New barrel procedure/break-in?

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3Crows

3Crows

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I know there are similar threads, read through many of them but just want to get a feel for current ideas and products and use. Since my recent retirement I have gone on a spree and purchased several new bolts guns. None are high end, some savage Axis II and a Kimber Hunter and a .308 Savage Scout I have had a few years but probably has only 10 to 20 rounds through it.

I always run a solvent patch a few times down a new barrel and then follow with a dry patch, some times I use a bore snake with solvent. If the barrel looks clean after that I rough sight the rifle in. I have only done the JB Bore Paste on a new rifle is there was some reason to think the bore was rough. I use a bore light and as I said, if the barrel appears smooth and "shiny" after solvent patches then I have not gone further. Then after the first few rounds, I run the solvent through again or at least the bore snake and then patch it dry. I have in the past used the moly or similar "tech" barrel conditioners, are these a good idea? I do not get the barrels hot, allowing them to cool certainly after three spaced rounds.

Anyways, interested in your procedure for a new hunting purposed rifle but for which you expect good accuracy?
 
Never have followed any set procedure. I shoot it, take it home & clean it. To me all the step by step “break in” procedures people come up with are Mumbo-jumbo. And I’ve seen some doozies.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a specific technique either. Person wants to perform a superstitious “Fire 5 rounds...clean. Fire 10 rounds clean. Fire 15 rounds clean and do an Irish jig”, cool! More power to them! But there is 100% NO chance of doing any damage by just shooting & cleaning the old fashioned way.

In other words, there is no such thing as break in “Barrel Conditioning” procedures that will somehow magically make a barrel more accurate or last longer. It’s superstition.
 
Guess it all depends. Have seen people shooting new get flustrated because they start out accurate then loose it after 25-30rounds. I'll suggest swabbing then meraculasly the accuracy is back. Not every time. Like anything you shoot there are numerous things. Lots of times it's the shooter. Especially if they are shooting a caliber they are not experienced with, particularly bigger. Lead projectiles seem to need swabbing frequently when new. 22s are the most I've seen go off accuracy then back on after swabbing. I'll shoot 10 then swab on new mainly just as precaution. Once I've"broke in", 100 rounds, I've shot up to 300 in a session and other than a periodic cool down have not lost accuracy.
 
I’ll shoot 3, clean till there’s no blue on the patches, then shoot 5 and clean till there’s no blue and keep that cycle going until I quit seeing blue. Usually takes 40-50 rounds with a good barrel.

I think it makes a difference in how the barrel cleans up going forward. I get very little copper in my match barrels.

I don’t have any empirical evidence that I can point to, but it’s not an onerous process so I’ll keep doing it as an offering to the accuracy gods ;)
 
On a factory rifle I'll run a wet patch through the barrel followed by a few dry patches and then just shoot it. I try to not get it really hot for the first 20, 30 or 40 rounds.

On a custom barrel I'll run a wet patch through it followed by a few dry patches. Then I'll shoot it once and patch it out. I'll continue to do this until the wet patch shows no copper. On a Krieger barrel that seems to be around 7 or 8 rounds.
 
Nature Boy said:
I’ll shoot 3, clean till there’s no blue on the patches, then shoot 5 and clean till there’s no blue and keep that cycle going until I quit seeing blue. Usually takes 40-50 rounds with a good barrel.

I think it makes a difference in how the barrel cleans up going forward. I get very little copper in my match barrels.

I don’t have any empirical evidence that I can point to, but it’s not an onerous process so I’ll keep doing it as an offering to the accuracy gods ;)
Click to expand...
Haven't all match barrels been lapped before being sent out?
This should speed up the conditioning of the bore because it's like many bullets being fired down the barrel without all the heat.
 
I normally follow the manufactures recommendations, so factory barrels just get shot, whereas the custom barrels go through a break-in. Usually 5 rds cleaning in between each rd, then two to three 3 rd groups with cleaning between each group, all the while watching patch color. I''l finish with a couple 5 rd groups, cleaning between groups.

With the handlapped barrels it's bot so much for the barrel, but for the throat that was cut while chambering.

This Jan, I picked up a new M7 in .223 and just for chits and giggles I used the same break-in procedure I did for my last Bartlein. I can only say that for that sampling of one, the break-in did appear to help because it's very easy to clean for a factory production barrel.

Like Nature Boy said, I don't see a difference in accuracy, but the barrels that I have "broken in" clean a lot easier than the ones I haven't. While "breaking in" I'm also sighting in and getting some preliminary load development is as far as MVs and pressure signs.
 
I think that not over heating the chamber, throat, barrel would be more important on a new rifle.

Take your time between shots, even if you have to wait a couple of minutes. Heat burns out barrels faster than over cleaning them.
 
I've read that many barrel break in procedures are just methods to get the shooter to buy a new barrel sooner.

Mk-211 said:
I think that not over heating the chamber, throat, barrel would be more important on a new rifle.

Take your time between shots, even if you have to wait a couple of minutes. Heat burns out barrels faster than over cleaning them.
Click to expand...

I kind of follow Mk-211's procedure. I don't over stress the barrel when but I shoot it as I'm going to use it.
 
Thanks guys. I think I will spare the JB paste unless I see in a new rifle some roughness. These four rifles have bright, clean looking chambers and bores. I see no indication of roughness under close inspection.

