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Posted: 12/16/2015 9:04:37 PM EDT
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I have always been drawn to the aesthetic of fluted barrels but I am not exactly sure what the pro s and cons are. I assume the main reasons for fluting would be rigidity, heat dissipation and weight. Is there more to it? What really is the primary purpose? does it make any kind of difference in a precision vs. hard use run and gun type weapon? What about strength and durability ? I notice LWRC uses them a lot in there signature rifles and I think they look badass. But for me function trumps design and if I use one for a build I want to know what its going to do for me besides look neat.
Any input is appreciated. In the mean time I guess I,ll go read up on it . |
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Increasing the exterior diameter of a barrel increases the stiffness. However, all of the steel is not needed for stiffness, longitudinal fluting removes some of the unnecessary material.
The wall thickness required to contain the pressure inside the chamber is actually very thin, .150" could probably do it. However such a barrel would flex more than desired certainly be prone to being bent, so all barrel are over-strength. Durability (as in how long it will last as an accurate barrel) is governed mostly by the steel alloy and the manufacturing details. Heavier barrels generally do not show a longer life than light barrel, as the damaging heat pulse is so short that the extra heat sink ability of a heavy barrel does not come in to play. Heavy barrels take longer to heat up, and so, take longer to cool down, however it takes more rounds to get them to the same temperature as a light barrel. Fluting removes some of the heat sink material, but does add a small extra amount of additional surface area, so they will radiate heat slightly faster. If barrel heating is a problem, radial fins add much more surface area, but add nothing to the stiffness. |
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Quoted: Am I in before someone says that fluting a barrel makes it stiffer?  Quoted: Quoted: You gain nothing over a non fluted barrel of the same weight. No studies that I am aware of show it to have any advantage at all. Save your money. Am I in before someone says that fluting a barrel makes it stiffer? Seriously.... fluting really does nothing except save some weight. -Stooxie |
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Quoted:
Am I in before someone says that fluting a barrel makes it stiffer? Quoted:
Quoted:
You gain nothing over a non fluted barrel of the same weight. No studies that I am aware of show it to have any advantage at all. Save your money. Am I in before someone says that fluting a barrel makes it stiffer? Fluting does not make it stiffer, the increased diameter makes it stiffer. Other than saving weight, there are no big advantages. As to uneven heating, that is quite probable, but I would also guess the a fluted barrel would still be better than a barrel with a diameter that of the bottom of the flutes. |
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Quoted: That was the joke... There's always someone trying to make the argument. Quoted: Quoted: Fluting does not make it stiffer, the increased diameter makes it stiffer. That was the joke... There's always someone trying to make the argument. Including Bravo Company USA these days. A sad state of affairs, indeed. http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-12-5-ENHANCED-FLUTED-300-Blackout-Barrels-p/bcm-brl-12f-300.htm -Stooxie |
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Quoted:
Including Bravo Company USA these days. A sad state of affairs, indeed. http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-12-5-ENHANCED-FLUTED-300-Blackout-Barrels-p/bcm-brl-12f-300.htm -Stooxie Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Fluting does not make it stiffer, the increased diameter makes it stiffer. That was the joke...
There's always someone trying to make the argument. Including Bravo Company USA these days. A sad state of affairs, indeed. http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-12-5-ENHANCED-FLUTED-300-Blackout-Barrels-p/bcm-brl-12f-300.htm -Stooxie Maybe they meant that it's tapered fluted profile is stiffer than a standard M4 profile... |
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Quoted: Maybe they meant that it's tapered fluted profile is stiffer than a standard M4 profile... Possibly. They clearly say "increases strength." Would have made more sense to me if it said "best balance of weight and rigidity" or just "reduces weight without compromising accuracy" or something to that effect. At best I think they leave it purposefully vague for all the people that do believe flutes increase stiffness. At worst they've drunk too much koolaid. -Stooxie |
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Quoted: You gain nothing over a non fluted barrel of the same weight. No studies that I am aware of show it to have any advantage at all. Save your money. |
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