Fluted barrels
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mkg
Well-Known Member
lefty , the short answer is both .
Fluting is intended to increase surface area to aid in cooling . The weight loss is a secondary effect.
Mike
Fluting is intended to increase surface area to aid in cooling . The weight loss is a secondary effect.
Mike
Michael Eichele
Well-Known Member
As stated already, it adds more surface area and helps it cool a wee bit faster. IMHO the best way to add many many more acres of surface area for cooling is a good corse bead blasting. These are much smaller but add up to much more cooling ability.
Some claim that it makes a barrel more ridged. 2 barrels of equal length AND weight, the fluted barrel WILL be more ridged. 2 barrels that started out the same length and weight and one got fluted, I am not so sure about.
In snowy conditions they tend to catch snow and when you fire a shot it propels snow onto your scope lense and freezes to it VERY quickly making it impossible for a follow up if needed.
Some claim that it makes a barrel more ridged. 2 barrels of equal length AND weight, the fluted barrel WILL be more ridged. 2 barrels that started out the same length and weight and one got fluted, I am not so sure about.
In snowy conditions they tend to catch snow and when you fire a shot it propels snow onto your scope lense and freezes to it VERY quickly making it impossible for a follow up if needed.
taking a given barrel and removing some material from it will decrease its weight. It will also make is LESS STIFF. But, it will be "harmonically" stiffer.
Here is some deeeep evaluation on the subject
Varmint Al's Fluted Barrel Stiffness Analysis
Here is some deeeep evaluation on the subject
Varmint Al's Fluted Barrel Stiffness Analysis
4xforfun
Well-Known Member
What everyone forgets is.....Yes, a fluted tube will cool faster....no doubt. BUT.......If you flute a barrel, it will also HEAT UP faster than a non fluted tube of the same contour.
My question is this.
You take two identical barrels, same contours, caliber, temp..... ( one fluted, the other non fluted) and shoot 20 identical loads at exactly the same speed. Now, the fluted tube will heat faster and get hotter due to less material to heat. But....it also cools faster due to greater serface area and less mass. Which tube will cool to XX degrees faster??? Yes, if you started at the same hot temp the answer is obvious....but the fluted tube starts cooling at a hotter temp. Is there a net gain in cooling over all? Does the fluting more than compinsate for the higher temps attained after firing the 20 shots???
The only reason I flute is to make weight in my comp guns. I know guys who flute just because of the "cool" factor.
The one BIG drawback to fluting is that while it cools faster....it also creates way more barrel mirage.....it is very noticable, especialy when my brain slides out of my head and I forget my mirage shade!!!!
My question is this.
You take two identical barrels, same contours, caliber, temp..... ( one fluted, the other non fluted) and shoot 20 identical loads at exactly the same speed. Now, the fluted tube will heat faster and get hotter due to less material to heat. But....it also cools faster due to greater serface area and less mass. Which tube will cool to XX degrees faster??? Yes, if you started at the same hot temp the answer is obvious....but the fluted tube starts cooling at a hotter temp. Is there a net gain in cooling over all? Does the fluting more than compinsate for the higher temps attained after firing the 20 shots???
The only reason I flute is to make weight in my comp guns. I know guys who flute just because of the "cool" factor.
The one BIG drawback to fluting is that while it cools faster....it also creates way more barrel mirage.....it is very noticable, especialy when my brain slides out of my head and I forget my mirage shade!!!!
