New to me barrel break-in

[Tod Hendricks]

I tried a new barrel break in procedure this weekend.

Spur of the moment I screwed on an unfired 284 Wheeler barrel, like 6pm Friday evening with a local 500 yard midrange match Saturday morning, rounded up enough leftover ammo, 3 different loads from 3 different barrels, and pushed the all bullets down to a .015” jump for the new barrel.

In this late season club match we run unlimited sighters in all relays so folks can do load testing if desired. I ended up shooting 71 rounds, one of the loads only had 22 rounds.

Post-match cleaning and inspection, I ran 3 patches of CLR and 3 liberally soaked patches of IPA. Bore scope showed over 90% carbon removed, obvious estimate, it was pretty bright the entire length. The muzzle end had a few light/faint streaks of copper, I actually expected much more. 3 or 4 patches of KG 12 and it literally looks like a bright abrasive cleaned barrel.

Up to this barrel my break-in has been shoot about 20 to 30 at a range session, clean and do it again, done! Start load development. I know, one barrel one test, but damn I cannot see how some shoot clean scenario could be any better.

BTW, first shot was a 9, from the previous barrels zero and it settled in very quickly.

 

[K22]

First let me say I'm not expert nor have I ever claimed to be. I do not shoot rifle competively either but I consider myself a precision shooter out of necessity since I'm a varmint and predator hunter that requires a fair amount of precision. I also spend a fair amount of time at the range honing my skills, at least I did until the latest component shortage mess. I'm also hunt deer and bear.

In the 50 years I've been shooting I've never followed the so called "barrel break in procedures of shoot one shot - clean - shoot another - clean - etc. I've owned factory barrelled rifles and rifles with match barrels. My requirements for my long range varmint rifles are 1/2 moa or better. Several are in the 1/4 moa range.

Obviously you need to clean a new barrel before you shoot it to get the preservative material out. Hoppe's 9 or Mineral Spirits and a bronze brush does that quite well.

After that I just shoot the rifle and clean as I normally do. I never had any problems with this procedure or the accuracy somehow magically disappearing because I didn't "properly" break in a barrel.

PS: I feel sorry for those poor souls I see a the range going through the painful process of "proper" barrel breakin

 

[spudgun]

Barrel break in can be a difficult one to follow.

I'm on my 3rd barrels for both my 6mm CM and 6.5 CM.

In my situation I found that my barrels like to be dirty. I will shoot about 50 rnds on a new barrel during my ladder testing for jump and accuracy. During this period I do not clean the barrel except to run a bore snake 1 time down the barrel and then leave it alone.

I keep shooting untill my accuracy starts to go away at 600 and 1000 yds. I will then check the chamber for erosion. this could be 100 rounds or 200 rounds. I will then adjust the OAL of the bullet to get my jump back to where I want it if needed.

My last barrel 6mm barrel went 532 rounds before the groups opened back up and then I did a complete scrub and cleaning. My 6.5 went 372 rounds.

After the cleaning 1 barrel took 36 rounds to get the dirty back in it and my groups tightened up again. the other barrel took 18.

Every barrel is different and needs to be monitored to find out what it likes.

Some people do it one way and I do it this way, It worked for me.

Good luck on your procedures and results.

 

[Ned Ludd]

The psychological effect of having left-over ammunition and the "new" things it pushes us to try cannot be overestimated. . Glad it worked out well for you. I tried the "shoot one round, clean, repeat" break-in procedure...once. That was enough for me.

 

[newbieshooter]

We know Tod's an exceptional shooter - the barrel looks to be a 'keeper' too!
Putting 55 of 60 shots into the x ring with a new unfired barrel and various left-over loads...

 

[F Class John]

...I ran 3 patches of CLR and 3 liberally soaked patches of IPA.

Was the IPA a Lagunitas or an Alaskan Hopothermia? Asking for a friend...

 

[acloco]

Every barrel is different. Some shoot from the git.....and some never do.

 

[Twicepop]

I used to shoot with a couple of guys that shot sanctioned bench rest matches and a few 1000 yard matches with guns that were beyond my pay grade. They both told me with a new barrel, to break it in start with a thoroughly clean barrel, fire one shot and thoroughly clean it, do this three times. Follow that with shooting two shots and thoroughly clean, do this three times. If required after the two shot cycles go to three shots and follow the same procedures between the shot cycles. They both said that when you stop showing any signs of copper at the cleaning cycles, you barrel is seasoned and ready for action. I did this with two Douglas barrels and a Kreiger. The Kreiger stopped showing any copper after 5 shots, the two Douglas barrels stopped showing copper at 7 and 9 shots.

