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!!!!