Semi Custom Build - New Barrel, Need Contour & Fluting Advice/Opinions

[tuffbuff]

Rebarrelling and tricking out a M700 sa, ordering a Smith RKS barrel soon and wondering about contours etc. This is my first semi custom so I've been reading a bit (seems lots of people are good at cutting and pasting, lol), and playing with a barrel calculator.

Want the rifle to finish at 7lbs bare, specs are 6.5 cal 24" ss bead blasted. Was thinking #3 fluted should turn it into a #2 weight?

Fluting seems to have mixed opinions, I read an old thread on here also, from splitting when cold to decreasing accuracy and stiffness and looking cool, etc. from what I understand a fluted 3 will be stiffer than a 2 but weigh close to the same? could jump to #4 maybe too, I'm gonna mic some of my barrels and stop by the local gun shop to measure out some fluted ones. Basically I don't want to screw up a barrel so i should maybe just order a #2 or #3 regular but kinda want flutes for cool custom look, so any opinons on custom barrels and fluting experiences or builds welcome!

most of the cash will be spent on machining, other goodies include fluted bolt, skeleton handle,extended mag box.
not sure on bottom metal, trigger, recoil lug, might use factory stuff for now and see how it goes.
stock, split between b&c and mcmillan. there's hs and wildcat that i haven't looked at yet.

thanks!

 

[1899]

My friend and I went through all of these kinds of barrel ideas and I had a long conversation (and emails) with an excellent gunsmith. The short version is that a #3 Douglas contour is an excellent balance between weight and stiffness for a fairly lightweight rifle. You can compare the Douglas #3 to other #3 contours and you will see what I mean. With respect to fluting, we talked about that too, and all of his reasons for not fluting made plenty of sense to me.

My friend ordered a McMillan with Edge fill, but Brown Precision's Pound'r looked mighty tempting. However, it would have ended up being ~$1000 by the time it was here, finished and bedded. The other option to look at is Manners. I understand they have just come out with a new fill material that is supposedly state of the art.

Good luck!

 

[c-fbmi]

I bought the Brown Precision 14 oz for my extra lite rifle and it is nice, it does make the rifle very muzzle heavy but then the whole thing only weighs 5 lbs 15 oz all up ready to hunt. 1899 is right though, mine was right around $1200 landed, very pricey stock but also very strong and light due to the Kevlar reinforcing. I'm very happy with mine. I believe this to be the ultimate in light stocks.

Wow, that's a lot of VERYs............

I had a long chat with a couple of gunsmiths about fluting as well and there is really no significant upside to it. Fluting puts stresses in a barrel, theoretically not a good thing...HOWEVER it does reduce weight without losing stiffness and increase cooling surface area......and it looks VERY cool in my opinion. The ups and downs of fluting are really just nit picking, do it if you want it. The weight reduction is minimal and could much easier be lost elsewhere for less money............but did I mention it looks VERY cool. I also like octagon barrels and they have all the same ups and downs as fluted.

 

[hunter5425]

Wildcat stocks are quite light ( about 20oz with recoil pad, swivel studs and bedding ) but are quite unfinished and need some work that an average DIY guy can do. There are mixed reports on fluting with some manufacturers voiding their warranty if you do it, I've found a quality #2 contour barrel will shoot very well if it is properly fitted to the action and is well bedded. I have a 280 with a wildcat stock and a Gaillard #1 ( about the same weight as a #3 Shilen) and it weighs in at 8 lbs with scope and sling.

 

[tuffbuff]

Thanks for the info, looks like the Douglas is tapered to .625 at the muzzle, which should be good. Maybe go up one more to .650 if fluted. I have a couple 700 Mtn rifles and there way to skinny, and the pipe on the donor wsm is rem sporter mag I think .800. Gonna measure some stuff tomorrow.
The browns stock is too much, maybe,if I build an ultra lite sometime will see. I'll talk to my gunsmith and see about fitting/finishing a wildcat. Go to know what everyone's prefers and likes.

 

[1899]

Compare the shank area dimensions of the Douglas #3 to other #3 and #2's as well, not just the muzzle diameter. I believe Lilja has a web page which gives dimensions of many factory contours. You can use that to give you a basic idea of how the contours compare to your Mountain Rifles.

 

[gunrunner8]

Compare the shank area dimensions of the Douglas #3 to other #3 and #2's as well, not just the muzzle diameter. I believe Lilja has a web page which gives dimensions of many factory contours. You can use that to give you a basic idea of how the contours compare to your Mountain Rifles.

Yes, that's another way to loose oz's. Winchester and Husqvarna's fetherweight dimentions over the chamber will save lots of dead weight within reason. Also military step down dia in front of a chamber would save some oz's as well. Fluting 24" long barrels with "mountain" profile is no easy task b/c they tend to vibrate while machined. For fluting, shorter and thicker barrels are preferable but total average weight loss is 3-6 oz's for hunting rifles and at least double that with long and heavy match barrels but not to many match shooters want to flute their barrels these days....