Barrel run in"break in" revisited

[butchlambert]

I have been advised by a friend that nobody would agree with this information. I am speaking primarily of PPC and BR based match grade custom barrels. As you know, several things can bend these results.
I emailed and called a few Hall of Fame shooters, some current hot shooters, BR , long range, and FClass folks. 2 different World Champion BR shooters were asked also. I also visited with a few well respected World Class gunsmiths.
At least 95% do not do a formal break in. Their opinion is what fouling you get from a new barrel is from the "FUZZ" of the newly reamed throat of a barrel. Find a good way to lap your throat and shoot your barrel. A World Record Holder said he shot his barrel 10 times to fireform cases, cleaned, and fireformed 10 more cases, cleaned and shot his World Record aggregate.
I know this doesn't agree with what most of you have read on the various forums, but it is hard to argue with the people that I have visited with. Some of the long range and others that shoot the heavier cartridges agree also. I also know that most of the barrel makers post barrel break in procedures. I understand that. Not trying to change your mind, just ask around from the successful people and not necessarily from a forum or what a guy tells you at the gunrange.

 

[jkohler]

Seems any more all I do with a new barrel is shoot 20 or 25 rounds out of it. Clean it up bore scope it and work up a load and shoot it tell she's dead.

 

[LHSmith]

OK, the consensus is: no formal break-in on PPC and BR based match grade barrels. I accept their opinion. Now, can a consensus on most prevalent cleaning regimen amongst the worlds best in BR be reached? Inquiring minds want to know? Info like this should be on a sticky because it is asked so frequently.

 

[K22]

Far be it from me to question the "experts" but I've never followed those elaborate and tedious barrel break in procedures either for a factory or match barrel and I've never noticed any ill affects in terms of achieving my accuracy goals. Maybe I've just be lucky

I do clean new barrels more frequently (after every 10 rounds for the first 50 rounds or so) before I go to my normal cleaning procedures of 20 to 30 rounds depending on caliber. I have no scientific basis for this, just the recommendation of my riflesmith.

I should add that I'm not a bench rest shooter but I do require a high level of accuracy from by varmint rifles (1/2 to sub 1/2 moa). I should also add that I hate to clean rifles so I'm looking for any excuse not to do it.

There was an article a while back in the American Rifleman addressing this issue. When I mentioned it in this forum it was received with a great deal of ridicule questioning the author's credentials. The essence of the article was that there is no evidence that those tedious break in procedures have any value.

I do not know which position is correct - I just know from my experiences of 40 years of shooting that I've never found it necessary - of course the counter argument someone is sure to make is how do you know it didn't make a difference if you didn't try it? ???But then again how would I know it made a difference if I had tried it since you can't do both to the same barrel! You see the conundrum!! :-\

 

[LHSmith]

Note that Butch's post is specific to PPC and BR cartridges....and not high velocity varmint or overbore rounds. I suspect you will find that if you surveyed those most successful in BR, that they do not attempt to clean every last trace of copper from their barrels.....simply because in a match, after the fouling shot, every bullet thereafter sees some metal fouling....and some barrels just won't perform until a certain level of fouling is laid down.

 

[22XC Guy]

Here's an interesting article...

Steve


http://www.snipercountry.com/articles/barrel_breakin_II.asp

 

[Minesweeper3433]

I am shooting a new krieger barrel on a 308 now and I have no concern with break in. I also do not clean barrels anywere near what many do. I have about 140 rounds through this 308 barrel and have another 200 rounds waiting me to have some fun shooting them up. Just don't see a reason to clean a barrel all that much when all I need out of it is half inch groups.

 

[Glenn Powell]

I have "broke-in" exactly two barrels, 6.5x284 and 358 Norma. Did it help? Don't know, but they both are easier to clean. I could feel the difference in patch resistance the farther into the process I went. I shoot 1 round and clean, and do this for 10, shoot 3 and clean for 5, then 5 for 3. Groups are very acceptable, and clean up is a snap. These are not factory Remchesters, 6.5 a Cooper, and the 358 a Heart barrel, and I plan on doing both kreigers when I get them screwed on, voodoo or not. Just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, that's all.

 

[Erik Cortina]

I don't break in barrels, go straight to load development. I'll clean it for the first time after 50 - 100 rounds. My barrels shoot just fine.

 

[wvscorpio]

Great post Butch.

