Breaking in new rifle

[hdbiker]

Any advice on first shots break in on my new (1992 Ruger 77 Mark 11 ,collectors gun ).It's never been fired since shipped from factory in 1992.It's in .308 Win. Thanks folks hdbiker

 

[mljdeckard]

Clean out any preservatives and factory lubes, lube it and shoot it.

 

[50 Shooter]

Agreed, clean it well, lube the internals and then. shoot it. As far as the barrel goes, clean it at the range if you get leading issues (shooting lead), other then that clean it when you get home.

 

[Bobson]

You're going to get a lot of back and forth on this one.

Many people feel that new barrels need to be broken-in by following very specific instructions, which often includes cleaning it repeatedly between each 3-5 shots for the first 20-40 rounds, and those first 20-40 rounds are often supposed to be specific. For example, IIRC Winchester recommends copper-plated bullets to minimize lead fouling during the first 20 rounds. They also claim that using copper will help repair any minor inconsistencies in the barrel, and reduce lead buildup in the future.

Then on the other side of the fence, you'll have people who say that barrel break-in procedure is a waste of time and doesn't accomplish anything. Some of these people are manufacturers of custom, high quality barrels (I believe Shilen is one who says break-in is unnecessary, but I could be mistaken), so take that for what it's worth.

Bottom line is there is no consensus. If you think its important, check with the barrel's manufacturer and do what they suggest.

 

[carbine85]

Most production guns don't require a break in but it's recommended to clean them before shooting and cleaning after a few rounds. Target rifles require different treatment all together.

 

[Laphroaig]

I agree with carbine regarding production guns, but it can't hurt anything either. Kreiger recommends a break in regimen that isn't too rigorous, I can't remember it exactly but check out their website. I try to do a similar routine with 20 - 25 rounds depending how I feel that day.

Trust me, I don't clean my rifles every time I shoot them, but if I can't devote 3 - 4 hours for a new gun, shame on me. It doesn't happen that often. At least it will be sighted in and clean when you're done.

 

[Deadheadted37]

Give it a good cleaning and shoot it.

 

[briansmithwins]

I'm in the clean it, lube it, and shoot it camp.

OTOH, pretty all my rifles* have hardchromed bores, and barrel break-in isn't really going to do much.

BSW

*Except the 10/22

 

[jim243]

All new barrels have microscopic tool marks in them from when the rifling was put in, the process of removing them is called lapping. This is done within the first 10 to 20 rounds fired through the gun. After that you should be good to go as far as accuracy is concerned.

Clean before use and after the first 20 rounds or so. You then should have a very accurate rifle.

Jim

 

[briansmithwins]

All new barrels have microscopic tool marks in them when the rifling was put in, the process of removing them is called lapping.

Cold hammer forged barrels can have very fine, mirror shiny, internal finish.

BSW

 

[jim243]

Cold hammer forged barrels can have very fine, mirror shiny, internal finish.

When they draw the reamer through that produces the rifling, that is where you will find the MICROSCOPIC imperfections. That's what you are lapping.

Jim

 

[HexHead]

I followed Weatherby's instructions with both of mine. Clean and allow barrel to cool in between shots for the first 10 rounds. Repeat the clean/cool after each 10 rounds for the next 30. Total of 40 rounds.

They're only new once.

 

[Comrade Mike]

Shoot, go home, clean, oil, back in safe.

There, your barrel is now broken in

 

[Deer_Freak]

There are many methods people use to break in new barrels. Any barrel regardless of the quality or price is going to have microscopic burs and scratches from the machining process. You can reload ammo with abrasives to "fire lap" the barrel. You can shoot and clean the barrel every few shots or you can just shoot the gun. All the methods I mentioned will break in the barrel. If you just shoot the gun it will take around 200 shots to get the best out of the barrel. Your mileage may vary.

 

[AABEN]

Any advice on first shots break in on my new (1992 Ruger 77 Mark 11 ,collectors gun ).It's never been fired since shipped from factory in 1992.It's in .308 Win. Thanks folks hdbiker

Yes call the maker of your gun and ask them. There is a way that they want you to brake them in. All so there is an web site that says how. GoodLuck

 

[Fremmer]

I don't think a break in will do much, and you'll never truly know one way or the other if the break in did anything. I guess you can do it for psychological reasons, and if that's good enough for you, it's good enough for me too.

Have fun with the new rifle!

 

[50 Shooter]

If you want to cut through all the BS just do a search on Gale McMillan and barrel break in. Don't sweat the small stuff, shoot you rifle and have fun.

 

[aka108]

There are more ways to break in a barrel than are Carter's Liver Pills. If you run across one you like, use it. I really feel that all the various methods are geared to make the firearm's owner think he's doing something to help preserve his purchase for eternity. I have always, for 64 years simply cleaned a new rifle very well to insure no factory debris is present and then go shooting, cleaning the piece after the shooting session in a day or two.

