Well, I'll NEVER make it to nationals with THAT attitude, Randy Yeah, I might notice a difference between 1.5" and 0.25". At least I'd hope I would Worse still is of I choose poorly, and it shoots 3-5MOA...

Just saying, if there are 3 options that all cost roughly the same, and all have the POTENTIAL to shoot better than me, I'd rather not pay an extra $85 to screw up the one's potential because I chose the wrong (from a physics perspective) fluting option.

I'm pretty cheap too Randy. I've never spent this much on a barrel. Makes me all the more nervous about messing it up somehow... Though you'd HOPE a custom barrel maker wouldn't offer an option that might would do that.

I guess if I'm paying an extra_____, I want it to be because there's more benefit than looks (in this case, the rigidity of a thicker barrel with the weight of a thinner profile). I would hate to spend it solely on vanity. Worse yet, I'd hate to pay for something that makes the barrel even worse

Oh I DO agree that having something potentially that more accurate would be nice/exciting. I would want it as well, and since you said it isn't all that more expensive... All that Physics stuff baffles my little pea sized Redneck brain so I will leave it to the folks that it has meaning to.

And YUP, I would be scared (brownless ) thinking about messing up something that well thought out and that expensive just because I liked the looks of...

Could you ask the barrel maker(s) what if any difference barrel A would be over barrel B and expect an honest PROVEN answer?

Just me rambling about something of which I know nothing about.

I hear/read good things about X-Caliber, but when I started asking questions, the guy immediately pointed me to their most expensive (and Fugly) options, and strongly encouraged me to cryo it for $80, saying it would take care of any stresses in the barrel that MIGHT be introduced by fluting it.

Makes me nervous.

A) Seems they rifle, lap, and stress relieve the barrel (nitrogen-purged furnace) BEFORE they flute it. All the concern seems like it would go away if they would flute it before it goes in the furnace

B) Cryo-ing a barrel doesn't really do anything to remove stress--heat treat does. Cryo-ing will remove maybe 6% of existing stresses, while heat treating removed 90-95% or more, I believe. It DOES impact the crystalline structure of the metal, so it might help with barrel life and some other issues (some. Maybe. A barrel isn't a knife...). It won't, however relieve the stresses.

I COULD buy a Wilson Combat 22" 6.5 CM straight fluted barrel that weighs 55oz and has the flying done correctly for less money, but I don't know what to expect from that barrel accuracy-wise, and I wonder if the corkscrew fluting (basically a deep, wide 6-to-8-flute spiral with something like a 1:8 or 1:6 twist) would get the X-Caliber down another 6-8 oz.

Some top competitors shoot DC Calibers... Haven't heard of any shooting Wilson Combat.

Just worried XC is too focused on up-selling to be concerned with their product. No doubt their straight up regularly profiled barrels are crazy accurate. Just not sure I have confidence in their fluting or extra services department...

I don't think it's going to make the XC barrel shoot like garbage, but if it could be 0.25MOA barrel and I end up with an MOA or larger barrel, I might as well have spent $100 and got a Bear Creek. No knock on BC--I have several of their barrels For a budget build, they've got a generally good thing going.

DT, how about these guys?

https://www.jprifles.com/index.php

Only thing I know is that I read about them in a book I recently got and the author is known for getting his GUN facts right.

I figure they are pricey, but who knows, you MIGHT find a barrel or something from them.

I'll look into that Randy, v thanks. I emailed a couple times with X-Caliber and got all my questions and concerns answered. Fluting won't screw up accuracy. Cryo isn't needed. It has benefits to the steel similar to the benefits blade steel gets--wear resistant mainly. Everything seems fine.

Now to check the link you have, and decide if a cheaper Wilson Combat barrel would be smarter...

Woa! Barrels start at $670! That's about the cost of 2 AR15 builds

I said they MIGHT be pricey, but YIKES!

SORRY.

Ordered an X-Caliber matte stainless 22" 5r 1:8 heavy profile rifle+2 gas system 6 flute corkscrew fluted 6.5 Creedmoor barrel. It ran about $342 shipped with the sale.

I know that's not a huge amount for some (like Randy, apparently ), but is about $100 more than I've spent on any other barrel, and twice what I'd consider my normal limit. But I figure I plan to build 2, maybe 4 in my life, so this one I will build right.

That, and I couldn't get all the features I wanted in any barrel for less. 22" seems about the right length. With 20+ inches, you really need the extended gas tube to keep from damaging the gun. I'd do "bull barrel" if I thought I could carry it around. It needs a heavy profile to keep barrel whip down. Ideally, it would be fluted to cut down weight while being far more rigid than a non-fluted barrel of equal weight.

The big concerns were "heavy" not "bull" and rifle+2. X-Caliber was the only one I could find without breaking the bank. Ballistic Advantage is great for benchrest. Their fluted 22" was on the shortlist, but no r+2 gas system. Same for Wilson Combat. BA fluted, WC, and XC non-fluted, were close on price--the XC was actually cheapest--but only the XC meet my requirements. PLUS I could get it fluted how I wanted to save the most weight possible and to (hopefully) look good.

I picked up a Ballistics Advantage 20" 308 with a thinner profile for $140 from Primary Arms in the meanwhile. I need a lower for that one...sometime before the next election... more like before the next VA election I guess...

I petty you being so close to the Dingbat Corner of our country.

Gotta get all the guns and ammo I can before the end of the year…I think VA will be a different state after the November elections

Either that, or start selling everything off...