 

[whatwind?]

You can switch between your own reamer and the wheeler reamer with no change? Was this a Brux or bartlein?

 

[mike a]

I used to shoot with a couple of guys that shot sanctioned bench rest matches and a few 1000 yard matches with guns that were beyond my pay grade. They both told me with a new barrel, to break it in start with a thoroughly clean barrel, fire one shot and thoroughly clean it, do this three times. Follow that with shooting two shots and thoroughly clean, do this three times. If required after the two shot cycles go to three shots and follow the same procedures between the shot cycles. They both said that when you stop showing any signs of copper at the cleaning cycles, you barrel is seasoned and ready for action. I did this with two Douglas barrels and a Kreiger. The Kreiger stopped showing any copper after 5 shots, the two Douglas barrels stopped showing copper at 7 and 9 shots.

This! I can’t afford to rush breakin. $$$$

 

[mauser284]

No such thing.

 

[Tod Hendricks]

You can switch between your own reamer and the wheeler reamer with no change? Was this a Brux or bartlein?

Yes, I don’t hesitate to switch loaded rounds between either of the chambers and routinely do. I wouldn’t have more than one reamer in circulation if I couldn’t use them that way. Although it usually requires an OAL change. This one was a Bartlein.

 

[Raydee]

I follow this....

 

[jelenko]

I think you need to first determine what is physically happening [in a hand lapped barrel from a competent gunsmith] in the barrel during 'break in' and what impact it will have on group size and what the impact would be if there were no 'break in'.

 

[D-4297]

I follow a simple procedure for barrel break-in , since I've shot Brux , Krieger , and Bartlein . Whatever the manufacturer recommends for their barrel . In a .308 TR rifle , the Krieger's generally last about 3,500 rounds of practice and competition , and the Brux went to 4,600 rounds before it went right out the door , in 30 rounds . Yep ! Gone that quick . From X's to eights , in thirty rounds ...The Jury is still out on the Bart ,cause I've only got about 400 rounds on it . Generally ,I follow the Krieger method . Yeah ; it's a pain in the ... but it seems to work , so I take the time to do it . And it does seem to make regular cleaning a bit easier and quicker .

 

[JMayo]

I shootBench rest only.
It's Gonna speed up after break in anyway so ...
I clean allot for 150 rounds ...
Barrel life tends to be better when i do the 1,3,5 method.
I think the cooling completely down is what ''sets" the barrel. Kinda like a quenching. Idk

I will say the barrels i didn't break in didn't last as long as the ones i did but they shot good while they were shooting.

I've got a couple of used barrels that would blow the fun shooters mind.

If i were doing a hunting barrel or just for fun barrel i wouldn't waste a shot breaking it in.

 

[divingin]

Was the IPA a Lagunitas or an Alaskan Hopothermia? Asking for a friend...

Waste of good ale if you ask me. I like Lagunitas; one of my favorite over the counter micro brews (though they're bordering on non-micro.)

Have you tried Denogginizer from Drake's Brewing?

 

[jelenko]

I shootBench rest only.
It's Gonna speed up after break in anyway so ...
I clean allot for 150 rounds ...
Barrel life tends to be better when i do the 1,3,5 method.
I think the cooling completely down is what ''sets" the barrel. Kinda like a quenching. Idk

I will say the barrels i didn't break in didn't last as long as the ones i did but they shot good while they were shooting.

I've got a couple of used barrels that would blow the fun shooters mind.

If i were doing a hunting barrel or just for fun barrel i wouldn't waste a shot breaking it in.

How about if you're looking for .5 MOA - .75 MOA accuracy?

 

[Intell]

To the guys who say” mine shoots 1/2” without break in”. How do you know it wouldn’t have shot 3/8 or 1/4” with a break in?
I break all mine in, factory or custom. It’s such a short and easy process, so why not? Worried about 20 rounds of barrel life?
The way I look at it, I have nothing to loose, but 15-20 rounds.

 

[jelenko]

To the guys who say” mine shoots 1/2” without break in”. How do you know it wouldn’t have shot 3/8 or 1/4” with a break in?
I break all mine in, factory or custom. It’s such a short and easy process, so why not? Worried about 20 rounds of barrel life?
The way I look at it, I have nothing to loose, but 15-20 rounds.

Well, 15-20 or more - but it's the time/fooling around with cleaning at the range; bringing all the cleaning stuff to the range.
1/2 MOA is all I will ever need for what I compete in. I want to spend as much time practicing vs 'equipment prep'.