Fluted vs. Not

[Opus Dei]

When I spoke with Krieger about fluting a barrel they said if THEY did it then it would be warrantied but if someone else did it then the warranty would be void. I think it has to do with stress induced into the barrel during the fluting process. I believe the fluting needs to be done prior to the final annealing and the final polishing of the bore, during the contouring phase to insure consistant bore size from end to end.

More a result of how the barrel is rifled. I'm guessing Shilen doesn't recommend fluting since their barrels are button-rifled. It certainly can be done, if you relieve the incidental stress, first.

Kriegers are cut-rifled, and ought to take fluting without any special considerations. My thought is that they want the entire barrel production under in-house QC, rather than some Bubba f'n a blank up and trashing their name.