Barrel Break in, is it sometimes necessary?

[redneck]

I've read lots of the arguments on here saying that it doesn't matter, or that it does matter. I kind of leaned towards the doesn't matter side of the fence after reading it all.

Now I have a new rifle and its got me wondering.

Its a Marlin 81ts (.22 rimfire) and the bore is incredibly dirty. I cleaned it good before shooting it the first time, then shot 5 rounds of CB long through it and pulled the bolt to see what was going on. HUGE amount of fouling.
I ran a few patches through and then fired 5 rounds of CCI mini mag hollow points. Pulled the bolt and almost as much fouling.
Ran a few patches and then decided to see how accuracy was. Shot 50 rounds of the CB's, and I think its shooting OK. Took me awhile to get used to it, and get the iron sights dialed in, but I was holding around an inch free hand from 50ft for 10 shot groups by the end. Not spectacular, but I'm not quite used to it.

Pulled the bolt again, and the bore is filthy.

So the question is, do I just continue shooting and not worry about it? Stick with Jacketed ammo for a few hundred rounds?

Accuracy and reliability seem fine. I've never shot a gun with microgroove rifling, or even a new rifle for that matter so I don't really know what I'm supposed to expect.

Any thoughts?

Oh yeah, fouling seems to start halfway down the barrel. Could it just be powder residue?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[swifter]

I used to advocate barrel break-in. I've come full circle: Factory barrel, clean it to start, don't let it get too hot, don't worry about it too much. Custom barrel... Clean it to start, polish with JB, clean frequently, never let it get hot. Rimfire: Clean it before shooting, clean it again when accuracy deteriorates.
And I don't much care what Saint Gale had to say on the subject...
Tom

 

[Jaywalker]

Like you, I lean toward the "barrel break-in is useless," but that doesn't seem to be what you're describing. The .22 rimfire bullet is "outside lubricated," and will normally leave a lot of residue in the barrel. The school solution is to shoot it the way it is unless the accuracy falls below your standards, then clean it. It might take a while to get it to shoot well again after cleaning, though; that tells me the barrel likes a level of "fouling."

Also, FWIW, I never put a cleaning rod into a rimfire barrel. I've always believed that the steel in a 22 barrel is softer than that in a centerfire. (It operates at lower pressures, and doesn't need to be as hard, and manufacturer tooling will last a lot longer if they build the barrels softer.)

I've always shot the gilt-metal bullets, thinking they were cleaner and higher quality. That's no longer true, if it ever was. The highest quality target ammo is "lead" colored. Also, the copper wash on some of the bullets will leave a copper residue in the barrel, which could, over thousands of rounds, be hard to get out. You might have to use a rod and brush to get rid of copper fouling, especially if you're a competition target shooter. Once I use up my copper-colored bullets, I'll be looking for permanent replacements.

Again, FWIT, Ross Seyfried, writes in the July 2003 "Rifle" magazine, "To me, barrel break-in is one of the worst snake oils perpetrated on shooters since the invention of gunpowder."

Jaywalker

 

[redneck]

Thanks alot guys
I'm gonna keep shootin, and not worry about it unless I can't get acceptable accuracy out of it. Its got a 5 year warranty, and marlin has a great reputation so I can't see how I can hurt myself by just leaving it be and using it.
I hadn't thought of the lube leaving a residue.
As far as plating/jacketing on rounds. Its main use will be plinking, and popping racoons in traps from time to time. So it will eat a lot of CB's and remington subsonic HP's. No jacket. I'll shoot some of the higher velocity JHP's an stuff from time to time to keep a feel for it since it will be my choice for varmints out roaming around, but not nearly as much as the other. So buildup of copper or brass won't be too big of an issue.

Thanks again.

 

[nextjoe]

My .22 barrels get cleaned when they come out of the box the first time, and usually not at all after that. The wax from the bullets keeps the bore from rusting, and I don't notice any build-up of fouling or loss of accuracy. The rest of the gun is cleaned regularly, of course, but I leave the bore alone.

