Flutes, Good or Bad?

[Captcurt]

All right guys, here it is. I've always wondered if fluted barrels are as stable as unfluted? It looks to me as if the thickness of the flutes were not uniform the barrel would tend to bend as it heats up. What do you think?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

NO...fluted barrels are not as stable as unfluted barrels


I'm sure there will be some debate on it though....

 

[Uncle Mike]

Flutes...bad!

Smooth...good!

 

[pro2]

Flutes look cool. They require more attention to keep clean. Only reason where I may personally find preference would be some weight savings on specific applications. Also has a place in very large caliber applications, also to save weight and dissipate heat.

Otherwise, I believe flutes to be hype. I have read and heard all the dialogue. In general, those who actual shoot are indifferent.

 

[GunTech]

A fluted barrel is stiffer than a non-fluted barrel of the same weight. It's a weight saving practice, which may - may - improve cooling as well in common civilian applications. A properly done fluted barrel should have little or no impact on the performance of a barrel in terms of accuracy. It does add to cost.

For 95% of civilian applications, there really no reason to flute barrels other than because it looks neat. As a weight saving measure, it's cheaper and more consistent than composite barrels.

You can download an excel spreadsheet for barrel weight calculations here: http://www.riflebarrels.com/products/software.htm that will show the weight saved by fluting.

 

[USSR]

A fluted barrel is stiffer than a non-fluted barrel of the same weight. It's a weight saving practice, which may - may - improve cooling as well in common civilian applications. A properly done fluted barrel should have little or no impact on the performance of a barrel in terms of accuracy. It does add to cost.

+1. Have had the barrels on two 1,000 yard match guns fluted. Neither rifle gives up anything to the unfluted competition. If you want a fluted barrel for improved cooling - forget it, any improvement is more theoretical than practical. IMHO, the only reason to flute a barrel (other than aesthetics), is to reduce the forward weight to more properly balance a rifle with a heavy profile barrel. Oh, and the extra cost of about $100 was worth it.

Don

 

[Tirod]

In terms of balance, if fluting worked, so much the better.

For the average shooter, shifting a few ounces of weight to move the balance point could be done a lot cheaper. Frankly, for most who buy them new, fluted barrels are bling. There is very little to justify the additional cost that couldn't be done another way, more cheaply. That shooter doesn't know the flutes will help or hurt, beyond the checkbook. It takes a seasoned pro to shoot the difference.

Race gun features on weekend plinker are as common as chrome valve covers on grandma's inherited Buick. It's part and parcel of the marketing to the unknowing, and actually distracts from learning the more basic fundamentals. Better the money is spent on learning reloading to maximize the cartridge's accuracy than spent on external aesthetics, but in today's world, it's all about image, not performance.

I'm sure there are an expert few who can measure the improvement in groups, for the rest, it's just dressing up their Barbie doll. No harm, no foul.

 

[Dan Carey]

Fluting on the AR 15 platform is a nice feature because the rifles are heavy. You can save as much as a pound of front load.

 

[Packman]

I like the looks on some guns, but prefer a nice octagonal on others.

All about aesthetics, for me at least.

 

[ArmedBear]

It depends on whether the rifle is a range toy or a tool for the field.

As others have said, a fluted barrel can provide a compromise that improves accuracy for a given weight. If you shoot off a bench, you won't care. If you hump a hunting rifle up the side of a mountain, you might.

I have exactly one fluted rifle barrel, on a Model 70 .30-06 hunting rifle. It's not fancy looking; it's a matte stainless finish. It's light, carries and points very well, and shoots nice small groups.

On an AR? I suppose that depends on what you do with it. If you want a lightweight gun that won't overheat TOO fast, fluting might offer the compromise you want, that a "pencil" or HB contour won't.

 

[HOOfan_1]

For 95% of civilian applications, there really no reason to flute barrels other than because it looks neat.

I hate the look of the fluted barrels. I actually decided not to get a Savage I was really looking at seriously and instead get a CZ 550 because I like the non-fluted barrel of the CZ better. I just don't like the look of the fluted barrels. I don't like stainless steel barrels either...the combination of stainless and fluting is just too much.

Call me old fashioned, but I like my hunting rifles to have a high polish bluing and a wood or laminated stock.

 

[Sky]

Thermally, a fluted barrel (should) give more surface area for heat dissipation. You would probably need an instrument with several digits behind the decimal point to measure it against a non-fluted barrel though.

 

[jmr40]

Neither good or bad. Just different. I agree with the others who say the most important feature is to help to reduce weight without sacrificing accuracy. Could be good or bad depending on your preference in weight.