Breaking In a New Barrel

[Berserker]

I shoot at my own property. Even if you don't, buying a new gun is an event. I am not super anal about it. But I do clean it more in the begining.



Also cleaning your gun more often, makes it easier to keep clean.

I am not good enough to notice, but was just reading in Lyman 49, how some bench rest shooters think accuracy suffers 20 shots. Though someone said you need that much dirt in their for accuracy. I tend to believe a clean barrel is more accurate then dirty. But I have not proved it.

Letting your barrel cool down isnt bad either, though I usually bring another gun for that time.

 

[GBExpat]

I just received the upper I ordered for the AR15 I'm building. It had a tag attached that said I need to do the following..."After firing one round, clean the chamber and bore...repeat for the next 25 rounds. Next, fire 10 rounds followed by chamber and bore cleaning...this should be repeated until 100 rounds have been fired." Is this necessary? If so, what is the reasoning behind it?...

In my opinion and experience, that is just Silly.

 

[Art Eatman]

"So one guy on the Firing Line convinced Remington, Savage, Weatherby, Winchester,"

No, Berserker. Wrong. Go back and read the Gale McMillan cite, for starters.

I've no clue who got it going at the gun companies. But somebody had to be the first proponent. SFAIK, the concept began somewhere in the 1990s since it was not talked about prior to that in gunshops or at shows. Phil Sharpe was a world-renowned expert in firearms, writing in the 1930s-1950s, and he never mentioned it.

Usual deal: Somebody has an idea; somebody else buys into it and just like a phone tree, the idea spreads--and becomes Gospel.

 

[Jim Watson]

If I had a McMillan barrel, I wouldn't break it in; the founder said it was not necessary.

But I have a Pac Nor and a Krieger barrel. The makers recommend a break in ritual. So I broke them in. They shoot accurately and clean easily. Better than if I had just started hammering them with hundred round match programmes? How to know?

Stuff about wasted barrel life is BS. By the time I had completed the procedure, I had a hundred yard zero and chronograph readings to compute come-ups for longer ranges. Shooting that I would have done anyhow. The only added expense was some solvent and patches. And the added time, but hey, I shoot for the fun of it anyhow.


And as far as Phil Sharpe's expertise, he was not expecting - and getting - half MOA groups. Break in effects of a modern target rifle barrel would be lost in the noise of bullet construction and loading in a day when you had to worry about the very shape of your primer.



Mr McMillan didn't think much about barrel fluting, either; saying that its main effect is to transfer money from you to the machinist. I have been called names for pointing that out, yet his opinion on break in is taken as gospel... by some.

 

[dvdcrr]

Gentlemen, I hope this helps

Day One: Get your cleaning supplies handy, put a blindfold on and begin to unbox the rifle. It is important that you do not even lay eyes on the rifle, before it is cleaned. Make sure your are wearing clean white gloves. With your blindfold in place clean the rifle using a coated rod and many patches. When the rifle is thoroughly cleaned, and before you have looked at it, put it in the rifle case. Go take a shower and go to church.

Day Two: Take the rifle to the range and get it set up on some good sandbags. Get a factory cartridge out and make sure it is clean and free from debris. Open the bolt and put it in the chamber. Begin to close the bolt, but stop half way and eject the cartridge. Thouroughly clean the rifle bore. Repeat three times. Next chamber a round and carefully take the first shot. Next get an old Volkswagon or Pinto and cut off the top and roll up the windows. Completely fill the cab with Hoppes #9 and clean patches. Use a boat oar to mix this around. Carefully set your barreled action in the solution (back seat.) and walk away from it for a month. Retrieve your barreled action and wipe it down with a clean lint free cloth. Clean the Bore.

Repeat Step 2 for the first 100 shots.

After this the rifle should be carefully enough broken-in so that you can sleep peacefully at night.

 

[M-Cameron]

Mr McMillan didn't think much about barrel fluting, either; saying that its main effect is to transfer money from you to the machinist. I have been called names for pointing that out, yet his opinion on break in is taken as gospel... by some.

Barrel fluting saves some weight, and looks cool.....but thats about it.

it doesnt do anything for accuracy, or otherwise improve performance of the barrel.

 

[Berserker]

I don't think the intent is to improve accuracy.

 

[Nickel Plated]

I believe the whole "break in" thing started in the black powder days, and just kept going as a common practice. Except it was really seasoning and not break-in.
The process was to pour boiling water down the bore constantly until you could feel the barrel get hot. The run several patches with something like Borebutter down the barrel. The steel will retain the grease, "seasoning" the surface much like an iron skillet and make it easier to clean the barrel from then on since the fouling won't stick to the metal.

Pretty sure that's not necessary any longer with smokeless powders.

 

[Berserker]

Not heard that one before. Besides the guy from TX said it started in the 90s.

