used the drum portion of an 8" edge sander to grind the barrel.  First, I determined the dimensions I wanted at 8 or 9 locations on the barrel.  Then I used a coarse file to file about 1" sections down to the desired dimension at each location.  These were my index locations.  I filed all 8 flats at each spot.  Then I ground the barrel on the edge sander until the flats were reduced to dimensions of my index locations.  Finally, I draw filed the flats to smooth out the tapers in the flats.  The result was a barrel that looks hand made.  It took me most of a day to file the index locations, another full day to grind the flats and a third day to do the draw filing.  I don't think I will do it again unless I cannot get the barrel profile that I need for a project.  However, I won't hesitate to do it again to create the right pistol barrels.  That would be pretty easy.  I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out a logical and low-tech solution to the problem.  The whole process was actually kind of therapeutic in a weird twisted sort of way.   

dave

[James]

Dave, thanks for posting your method. While surely not easy, you made it understandable and should a fella need to do it, doable.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Sit down, have a cold adult beverage and look at Track of the Wolf or any other barrel supplier's website or catalog and the urge may pass.................... I hope.

[Rich]

I did it for a pistol barrel. I used the less aggressive side of a farriers rasp, then files.
After I finished it I told myself that I'll never do that again. That was almost 2 years ago. Now I don't think it was that rough of a job, so I'll probably do it again. 

[volatpluvia]

A long time ago I had Don Getz make me a pistol barrel.  He didn't swamp them, he sent them to Bill Kennedy to get them swamped.  I told him that I would file it myself.  He turned the barrel to the right dimensions and left it round.  I picked it up and took it home.  It took me eight hours but it looked real good.  It was just enough wavy that upon really close inspection it looked like hand done.  I was very pleased.
But...that was 12L14 steel.  Having filed dovetails and sights into Green mountain barrels I would never attempt to swamp one in rifle length, no way.
volatpluvia

[Odd Fellow]

Ive been working on a gm pistol barrel to swamp it, Im never going to try doing that to a gm barrel again

[Swampwalker]

I've swamped three rifle barrels and one pistol barrel.  I used a quick blue on the barrels, and then scribed guidelines on the sides of the first four opposite flats.  I then used a grinder to grind the flats close to my lines, stopping frequently to cool the barrel with water.  Once down close, I filed the barrels to the line, then blued those four flats, scribed my guidelines, and ground and filed the last four flats.  You can do a barrel in a long day.  Lots of work, and only to be attempted if you simply can't find what you need. 
All four barrels where GM barrels.  All the barrels have shot just fine.  The trick seems to be to work on opposing flats, and keep the barrel cool.

[blunderbuss]

 

I swamped the father and son Jaeger barrels that are currently posted on ALR I didn't have many tools back then so I used a belt sander and a draw file the belt sander to remove the metal and the draw file to true up the flats . The .577 barrel was rifled by hand by an old fellow from Ft. Stockton, Texas. I just did opposite flats using my eye and a set of calipers

[mike payne]

Thanx for all the info guys! The barrel was given to me don't know who made it just has 54 on the top flat. The rifling looks great and is 29" long and looks to be 1 in 48. I like a challenge and think i will give Swampwalkers way a try. If I figure out how to post pics when I am finished I give yall a look!

Thanx again
Mike

[Old Ford2]

Mike,
A milling machine will do a good job of roughing it to close tollerances, then finishing it with draw file and emery paper.
On the milling machine always mill the opposite side.
While milling you must remember to set your tilt on the barrel from the same end all the time, or you will end up with a stange looking piece of pipe ( How do I know this??? )
Also while milling each flat, the opposite side of the barrel must be supported, or you will get a very wavy pattern on the barrel, or even bend it.
Soft barrels work easy hard barrels do not.
In the future, I'd buy a swamped barrel.
If I wanted a tapered barrel, I would gladly use a straight and mill a taper full length ( you need a big milling machine for this )
Good luck
Old Ford

[Habu]

Definitely a lot of work, whether you use a mill and then drawfile or do it all with a file.  On the other hand, you can get exactly what you want (or as close to it as you can get) without waiting for someone to get to your order.

On the other hand it is an unpleasant task: you may find yourself putting it off as long as you can.  I've got a pistol barrel I've been meaning to swamp since . . . let's just say, "Reagan's first term."  Although the suggestion of using an autobody file might just inspire me to get it started (in the next few years).

Jim

[tim crowe]

Mike
I did draw file a  15/16 barrel down to 13/16 and swamped it at the same time. It took about 6-8 hours. Once I got the system down, I would roll the barrel to opposite flats and would make 75 passes per flat until I reached 13/16. I did number the flats so I did not make extra passes on the wrong flat.  I will not lie the first half of the job was difficult but as I got the system down toward the end it was moving quit well. If I had to I would draw file another barrel.
  If you are planning to forge a barrel some day you WILL be draw filing  the barrel .
Put in some ZZ Top it helped with the filing.

[Pete G.]

The caliber stamping is most likely the bottom flat instead of the top. Incidentally the bottom three flats are all hidden in the stock and a lot of original guns were not shaped in this area. You could grind the corners off of the flats to shave a little more weight and also be historically accurate. One of the early Harper's Ferry rifles had the octagon part of the barrels treated such also.