[Malone LaVeigh]

I just bought a used rifle that the dealer claimed had been shot very little. (I know, it was owned by a little old lady from Pasadena who only took it to the range on Sundays.)

My question to you knowledgable riflemen is, Would you put it through any sort of break-in period? What should I look for? I'm very new to centerfire rifles.

I was thinking I'd take it to the 100-yard range and see if I could zero it in well, but I don't know what precision to be looking for. It's a Remington .270 bolt-action, with a mediocre scope.

[swingset]

I wouldn't worry about it. Any real or perceived (depending on whom you ask) advantage to break in is lost if it's already shot.

I think the real advantage to break in is that it lessens fouling, but that's only my opinion based on my experience. Some claim it's totally unnecessary, some live by it.

I think you'll be fine to just shoot and enjoy your rifle the way it is. :D

[ojibweindian]

If it shoots well, why go through the hassle of "breaking in" the barrel?

[Art Eatman]

The .270 is primarily a hunting cartridge, and a darned good one. If you get three-shot groups of 1-1/4 inch or better, you'll do just fine for coyotes and deer. I wouldn't be surprised that you'd get even better groups than that, however.

If you sight in for about 2" high at 100 yards, you'll be pretty close to dead on at 200 and around 6" low at 300. Judge your sight-in by the center of a group of three shots, not by any one shot.

The .270 is another cartridge that sorta demands loading your own. You can load down for plinking, of course, and 100-grain bullets make fine varmint loads. I used to buy El Cheapo surplus 4831 in bulk when Hodgdon was first starting out, years ago; that made life simple. :)

Art

[Malone LaVeigh]

Thanks, all! I'll give it a quick clean and take it to the range today. I have a really good lead on some pigs this weekend. We'll see how it works. I don't reload, so I was thinking 140 gr. soft points. Would 150 be better?

[Art Eatman]

Unless the pigs are in the 200+ category, it probably wouldn't matter if you used any of the 130- to 150-grain bullets. However, I'd guess the 150s would be a bit thicker jacketed, so the penetration would be better on a big hog. As usual, it depends on the shot. (Mumble, mumble) I'd use the 150s if I expected a shot at a running hog. Hunting from a stand, odds are you could be more precise in the shot and the 130s would work okay on a cross-body heart shot.

Art