What does the term "Swamped Barrel" mean?

[Bruce Bump]

Excuse my ignorance but I see swamped referred to when talking about quality. I dont know what it means. Be gentle.

[northmn]

A swamped barrel is one that is tapered towards the muzzle and flares up again in the last few inches.  You can get an idea by looking at the ads for them in Track of the Wolf for instance as they list dimensions.  Where the term swamped came from I do not know.

DP

[G-Man]

Hi Bruce - it refers to the profile of the outside of the barrel.  On a straight barrel the outside of the barrel is parallel to the bore.  But the outside of a swamped barrel is widest at the breech, tapers down to it's narrowest part somewhere around 2/3 or so down the length toward the muzzle and then flares out a little wider again toward the muzzle.  This removes the metal from the sides of the barrel and makes it lighter than a barrel with straight sides and improves balance - i.e. it moves the balance point closer in to your body.

This link to Rice's website has some sketches of the outside profiles of some of their swamped barrels they make:

http://www.ricebarrels.com/chart.html

Most 18th century and many 19th century American longrifle used swamped barrels.

Guy

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I think the term swamped simply means "sunken".  Most modern swamped barrels are as described above.  But I consider a barrel that does not flare at the muzzle, yet has sunken flats, to be swamped.  That is a barrel that tapers at a slower and slower rate toward the muzzle, so that the flats are sunken, as opposed to straight tapered.  This yields a barrel that is heavy at the breech for strength and balance, and is still lighter than a straight tapered barrel.

[smart dog]

Hi Bruce,
With regard to quality, straight barrels usually are of the same quality as swamped barrels.  They all will shoot very well and are made of good steel.  The swamped barrels just look nicer, have better balance for their length, and often are more historically correct.

dave

[Bruce Bump]

The term swamped must indeed refer to sunken or lowered.

I see in Jim Webbs journal that some of the low flats are way back about in the middle but most are about 8" to 18" from the muzzle. In some cases the muzzle is wider than the breech. Interesting.

[JCKelly]

I would be very curious what you all regard as "good steel".

[David Rase]

I would be very curious what you all regard as "good steel".

Here we go again.  In the archives are several long and hotly contested debuts about barrel steel.  I would suggest looking there before we reopen this wound again. 
DMR

[smart dog]

The meaning JC is simply that buying a swamped barrel does not mean you are getting a better made barrel than a straight tube.   

dave

[LRB]

 Hi Bruce. If you have never shouldered a swamped barreled long rifle, you are in for a real treat when it comes to balance. A swamped or tapered barrel were the norm for 18th c. Straight barrels didn't come into use until the 19th c., when they began making barrels by machine.