 

[hatwerinrednek]

ive read and used a few different methods on breaking in new barrels and if not done properly you can do more harm than good . the whole idea is to smooth the bore and take out any rough spots. if you clean your gun like a person should this will do the same thing over an extended period of time. its a time consuming process and it sucks. you must clean out all the copper fouling from your barrel to do this properly so you would need an expensive bore scope to ever know if you have removed it.

 

[Elkins45]

I do the clean after every shot for the first five, then after every five for the first 50 procedure that Midway recommends for their Adams and Bennett barrels.

I have no idea if it makes any difference but it gives me something to do while I wait for the barrel to cool between strings. I can't imagine it would hurt anything.

 

[BigBore44]

Ok my two cents as told to me by/from 2 long range shooters. One was a comp shooter. The other, his brother, just did long range prairie dog hunting. But both had completely custom (not factory custom) CUSTOM rifles. Its what I did and my rifle is not only accurate, but super easy to clean.

Took my new rifle, thoroughly cleaned it and took it to the range with a box of Cor-Lokts, 3 brass brushes, many patches, rod, and a bottle of Sweets 7.62, rubbing alcohol, and Rem-oil.

Shoot 1 round. Then clean the barrel with Sweets, brass brush, and alcohol patches, until ZERO copper fouling remains and then allow the barrel to cool. Then shoot another round. Repeat this with the entire box of ammo.

Yes, it takes awhile. But I can shoot 50 rounds through my rifle and there is almost NO copper fouling.

Is it necessary? Idk. But it sure worked for me. And that's how I break in every new gun I get. And they are all very easy to clean after this process. YMMV

 

[A-FIXER]

Here is a method suggested by Howa from Legacy Sport firearms
and the link is :

http://www.legacysports.com/uploads/pdf/NewRifleBreakInProcedure.pdf.

Now after I done this I have had less copper fouling vs a different maker of a different rifle in another .30 cal. The choice is yours as far as I see it '' it will not hurt to try and shows no ill affects.

BREAK-IN PROCEDURE FOR GUN BARRELS USING JACKETED BULLETS
For the first ten shots we recommend using jacketed bullets with a nitro powder load (Most Factory Ammo).
Clean the oil out of the barrel before each shot using a simple window cleaner (like Windex®) which will soak
the oil out of the pores. After firing each cartridge, use a good copper cleaner (one with ammonia) to remove
the copper fouling from the barrel. We do not recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are
trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated.
After cleaning with bore cleaner, clean again with window cleaner after each shot. Use window cleaner
because many bore cleaners use a petroleum base which you want to remove before firing the next shot.
This will keep the carbon from building up in the barrel (oil left in the pores, when burned, turns to carbon).
To keep the temperature cool in the barrel, wait at least 5 minutes between break-in shots. The barrel must
remain cool during the break-in procedure. If the barrel is allowed to heat up during the break-in, it will
destroy the steel’s ability to develop a home registration point, or memory. It will have a tendency to make
the barrel “walk” when it heats up in the future. We have all seen barrels that, as they heat up, start to shoot
high and then “walk” to the right. This was caused by improperly breaking in the barrel (generally by sitting
at a bench rest and shooting 20 rounds in 5 minutes or so). If you take a little time in the beginning and do it
right, you will be much more pleased with the barrel in the future.
Look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, and you will see a light copper-colored wash in the barrel.
Remove this before firing the next shot. Somewhere during the procedure, around shot 6 or 7, it will be
obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel. Continue the window cleaner and bore
cleaner applications through shot 10.
Following the initial ten shots, you then may shoot 2 rounds, cleaning between each pair of shots, for the
next 10 shots. This is simply insuring that the burnishing process has been completed.
In theory, you are closing the pores of the barrel metal that have been opened and exposed through the
cutting and hand lapping procedures.
BREAK-IN PROCEDURE FOR BARRELS USING LEAD BULLETS
The same shooting-cleaning process may be used when firing lead bullets and black powder with this
exception: shoot 2 cartridges, then clean for the first 30 rounds. Naturally, you will use a cleaner appropriate
for black powder. You can also use harder lead if available to accelerate the break in. This will accomplish the
same as the jacketed bullets.
It may take 80 to 100 rounds to break in with lead. That is why we recommend using jacketed bullets when
possible. After this procedure, your barrel’s interior surface will be sealed and should shoot cleaner and
develop less fouling for the rest of its shooting life.

 

[Jackal]

Just take it out and shoot it (after initial unboxing cleaning). There are millions of accurate rifles around that did not have any break in.