Hodgdon CFE powder and break in

[swd]

I absolutely hate breaking in new barrels. It's about as fun as watching paint dry. I just finished up a new 6x45 on a Bartlein and got to thinking since Hodgdon CFE 223 powder has the copper fouling erasing compound in it, it might help fouling during break in. I fired 1 and cleaned for 3 shots and then 2 shots and clean for 10 total. I bore scoped after the first patch every cleaning and never saw any copper in the throat. I've broke in plenty of barrels and this one was by far the easiest, ever. If you have a cartridge CFE 223 is applicable for give it a try at least for break in loads. It seems to have saved me a lot of time in cleaning. And it looks like It will give some pretty good speeds too.

 

[ShootDots]

I used to be a "barrel break-in freak"! W-A-Y back when even "custom" barrels needed to be broke in, I used to take a FULL DAY to break in a barrel. Once broke in, they were really good. That "habit" carried over to even today's barrels, however, I would be down to a single "morning" and they were good. The last 2 barrels I did, a .260A.I. (Krieger) and a .284 Shehane (Brux), I just shot and cleaned at the end of the day! The end result was there was no difference between what I used to, and what I started doing. If you get a good barrel from one of the TOP barrel makers, "breaking in" a barrel is merely an exercise to mollify a preconceived notion that barrels STILL need breaking in! They do not!

 

[7stubby]

I break my barrels in with bullets......and lots of them! ;D

 

[Lapua40X]

If it's Bartlein's 5R it's even less likely to load up with copper. I'm lovin' that barrel.

 

[mshelton]

Breaking in a barrel isn't really breaking in the barrel, it's getting the lead area of the chamber smoothed down, when it's new and sharp from a fresh chambering it scrapes a lot of copper off a jacket, that's what you're cleaning out of the barrel, not copper produced from a new barrel.

 

[Warren Dean]

Breaking in a barrel isn't really breaking in the barrel, it's getting the lead area of the chamber smoothed down, when it's new and sharp from a fresh chambering it scrapes a lot of copper off a jacket, that's what you're cleaning out of the barrel, not copper produced from a new barrel.

^^^^^^^
What he said.

Larry Racine taught me his "break-in" procedure a few years back and I have used it on all my barrels since. Works great.

 

[jonbearman]

Warren is it a secret how Larry Racine breaks in his barrels?

 

[Warren Dean]

Jon,

LOL...no. I figured if someone was interested, they would say so. And so you did.

Use the lightest bullet you have at minimal velocity.

Lube the barrel, shoot 1 round.

Repeat for 10 shots. The go for record.

Don't clean between shots. Instead, just run an oil soaked mop through the bore between shots.

Works very, very well. and it takes all of 1/2 an hour.

BTW, for those that don't know, Larry is a well known gunsmith and multi-time team armorer for the U.S. Palma Team. His specialty is Savage based rifles, but he does them all.

And he gives barrel jobs priority. Typical turn around, if he has the barrel in stock , is 2 weeks door to door.

 

[Far north hunter]

Jon,

LOL...no. I figured if someone was interested, they would say so. And so you did.

Use the lightest bullet you have at minimal velocity.

Lube the barrel, shoot 1 round.

Repeat for 10 shots. The go for record.

Don't clean between shots. Instead, just run an oil soaked mop through the bore between shots.

Works very, very well. and it takes all of 1/2 an hour.

BTW, for those that don't know, Larry is a well known gunsmith and multi-time team armorer for the U.S. Palma Team. His specialty is Savage based rifles, but he does them all.

And he gives barrel jobs priority. Typical turn around, if he has the barrel in stock , is 2 weeks door to door.

What type brand of oil do you use

 

[DukeDuke]

Jon,

LOL...no. I figured if someone was interested, they would say so. And so you did.

Use the lightest bullet you have at minimal velocity.

Lube the barrel, shoot 1 round.

Repeat for 10 shots. The go for record.

Don't clean between shots. Instead, just run an oil soaked mop through the bore between shots.

Works very, very well. and it takes all of 1/2 an hour.

BTW, for those that don't know, Larry is a well known gunsmith and multi-time team armorer for the U.S. Palma Team. His specialty is Savage based rifles, but he does them all.

And he gives barrel jobs priority. Typical turn around, if he has the barrel in stock , is 2 weeks door to door.

Larry can do K31 Swiss rifles!!!