From: Gale McMillan <" gale"@mcmfamily.com>
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Barrel fluting
Date: 13 Dec 1996 16:21:39 -0500

Jim Honaker wrote:
 
# Hi Don,
# 
# I believe that the fluting of the barrel does a couple of things.
# 
# first, in the bull barrels it reduces the weight
# second, it creates more surface area and thus helps in keeping the barrel
# cool.
# 
# I'm sure more experiance folks can add to this
# 
# Jim

In the late seventies there were a group of shooters that were visiting
our barrel shop got into a discussion as to why a fluted barrel wouldn't
shoot.  They had been tried and never worked out.  You never saw one at
a match.  As a challenge my brother made two using methods what we
thought would have the least adverse effect on accuracy.  We put one on
Pats bench rest rifle and gave one to a friend (Harold Broughton of Big
Springs TX) Pat went to the IBS nationals that year and set two world
records and won the nationals and Harold went to the NBRSA nationals and
won them with his fluted barrel.  That proved that they would shoot if
they were fluted at the right point in the manufacturing process and it
has been a growing fad since that time.  I always felt that they shoot
in spite of being fluted but as long as shooters will pay a barrel maker
$1.50 a minute to flute one you will see them on the line.

Gale McMillan