Anyone use fluted barrels?

[THE1LAF]

Here's my 6.5 PRC, barrel by LRI
I only have ~ 20 rnds through her so don't have good accuracy figures, but fit, finish & quality of work is top notch

 

[skipglo]

I use a number of guns with straight or spiral flutes but what was your question...no change I can see in accuracy between them...lighter..by ounces not lbs....

 

[Bret GRAVELINE Graveline]

I feel like carbon fiber barrels have taken over the light weight builds. Under 10 lbs.

I'm working on a 6.5 PRC hunting build with a Benchmark #5 contour straight fluted at 22"

What contours do you use?

I liked guns better when light weight was thought to be a rifle under 8 lbs and had a wonderfully figured walnut stock and wraparound checkering

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Use the Pac-Nor calculator for approximate comparisons.
It can surprise you, both ways, when looking at fluted vs non-fluted.
Some of mine show 8-9oz weight loss, but I don't start out with short or skinny barrels.

On a 4-4.5-5lb blank a full 1/2lb weight loss, faster cooling and improved looks/multiple colors is desirable to me.
I like fewer, but wider flutes in straight or lazy spirals

 

[Koda_]

On a 4-4.5-5lb blank a full 1/2lb weight loss, faster cooling and improved looks/multiple colors is desirable to me.

And faster heating.

But the weight difference is good to know. Ive never found a way to determine how much weight loss is from adding flutes. Half a pound is significant.

 

[mightyman]

Thank u sir… appreciate it. I have only LH custom rifles as hard to find a good LH factory..
This one shoots the lights out
Take care..

 

[THE1LAF]

Thank u sir… appreciate it. I have only LH custom rifles as hard to find a good LH factory..
This one shoots the lights out
Take care..

That was the reason for building mine, there wasn't a single rifle in the configuration I wanted. LH really limits the options.

 

[Mark37082]

It's not easy to cut weight, and often times it's expensive. An ounce or two here and there can add up quickly. If you can shave 6 ozs off the barrel, action, and stock, you have cut over a pound off the build. That may not seem like a lot, but a full day walking/hunting with a rifle it is noticeable to me.

 

[THE1LAF]

And faster heating.

But the weight difference is good to know. Ive never found a way to determine how much weight loss is from adding flutes. Half a pound is significant.

My prefit 20" 6.5PRC LRI "Pattern X" barrel came in at 2#10oz / 1190g
Unless my inputs are way off, they milled out 1.41lbs.

 

[Koda_]

My prefit 20" 6.5PRC LRI "Pattern X" barrel came in at 2#10oz / 1190g
Unless my inputs are way off, they milled out 1.41lbs.

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Thats a lot of material removal, im sure at a higher price but that looks really nice. How many shots in a string do you get before the heat starts "walking" the POI?

 

[THE1LAF]

Thats a lot of material removal, im sure at a higher price but that looks really nice. How many shots in a string do you get before the heat starts "walking" the POI?

That's an answer I don't have yet, I only have 20rnds down the tube half were with the can. None of it was from a bench. Hopefully I'll know in the next week or so.

 

[RichCoyle]

I have a .257 Pac-Nor 26" that matches the ultra light six lug Weatherby. It was fluted by Twisted Barrel. It weighs 30 ounces.

I fired a ten shot group of 3/4".

 

[Koda_]

I have a .257 Pac-Nor 26" that matches the ultra light six lug Weatherby. It was fluted by Twisted Barrel. It weighs 30 ounces.

I fired a ten shot group of 3/4".

Thats interesting, a sub 2lb barrel would heat up really fast. Would you say the retained precision is due to the quality of construction or do you think the flutes help keep it cooler longer? Is it too hot to touch after that 10rd string of fire?

 

[ntsqd]

Use the Pac-Nor calculator for approximate comparisons.
It can surprise you, both ways, when looking at fluted vs non-fluted.
Some of mine show 8-9oz weight loss, but I don't start out with short or skinny barrels.

On a 4-4.5-5lb blank a full 1/2lb weight loss, faster cooling and improved looks/multiple colors is desirable to me.
I like fewer, but wider flutes in straight or lazy spirals

Curious about the faster cooling part. When I did start to look into fluting a barrel in a CAD model the difference in surface area wasn't a lot. Granted, without actual fluting measurements I was having to make educated guesses at the flute dimensions, but one commenter posted that I was close to what their fluting's dims were.