For The F-Class Guys

[Pawnee Bill]

When you install a new barrel, what is your break-in procedure and how many rounds do you shoot before you start shooting matches?

 

[Twitchy]

When you install a new barrel, what is your break-in procedure and how many rounds do you shoot before you start shooting matches?

I shoot however many rounds I made to start load development, usually around 50. Shoot them all, collecting data. Go home clean as normal.

Over the last handful or more of barrels, I've tried the various "shoot 1 clean, shoot 2 clean, etc", and I can't tell a difference. So now I just shoot like I normally do.


Edit-I shot a 594-33x in my last match with around 200 rounds on the barrel without cleaning. I'm about to shoot the Orange Blossom Regional (3 days with 3 matches) with 100ish rounds on the barrel to start.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

It depends... I have a reamer that I've used for 4 or 5 barrels now. Discounting the "individuality" of a barrel, I take it to important matches (Like SWN) when it speeds up to what the others are making. At that point, it usually shoots the same load as the others without any drama.

Fine tuning occurs after 300 rounds...

Break in, what's that?

 

[ShootDots]

With the new barrels these days, I don't "break them in" as in the old school. Shoot one, clean, shoot again, clean etc..til the copper is gone. They are so slick these days, I just go shoot. NOW barrels SPEED UP til around 130-150 (or so) rounds. EXAMPLE: I just got a NEW .260A.I. barrel. I took 30 rounds out initially to see what MIGHT be a good place to start. As it turned out 48.0gr od H4831sc looked very good. I WAS USING .308 PALMA S/R primer brass. NOTE: The loads WILL be different for L/R brass. The velocity was right at 2885-2890. I took the load out to a match to run a primer test to see what primers held the tightest vertical. I shot 100 rounds down the bore. With the previous 30 it totaled 130 rounds. I scrubbed the gun down and took it out to refine the load. That load had now sped up to 2970+. That was about 85-90f.p.s. increase in the speed up! That was the SECOND fastest speed up I ever had! So to answer your question: The "NEW" barrel break-in, is NOT to eliminate copper right off the bat (the barrels do that now after the first good cleaning)>> the "break-in" now is getting past the speed up!

 

[jamesh]

I shoot one round and clean. Barrel break in is done.

 

[1shot]

If I'm working with a cartridge that is totally new to me, I try and gather rough data as to what bullet, powder primer combination works best, while forming brass to that chamber during the early rounds.
If I'm re-barreling one of my existing calibers using the same reamer, I'll see what the new barrel tells me relative to the old one with the same load.
I generally see a speed up as well somewhere between 100-200 rounds down the tube.
Bottom line, I let the barrel tell me what it wants, needs, likes.
Disclaimer: Guys don't translate the previous statement to the fairer sex, it will only mean trouble for ya!

Lloyd

 

[swd]

I went to a match with around 125 rounds on a barrel. It sped up in the middle of the match. Never again. I will fire form at a mid range match but other than that I like 200+ on a barrel.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Krieger Barrels has a nice article on Break In on His web site.
I have used it for 25 plus years . With every Barrel His or Brand X

Yes for those that know me our friend in Portland JB's Barrels

 

[DirtySteve]

I shoot however many rounds I made to start load development, usually around 50. Shoot them all, collecting data. Go home clean as normal.

Over the last handful or more of barrels, I've tried the various "shoot 1 clean, shoot 2 clean, etc", and I can't tell a difference. So now I just shoot like I normally do.


Edit-I shot a 594-33x in my last match with around 200 rounds on the barrel without cleaning. I'm about to shoot the Orange Blossom Regional (3 days with 3 matches) with 100ish rounds on the barrel to start.

What he said!!!! I clean my barrel every third match, or every other match depending on if I shoot it much in between matches.

 

[XTR]

A few yrs ago I shot one chambered with my reamer for 8 or 10 shots to confirm the load worked in that barrel on Friday, cleaned it, and shot a two day match on Sat and Sunday. I took it off 2 yrs later after about 4800 rounds, and if I hadn't have blown the last match out of my arse I'd have finished top 10 at the BSWN in the last match I fired it. (the barrel didn't shoot the 8s, I did) I don't think I'd have gotten any more out of it with some complicated break in.

Break in... if it makes you feel better do it. I usually get some copper on the first cleaning after 10 rounds or so. After that I don't see any difference of a couple of thousand rounds. As Keith says above, you may need to fine tune your load after 300 or so.

 

[Bob L.]

What he said!!!! I clean my barrel every third match, or every other match depending on if I shoot it much in between matches.

This what I do, too.

 

[Shawnba67]

I had been told tgat tge break in was mostly due to the roughness left by the reamer cutting causing tiny copper particles to be torn loose and then stick and cool down.
I have done the clean every shot and I could see copper between cleaning until about the 5 or 6th shot. Take this for what its worth.

 

[dannyjbiggs]

Count me as old-fashioned, I guess! I still do the age-old "13-round" barrel break-in process from last century. But before commencing the break-in, I now do about 50 or so cleaning patch swabings of the chamber neck/leade with the patch loaded up with Oosso paste. Clean, and then immediately shoot a 5-shot test group at 200 yards to see what I've got? Just broke in a new 7mm SHEHANE barrel a few days before going out to the SWN. Mighta' darn well took it with me! Group was 5/8th INCH in diameter at 2930 fps. Nevertheless, I still plan to take it thru the "tuner setting test".

This looks to be a good barrel...sometimes it may take several 5-shot accuracy tests to get anywhere?

Bartlein, of course.

Dan

 

[Lbart]

I usually fire 3-5 shots and clean the barrel. Then go shoot. With the chamber jobs I have gotten the last 7-8 years from Kelbly’s (Greg Walley) there is very little to no copper fouling on the first shots. The quality of the throating in the barrel determines much of the copper fouling you see in a new barrel. I buy 4 barrels at a time and have been able to use the same load (same lot of components) in the consecutive s/n'd barrels so I just go to a match with an small # of shots (usually around a hundred)thru them. Maybe my 7.270 WSM's wear in quickly.
Like Dan I use Bartlein.