Quoted:
No, that's not the concept on barrel stiffness/fluting. If you take two identical barrels with the same contour, flute one of them (and I don't mean cosmetically flute them). Put each of them in a receiver, hang a given weight from the end of each of them, the fluted barrel will "bend" less than the non -fluted barrel.
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No Sir, with respect, that's not correct. It flies in the face of simple and unavoidable physics.
Quoted:
A round tube has less strength, from a bending force, than just about any other shape of the same mass.
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Now THAT is on the right track.
In your own words, in two objects OF THE SAME MASS, a cylinder will be more flexible than a fluted or angled object. Although a solid rod will have LESS strength than a Hollow rod OF THE SAME MASS, but that's not applicable here since we all have a hole in our barrel.
An HBAR has MORE MASS than a FLUTED HBAR, and therefore would be STIFFER than the latter. BUT a FLUTED HBAR would be STIFFER than a MEDIUM CONTOUR barrel of the SAME MASS. Remember, when you flute a barrel, you are not only "changing the structural shape of the barrel", you are also REMOVING MASS.
Having said all that, I'll add that I prefer fluted barrels over HBARs, and will probably continue to go that route when I want lighter weight, but still stiffer than an A2 profile. I don't like the looks of the flutes though, so I don't fall into the "coolness" factor range.
While we're talking science, weight savings, and fluting... I gotta remind you guys of this fact too...
When someone says "it's only a few ounces, how can that matter?" Well you gotta remember that a few ounces is a few ounces, BUT a few ounces placed on a FULCRUM that's got a full 24" of working leverage is a LOT of weight savings. In other words, a few ounces on the barrel end translates to several times that on the grip end. Less of course at the handguard point, but still more than a few ounces.
Simple 8th grade science