So, what about treatments like moly or other barrel conditioners that claim to reduce friction and all that ---?
 
I would think that the worst enemy for a barrel is heat; copper/ powder residue until accuracy suffers. Don’t heat the barrel and clean it once in a while, you will pass away or sell the firearm before you have issues. Most worry wayyyyyy too much about barrel sensitivity.
 
This is what i have done over the years from New to WW2 surplus.
Give it a good clean to remove any leftovers, take it to the range and zero/shoot it. Take it home and clean it. That’s it.
 
Really, when I think about it, some competition match grade barrels aside, a new rifle should arrive ready to go save for a quick clean to make sure the bore is clean and clear. Kimber, for example, does test shots, the target is in the box. Did they pump 50 rounds through it before shooting the test target? I doubt it. Giving the new rifle a basic clean and then go shoot it, works for me (I hope!).
 
3Crows said:
Really, when I think about it, some competition match grade barrels aside, a new rifle should arrive ready to go save for a quick clean to make sure the bore is clean and clear. Kimber, for example, does test shots, the target is in the box. Did they pump 50 rounds through it before shooting the test target? I doubt it. Giving the new rifle a basic clean and then go shoot it, works for me (I hope!).
Click to expand...
And even if they did, it’s not like they’re shooting black powder. After 50 shots a basic clean would probably still be fine.
 
3Crows said:
Really, when I think about it, some competition match grade barrels aside, a new rifle should arrive ready to go save for a quick clean to make sure the bore is clean and clear.
Click to expand...

This is counter-intuitive to me. Custom barrels are often hand lapped, and even when not, the bore condition of cut or button rifled barrels is often considerably smoother than that of hammer forged factory barrels. Factory barrel bores can frequently be about as smooth as a tank tread, relatively.

God bless custom barrel makers who hand lap - I LOVE putting 400-500 rounds through a barrel then pushing out clean patches within 10 strokes. I have had a couple factory barrels which might need 20-25 patches to come clean after only 10-20 rounds fired!
 
i suggest reading this thread https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/barrel-break-in-pictoral-log.797080/


Bfh_auto said:
Haven't all match barrels been lapped before being sent out?
This should speed up the conditioning of the bore because it's like many bullets being fired down the barrel without all the heat.
Click to expand...
while hand lapping the bore is awesome, you have to keep in mind that in almost all cases, the barrel maker does the hand lapping and then it is shipped to a gun smith who cuts the chamber and installs the barrel. the part the gunsmith cuts out, including the throat, is then fresh machined steel surface and the hand lapping is laying in chips on the floor.

the throat is where almost all the important wear takes place over the life of the barrel. this is why some precision shooters will often cut a half inch off and rechamber the barrel, cutting a fresh throat, which makes it like new. the long part of the bore doesn't wear out much

Mk-211 said:
I think that not over heating the chamber, throat, barrel would be more important on a new rifle.

Take your time between shots, even if you have to wait a couple of minutes. Heat burns out barrels faster than over cleaning them.
Click to expand...
the heat in question comes from combustion of gasses, not friction


3Crows said:
Thanks guys. I think I will spare the JB paste unless I see in a new rifle some roughness. These four rifles have bright, clean looking chambers and bores. I see no indication of roughness under close inspection.

So, what about treatments like moly or other barrel conditioners that claim to reduce friction and all that ---?
Click to expand...
afaik, shooters have tried just about all the fancy stuff and everyone has gone back to raw steel. let us know if you find something that's better than nothing.

Steve S. said:
I would think that the worst enemy for a barrel is heat; copper/ powder residue until accuracy suffers. Don’t heat the barrel and clean it once in a while, you will pass away or sell the firearm before you have issues. Most worry wayyyyyy too much about barrel sensitivity.
Click to expand...
unless you're a competitive shooter, in which case you'll go through a couple barrels per season


also, don't use bore snakes on precision rifles. most precision shooters don't even use brushes
 
Yes and those gases do wear on all three areas, as you said, people will cut off the chamber end of the barrel, then have it rechambered.

The bullet and gases going down the barrel will cause it to heat up. That and it will cause wear on the rifling as the bullet travels through the barrel.
 
I know it would depend upon certain factors, the bullet, the barrel fit, type of rifling, materials, but I would hazard a guess that at least 25% of the heat generated is from friction?
 
My marksmanship isn't up to a standard where this seems necessary. I have followed the written advice that came with my new custom barrels from MGM and PacMor, but those are exceptions.

Admittedly, most of my rifles were bought used or surplus. My usual break-in, particularly with a new hammer-forged barrel, is whatever factory or handloaded ammo I need to burn through to get the rifle zeroed properly. I'm always more concerned with keeping the bore and chamber reasonably clean between sessions than conditioning a new bore.
 
Even thirty years ago, in my benchrest competition days, barrel break-in was a contentious topic. About half did it and half didn't, and those old boys could really go after each other on the topic. I stayed out of it myself, because I noticed early on that both groups won their share of matches. I figure that's still a clue...
 
.38 Special said:
I figure that's still a clue...
Click to expand...
perhaps, if the "pro break in" crowd's contention is that break in improves accuracy.

my contention has always been that it improves standard deviation of velocity, which interestingly, most benchresters would never even notice, because they don't even weigh powder.
 
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