barrel fluting - radial twist?

[XWrench3]

it seems to me that i saw a benchrest gun that had a radial cut fluting done to the outside of the barrel. if my memory serves me right, and this does actually exist, woud the fluting be done with the twist of the rifle barrel grooves & lands (also, same twist rate?), or against? or would it not make a difference?

[robroy]

Shaw barrels has patented the process of spiral fluting barrels, which I think is BS. Anyway they do it on a CNC machine. Matching the rifling for direction or twist probably doesn't matter.

[Heavy lead]

I had Shaw turn me one of those for a .257 Weatherby, it did cut down the weight, and looked pretty cool (I'm sure ole Roy would've liked the look with one of his California sporter stocks), but it doesn't serve any other purpose than any other fluting. In theory it will cut the weight down more than refular fluting as the flutes are longer.

[82nd airborne]

It would also give you more surface area for cooling, but probably not a noticable amount.

[XWrench3]

i guess i was thinking that the fluting might affect the way the barrel vibrates as the bullet runs through it. wondering if it would make a difference if the fluting went with the twist or against the twist of the rifleing. i suppose the only way to find out for certain would be to cut a bunch of barrels that have already been tested and their accuracy recorded, and see what happens after they were cut. a long and expensive experiment for sure. but it seems like one that should be done before offering the service to the public.

[JIMinPHX]

IMHO, that's 98% window dressing & maybe 2% functional. That is a good example of the flashy kind of ornamental detail work that can be done on a 4-axis CNC machine.