Barrel Break-in

[Live2offroad]

So, I'm sure this has been beaten to death but I want to get it right..

In ten (long) days I'll be picking up my first brand new long gun. I've had many rifles in my life but always second hand. As that is the case I've never really had to go through the barrel break-in period. There are tons of opinion's on this issue and I'm wondering what the current thinking is?

My understanding is that the traditional procedure should go like this:


1. Clean rifle and barrel well prior to first shot
2. Clean barrel (with good solvent) after every shot for the first 10 shots.
3. Clean barrel after every 2nd shot for the next ten shots.
4. Clean after five shot groups for the next 30 rounds.
5. After 50 shots throughly clean and inspect the action and barrel.

And I should keep it to about a shot a minute, to avoid over heating the barrel in this period.

Does this about cover it? Is fire lapping better?

 

[Liberty1776]

This is my own opinion only. It depends on what the gun is. If it's the basic, average hunting rifle, that's way too much work (for me). I always clean a new purchase before shooting, whether used or new gun. I often only use a bore snake. If a brand new barrel and I am concerned about break-in, I shoot three, three shot groups, cleaning after each. I then feel I am good to go, especially with a hunting rifle. I then start to shoot 5 shot groups, keeping bbl cool, and clean after each shooting day. Firelapping for 99% of all guns is a wasted effort. Again, this is only my opinion. 99% of shooters never shoot a gun enough to seriously impact bbl condition or longevity.

 

[benzy2]

I've heard mixed reviews on break-in. Some swear by it and others swear at it. While many manufacturers suggest it, they sell barrels and every round down the bore is one less until the barrel is to be replaced. Not to say break-in is or isn't a good idea, but just that the manufacturer may have a little more reason to state a break-in than strictly the best performance.

 

[j2crows]

Many, many opinions on this subject. For a factory barrel I clean after every shot for the first 10 rounds. After the last shot cleaning I will run several patches through the barrel, (about 200-300 strokes) using Flitz metal polish, cleanup and call it good.

 

[Geckgo]

search "barrel break-in"

 

[Live2offroad]

search "barrel break-in"

I did, and brought back replies to the Nth degree.. After reading and reading a myriad of responses I figured I'd see who had new, or really firm, thoughts on the matter.

-Peter

 

[00]

If your gun manufacturer didn't specify, no need for barrel break-in.

Waste of time IMO.

 

[jerkface11]

Clean it before you shoot it and when you come back from the range. My .260 barrel showed no fouling at all after 20 shots. So cleaning after every shot would have done nothing.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

waste of time imo.

bingo!!!!!!

 

[Sooner1911]

The procedures you have listed are essentially what I do except I just shoot as normal after the 20 rounds. Can I say that it makes my barrel last longer or makes it more accurate? No I can't. However, I can say that I have not yet experienced a "lemon" in any of my various rifle including, Remington 700s, Tikkas, Winchesters, a Sako, and a Weatherby. That could be luck or it could be that there is something to the break in process. It costs me nothing, or almost so, it helps me familiarize myself with that rifle, and the shots are not wasted,IMO, as I have it sighted the rifle in and am getting an idea of the groups by the end of the break in process. Cheap insurance for a $700 to $1500 investment. Plus, cleaning is part of the whole shooting experience and it gives one a chance to visit with other shooters and maybe even observe technique of other shooters while cleaning. All part of the fun IMO.

 

[ghostwriter]

when the group opens up, clean it. If it don't, leave it alone, drag a boresnake thru to clean loose before shooting and enjoy it. The barrel will tell you when it needs cleaned. Ask some of the shooters who actually shoot tournaments, like Darrel Buell for Savage.
Excessive cleaning will do more harm to the barrel than not cleaning at all.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I did, and brought back replies to the Nth degree.. After reading and reading a myriad of responses I figured I'd see who had new, or really firm, thoughts on the matter.

-Peter

And you expect THIS thread to be any different and bring fourth some groundbreaking revelations WHY?


Tapatalk post via IPhone.

 

[Geckgo]

Welcome to the board Live2offroad. Yea, nothing new has been uncovered as long as I've been into guns. The general argument always boils down to the break-in procedure taking some of the "edge" off the throat or some such buisness. IMO, range time with a high-powered rifle IS breaking it in. Bring your cleaning kit with you and hit it up between groups if it'll make you feel better. I clean my rifle after every trip to the range and I usually only shoot off a box or two of ammo at the most with my deer gun, so it stays pretty clean.

My .22 on the other hand will get hundreds of rounds through it until it starts feeling "gummy". I run a bore snake and shoot another hundred rounds before I get it home, when I take it apart and clean it good before putting it up.

 

[Art Eatman]

Remember that the guys at gun companies who holler about some break-in process were told that by somebody else, back when they were young--and took some Olde Geezer's word as "This is what must be done." And then the word spreads and as usual if enough people holler, somebody believes it.

I never heard of barrel break-in until 1999, at The Firing Line.com. Just think: From 1950 to 1999, all my sub-MOA groups must have been fig-newtons of my imagination.

The world champion bench rester called it Hooey. Gale McMillan. Built a rifle or two in his day.

So: Shooting is burnishing. The first bunch of shots--I dunno, 50? 100?--polish the barrel. And there is a difference between polishing and removing metal. Think about jeweler's rouge, as example. In general, I'd never shoot a serious rifle at a fast rate; it accelerates the burning of the leade. I guess my curiosity is about all this cleaning between rounds at the range. I've never shot any rifle which was particularly dirty after my initial setting up and sighting in of the scope, and then a group or three as a check on the effort.

