Hired Gun
Well-Known Member
The difference between a 24" and a 26" barrel in an A5 stock would be undetectable to anyone that didn't have a gram scale handy.
Safety wise there is no harm in cutting a barrel off in the flutes. The barrel makers will not flute a barrel smaller than a #5 or #5.5 Krieger profile. The pressure is greatest in the chamber and progressively less the farther down the barrel. When you see a bulged barrel it most likely bulged from the compression of the gas in front of the projectile between the obstruction and the bullet. If you flute a barrel thinner than a Krieger #5.5 you are in dangerous territory. When they go they will split all the way to the action and very likely split the action.
Accuracy wise I can tell you that on lighter barrels as part of my barrel inspection before we mount a barrel is to slug it to feel for variations in bore diameter. On the smaller profiles you can feel where the flutes start and stop with my eyes closed. If a brake is threaded on too tight you can feel the constriction there too. I think this is part of why some guns gain accuracy when a brake is installed. If it's too tight it can upset the bullet and cause it too loose accuracy.
Safety wise there is no harm in cutting a barrel off in the flutes. The barrel makers will not flute a barrel smaller than a #5 or #5.5 Krieger profile. The pressure is greatest in the chamber and progressively less the farther down the barrel. When you see a bulged barrel it most likely bulged from the compression of the gas in front of the projectile between the obstruction and the bullet. If you flute a barrel thinner than a Krieger #5.5 you are in dangerous territory. When they go they will split all the way to the action and very likely split the action.
Accuracy wise I can tell you that on lighter barrels as part of my barrel inspection before we mount a barrel is to slug it to feel for variations in bore diameter. On the smaller profiles you can feel where the flutes start and stop with my eyes closed. If a brake is threaded on too tight you can feel the constriction there too. I think this is part of why some guns gain accuracy when a brake is installed. If it's too tight it can upset the bullet and cause it too loose accuracy.
