According to this article (link posted by Bfoosh006), the grander purpose of break in is to polish the tooling marks from the throat.
http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Break_...246-wp2558.htm
I have never heard this in any thread, post, or from other barrel makers. I do NOT believe what Krieger is saying about the throat. By the time you've fired enough rounds to
remove tool marks left from the reamer, you've done quite a bit of shooting!! It seems to me that Krieger
must be talking about lapping, as opposed to barrel break-in, which is the topic of this thread. Is Kreiger's word so unquestionable as to be the gospel truth? The president has more authority and wider audience than Keiger, and I don;t believe what he says, so where is Kreiger's absolute authority?
I don;t buy it. I'll just say, in opposition to the masses, that barrel break-in requires about 60 rounds, about 20 extra cleanings, and about 4 hours time, with the rounds fiired and cleaning added to the life of the barrel. With some shooters shooting substantially more than 1000 rounds over the life of the barrel, I do not see the objection to smoothing the bore and preventing future copper fouling.
Some object because, as they say, "It's not the rounds fired, but the cleaning". When asked to expound on this, these men will say "improper cleaning does more damage than....". Well, "improper cleaning" is an issue separate and apart from barrel break-in.
Assuming that someone will use their cleaning equipment improperly shows little faith in the skill of other shooters and suggests a lack of faith in self. I think even the article (from the link) mentions this, which truly (unlike the oft-used LOL), again truly, made me laugh.
Break it in.....if you've got the time ( a couple of three or four hours). I understand when guys just can;t find the time. That's ok. In that case, don't break it in. But when guys don;t have that much time, how do they find time to shoot at all? Accuracy requires proficiency, which requires practice, which requires dedication, all of which requires time. But....we knew this already............. right?
As I said, there is just no way for the average shooter to qualify the benefits of barrel break-in. However, in light of information available to us, I cannot imagine a shooter with a brand new rifle foresaking the break-in process. Are we in such a hurry to "shoot the gun and quickly get back home?" How many of these threads have there been? Many, with many an (unintended) humorous post. There have been a few funny ones
just in this thread. Heck, maybe mine are humorous, though it would be completely unintended.
D)
If anyone here has
any experience building Volkswagen or other air-cooled engines, you will definitely understand what is happening during
that break-in process. Apply to new rifles.
Break it in.