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Breaking in a New Stainless Barrel

While we're on the topic of brushing--bronze or nylon--let me pose a question. Do you guys run the brush right out of the muzzle and remove the brush before bringing the rod back? There are some who believe that dragging a brush with gritty particles over the crown on the way back will in time knock the sharp edges of the crown off. And what about patches. Do you bring them back over the crown or remove them once they've cleared the muzzle?
 
I've read that it matters and that it doesn't matter. I think that if you have a barrel that's only going to see 1000 rounds or so before it goes south, it wouldn't matter. If your barrel will see a longer life, you may see a difference after so many cleanings with the brush being pulled back through the bore. as far as patches, let them fall off after clearing the muzzle. imho.
 
I have never seen any adverse effect from pulling a bronze brush back through a barrel after it exits the muzzle. Having said that, there are a few "rules" that I have adopted dealing with how best to do this. First of all I short stroke with a patch and solvent, up and down the barrel with a couple of patches or more, depending on how dirty the bore is. After that, I wet a bronze brush with solvent and start brushing. With a newly mounted brush I take the time to straighten it after I put it on the rod. Also, I reverse the stroke as soon as the last bristles clear the muzzle. When I am finished brushing I draw the rod through a wadded up paper towel including the brush, to remove the solvent and most of the fouling. Doing this has extended the life of brushes. After that, I run two or three wet patches through the bore, taking them off at the muzzle. This does a couple of things. Clears out any residue from the brushing as well as any particles ground off of the tips of the bristles which would cause a false reading after I let the barrel sit for a while, before running another wet patch through to check for color. If there is a very light tint, I mean VERY light, I dry the bore and chamber, wipe off the crown, grease the backs of the lugs, and cocking cam and put the rifle away. If there is more color than I like, I wet the bore again and let it sit for fifteen to twenty minutes and checking again, repeating as many times as needed. Most of the barrels that I shoot do not require this, since they are high grade lapped barrels that do not copper foul much if at all, and can be cleaned using one of the milder solvents, something like Butch's Bore Shine. For factory barrels I may start and do most of the cleaning with Wipe Out bore foam. Even with that I dry the bore and chamber run in a solvent patch and then brush a bit with a bronze brush before drying the bore and chamber. In the past I have attended a goodly number of sanctioned short range centerfire group matches, where top level shooters, record holders and Hall of Fame members were among the competitors. I don't remember ever seeing one of them take a brush off before withdrawing a rod. You might want to consider this if you are tempted to follow some fellow who you do not know's advice about how to brush.
 
The foam cleaners that I have available to me don't remove carbon, let them soak two weeks off and on, carbon is still in the barrel.

Uncle Ed, you have a very different foam than I have access to!
 
AckleymanII said:
The foam cleaners that I have available to me don't remove carbon, let them soak two weeks off and on, carbon is still in the barrel.

Uncle Ed, you have a very different foam than I have access to!
Click to expand...

Milfoam The Complete Gun Barrel Cleaning System
https://www.army-technology.com/contractors/artillery/milfoam/

Milfoam solutions for challenges:
  • Foam makes powder softer to take away by brushing
  • Foamer cleaning system does not need manpower, when it is working
  • Foam oxidizes the copper / brass away during cleaning process
  • Foam makes plastic residues softer to take away by brushing
  • Foam is environmentally safe for user
Main strengths of foam technology are:
  • Chemical reaction for removing carbon, copper, and other residues effectively
  • The foam covers the complete barrel, 360°
  • Easy for use, non-abrasive and non-corrosive
  • Cost effective
  • Odorless, non-hazardous and environmental friendly
 
I use foam, Gunslick, and 10W-30 synthetic motor oil. The foam stuff gets the copper fouling and most carbon and the motor oil finishes the process getting more carbon. Soak the bore overnight with foam. Then push out foam with patch. Then brush with motor oil. The finish up with patches. I use nylon brushes dipped in the motor oil and clean them periodically with hot soapy water. I draw the brush back once it clears the crown for repeated strokes. Wipe off the cleaning rod with paper towels after each stroke cycle, foam or motor oil. I have been using patches cut from the same double napped flannel queen size sheet for about 10 years. Don't know for a fact but I have heard that some primer mixes contain ground glass. In any event crud left in bore appears to be abrasive.

After cleaning out the foam with a patch, the motor oil brushing followed by patch use makes for coal black patches.

Real cheap & effective.

As far as breaking in - with a new barrel I take it easy for the first 60-100 rounds. Some of my stainless barrels have 2,000 rounds through them.
 
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On the carbon thing, I make a distinction between powder fouling, which can be removed with solvents or foam, and hard carbon, which they will not touch, and which can fool you with a white patch. For hard carbon I like IOSSO on a soft nylon bore brush, after a regular cleaning. Dewey sells the brushes that I prefer. Make very sure that you get all of the IOSSO out of the bore, chamber. lug recesses, your bore guide, and off of your rod.
 
I followed Krieger's break-in instructions for a .308 - 5r , and probably went 10-15 rounds farther , repeating the process , than they recommended . But hey ; I'm a old guy whose inflicted with severe OCD . The barrel does a super quick clean-up , with virtually no copper after the first cleaning cycle , after over 2,500 rounds . And it's shooting tighter groups now , than when nearly new . Initially ; I was using Wipe-out products , and switched over to Bore-Stix , but I go back and forth to see if there is any thing either product may be missing . There isn't , as far as I can tell . And I do use only nylon brushes . I did learn a little bit of something about metallurgy , spending thirty-five years as a Tool & Die maker . And I can't afford to buy three or four barrels a year .
As Mr. Allen , and others have said , follow the Mfg.'s instructions . Who know more about it than the guys who made it to start with . For some reason , "We" , as shooters seem to keep trying to re-invent the wheel ...That doesn't make much sense to me .
 
D-4297 said:
I followed Krieger's break-in instructions for a .308 - 5r , and probably went 10-15 rounds farther , repeating the process , than they recommended . But hey ; I'm a old guy whose inflicted with severe OCD . The barrel does a super quick clean-up , with virtually no copper after the first cleaning cycle , after over 2,500 rounds . And it's shooting tighter groups now , than when nearly new . Initially ; I was using Wipe-out products , and switched over to Bore-Stix , but I go back and forth to see if there is any thing either product may be missing . There isn't , as far as I can tell . And I do use only nylon brushes . I did learn a little bit of something about metallurgy , spending thirty-five years as a Tool & Die maker . And I can't afford to buy three or four barrels a year .
As Mr. Allen , and others have said , follow the Mfg.'s instructions . Who know more about it than the guys who made it to start with . For some reason , "We" , as shooters seem to keep trying to re-invent the wheel ...That doesn't make much sense to me .
Click to expand...
D-4297, where did you see Krieger's break-in instructions? All that I could see on their website said something like,"observe patches and clean until a patch fails to pick up copper." Is that your procedure?
 
I called them , and they sent me a e-mail with their recommended instructions for barrel break-in . It's a sequence of shoot one , clean , for three cycles . Shoot three , clean . Shoot five , clean . Etc....Hope that helps .
 
Lapped barrels DO break in. Its not just the throat. It often gets repeated on the web otherwise, however a borescope and paying close attention to surface finish will tell the true story. The surface finish of a bore changes rapidly in the barrels early life.
 
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