Thread: Question for Blaser Owners - to flute or not?

I have no idea if barrel life is extended in a wrapped barrel or not, as I doubt I will shoot mine out before I can't hunt anymore.
The heat at any point of the barrel is relative when compared to an unwrapped barrel and temperature reduction over time.
Obviously no one bothered to read the article Stug posted compiled by some people that have done more extensive testing than anyone on here is capable of.

I have had 2 .260 Ackley barrels of the same contour and length.
I can also remove my barrel in seconds to record temperature.
I did this just as a matter of curiosity not a science experiment. I originally was interested in a temp over time range when velocity started to become erratic.
I also intended use the laser to measure cartridge temperature for a number of other reasons.

At all points I measured the barrel temperature and over 5 min increments at the completion of firing 5 -10 shot strings the wrapped barrel cooled faster.
Good enough test for me to come to my simple conclusions.

internally as well?

I read it Dave. Is yours one of those or a straight carbon wrap?

I read it as well Dave.

It appears you cant just grab a barrel, chuck it in a lathe to take some metal off it & whack some carbon fibre on it..

I'm just really curious, you read this stuff & by the sound of it Carbon wrapped barrels are the way forward but.....

It seems the ABS/Proof Research are the ones to get.

I looked into getting some a while ago now purely for light weight, but they seemed no lighter than the thinner profiled hunting barrels so considering the cost & availability I never went ahead.

I was going to get the locally wrapped ones as well but flagged that idea too.

There seems to be very few Carbon wrapped barrels around to get any meaningful feedback from.

The trouble with the internet is it is full of BS

I think that carbon wrap has alot of the same problems as fluting associated with it, and both look gay IMO. You cant chop them midlength later if you decide to shorten barrel, and the process is usually pushed by the same snake oil saleman as fluting, the so called benefits are debatable and also has serious risks or drawbacks. The article stug quoted was just a sales pitch for the carbon barrel maker. They also mentioned that they use cut rifled barrels so totally different to the cowboys that try to carbon wrap button rifled barrels and wonder why they shoot like shit in general, although they get the odd one that does seem to shoot ok. Numerous guys in the US have done the carbon wrap thing, but in general it not up to the hype. Also the claim that carbon fibre transmits heat like fibre optics transmit light is, well, i'll believe that if someone can prove to me that somehow an insulator can suddenly become a great conductor ???? Less steel means the internal temp will heat quicker. Wrapping an insulator around a steel liner will usually just hold the temp up higher ffor longer. Less steel usually means hot throats, and barrel wears out quicker if doing alot of repeat shots.

Originally Posted by Kaimai Views

I think that carbon wrap has alot of the same problems as fluting associated with it, and both look gay IMO. You cant chop them midlength later if you decide to shorten barrel, and the process is usually pushed by the same snake oil saleman as fluting, the so called benefits are debatable and also has serious risks or drawbacks. The article stug quoted was just a sales pitch for the carbon barrel maker. They also mentioned that they use cut rifled barrels so totally different to the cowboys that try to carbon wrap button rifled barrels and wonder why they shoot like shit in general, although they get the odd one that does seem to shoot ok. Numerous guys in the US have done the carbon wrap thing, but in general it not up to the hype. Also the claim that carbon fibre transmits heat like fibre optics transmit light is, well, i'll believe that if someone can prove to me that somehow an insulator can suddenly become a great conductor ???? Less steel means the internal temp will heat quicker. Wrapping an insulator around a steel liner will usually just hold the temp up higher ffor longer. Less steel usually means hot throats, and barrel wears out quicker if doing alot of repeat shots.

From what I understand it has more to do with the "makeup" of the CF and the type of bonding agent used.

So...Is Carbon Fiber a good heat conductor?
As usual the answer is "it depends." The short answer is NO not when regular carbon fiber is made up in regular epoxy and expected to conduct heat across the thickness. IF a highly carbonized pan fiber with graphite or diamond added, is measured for heat transmission in the length of the fiber it is very good and can rival and exceed copper.

Other carbon materials such as diamond or some graphites, such as pyrolytic graphite, are stellar and can be 5 times better than copper.

KG if you can find a 16inch barreled 223 which uses a H-Bar Profile then you can compare directly with my ABS one if you like. Mine "seems" to get just as hot but cool faster (was used for 3 gun) than similar rifles with std barrels.

This thread has info about temp of carbon vs normal barrel. Seems not much difference http://forum.snipershide.info/showthread.php?t=97382&

They maybe no lighter in some cases. But they don't act like a small pencil barrel would either fussy with loads amd heat up amd wander.

A smaller carbon wrapped barrel say around #2/3 contour behaves like a #5/6 would.

Stiff as don't get the barrel whip, doesn't wander amd more consistent

Don't get me wrong.. I think that CF may well contribute to stability during heating, and that there may be some weight benefits - but it gets kind of annoying when the sales pitches start claiming better cooling for a material that is known to be more insulative than conductive...

It seems to me that the impression of cooler barrels is because the outside of a carbon wrapped barrel is well insulated from the inside.

I did actually read stug's article and it is addressing a type of CF and system that is better than others at conducting heat... I also saw claims of extended barrel life without comparision of his technology/process directly towards a normal metal barrel in terms of heat dissipation. HIs comparison were against other CF wrapping unless I missed something..

I would expect that unless any CF barrel can do that better than a metal equivalent in terms of heat dissipation, then its not logical to call extended barrel life using the same barrel lining for both. It doesn't make sense...