 

[MCMXI]

When the so called "experts" here, and that includes Gale McMillan, have set the number of world records held by Krieger barrels I'll start listening to them. In the meantime, as an owner of three Krieger barrels I'll follow their actual expert advice and leave all the opinions to the amateurs.

https://kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin

 

[M-Cameron]

When the so called "experts" here, and that includes Gale McMillan, have set the number of world records held by Krieger barrels I'll start listening to them. In the meantime, as an owner of three Krieger barrels I'll follow their actual expert advice and leave all the opinions to the amateurs.

https://kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin

I may not be world record holder......but i do know my way around a rifle, and do most of my own gunsmithing.

im running a Shillen barrel, and just for kicks, i decided to see what shillen said about break in procedures.....

How should I break-in my new Shilen barrel?
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal.

now like i said, im no world record holder....but im no ding-bat either....this is how my Shillen barrel group for me(supported prone), with no break in......



so yeah, im in no rush to adopt a "break in" procedure any time soon.

 

[MCMXI]

And when Shilen has 1/10th of the world records held by Krieger I'll pay them some attention. A lot of this stuff is semantics. Every barrel is breaking in when you shoot it. People get hung up on the term "breaking in" but it's just another way of saying "wearing". My personal experience with barrels from numerous manufacturers including McGowen, Lothar (AI), Bartlein (AI) Krieger, Criterion, Bergara, Rock Creek and OEM from too many to mention is that the good ones, once worn in (broken in) don't foul (excessively) with copper and don't have a cold/clean vs. hot/dirty POI shift.

 

[jeepmor]

I clean my new rifle as normal. Then I use a double patch over a jag with a small amount of auto rubbing compound. I run run this through about 3-4 iterations, then I'm done, I go shooting.

All my guns are exceedingly easy to clean and I don't see any accuracy issues. It's simple, not science, or endorsed by any gurus. However, it works for me and one pistol it made it a breeze to clean and no longer fouls much with copper.

Flame as you wish, just sharing.

 

[Sol]

Gentlemen, I hope this helps

Day One: Get your cleaning supplies handy, put a blindfold on and begin to unbox the rifle. It is important that you do not even lay eyes on the rifle, before it is cleaned. Make sure your are wearing clean white gloves. With your blindfold in place clean the rifle using a coated rod and many patches. When the rifle is thoroughly cleaned, and before you have looked at it, put it in the rifle case. Go take a shower and go to church.

Day Two: Take the rifle to the range and get it set up on some good sandbags. Get a factory cartridge out and make sure it is clean and free from debris. Open the bolt and put it in the chamber. Begin to close the bolt, but stop half way and eject the cartridge. Thouroughly clean the rifle bore. Repeat three times. Next chamber a round and carefully take the first shot. Next get an old Volkswagon or Pinto and cut off the top and roll up the windows. Completely fill the cab with Hoppes #9 and clean patches. Use a boat oar to mix this around. Carefully set your barreled action in the solution (back seat.) and walk away from it for a month. Retrieve your barreled action and wipe it down with a clean lint free cloth. Clean the Bore.

Repeat Step 2 for the first 100 shots.

After this the rifle should be carefully enough broken-in so that you can sleep peacefully at night.

You tricked us, you never told us to remove the blindfold!!

This barrel break in stuff sounds like a bunch of nonsense.

I do however, break in a pair of shoes before I do any serious walking/ hiking in them.

 

[notaglockfanboy]

Out of all the rifles I own, one has had a thirty round break in. Don't see any evidence of better accuracy, but it does clean easier. YMMV

 

[Art Eatman]

Has anybody beaten 0.009?

http://www.shootingtimes.com/long-guns/longgun_reviews_st_legacyofps_200911/

 

[Nickel Plated]

People get hung up on the term "breaking in" but it's just another way of saying "wearing".

Perhaps. But maybe not. I know guns and engines are two different things. But on any internal combustion engine, yes, even modern ones. There is a very specific break in procedure that will help the engine run better over it's whole life and it's very different from just running it as normal.

 

[denton]

As some have pointed out, the point of breaking in a barrel is NOT simple accuracy. The accuracy of the first few dozen shots out of a newly cleaned barrel is completely unaffected by break-in.

What break-in accomplishes is to increase the number of shots before copper accumulation does start to affect accuracy.

The effect of break-in is easily demonstrated in barrels that need break-in. And it rarely takes 100 rounds if you make sure you get ALL the copper out when you clean. 12-15 rounds, cleaning after every shot, then another 15 rounds cleaning after every third shot usually does the trick. Your barrel will tell you what you need.

If your barrel copper fouls more than you like, a break-in is a good choice. If it doesn't bother you, or your barrel doesn't need it, then, not so much.

