Barrel Fluting

[shutmdown]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I am in the market for a match grade barrel. I've noticed a lot of barrels are fluted, any benefits to the fluting? I did a little bit of reading on google and read someone stating that a fluted barrel is much more rigid due to the additional surface area created by the fluting. Can my fellow calgunners weigh in ?

[Pyrite]

Fluting is only to lighten a thick round barrel which is the best for rigidity.

[reverser]

Fluted barrels cool better than a non-fluted barrel of the same weight due to increased surface area. It helps to have context regarding the rigidity gain claims... given two barrels of similar outside diameters, the non-fluted barrel would be more rigid. Given two barrels of the same weight but different ODs, I'd say that the fluted barrel would be more rigid. Non-fluted heavy barrels will take longer to heat and cool, which leads to a smoother change in shot placement due to barrel temp changes. I generally opt for heavy barrels as I don't carry my rifles around a whole lot.

[shutmdown]

http://www.snipercountry.com/articles/realbenefitsbarrelfluting.asp

Just read this article, he backs it up with physics.

[waveslayer]

it's only cosmetic , no benefit. in fact the article above is excellent and will explain it in a scientific manner as well as layman's terms.

if you want any benefit get a Carbon wrapped barrel, it doesn't reduce the heat as much as people think but it reduces it enough to cooler it a tad faster.

what caliber are you planning to shoot, that will dictate how hot your barrel gets as well.

[reverser]

http://www.snipercountry.com/article...relfluting.asp

Just read this article, he backs it up with physics.

That was a good read. I don't like the fact that he only talked about the conduction of heat through the walls of the barrel and not convection. Convection IS a bigger factor there and increased surface area is indeed the reason that fluted barrels cool faster at the same OD as a non-fluted barrel.

[JohnCCW]

That was a good read. I don't like the fact that he only talked about the conduction of heat through the walls of the barrel and not convection. Convection IS a bigger factor there and increased surface area is indeed the reason that fluted barrels cool faster at the same OD as a non-fluted barrel.

Convection And Radiation... are increased do to surface area. Radiation of heat is also significant.
Conduction cooling of a rifle barrel is stupid, unless you dunk the barrel in water. Air itself is poor conductor. Convection is great depending on air velocity. Free air/natural convection may be poor. Radiation works, even in the vacuum of space.