Barel Blanks
G'day Ron
As far as i know MADDCO Barrels here in Australia flute the barrell after it has been drilled, reamed, rifled and stress relieved, but before the final lapping. Cutting the flutes can cause the bore dia to grow slightly, and can also cause the barrel to warp slightly even after the stress releiving.. I have had 3barrels fluted this way and they have all shot very well.
Fluting ,even if done correctly can still cause warping of the barrel as it heats up during firing. Hence why you don't see to many fluted barrels on pure bench guns..
If your barrell is a medium quality factory barrel ,one that has not been lapped, i would say go for it, you probably won't make any difference to the way it will shoot..
If however it is a high quality match barrel i would not flute it once it has been lapped.
In saying that though if you really wanted the fluted look, (and lets be honest here,we realy only flute barrels for looks
),cut the flutes only 1/3 depth. This will minimise any effect on the bore and still "LOOK" the buisness..
Cheers
Leeroy