 

[HoploDad]

Got a new .30-06, my first new centerfire ever. The manufacturer suggested a similar break in so I did it. I like shooting, I like cleaning and I had a place to shoot for free. It took longer than I thought and may not have been necessary. People shook their heads, the ones on this forum politely, to their credit. But I have missed no deer or targets yet with that rifle and I feel like I did my best to maintain the instrument.

Once I saw a State Trooper with deer whistles on the front of his cruiser. I asked him, "Do those things really work?". He replied, "I haven't hit a deer yet." So I have deer whistles on my car too.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Errr...

I haven't read any of the links posted on this, yet, but I'll say right from the get-go that this doesn't pass the common sense check.

How many factory new guns do you suppose were test fired/cleaned like this at the factory, before they were ever shipped out? The cost in manpower alone would be phenomenal.

This would involve cleaning the gun...what? 33 times? BEFORE it's shipped to a retailer?

I think not.

Guns are test fired at the factory once, that I know of. In some cases, the brass cartridge is shipped with the gun.

And no manual I've ever read on any gun I've ever bought, and a few manuals otherwise, has ever said anything about such a break in routine.

So, logistically this fails the common sense check.

 

[Berserker]

Perhaps. But maybe not. I know guns and engines are two different things. But on any internal combustion engine, yes, even modern ones. There is a very specific break in procedure that will help the engine run better over it's whole life and it's very different from just running it as normal.

I am a gear head, which is why I think I put some effort into it breaking in barrels. I also think about the heat and contrating of new barrel.


As smart as we are here posting on a forum, there are tons of articles and manufacturers who say to do it. I can see the manufactuers doing it, just to seem like they are being informative though.

I did put extra effort into the .243 I just bought with a heavy barrel, because I want to set that up for long range shooting. I bought another 30-06 for deer hunting last fall, I put some effort, but not as much, since I hunt in the woods.

I don't really consider the the shots wasted, cause I am sighting the gun in.

I am planning on building a bench at my place, and one thing I want to do is set up a portable vise. Running a patch through every so many shots, will probably make it easier to clean.

I measure out powder charge for accuracy, so keeping a clean gun doesn't seem like a bad idea either.

 

[Berserker]

Errr...

I haven't read any of the links posted on this, yet, but I'll say right from the get-go that this doesn't pass the common sense check.

How many factory new guns do you suppose were test fired/cleaned like this at the factory, before they were ever shipped out? The cost in manpower alone would be phenomenal.

This would involve cleaning the gun...what? 33 times? BEFORE it's shipped to a retailer?

I think not.

Guns are test fired at the factory once, that I know of. In some cases, the brass cartridge is shipped with the gun.

And no manual I've ever read on any gun I've ever bought, and a few manuals otherwise, has ever said anything about such a break in routine.

So, logistically this fails the common sense check.

No it is not in the manual, but is on some manufactuers websites.

I am not sure what this has to do with manufactuers test firing a gun. Car manufactuers don't put your engine on a dyno to break it in, they expect you to.

Only brass I have got is from handguns, because some states reqiuire it.

 

[denton]

And no manual I've ever read on any gun I've ever bought

I've had the opposite experience with a couple of rifles I've bought.

 

[Berserker]

I've had the opposite experience with a couple of rifles I've bought.

I think they will ignore you or disregard.

It is not so much that I believe in breaking in a barrell, as I disagree with the people against it.

 

[denton]

Well, I get ignored a lot. It doesn't hurt much.

There are two things that people ignore about break-in: 1) Some barrels benefit from it and others don't, and 2) The purpose of break-in is to extend the time between copper cleanings. Well, add to that that you have to get ALL the copper out at each cleaning for it to be effective. For barrels that benefit from break-in, the experimental evidence it is very clear that it does that.

If your barrel fouls more than you like, a break-in is the price of reducing the problem. If you don't care, or if your barrel doesn't foul much, then it isn't worth the effort.

Here's what Browning says:

Question:
What is the recommended procedure for breaking in a new barrel?

Answer:
For the first ten shots we recommend, if possible, using jacketed bullets. After firing each bullet, use a good copper cleaner (one that has ammonia) to remove copper fouling in the barrel. Always follow the directions listed on the cleaning solvent package or barrel damage may occur. We do NOT recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated. If you look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, you will see a light copper-colored wash in the barrel. This must be removed before firing the next shot. Somewhere in the procedure, around shot 6 or 7, it will be obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel. Continue applications through shot 10.

If you have any ammunition left, you then may shoot two rounds and clean it for the next ten shots. This is simply insurance that the burnishing process has been completed.

In theory what you have just accomplished is the closing of the pores of the barrel metal which have been opened and exposed through the cutting and lapping procedures.

After following the procedure, your barrel's interior surface will be sealed and should shoot cleaner and develop less fouling for the rest of its shooting life.

It is not so much that I believe in breaking in a barrell, as I disagree with the people against it.

The evidence supports your position.