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Fluting
#5449187
11/30/14 03:52 AM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 35,124
Brother in-law
OP
THF Celebrity
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OP
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 35,124 |
How many of you have purchased a plain barrel blank and then sent it off to the fluting guy without any regrets?
My first barrel was fluted at the barrel maker
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Re: Fluting
[Re: Brother in-law]
#5449281
11/30/14 06:50 AM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,705
toolman
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Not a fan of fluting. It looks cool but can affect accuracy and the flutes collect dust and dirt like crazy where I hunt.
Old age ain't for sissies!
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Re: Fluting
[Re: toolman]
#5449325
11/30/14 12:33 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,171
J.G.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,171 |
Not a fan of fluting. It looks cool but can affect accuracy and the flutes collect dust and dirt like crazy where I hunt. Fail! BIL, I don't regret sending the 7 mm barrel to Kampfield. That's the only one that has been sent.
800 Yard Steel Range Precision Rifle Instruction Memberships and Classes Available
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Re: Fluting
[Re: Brother in-law]
#5449333
11/30/14 12:51 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657
colt45-90
Texas colt45
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Texas colt45
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657 |
I have several that are, some factory & some custom, they are all crazy accurate
hold on Newt, we got a runaway
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Re: Fluting
[Re: colt45-90]
#5449374
11/30/14 01:46 PM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200
dawaba
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My heavy .300WM had a smooth 25" bull barrel from Krieger. With a sling and cartridges, it weighed 11 lbs 3 oz, too heavy for anything but a benchrest rifle or PD rig. Dixie Precision Rifles in Brandon, Ms, fluted the barrel and knocked off 15 oz. They did the job in less than one week, and the fluted barrel is quite handsome.
Now the rig weighs 10 lbs 4 oz. I've only shot the rifle inside of 200 yards, but the accuracy seems unchanged. I'm still a bit unhappy about the weight--it's even heavier than my .375H&H--but I can live with it.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple.....and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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Re: Fluting
[Re: Brother in-law]
#5449498
11/30/14 03:12 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,709
huntandfish
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
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Posts: 1,709 |
I haven't had any accuracy woes with my barrel spiral fluted by kampfeld! We hunt in dust and sugar sand, no problems yet with the flutes collecting undue amount of stuff, Lol!
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Re: Fluting
[Re: J.G.]
#5449588
11/30/14 04:22 PM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,705
toolman
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Not a fan of fluting. It looks cool but can affect accuracy and the flutes collect dust and dirt like crazy where I hunt. Fail! BIL, I don't regret sending the 7 mm barrel to Kampfield. That's the only one that has been sent. Why fail, because I stated my opinion (and the opinion of several other gunsmith's)? huntandfish, obviously you don't hunt where I do.
Old age ain't for sissies!
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Re: Fluting
[Re: toolman]
#5449630
11/30/14 05:01 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,171
J.G.
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,171 |
Flutes do not degrade accuracy. They reduce weight. I've had, and have multiple fluted barrels that routinely shot, and shoot sub MOA.
800 Yard Steel Range Precision Rifle Instruction Memberships and Classes Available
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Re: Fluting
[Re: Brother in-law]
#5450565
12/01/14 02:33 AM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,732
HorizonFirearms
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I have never had a problem with flutes. We do flute first then lap unless it is a take off barrel but I have never ever had it make the accuracy worse. I think a lot of guys don't re crown them after they have had a live center in them for fluting, that will jack you all up but easy to blame it on the flutes, instead of the crown.
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Re: Fluting
[Re: Brother in-law]
#5451353
12/01/14 05:19 PM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,705
toolman
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I admit that a lot probably depends on who does it and how it's done, but I spent about an hour talking to Ed Shilen about fluting several years ago at one of their swap meets, and he told me that they will not flute their barrels for this reason. On the other hand, some other manufacturers claim that it actually stiffens the barrel, and I don't have enough time to test either theory, but I do understand physics and geometry, and removing material to stiffen a barrel doesn't make sense. I understand the theory of increasing the surface area, but you are doing so at the expense of mass, which equals rigidity. Of course, for a hunting rifle where you won't be shooting more than a round or two at a time, it probably won't affect accuracy enough to be an issue anyhow, but simple physics and geometry dictate that heat and harmonics will cause a fluted barrel to react differently than an unfluted barrel unless the fluting is near perfect. The dust/dirt thing is just from my experience, but we hunt near plowed fields where the wind is almost always blowing. I got rid of the last fluted barrel rifle I had, a 700 with a McGowen eight flute barrel because I got tired of cleaning dirt out of the grooves. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter, if you like flutes, get flutes and enjoy the reduced weight.
Old age ain't for sissies!
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Re: Fluting
[Re: toolman]
#5451391
12/01/14 05:29 PM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200
dawaba
Extreme Tracker
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Posts: 4,200 |
On their website, Shilen still claims that fluting a barrel will degrade accuracy, and they won't cut flutes. On the Krieger website, however, they have no qualms about fluting barrels and state plainly that the process won't harm a good barrel.
Pick your expert. Personally, I believe if you like the looks and weight of a fluted barrel, then go for it.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple.....and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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