Gunsmithing Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

jonaddis84

jonaddis84

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Jan 27, 2009
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#1
In your expert opinions and experience, have you ever seen either a fluted barrel shoot worse than a non, or have you ever fluted an existing barrel that got worse after?

I ask because the barrel mfg that I am ordering from does not even offer fluting anymore claiming that it diminishes accuracy. Now I know that if you are talking benchrest when there is no point to fluting, its just one thing that COULD cause accuracy loss, but for the real world I'd just like to know whether to get it fluted when I get it or not.

Thanks.
 
#3
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

Depends.

How was the barrel made.
How was it fluted.

Main benefits of Fluting

Looks cool
Reduces a small amount of weight
can improves the balance of a rifle
Helps the barrel cool slightly faster
Looks cool

Drawbacks of fluting

Cost
Can relieve any residual stresses that remained in the steel
Very poor fluting set-ups can induce stress into the steel


So, if you have a barrel that has no stress in it and it is competently machined, you will never know the difference. If the steel has stress and/or Bubba gunsmith flutes it... Well, you pay your money, you takes your chances.
 
#4
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

BIG +1 ON BRIAN'S COMMENTS!!

It is not just a simple Yes/No question/answer.

Also, the pros/cons of barrel fluting has been hashed out here and elsewhere on numerous occassions in the past and nothing has changed. You might do yourself a favor and run a search of the Hide and take a long read through the search results.
 
#5
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

some of the most accurate rifles I own are fluted, also have some straight barrels that are tack drivers, therefore I say accuracy is not affected as long as they are built by the right guys. My fluted bartrels are 2 Bartleins, 1 kreiger, 1 HS precision and one on a 223 DPMS varmiter all are tack drivers. 3/8" - 1/2" ??
 
#7
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Brutas</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Depends.

How was the barrel made.
How was it fluted.

Main benefits of Fluting

Looks cool
Reduces a small amount of weight
can improves the balance of a rifle
Helps the barrel cool slightly faster
Looks cool

Drawbacks of fluting

Cost
Can relieve any residual stresses that remained in the steel
Very poor fluting set-ups can induce stress into the steel


So, if you have a barrel that has no stress in it and it is competently machined, you will never know the difference. If the steel has stress and/or Bubba gunsmith flutes it... Well, you pay your money, you takes your chances.
</div></div>





savvy this post........
 
#8
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

in <span style="font-style: italic">theory</span>, a fluted barrel of the same dimensions as a non-fluted cools faster but also heats up faster. i'd love to see some real world temperatures take from two otherwise identical rifles, one being fluted, one not, side by side under the same firing conditions. what ever the results are, i'm not sure i have ever said to myself, "damn, i would have made that shot if my barrel was cooler".

i have not worked with enough barrels to say for fact that fluting a barrel can or can not effect accuracy. i have to take the word of those that have been around barrels for a while. i'll flute a cut rifled barrel after i've received it. i won't for a button rifled.
 
#10
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

Back when I shot fluted arrows out of my bow, there was a definate advantage to having them there. You could take a thinner walled shaft, and adding the flutes made the shaft more rigid than without.

Barrels on the other hand, you are actually taking away material from the barrel. I don't believe this can in any way make the barrel more rigid. It just don't add up to me. However, I do know that you increase the surface area of the barrel, therefore you have more heat dissipation properties. All of this does nothing to the bore of the barrel, other than making the barrel diameter smaller from the bore to the bottom of the flutes.

With the above mentioned information, I will not have any fluted barrels on any of my rifles.

Yes, they do look good, but to me, they serve no real life purpose... Kinda like tits on a Nun.

DK
 
#11
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

I have seen a great barrel go to pieces after a fluting job; by a very picky and professional smith. He advised against it but the gentleman wanted it done. I am of the impression that the extreme minimum weight savings and the slight advantage of heat disappation (sp) are not worth the possibility of losing accuracy. Also unless the lathes are near perfect (we don't live at "walgreens" lol) then the harmonics will be off. jmo. I don't own a fluted anything, but I do love the look!
 
#12
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

Just a few comments. 1) I could give a shit wether a barrel is fluted or not. 2) There wasn't a whole lot needed to be said after Brutas posted. 3) I find it very hard to believe that someone with the experience of fitting 2000 barrels has never seen a fluted barrel that will shoot.
I have a factory barreled VSSF chambered in .223 that is an absolute hammer with 52gr Amax's or 53gr Horn. HP match and 25.5 of RL15. To 500 (when its niiiiice and calm
wink.gif
), it never embarrasses me anywhere against anything.
I will end with this though. I dont think I would ever HAVE a barrel fluted "after the fact", any small possible advantage just wouldn't be worth the risk to me.

okie
 
#13
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

I have seen a Mcleanen Canadian made buttoned benchrest barrel blank that was turned to a sporter contour and fluted by Ron Smith the barrel maker.