 

[kk0g]

If your gun manufacturer didn't specify, no need for barrel break-in.

Waste of time IMO.

......and if your gun manufacturer did specify it's still a waste of time.

 

[Live2offroad]

And you expect THIS thread to be any different and bring fourth some groundbreaking revelations WHY?

I don't really, but nothing ventured nothing gained..

-Pete

 

[taliv]

The world champion bench rester called it Hooey. Gale McMillan. Built a rifle or two in his day.

when you say that, you make it sound as if there is only one. in reality, there are dozens if not hundreds and after a quick search, I only saw Gale's name next to the 5-shot 100 yrd for group record in the light varmint class. many of the other records are frankly a good bit more impressive, like Sarver's 1.3" 5-shot group at 1000 yrds.

I'm not trying to make light of Gale's impressive accomplishment, just saying if we're going to appeal to authorities, I'd look for a little more modern authority, or one with lots of records, or at least someone in the benchrest hall of fame. I mean seriously, his group was shot in 1973. Maybe the art of steel and barrel making hasn't changed since then, but i hope it has.



allow me to recap the debate:

Gale says in this famous article http://www.6mmbr.com/gailmcmbreakin.html

one has ever told me the physical reason of what happens during break-in firing. In other words what, to the number of pounds of powder shot at any given pressure, is the life of the barrel. No one has ever explained what is being accomplished by shooting and cleaning in any prescribed method.

then Krieger explains exactly what is happening and exactly what he thinks shooting and cleaning accomplishes. http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Break_In__Cleaning-c1246-wp2558.htm

and so does Lilja http://riflebarrels.com/articles/barrel_making/barrel_fouling.htm (8th paragraph down)

and so does Bartlein http://www.bartleinbarrels.com/BreakInCleaning.htm


and then the conversation stops. that's it.


Of course, in an actual debate, what we'd normally expect would be someone to respond to Krieger/Lilja/Bartlein's public comments and say why they're wrong. But nobody's done that so far as I have seen.

No, what we have here is just people stuck in a do loop. "but Gale said", "but Gale said", "but Gale said" yeah. I know what he said. Someone posts it every other week. But until the resurrection, he's not going to be able to contribute much more to this discussion.

Can someone please explain why Bartlein/Lilja/Krieger are wrong?

 

[Howard Roark]

Thank you taliv for posting that. You summed up what I think every time this comes up. How long has it been since McMillan has made a barrel? 10 years or more?

They now use Schneider barrels on their T2Ks and the rest of their rifles have barrels "from the finest barrel makes in the country".

One ten year old statement doesn't make a game changer. No matter how smooth the rifling is lapped from the factory when the chamber is cut there will be edges that need to be smoothed down. Shoot em out and take a chance of dragging crap down the bore at 50K psi or lap it out. I'll take the latter.

 

[NCsmitty]

Can someone please explain why Bartlein/Lilja/Krieger are wrong?

silence


As I have mentioned many times in these discussions, follow the manufacturer's recommendations.



NCsmitty

 

[blarby]

I think giving proper reverence to your new angel on a first date is a great idea.

Machines have ego's too, and they liked to be stroked.

 

[A-FIXER]

I performed a like after shooting each round on my first shots. But do I think it was required No. As I see it each time I pulled the trigger it went Bang... and I verified it on my target, could I have shot it again without cleaning it yes but I offended NoOne during my cleaning and shot again,repeated process until I was done shooting that rifle for the day. What I did find out was this I spend the better part of the day shooting at a target ( I hit well) and enjoying the company of others sharing the sport of outdoors and firearms and just having a great day. And when I am not shooting in a NEW rifle I enjoy the same each time I go and shoot. So to me it may or maynot be a rule of thumb but if I do it so be it and the times I don't.....hooie on new rifles I still get to shoot something I own....

 

[jerkface11]

Barrel makers recommend break in? Really? Someone who sells barrels recommends you do something that will make them wear out faster? NO WAY!!

 

[taliv]

yes jerkface, your logic is unassailable. krieger is just a used car salesman lying to us all because he wants a 10 month backlog instead of a 6 month backlog of orders.

 

[win71]

The world champion bench rester called it Hooey. Gale McMillan. Built a rifle or two in his day.

Unless Gale's world champion groups are still world records I think maybe

in his day

might be a clue here. I don't recall any kind of record or any kind of championship in any competition shooting sport being won or set with a Gale McMillian barrel in years. Now, either some other barrel makers barrels are better or.........heaven forbid, every barrel made by Gale McMillian is no longer "accurate".
Hopefully there are better barrels out there. If there aren't, and all those wonderfully accurate McMillian barrels are no longer accurate, I sure do hope it isn't from a lack of break-in.

Sorry Art, tongue in cheek mostly. But it does make sense...............

 

[P-32]

This is what Krieger says about barrel break in.

http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Break_In__Cleaning-c1246-wp2558.htm

I followed their recommendations for my stainless AR barrel. The barrel makes little to no copper. And boy does it shoot.

Hey Jerkface, Krieger doesn't eat up too much of their barrels, all of about 13 rounds for a stainless barrel and 33 rounds max for a Moly barrel.