 

[FroggyOne2]

When I break in a bbl, I find a load and then just go shoot a 80 or 60 shot match. I do not see the need to do a break in on bbls, with the quality that is being produced these days. I love Rock Creek bbl's by the way!

 

[6MMsteve]

I was just looking through the 10 billion barrel break in posts and have found I really like Eric Cortina's recipe the best, that has been my way for years and I'm sticking with it.

 

[Bart B.]

I think most people breaking in their new rifle's barrel getting better accuracy X rounds later are doing so learning how to use its trigger and hold it more repeatable.

 

[6MMsteve]

I think most people breaking in their new rifle's barrel getting better accuracy X rounds later are doing so learning how to use its trigger and hold it more repeatable.

kinda like a golf swing rite, "Oh I hit that good" good for you but you really didn't hit it good, you just think you did. same with trigger pull

 

[rayjay]

.................. Find a good way to lap your throat................

99.9% of the people on this forum have no idea that this is the "secret". The ones that have already posted on this thread didn't even have these 8 words register in their brain when they skimmed Butch's post.

 

[BoydAllen]

I think that break in means different things to different people, and the possible need can vary with the barrel. Generally with match grade barrels, I stop seeing dark color after ten rounds or less, sometimes quite a bit less. As far as load development goes, much of what I do with a new barrel would not be seriously affected by a moderate amount of jacket fouling. I start load development as soon as the dark blue goes away. I have a friend who does long break-ins and I think that a good deal of the reason that he has to is that he uses strong cleaners that strip the bore. I have always believed that particularly in the beginning of a barrel's life that that is a bad idea. Generally I stick with Butch's, Yes, I know that there are much more effective copper cleaners. In the past I have noticed that very high velocities and pressures can create more coppering issues as well as tight bores. Especially for long bullet tight twist combinations having a good match between the barrel groove diameter and the bullet's OD can go a long way toward preventing this sort of an issue. Another variable is the accuracy requirements and expectations within different disciplines. Some rightfully concern themselves with things that seem to have an effect when in pursuit of the very smallest of groups. For others typical conditions and distances would make those differences impossible to see.

 

[Bart B.]

I should add that I'm not a bench rest shooter but I do require a high level of accuracy from by varmint rifles (1/2 to sub 1/2 moa).

I don't know if that's average or largest group size.

The most accurate benchrest rifles' barrels shoot all groups in 100 yard aggregate matches up to about 3/10ths inch/MOA setting records. They're bigger MOA wise at 200 and 300 yards. All the barrel's other groups in matches are sometimes bigger

 

[K22]

I don't know if that's average or largest group size.

The most accurate benchrest rifles' barrels shoot all groups in 100 yard aggregate matches up to about 3/10ths inch/MOA setting records. They're bigger MOA wise at 200 and 300 yards. All the barrel's other groups in matches are sometimes bigger

Average of three - five shot groups, allowing barrel to cool between shots. Groups shot at 100 yards from bench with front and back rest. In load testing / rifle qualification I shoot qualification groups in the morning in low wind and mirage conditions. All are bolt rifles shooting tailored reloads, 50 and 55 grain Nosler BTs, Federal 205M primers, and H4895, all in 223 Rem caliber. Brass varies from Rem to Win to more recently Hornady. All cases full sized with a slight shoulder bump, i.e. 001 to .002". Cases are dedicated to a specific rifle.

My desire / goal for a long range varmint rifle is to be in the 1/2 moa range off the bench. My stalker light weight varmint rifles are somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 moa. These have Douglas barrels.

I have a few factory rifles that are in these ranges, namely a Weatherby Supervarmint Master and a Browning Varmint Stalker, both with heavy contour barrels. I've shot several sub 1/2 moa groups with the Weatherby. The Browning is in the 1/2 to 5/8 moa range maining due to the lousy trigger - I think I could shoot tighter with a better trigger but there are no after market triggers available that I'm aware of. Both of these are bolt rifles in 223 Rem.

 

[Bart B.]

My desire / goal for a long range varmint rifle is to be in the 1/2 moa range off the bench.

1/2 MOA at what long range?

They'll open up about 1/10ths MOA for each hundred yards past the first hundred.

 

[4xforfun]

How about the "other" kind of break in....the point where the bullet speed stabilizes.....say 50 to 100 rounds?