#2 Contour VS #6 Contour Heat Dissipation?

General Firearms Precision Rifle - Bolt Gun
1

How much better does a #6 contour barrel dissipate heat than a #2?

How much faster does a #6 barrel allow someone to shoot without the barrel getting too hot?

How much does fluting help with weight heat dissipation and is considerable weight reduced by fluting?

2

Most fluting does not reduce weight by a significant amount and certainly does not increase cooling surface significantly enough to justify the cost.
Fluting should generally be considered bling in my opinion, nothing more…
Cooling is most influenced by weight.
The more weight you have, the slower it heats up and the slower it cools.

Now as for profiles, post a link to the specific profiles as there are lots of different profiles by the different makers…

3

Thanks Randall. I was. Curious myself. I like the look of the kac dimpling and some of the spiral fluting but never saw any tests about effectiveness

4

Thanks guys, this helps a lot. I’ve heard elsewhere that up to 14 ounces could be taken off fluting a large barrel. This seemed like a lot to me. I think I’m going to go with a heavy contour with no fluting. I’ll be target shooting and hunting with the rifle. But not trekking far, so I doubt it will be a problem.

The only problem I could see that I would have with a heavier barrel is shooting freehand and game, it may be harder to hold steady. In the rifle I’m looking at we’re talking about a 7.75lb rifle vs a 9.3lb rifle. What do you think? (Of course we’re talking +scope weight)

AR15barrels, I don’t know about the specifics of the contour. I’m looking at Howa’s, and the only info I can find it the # of contour.

5

I have a Weatherby Vanguard HB-ST (HOWA barrel and action)

They call it a #3 contour which is .740 at the muzzle
Its a nice balance, I wouldnt want anything much heavier or lighter.

Too bad its a 1:12" twist .223, which is why its for sale
If your buying a .223 HOWA it will also be 1:12" FYI

6

Midway has a neat page where they list the different barrel contours from different barrel makers.
It’s nice that it’s all on one page.
Saves having to jump back and forth to compare multiple manufacturer’s websites.

There is some crossover in the sporter contours, but they are still NOT all the same…

http://www.midwayusa.com/general.mvc/index/AppCharts~barrel-blank-dimensions