You could pick up where the flutes started and stopped with a tight patch on a cleaning rod.
It wasn't much but there WAS a definate change.






Glenn




 
#15
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: okiefired</div><div class="ubbcode-body">3) I find it very hard to believe that someone with the experience of fitting 2000 barrels has never seen a fluted barrel that will shoot. </div></div>

he didn't say he never saw one that would shoot. he said he never saw one that was a hummer. my guess is if he is using the term "hummer" to describe a barrel, he's probably dealing with a lot of benchrest rifles. what we consider an impressive shooting barrel may not be close to what br shooters consider impressive.
 
#16
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 300sniper</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: okiefired</div><div class="ubbcode-body">3) I find it very hard to believe that someone with the experience of fitting 2000 barrels has never seen a fluted barrel that will shoot. </div></div>

he didn't say he never saw one that would shoot. he said he never saw one that was a hummer. my guess is if he is using the term "hummer" to describe a barrel, he's probably dealing with a lot of benchrest rifles. what we consider an impressive shooting barrel may not be close to what br shooters consider impressive. </div></div>

You're nit pickin, I'm pretty sure I got his point. I actually thought he ment "hammer" though. Nonetheless, the statement implies that fluted barrels are not accurate. Fact is, ragged hole producing fluted barrels are not quite that rare.

okie
 
#17
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

I actually read the statement as he has never seen a fluted barrel that sucked, which implies fluted barrels ARE accurate.

I guess I shouldve known this would not yield a unanimous decision, but it seems the majority feel that if fluting is what you want, youre not going to hurt anything unless its just not done properly.

My situation is that I have a bull contour on the way from Shilen, they no longer flute barrels, so I was going to send it to Kampfeld to trim a bit of weight off it since the gun was heavy to begin with with a lighter contour barrel.

Ill probably leave it alone though.
 
#18
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: okiefired</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just a few comments. 1) I could give a shit wether a barrel is fluted or not. 2) There wasn't a whole lot needed to be said after Brutas posted. 3) I find it very hard to believe that someone with the experience of fitting 2000 barrels has never seen a fluted barrel that will shoot.
I have a factory barreled VSSF chambered in .223 that is an absolute hammer with 52gr Amax's or 53gr Horn. HP match and 25.5 of RL15. To 500 (when its niiiiice and calm
wink.gif
), it never embarrasses me anywhere against anything.
I will end with this though. I dont think I would ever HAVE a barrel fluted "after the fact", any small possible advantage just wouldn't be worth the risk to me.

okie </div></div>

There's a difference between what Alan is talking about (the "Hummer") and a fluted, tactical rifle capable of 1/2 MOA. A 1/2 MOA rifle from Alan is broken... plain and simple.

The "Hummer" he's talking about would be a gun that agg's a hundred rounds in less than 2 tenths of an inch.
 
#20
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

It is my understanding that a barrel fluted after the initial finishing process stands a chance of having the accuracy go to heck, whereas one fluted during the initial manufacturing process should for all practical purposes shoot as well as an unfluted barrel in a sporting rifle. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken, going from memory.
 
#22
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Legionaire</div><div class="ubbcode-body">is there any advatage to spiral fulting over standard fluting, assuming that both are done by the manufacturer?</div></div>


yes....it is very high on the CDI factoring scale
 
#23
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Legionaire</div><div class="ubbcode-body">is there any advatage to spiral fulting over standard fluting, assuming that both are done by the manufacturer? </div></div>

Yes! Some people think it looks fantastic!

I guess to really, really, really nitpick... Someone might be able to argue that if the sprial flutes were cut at the same rate of twist as the rifling, and were properly timed in relation to the rifling, there might be an "advantage" because the flutes wouldn't be interrupting the rifling as straight flutes do.
 
#24
Re: Poll: Fluting barrel diminishing accuracy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Legionaire</div><div class="ubbcode-body">is there any advatage to spiral fulting over standard fluting, assuming that both are done by the manufacturer? </div></div>

i'd think a spiral fluted barrel would in theory be less rigid than a straight fluted barrel of the same contour. enough to make a difference on target? i highly doubt it.
 
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