So, the basic argument for fluting a barrel is to save weight. The idea is that a fluted barrel will be a bit stiffer than a lighter profiled unfluted barrel of the same final weight. Makes sense, I guess. I know of one barrel maker that can apply helical flutes to their barrels. The helical fluting supposedly removes more weight than traditional fluting. Does anyone know what, if any, detrimental effects come with helically fluting a barrel? Thanks.

Not worth the money, straight or helical. If you want a light
barrel, then turn it down smaller. More gimmicks for gunsmiths to make money. Any advantage is purely theoretical. My opinion of course.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Not worth the money, straight or helical. If you want a light
barrel, then turn it down smaller. More gimmicks for gunsmiths to make money. Any advantage is purely theoretical. My opinion of course.

+1

I do fluting. But I always warn my customers that accuracy will very likely suffer from what it was originally. Yes, you can make a barrel stiffer with exactly the same weight. But you have to do it by substituting barrel length. For every fin that you add to the outside of the barrel, you have to chop off an inch or more to get the material to do it. Having an 18 inch barrel on modern calibers is actually a handicap so it's rather pointless. But, it does make it look cool, the customers always right and I need the money.

Thanks for all the opinions fellas.

I haven't noticed any correlation between fluting and either enhanced or reduced accuracy in my rifles. It's hard to say if a rifle shoots well because it's fluted or poorly because it's not. They're all individual cases. I'd say, if you want it and you like the way it looks, go for it!

One cause of reduced accuracy in a fluted barrel are the stresses , uneven, that are introduced during machining. It might be helpful to stress relieve the barrel after machining !

Sure makes them look ugly!

Fluting and fins on a barrel facilitate cooling by increasing the cooling surface area. But if you're not doing a lot of sustained rapid fire shooting or putting it on a machinegun why bother?

Fins:






Flutes:

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Fluting and fins on a barrel facilitate cooling by increasing the cooling surface area. But if you're not doing a lot of sustained rapid fire shooting or putting it on a machinegun why bother?

Weight savings is my only consideration. I don't care about the looks or cooling effects. Thanks for the post though. Very informative.

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Fluting and fins on a barrel facilitate cooling by increasing the cooling surface area. But if you're not doing a lot of sustained rapid fire shooting or putting it on a machinegun why bother?

Weight savings is my only consideration. I don't care about the looks of cooling effects. Thanks for the post though. Very informative.

The cool factor of course! Why put a $1200 hunk of wood on a rifle when a $100 will do - for LOOKS.

quote:

Originally posted by just say moe:

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Fluting and fins on a barrel facilitate cooling by increasing the cooling surface area. But if you're not doing a lot of sustained rapid fire shooting or putting it on a machinegun why bother?

The koool factor??? OK!

Weight savings is my only consideration. I don't care about the looks of cooling effects. Thanks for the post though. Very informative.

The cool factor of course! Why put a $1200 hunk of wood on a rifle when a $100 will do - for LOOKS.

The koool factor??? OK!

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Sure makes them look ugly!

+1, I wasn't going to say it that nicely...

Stress introduced by fluting can be a detriment to accuracy. A way around this would be to flute before finishing off the bore. A few cut rifle guys have done this for me when fluting or machining integral sights/quarter ribs into a barrel.

I know Brux Barrels drills the blank, fully contours, flutes, and THEN will ream and rifle the bore. Theoretical or otherwise, that would be the best way to do it. Button rifled barrels have to be full diameter to button, then stress relieve, then contour.

quote:

I know Brux Barrels drills the blank, fully contours, flutes, and THEN will ream and rifle the bore. Theoretical or otherwise, that would be the best way to do it. Button rifled barrels have to be full diameter to button, then stress relieve, then contour.

Danny Peterson of Classic Barrel and Gunworks does the same. He's the one who convinced me to send barrels back to him after machining integral features to have him finish reaming and rifling the barrel. Makes a lot of sense.

quote:

Not worth the money, straight or helical. If you want a light
barrel, then turn it down smaller. More gimmicks for gunsmiths to make money. Any advantage is purely theoretical. My opinion of course.

It's easier and cheaper to loose two, three pounds weight off your own (fat) belly than losing even but half of that from any rifle! Just saying...

I was looking at a plastic stocked rifle in SS with fluted barrel in elk camp this year and cut my frigging thumb on it...told the guy the fluting was great but be sure and carry a turnaquit and have lots of bandaids..jeeeze...

The best way to lighten a barrel is to make it thinner, shorter, or both. Fluting actually is heavier for any given barrel wall thickness. That's because barrel wall thickness is measured from the bottom of the flutes. Look at the pictures I posted above. The fluting and fins were added for cooling, but the OD of the barrels in those areas were increased so the barrel walls were not thinned by cutting flutes/fins.

Yes, of course, there is that "cool" factor.

Shilen Barrels told me at one time they had found that once you go under .700 diameter you may be messing with the rifling. So on the larger contoured barrels I'll flute them down to that diameter and stop...if the customer wants it who am I to say no. Cash is Cash!

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:

quote:

Not worth the money, straight or helical. If you want a light
barrel, then turn it down smaller. More gimmicks for gunsmiths to make money. Any advantage is purely theoretical. My opinion of course.

It's easier and cheaper to loose two, three pounds weight off your own (fat) belly than losing even but half of that from any rifle! Just saying...

Well, I've lost 50 this year!

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:


It's easier and cheaper to loose two, three pounds weight off your own (fat) belly than losing even but half of that from any rifle! Just saying...

Well, I've lost 50 this year![/QUOTE]

You were planning on carrying a Browning 50 caliber, water cooled machine gun on that elk hunt were yah? Just askin.

he he

quote:

Originally posted by speerchucker30x378:

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:


It's easier and cheaper to loose two, three pounds weight off your own (fat) belly than losing even but half of that from any rifle! Just saying...

Well, I've lost 50 this year!

You were planning on carrying a Browning 50 caliber, water cooled machine gun on that elk hunt were yah? Just askin.

he he[/QUOTE]

I spent the winter of 2012/13 working the oil patch around Grand Prairie and a ways north of Fort St. John and Won O Won. The Moose on the highways seemed numerous as white tails in Pennsylvania. Wish I'd had a 50 on top my trucks. Nearly hit several that winter.

I like most fluting, just like most metal work on custom rifles, doesn't really do a damn thing that couldn't be done much cheaper or is not necessary, but the customer wants it because he wants the cool and not cookie cutter look. To each his own.

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:
The Moose on the highways seemed numerous as white tails in Pennsylvania. Wish I'd had a 50 on top my trucks. Nearly hit several that winter.

Yeah, I related narrowly adding a moose to the front of my truck to a pal of mine in Florida a few years ago. He came back pretty quickly with a HORRIBLE STORY, of how he had hit a deer outside of Homestead with his truck once. I dryly asked him if folks down there kept a roll of handie-wipes in the glove box to wipe them off of the grill with?

He didn't get it. Trains and moose. The only real difference is that the train blows its horn before it demolishes your vehicle and joins you in the passenger seat. LOL