Best,
Joe

 

[DMK]

The wax from the bullets keeps the bore from rusting

I hear that all the time, and I can see the logic with lead bullets. But what about if you shoot copper plated bullets like Winchester Dynapoints or Remmy Golden Bullets?

 

[nextjoe]

I don't shoot copper plated bullets

Best,
Joe

 

[Gunsmokehigh]

Redneck: I too have two Marlin .22's and I love them both. Model 39A and Model 7000 Target Semi-Auto (Awesome accuracy!)
I shoot Remington Sub-Sonic Hollowpoints a lot. But I also shoot Winchester 40 grain Power-Point Hollow Points too, which is very accurate and a great squirrel/racoon round. The copper jackets have caused no problem whatsoever after thousands of rounds. They are coated with Lubaloy.
I don't clean them until they get dirty from powder residue. The Micro-groove barrels do not require much cleaning to shoot well. A little fouling in the bore (half way down) will probably not affect your group size.
Avoid using too much oil. Never use anything like WD-40 that builds up, attracts carbon and dirt and eventually cakes up.

Marlin .22's rule!

 

[gun-fucious]

My Marlin Model 60 instruction sheet does not mention cleaning the bore

 

[redneck]

Thanks
The instructions booklet with my gun said cleaning was not necessary unless it got wet or exosed to a lot of dirt.
I just noticed the bore was dirty when I got it, so I cleaned it up and then checked it again after a few rounds out of curiosity.


How close is the point of impact between the Rem subsonics and the Winchester Powerpoints?

I have about 100 rounds of CB Longs through my gun now and accuracy is about the same if not a little better. Shot a few more minimags though and even from 50ft they aren't even on target with the sights set for the CB's.
I gotta figure out a fairly quiet plinking round to go with a good varmint/hunting bullet. Probably end up marking the elevation adjustments for both rounds.

 

[JohnBT]

I've always kept the crud pushed out of my .22 barrels so the air can circulate and the unburned powder won't attract moisture. If you don't live in a high humidity area I guess you don't need to worry about it.

A 70% or 75% day is quite comfortable to me. High humidity still makes me sweat and when the sun comes out after the daily thunderstorm it gets downright sticky. Some evenings after dark I'll turn the AC on for an hour just to cool off a little while the upstairs airs out.

My first trip to Nevada got me laughing the first day when a local girl complained about the high humidity - 30% to 35%. I'd never seen a bathing suit dry in 5 minutes. Around here stuff is often still wet or damp the next day.

Anyway, do what you think is right.

John

 

[SelfProclaimedExpert]

A rimfire .22 shouldn't lead up, but they occasionally do. My MKII leaded up once - bullets were coming out sideways.

If your bore can't be made shiny with a string and oiled Qtip, it may be leaded. After you get that out, shoot quality .22 ammo in it (copper washed/plated seems cleaner) and do the Qtip thing occasionally. The Marlin microgroove bore is quite smooth and shouldn't get dirty easily.

 

[Gunsmokehigh]

Redneck: You asked:
"How close is the point of impact between the Rem subsonics and the Winchester Powerpoints?"

In my Marlin 7000 the Rem Subsonics print same poi at short ranges 15-40 yards. But at 50 yards they drop about an inch or inch and a half from the poi of the Winchester Power-points for which the gun is zeroed at 50 yards.

Remington Golden hollowpoint 36 grain are just a smidge higher than the power-points and are good for squirrels in the very top of very high trees.

Why are you worried about the noise so much? Hunting close to the city limits? I am fortunate that my house property is on the city limits boundary and my neighbors do not mind if I shoot my .22. But if I were in town I would use only CB's with judicious timing to avoid aggravating or frightening any neighbors who might not be so nice as my neighbors.

 

[redneck]

Not in the city, just try to avoid bothering people (have neighbors close on both sides). Sounds like the Rem subsonics are the way to go. I ran a box through an older gun and they weren't too bad.
Thanks