New gun barrel Breakin

[bigboredave]

I know I'm opening up a can o worms again, but how should I break in the barrel on my new 6br Savage?

 

[superlight93]

First make sure you start with a clean bore. Run a lightly oiled patch like Kroil down the bore. Fire one shot. Clean for both carbon and copper. I like to use Sweets for the copper because it shows blue on the patch. Repeat one shot and clean five times. Then fire one five-shot group and clean. If your getting alot of copper then repeat one five-shot group.Hopefully by now you will see a major decrease in copper fouling. Remember to use that lightly oiled patch down the bore after cleaning.
As a side note I usually bring a book to read or one of my rimfires to shoot while the break-in barrel is soaking. Otherwise you might get in a hurry and not let the chemicals do there job.

 

[fdshuster]

When breaking in a new barrel, ( I do an average of 4 or 5 a year), and using Warthog 1134 there are no soaking/waiting times required. 2 wet patch's, 2 or 3 dry, repeat and continue shooting. It has greatly reduced my break-in times. All this is verified with my Hawkeye borescope, before, during and after.

 

[alf]

I quit breaking in barrels several years ago, although I do shoot moly plated bullets.

When I get a new barrel, I immediately go right into load work. I may shoot 40 or 50 rounds the first time out, and clean for the first time when I get home. Make little difference whether it's a 1000 yard gun or a hunting gun, they all get the same treatment.

The purpose of breaking in a barrel is to smooth out the reamer marks left in the throat area, and to promote easier cleaning in the future, while, in the mean time, you're toiling away cleaning now..........

A barrel is only new once, every shot counts against it's life........

 

[fdshuster]

alf: While I agree with most of what you say, heavy copper fouling can happen with a new lapped barrel even those having not a single reamer mark in the throat. Several of my chambers have been cut by one of our local premier rifle builders, using one of my new Pacific floating pilot reamers, with the properly fitted pilot for that particular bore. When I pickup the rifle at the shop, take it home & 'scope it out with my Hawkeye, the throat will be completely free of any reamer/tool mark what-so-ever. A perfectly cut throat & leade area. Yet, when firing the first shot, cleaning out the powder fouling & 'scoping the bore again, it can look like someone took a paint brush & coated the bore with liquid copper paint. This type of coppering will be several inches in front of the leade all the way out to the muzzle. This is the copper I'm concerned about removing between shots. With my Hart, Krieger & Bartlein barrels it will require anywhere from as little as 5 to as many as 20 to 25 rounds fired for the barrel then to be free of coppering. From that time on, 'til the barrel is replaced, copper fouling is never a problem or consideration. Works for me.

 

[mattt]

I did load development as I broke my 6 br in today. I have grown tired of the cleen shoot, cleen shoot. And shot 50 rounds and only cleaned 3 times with butches and called it a day and a break in.

 

[LR_Shooter]

How I do it will upset many, but here we go;-)
First with factory barrel I get a nylon brush 0.5mm smaller then diameter of the bore, then a patch soaked in Kroil and J&B Blue and I do 20 passes, then flush everything with KG-3, then patches with KG-3 until they clean, then dry patch. That's first step, which will remove huge chunks and lap sharp edges, then I fire first shot, then run patch with KG-1 let it work for a minute or two then bore size brush with a patch with KG-1, when all carbon is removed, use undersized brush with patch soaked in KG-2 about 10 passes will clean all copper out leaving only copper embedded in micro fractures etc, then flush with KG-3 to clean bore out dry patch and rifle ready to shoot again. I do this until no copper observed from one shot clean, then I progress to 3 shot clean. When you get to th e5 shot clean break in is complete!
Have fun ;-)

 

[Shynloco]

I did load development as I broke my 6 br in today. I have grown tired of the cleen shoot, cleen shoot. And shot 50 rounds and only cleaned 3 times with butches and called it a day and a break in.

Matt,
I agree with you 1000% that barrel break-in is a pain in the ars! BUT I've also learned over the years thats it is something we must do to give the barrel maximum performance and life. I agree with Superlight 93, alf and fdshuster's methods which is very close to the method I use. In all, I use 40 rds total. First five are shoot - clean for each rd. Then three rounds shoot - clean X 5. Then five rds shoot - clean X 4. Some believe this may be excessive or unnecessary, but it has worked for me for more than 50 yrs and my barrels have served me well.

Alex

 

[Obtunded]

I used to break in because I was convinced that if i didn't, my weenie would fall off. Many years later I have learned it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever, and I have won matches with load-developed only, never-cleaned barrels.

Having researched this topic extensively, there is not one shred of evidence-based research that shows any benefit whatsoever. Why waste your barrel's most accurate life on an unproven ritual?

 

[jefats]

I used to break in because I was convinced that if i didn't, my weenie would fall off. Many years later I have learned it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever, and I have won matches with load-developed only, never-cleaned barrels.

Having researched this topic extensively, there is not one shred of evidence-based research that shows any benefit whatsoever. Why waste your barrel's most accurate life on an unproven ritual?

My sentiments and experience exactly

 

[1shot]

I follow Shynloco's routine but I haven't found a bbl. yet that isn't "smoothed out" after 20 rounds. I do the shoot-n-clean for 5 rounds, then 5 groups of three for a total of 20. During that time I'm shooting everything through a chrono and evaluating different charge weights, seating depths, possibly different powders, etc. so that this time is used to give me some base lines on what the bbl. likes, not just randomly shooting down range. I tend to keep a lot of notes during this break-in period so I have some good basic data for my final load development. I find this to be really important if the cartridge is a wildcat, or something new to me.
Also, I find it interesting as to the number of different cleaners being used. For instance I've never hear of KG-3, KG-1 or Warthog 1134. Are these products from out of the U.S.??
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[hogpatrol]

I've found that discussing barrel break-in is like discussing religion or politics ;D but here's
Shilen barrel's take on break in:

http://www.shilen.com/faq.html#question10