In my experience the carbon holds in the heat more than straight steel, may feel cooler on the outside but gets hotter in the bore. After 3 carbon barrels, all proof research, at nearly double the cost of steel… switched back to steel myself. Just my experiences w/ 22LR, 260Rem and 308. For a gun where weight is a concern and long strings of fire aren’t, they kick ass, but not for range toys or precision rifle.