Is this how you "break in" in a barrel?

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BhmBill

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I was lookin at some Ar15's on gunbroker and saw this ad and I thought the "break in" procedure seemed a bit.... odd... and OCD.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=127340456

The break in of the barrel was as follows. The first ten rounds that were shot, the barrel was cleaned after "EACH" shot. Then the next 20 shots the barrel was cleaned every "TWO" shots. The ONLY ammunition that was used through this weapon was hand loaded MATCH GRADE ammo. Like I stated above, only less than 50 rds have been shot through it. I wish good luck to the lucky person that gets this one of a kind weapon
Click to expand...

Is that how you're supposed to break in barrel? Or is that just a bit OCD? I've never intentionally tried to break a barrel in, so I don't really understand this stuff, pardon my ignorance.

Thank you
 
I asked about this when I bought my Bushmaster AR-15. I was told by a reputable and (in my judgement) knowledgeable shop owner that the OP's described break-in proceedure is only recommended on barrels that are NOT chrome lined. If you have a chrome lined barrel (most AR-type rifles do), you are pretty much good to go right out of the box.
 
I've heard that one before. It's supposed to burnish the bore (seal the pores) and de-stress the steel (I suppose a fair number of cold shots could have some metallurgical effect) for better accuracy. It seems plausible to some degree that it wouldn't be a bad idea. And if it does what it's (supposedly) supposed to do, I'd be all for it.
 
If you have a chrome lined barrel (most AR-type rifles do), you are pretty much good to go right out of the box.
Click to expand...

So are non-chrome lined barrels as well.

I wish good luck to the lucky person that gets this one of a kind weapon
Click to expand...

Me too, because if they paid extra for the "broken in barrel" they are getting screwed. I don't understand how it is one of a kind weapon, the AR-15 I purchased had, probably, exactly one round fired through it. It's called brand new. :barf:
 
When I got my first AR, it was a nice day and I went out to give it a shoot.

There was no one at the range and I decided to use a 20 round break-in procedure which would give me time to get to burn in just how the gun was broken down and re-assembled.

I took the time to shoot, clean and shoot again through my non-chromed barrel and I am happy I did.

It was a good exercise in discipline and worth the time it took to develop a very straight shooting gun.

Would it have been the same if I didn't do it that way ???? Maybe but I didn't mind doing it the way I chose either.

http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.rifle-bore-cleaning.html
 
Most firearms are fired at the factory 3 or 4 times before being shipped out. They don't clean them after that.

There's your break in :)
 
This would be #36.

Barrel break in.

36. “Breaking in” a rifle barrel is probably just a waste of time. Some barrel makers recommend it while others do not which demonstrates a lack of universal agreement on whether it’s really necessary so it probably is not. Every formula for break in involves some combination of firing and cleaning. The fact that there are numerous different formulas should be evidence that nobody really has the definitive answer on the best procedure meaning there likely isn’t one. Simply shooting the rifle as intended will likely be all the break in that is required.
 
The answer is no one really knows for sure. Noveske says it is a waste of time and wears out barrels. I do a quick clean after each of the first five, then after five, then after ten, then I go nuts and blaze away in a fashion that is totally insensitive to my barrel. I probably do exactly what is required to wear the barrel out as quickly as possible while simultaneously destroying accuracy. That's just my style, oh well, I hope not.
 
my 'break in' procedure for new guns is as follows:

  1. PreHeat oven to 200F
  2. dissemble weapon to non-moving parts. segregate metal parts from plastic parts,springs, magazines.
  3. degrease metal parts with White Lightning cleaner
  4. apply thin layer of Militech to metal parts, including bore.
  5. place in oven for 30 minutes.
  6. remove parts, wipe down, reapply Militech. Repeat for a total of 3 cycles.
  7. when all parts are cool, reassemble.
  8. Push one patch with a SINGLE DROP of Militech down the bore before first firing.

thoughts?
 
Why heat a firearm in something as terrible of a heater as a home oven, some spots in a home oven can be as much as or more than 100 degrees hotter than where the actual temperature is taken. 200 degrees + a hot spot and you have destroyed the temper in what could have been a very valuable firearm.

Miltech recommends
In heat controlled environments, do not exceed 150° F (65° C)
Click to expand...
or a hair dryer or heat gun, I would still be wary.

As to breaking in a barrel, Load development will do any break in that might be needed.
 
Barrel break-in = practice. Is all that shooting and cleaning improving the barrel or the shooter? "Break- in" a barrel anyway you want to and are happy doing. I recommend just shooting. The practice will improve your accuracy more than any break-in procedure. IMHO,of course.
 
If a "break-in" is required, why is it not set forth in the owners manual of the gun? But then, if you have plenty of time (and money ), clean it, cook it, boil it, whatever. It's your gun.
 
Directed at No-One-In-Particular:

The heat and repeat is what Militech recommends, but the lowest setting on my oven is 180. I use 200deg/30 minutes because that makes the surface temp of the metal 130-160 deg, depending on the mass of metal and shape, as measured with an IR thermometer.

You've got an uphill battle to convince me that a 200deg oven is capable of affecting the tempering on a rifle in any meaningful way after 30 minutes. And that's assuming an absolute worst case of measurement uncertainty. Where did you get the '100deg variance' in a temperature stabilized oven? Source or it doesn't happen.

and if you'll notice, I only clean the rifle once. Although I'm not sure how a cotton patch, brass jag, and/or solvent would wear down a hardened steel bore.

Thoughts? or snarky comments if that's all ya got...
 
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