Thin Fluted Barrels vs Carbon Barrels on factory rifles?

[CjMelendrez]

I've been doing a lot of reading, on here and from other sources and I'm still a little stuck. I will be purchasing a lightweight deer hunting rifle in 6.5cm or equivalent and I'd like the rifle to stay under $1,500 (not including optic). This budget gives me quite a few options. Esthetics and other nuances aside, I'm stuck on what type of barrel to go with... What are the pro's and cons for a factory rifle paired with a thin fluted barrel vs. a carbon wrapped barrel?

I'm not looking for caliber critiques, just advice on barrel types for hunting and the occasional range day to get good with my gun.

 

[Woodsman1991]

All depends on what you want to do with it, the absolute lightest barrels seem to be CF. For the money, I'd go fluted as that will give better heat dissipation for range days. Just my opinion, have owned several fluted barrels but only played with the CF stuff, never owned.

 

[CjMelendrez]

I want this to be a go to mountain gun first. I am also leaning towards a fluted barrel since it will leave a ew bucks in the budget for the scope. thanks for the reply @Woodsman1991

 

[bruceleroy]

Carbon barrels are rarely lighter than thin profiled steel. Like almost never.
Most companies put thinly carved flutes on barrels for sales. Most flutes do nothing but cut an ounce of weight.

 

[Formidilosus]

I want this to be a go to mountain gun first. I am also leaning towards a fluted barrel since it will leave a ew bucks in the budget for the scope. thanks for the reply @Woodsman1991

Carbon barrels are not lighter than steel barrels can be. A #1 or #2 contour steel barrel can and will shoot fantastically even when hot. Carbon barrels are lighter than steel barrels of the same diameter- but the lightest carbon barrel will not be lighter than the lightest steel barrel.

Carbon barrels are-

- More expensive
- Heavier than needed
- And generally have a higher probability of getting a bum barrel.


Fluted barrel are-

- more expensive than no fluted steel
- are not lighter than a steel barrel of equal stiffness
- increase the likelihood of stress in the barrel



The easiest and most straight forward answer is to get a steel barrel from a good company, in the contour that meets your weight desires, with a flared and threaded muzzle if a suppressor is used, chambered and installed by someone that knows what they are doing.

 

[mt100gr.]

OP, to kind of echo what's been said: fluted barrels are overrated! So are carbon unless you are going for the heavy barrel target rifle at minimal weight.

If I could do it all over, I'd trade every one of my fluted barrels for a smooth contour with a muzzle flare and threads!

 

[Firestone]

Fluted barrel are-


- are not lighter than a steel barrel of equal stiffness

Have you ran tests on this? I have not, but I have talked with a good friend and read literature that says otherwise. Just curious

 

[Formidilosus]

Have you ran tests on this? I have not, but I have talked with a good friend and read literature that says otherwise. Just curious

Anytime you remove material, you are weakening the item. There is no free lunch.

 

[Firestone]

I agree, but we are talking about two different barrels. If you compare a fluted barrel to one that is not fluted, both weighing the same, the fluted barrel is stiffer

Anytime you remove material, you are weakening the item. There is no free lunch.

 

[BjornF16]

Have you ran tests on this? I have not, but I have talked with a good friend and read literature that says otherwise. Just curious

Can you post the literature references?

If you were to take two identical barrels and flute one, the unfluted barrel would be stiffer than the fluted barrel.

In order to have a fluted barrel have equal stiffness of the unfluted barrel above, you’d have to increase barrel diameter (effectively having the larger diameter fluted barrel weigh the same as unfluted barrel)

 

[Firestone]

If you were to take two identical barrels and flute one, the unfluted barrel would be stiffer than the fluted barrel.

Yep

 

[Firestone]

In order to have a fluted barrel have equal stiffness of the unfluted barrel above, you’d have to increase barrel diameter (effectively having the larger diameter fluted barrel weigh the same as unfluted barrel)

exactly, but it would actually be stiffer then the unfluted

 

[BjornF16]

exactly, but it would actually be stiffer then the unfluted

What Form stated (and my first example) is correct…removing material from a barrel makes it weaker (less stiff).

 

[Firestone]

What Form stated (and my first example) is correct…removing material from a barrel makes it weaker (less stiff).

That is correct.
But, Form stated that fluted barrels
are not lighter than a steel barrel of equal stiffness. And that is what I was questioning to be incorrect

 

[Mangata]

Looking for the perfect mousetrap;

Is there any formula where you could flute a larger diameter barrel to the same weight as a smaller diameter barrel, and thus have same or better stiffness plus heat dissipation???

 

[CjMelendrez]

Since I'm most interested in weight savings first, cost second, and longevity third, is fluted my best option of the 2?

I hear ya about the custom contour and flare for threads. That's far in the future as of now. I want a reliable factory mountain rifle, then I can play with custom guns in the future.

 

[atmat]

No. You do not need to choose a fluted barrel to cut weight. There are plenty of contoured barrels that keep weight low.

Carbon barrels are awesome for instagram. That’s about it though.

Edit: Also, you can buy a CA Mesa FFT for I believe 5.5lbs and under your budget.

Edit 2: 14 months later I have more experience with CA and wouldn’t actually recommend it. Editing because someone liked this comment.

 

[Wrench]

If you want a consistent, light barrel....you go mtn contour or #1. If you want a pretty gun, you choose your fluff and proceed.

There's a reason that EVERYONE on the 600/1000 lines shooting for money don't have fluted nor carbon wrapped tubes....it's because a fluted or wrapped tube is very difficult to bring to a stress relieved state....but a cut rifled turned blank is not.

If you want carbon or fluted, buy it. If you want less fluff and better odds of a generally easy to load for tube....go with stainless turned, cut rifled.

 

[Firth]

If anyone wants to do a deep dive into flutes and stiffness, knock yourselves out:

Varmint Al's Fluted Barrel Stiffness Analysis

 

[Mangata]

I put together a Kimber Mountain Ascent 280AI last year that collected the goat in my avatar pic. Certainly would be an factory option for you.