Lightening up a rifle by fluting ?

[ol mike]

I have a rem 700 22-250 that was blue-printed and rebarrelled w/a #4 douglas barrel ,how much weight could i lose by having the barrel and the bolt fluted?

It's a 26" barrel also.

 

[James Jones]

Maybe a few ounces and risk ruining the barrel , you would likely loose more weight by going to a lighter weight ring base setup then dicking with the barrel , hell cutting 2" off would drop more weight that fluting it and it would stiffen the barrel up more also so you accuracy would likely improve.

Hell on a 22-250 if you have more than 500 rounds through it cut an inch off the shank and an inch off the muzzel and you would likely drop close to a pound , the gun would probably shoot better due to the new throat in the chamber and the shorter barrel is stiffer , yea you will loose some speed but it would likely be less than 100 fps

 

[ol mike]

Thanks for the info James !

The rifle only has 150'ish rounds fired and shoots great -so i'll leave it alone.
The weight of the rifle is probably one of the reasons it shoots so well ,but when i tote my little cz 221 fireball it makes the 22-250 feel like a tank.
Thanks again -Mike

 

[johnnyk]

ol mike,
Not sure you'd save enough weight by having it fluted now. I have always been under the impression that fluting should be done before it was rifled, but I'm not sure of the sequence or if it really matters. Guess you could have it chryo'd afterwards to realign the molecular structure and take out the added sress. I sure as heck wouldn't chop the barrel off.
I'd take a heavy .22-250 over a light .221 FireBall anyday. Just me though. All my rifles are heavy and I make allowances by carrying a shooting stick with me everywhere I go. Been using this setup for years so it's kinda second nature now. JohnnyK.

 

[Gene]

I believe that it is true - barrel must be fluted before rifling. If it shoots well now, leave it alone; fluting could result in poor accuracy.

 

[Jared06]

A qualified rifle builder or barrel maker will flute an already cut barrel, but there becomes a contour light enough that they do not recommend it.

You could always go out and buy a heavier rifle and pack it around until the 22-two fitty feels lighter.

 

[KIWI AL]

You could always go out and buy a heavier rifle and pack it around until the 22-two fitty feels lighter.

best idea iv heard,you can always find more room in the safe..

 

[BountyHunter]

You can flute a "cut rifled" barrel after installation. (Rock, Krieger, Brux, Satern, Bartlein etc)

You should not flute a button rifled barrel after final lapping and definitely not after chambering. (Douglass, Broughton, factory barrels etc). Fluting a button rifled barrel alters the internal bore dimensions.

BH