How easy are stock Remmy barrels to break in?

[broncman]

Just bought a model 7 WhiteTail in 270WSM. Laminated stock, fluted barrel, X mark Pro Trigger, beautiful gun!

I have been shooting one shot , clean carbon, then use Wipe-out to remove copper. Then I run a patch of Kroil last.

Have about 12 rounds through it and just wondering how long Remmy factory barrels generaly take? This is my first factory barrel.

My Kreiger took very little....

 

[Preacher]

With out looking in it with a borescope it's hard to tell, some will clean up in short order and others will need twice as many...

 

[Laurie]

There is a view there is no benefit in doing it with these barrels.

What you're running in with a custom barrel using the shoot + clean/decopper method is the throat area - the gunsmith's throating reamer leaves tiny tool marks at 90-degrees to the chamber / bore axis and the first few bullets down the barrel remove them, but at the expense of spreading molten gilding metal down the bore, it being worst at the muzzle as it condenses there on this relatively cool section.

The whole chamber / throat / bore is formed without machining in a hammer forged barrel as you have in a Remy, the blank hammered over a mandrel with the chamber and rifling machined onto its outside surfaces. This gives a very hard and smooth finish to the barrel - the only machining marks come from the original solid blank being inline bored to get the hole up the middle and affect the whole bore.

I don't know how accurate this view is. I did try the shoot + clean method on a .223 Rem 700SPS Tactical last year for half a dozen shots and didn't get a trace of copper fouling - not even the palest blue on the patches. So, not needed on this barrel at any rate.

What you usually find is that the accuracy does improve after a couple of hundred rounds with many factory barrels. This is particularly noticeable on the heavy-barrel Savage 'Precision' series rifles. They use a different rifling / chambering system from Remington though and are not directly comparable. In my experience (of two rifles), they produce very little copper wash in a shoot + clean regime, but there is some.

If you didn't get any blue patches after using the Wipe-Out, simply stop. Mind you, with a .270WSM, you might get some copper deposited right up to the day you've shot the barrel out!

Laurie

 

[broncman]

Thanks,

This is a hunting rifle and so far I have 20 rds through the barrel. Last 8 were 4 shot groups on clean, no copper barrel. By the 4th rd, after cleaning out the carbon, I can see copper near the muzzle!

Trying to work up a load at the same time. I am using RL19, Winchester brass, WLRM primers, Hornady 150 SST. I may step down to 130 SST as the bearing length on a 150 is extremely long!

last 2 groups,first cold/clean shot was wide, then 2 and 3rd were literally same hole, then 4th was inch and half left. Lots of copper by the 4th shot.

I realzie I have very few rds down the tube. Will keep testing till I get a group I can live with for hunting.

 

[Laurie]

You've got more running-in to do Broncman. If I were you, I'd clean really thoroughly after each batch of load development test-rounds. If you're loading and shooting say four or five by three-round batches of each powder-bullet combination, that's about right.

You do need to be sure you lose ALL the copper though and that may take multiple applications of Wipe-Out, or maybe something a bit stronger. If you can see any copper at the muzzle end of the barrel, you have to keep going.

The trouble with copper is that not only does it affect accuracy overall, but you often find that in a clean (carbon-free) bore that still has copper fouling it shoots to somewhere different until a couple of rounds worth of carbon goes on the top of it.

I did wonder if a 270WSM would make coppering an issue irrespective. looks like it does - it is a feisty little number!

Good luck and may your groups soon shrink.

Laurie

 

[broncman]

I have cleaned till no evidence of copper between groups. Starting out that clean each time, then 4 shots. One to hopefully carbon foul, then 3 shots to check grouping etc.

Really hope the weather gets better here so I can set up my chrony. The couple shots that are one holing give me hope! It is 19 degrees out side, so my bench manners and trigger control are not impeccable right now . Used to shooting 308 and 223 and the 270 WSM has a lot more push to the recoil. Not sharp and painfull, but lot more concussion and push back. Taking me a few shots to get used to the bench manners.

If it does not settle down on fouling after 50- 60 rounds, I will take it to a buddy who has a bore scope and check it out.

ken

 

[therifler]

I worked on a 270wsm factory gun rem. 700 coopered to beat the band . You shot on Monday and cleaned til thursday to get the cooper out . I don't use this stuff much and maybe someone can help with spelling if i am off. Every time he cleaned he ran Flitz bore patse through the bore . He told me it got alot better . He would have gave up on the gun but it shot sub .300 at 100yds. They also tell me Tubbs has bullet honing kits out that are intended to smooth the bore . Anyone heard how they work ? But if the gun does 'nt shoot how far do you want to go . Good Luck with it .

 

[broncman]

Update:
VERY COLD OUTSIDE!

Now at about 30 rds. Shot 7 more today after I found a broke scope mount! I noticed the scope had moved in the last session and was a little taken back by the wide right , 2 center, wide left shots. Found some new rings in my stash. The new rings are high mount so I will change. I had just bought some cheapo mediums locally till my Midway order arrives this week.

First shot was fouling shot from cleaning. Then a nice legitimate 1 inch group! 8)
Some evidence of copper but I wanted to shoot another group to see how fast it deteriated. got a 1 3/4 group this time in a heavy head wind. This was just with what handloads I could work up in 30 shots.


I believe for a hunting rifle, I will be happy. I probably enjoy the process of working in a new rifle as much as any of it.

Ken

 

[Dimwit Flathead]

Save your time. Remington factory barrels are generally NOT worth the effort. Go ahead and shoot like it was your old favorite.