To Flute or not to Flute?

[antelopedundee]

My understanding is that most button rifled barrels are rifled, stress relieved, and then contoured. Is that not the case? They are definitely chambered and muzzle threaded after the stress relief.

Why would they contour or do any other operation after stress relieving when the could simply do it before especially if that's what a customer is ordering? I don't claim to know how these places run their operation, but if you order a Remington contour barrel from Hart do they pull one off the rack that's already finished and re-contour it or wait until the particular barrel comes up in the schedule and do it then.

BTW are all Remington barrels hammer forged or just the ones on the bottom tier rifles? Does after the sale machining mess them up too?

If I wanted a barrel fluted I'd order it that way, but I'm done buying barrels.