Flutting a Rifle Barrel?

Dawnrazor

Well-Known Member
I've a heavy Border Barrel, I'm looking to lighten the set up I have, rem 700 heaven barrel and Mcmillan stock, can I have the barrel re profiled to a sporter or have it flutted so it weighs the as a sporter? It's only fired 2/300 rounds and is really accurate. Is it worth it or am I as well getting a new barrel?
 
Can you take weight off by a light weight moderator and ditching the bipod - use you pack instead or use a javelin?
 
Can you take weight off by a light weight moderator and ditching the bipod - use you pack instead or use a javelin?
The whole unit, Rifle, scope, bipod and mod' come in at 14.5lbs!! I'm really looking to loose pounds rather than ounces, the mod is a A-tec and light, I can't do without the bipod as I work on hill and I've had it for 23 years!! It's a re-build really, I've never like the Mcmillan stock, heavy, slippy when wet(ooh matron!), bits have fell off and numb, I like the HS precision stocks, but the barrel is a good one, 0.25" groups are 100 yds with factory ammo', I'm loathed to change it really and was hoping to have it lightened, just not sure if it can be done and if it's financially viable?
 
The whole unit, Rifle, scope, bipod and mod' come in at 14.5lbs!! I'm really looking to loose pounds rather than ounces, the mod is a A-tec and light, I can't do without the bipod as I work on hill and I've had it for 23 years!! It's a re-build really, I've never like the Mcmillan stock, heavy, slippy when wet(ooh matron!), bits have fell off and numb, I like the HS precision stocks, but the barrel is a good one, 0.25" groups are 100 yds with factory ammo', I'm loathed to change it really and was hoping to have it lightened, just not sure if it can be done and if it's financially viable?

You wont loose much by fluting , your best bet is to try a pse composites stock for major weight loss
 
You wont loose much by fluting , your best bet is to try a pse composites stock for major weight loss

I would look to a PSE carbon stock and either shorten the barrel or have it reprofiled.
Fluting won't do much but look cool.
 
Buy a second rifle more suited to carrying around? Probably more cost effective than whittling weight off.
 
Buy a second rifle more suited to carrying around? Probably more cost effective than whittling weight off.

Probably right. The PSE stock is great, very light, but you must choose all the rest in the same idea. A second hand T3 lite or Broning A Bolt , might turn out a lot cheaper and a lot lighter. Second hand Rem 700 sporter in PSE stock is good alternative.
 
As has been said, fluting won't do what you want so go for a new stock and a re-profile. Likely won't be cheap mind. What profile is the barrel at the moment?
 
The only thing about buying a second Rifle is the scope, mounts ect, will I be cheaper?

Will always be some expense. In my idea the problem is that you will spend quite some money and still have a heavy rifle. Some barrel makers know the weight of an inch of barrel. So it would be possible to know how much weight the rifle will loose after chopping 4 or 6" .
In the UK second hand optics seem easely available. Just count what would be the cost of both and the result .
 
if you use a versa-pod bi pod you can remove and replace very quickly and keep in your bag or pocket most of the time


The whole unit, Rifle, scope, bipod and mod' come in at 14.5lbs!! I'm really looking to loose pounds rather than ounces, the mod is a A-tec and light, I can't do without the bipod as I work on hill and I've had it for 23 years!! It's a re-build really, I've never like the Mcmillan stock, heavy, slippy when wet(ooh matron!), bits have fell off and numb, I like the HS precision stocks, but the barrel is a good one, 0.25" groups are 100 yds with factory ammo', I'm loathed to change it really and was hoping to have it lightened, just not sure if it can be done and if it's financially viable?[
 
just beware that any machining on the outside of a barrel could possibly stress relieve the barrel and not all stress relieving is good.There are a lot of variables in barrel manufacture and most steps are carefully worked out by the manufacture to achieve a quality product any after market machining may devalue (negate there work) after market fluting is a bit of a lottery with in the gun trade many so called machinist have poor quality machinery that is old and inaccurate and worn out.Most machining operations on fire arms are very quick simple operations on modern machinery that generally take longer to set up in the machine than to complete it is probably easier to buy a finnlight ad loose some weight off the boots and belly just remember it takes far more kill to manufacture a light good shooting barre lthan a heavy one
 
Will always be some expense. In my idea the problem is that you will spend quite some money and still have a heavy rifle. Some barrel makers know the weight of an inch of barrel. So it would be possible to know how much weight the rifle will loose after chopping 4 or 6" .
In the UK second hand optics seem easely available. Just count what would be the cost of both and the result .


Measure outside diameter
work out volume
use bore/calibre to work out volume of bore
were r= radius (half of outside diameter or half of calibre)
h= length of barrel being chopped
Pi = 3.142

V=πr2h

Multiply net figure (outside volume minus inside volume) by density of steel
roughly 7.75 to 8.05g per cm cubed


not perfect as the barrel is tapered and I really can't be bothered to work out partial cone volume!
but
say your barrel is 24mm in .308
chop 6" off and you will lose roughly 2kg

(( 271cm3 minus 6.45cm3)x 8g/cm3)
doubt the barrel is this thick though
 
Seriously though if the rifle you have is accurate and you like it, then keep it. Buy something more suitable for your other purposes. There is nothing that is perfect for all, it is always a compromise.
dont risk buggering up a good rifle to turn it into something that it is not. Buy another rifle, you know it makes sense
 
PAC nor had a barrel weight calculator on their website that might help work out roughly how much you might lose your reprofiling your current tube. If the barrel is a cut rifled Border barrel then the risks of a reprofile may be less. You could always enquire about a reprofile from GB barrels or Sassen engineering who collectively used to make Border back in the day. I have nothing but good things to say about the PSE stocks, light, rigid and well shaped
 
I have had a pac nor and lothar walther fluted post build. Both done by dolphin guns. They both shoot as good as the time they went in for the work.

From memory it's about £150 or there about.

Far cheaper than a re-barrel or second rifle!!!!
 
I have had a pac nor and lothar walther fluted post build. Both done by dolphin guns. They both shoot as good as the time they went in for the work.

From memory it's about £150 or there about.

Far cheaper than a re-barrel or second rifle!!!!

How much did it get lighter ?
 
snip...

not perfect as the barrel is tapered and I really can't be bothered to work out partial cone volume!

snip...

This is the spreadsheet I set up to calculate my volumes for forging tapers. It will give you the volume of the frustrum of a cone or pyramid...any round, square, octagonal etc. straight tapers.

The spreadsheet rows below just calculate the lengths and weights of the base and parent bar in mild steel depending on whether you input the top and bottom faces and height in mm or cm.

If you can't open the excel spreadsheet attachment this is the operative formula to calculate the frustrum volume

=B3*(B1+SQRT(B1*B2)+B2)/3

B1 is top area
B2 is base area
B3 is height/length of taper


Alan

View attachment FRUSTRUM.xls
 
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I have had a pac nor and lothar walther fluted post build. Both done by dolphin guns. They both shoot as good as the time they went in for the work.

From memory it's about £150 or there about.

Far cheaper than a re-barrel or second rifle!!!!

I was also going to mention dolphin rifles , send Mik an email with your query and he will be more than helpful .

I am sure you could even organise it so he would do all the work as you wait.
 
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