Fluting a barrel is only recommended when the barrel is just a piece of bar stock. Then, you can cut the flutes into the metal and put it on a lathe to create the barrels contour. Then drill out the bore, rifle it, and machine and thread the end. Then it is one contiguous piece of metal built with the flutes. Otherwise, if you flute an existing barrel, the machining can generate heat which affects the barrels dimensions and can introduce flaws in the metal, compromising is rigidity and negating any effect the fluting may have.

A fluted barrel of the same diameter as a non-fluted barrel will dissipate heat quicker and weigh less, but will not be as strong. A fluted barrel compared to an unfluted barrel of the same weight will again dissipate heat more quickly, and, when machined correctly, will be stronger.

I see no real need for barrel fluting for any reason, it has no major usefulness on hunting rifles where lighter or heavier contour unfluted barrels are available, and unfluted barrels are still very common at shooting matches and on marksman rifles for law enforcement and military use. They are more of a "neat" thing than a real useful thing.

Here is what Shilen has to say about fluted barrels:

Fluting is a service we neither offer nor recommend. If you have a Shilen barrel fluted, the warranty is void. Fluting a barrel can induce unrecoverable stresses that will encourage warping when heated and can also swell the bore dimensions, causing loose spots in the bore. A solid (un-fluted) barrel is more rigid than a fluted barrel of equal diameter. A fluted barrel is more rigid than a solid barrel of equal weight. All rifle barrels flex when fired. Accuracy requires that they simply flex the same and return the same each time they are fired, hence the requirement for a pillar bedded action and free floating barrel. The unrecoverable stresses that fluting can induce will cause the barrel to flex differently or not return from the flexing without cooling down a major amount. This is usually longer than a shooter has to wait for the next shot The claim of the flutes helping to wick heat away faster is true, but the benefit of the flutes is not recognizable in this regard until the barrel is already too
hot.

http://www.shilen.com/frequent.htm

Casey

Mine is pretty much just a stock 700 action (.300WINMAG)stuffed in the AI stock. One day though it's going to Krieger for the full treatment.