Running in a New Barrel.

[Homer]

G'Day Fella's,

I'm about to start running in a new 6.5x 47 Lapua, chambered barrel and the thought crossed my mind, which bullets!
In the past, I have always used natural bullets to run in barrels. I was wondering, would using Moly Coated bullets for this job, be a better idea???

FYI, the barrel is Stainless Steel, 1 in 8", 3 groove and I intend to use Moly Coated bullet, for the long range BR shooting this barrel was purchased for

Looking forward to your knowledge and experience on this subject.

Doh!
Homer

 

[maxpower]

I would much rather use naked bullets for running in. The aim of running in is to final lap the bore, or more specificly, the throat area. If you use moly, the moly might build up in the areas you are trying to lap, but you will also end up getting copper/moly/copper/moly layers until it is run in. In barrels which I have used moly or HBN in, I fully ran in the barrel and fireformed the cases with at least 50 naked bullets and loads which were right at the bottom of what reloading books would specify.

 

[jo191145]

Opinions will vary but assuming this is a quality handlapped barrel very little run in should be required.
On the other hand I've seen some nasty factory barrels that could'nt be tamed by any manner.
Shoot some naked first.

 

[Homer]

G'Day Fella's,

Thank you for your input on this subject!
Whilst I have been shooting constantly in recent years, it's been a while since I have had a BR grade barrel to run in. So I thought I should get up to speed on the current technology on this!

Thanks again

Doh!
Homer

 

[Hopkins]

I am breaking in a 6.5 Swede 1-8 5R stainless hand lapped premium barrel that is still showing copper after 25 rounds. I am using 140 gr. flat based spitzers at 2850-2875.

 

[jo191145]

Hopkins

Just a thought or two. If your copper solvent is not cleaning the copper fouling 100% you'll have a devil of a time ever trying to get it to run clean.

KG-12 with nylon brushes if you want to clean quickly. Just keep scrubbin.
Sharp Shooters Patch Out with Accelerator for that overnight deep clean without the scrubbing.

You may even chose to consider switching to a sooty ball powder for awhile and dropping velocity also.
Maybe just five foulers at starting charge of whichever powder your using just to get some carbon in the barrel before going full out.

 

[Hopkins]

Thanks, I'll take that into consideration. I am using Remington 40x bore cleaner which is a mild abrasive so I don't think my color is a latent chemical reaction. I am backing up a bit. The last 5 through were 2850fps and the pressure built by the 5th shot. One fouler and 4 at .5 moa. I was astounded at how much copper and carbon came out afterwards. This is a Krieger barrel so it should be slick. I'll drop back 100fps and see.

 

[GNERGY]

Every new barrel ( from what I have read and done Myself ) is clean after every shot for the first 10 shots, then after the next five, twice and then see how much copper you get. I use Bore tech eliminator and it shows blue-green when you have copper and it doesn't have any smell so you can use it in the house without getting thrown out.
Tarey

 

[Hopkins]

I am using Krieger's run in procedure and they leave it to choice so far as a physical barrel cleaning (40x bore cleaner) or a chemical bore cleaner (Sweets or similar). I prefer the abrasive cleaner because I can see the results immediately.

 

[spclark]

I picked up a tip last year from one of the shooters selected for the US F-Class Team. He suggested breaking in a new barrel with uncoated bullets fired thru a bore wetted first with plain old Ford-type red ATF fluid.

Clean the bore first of course, then run a patch wetted with ATF fluid & fire your first round. Clean the bore, repeat the wet ATF & fire another round. Repeat. Maybe five or six times.

I tried it on a new Bartlein Palma barrel & was done in five rounds. Never saw copper & it shoots great. Turns out ATF is a pretty good bore cleaner too all on its own.

 

[Hopkins]

I wonder why Ford versus Dex 3? It brings to mind wet oil in an air rifle barrel cooking off or dieseling when firing.

 

[WyleWD]

I picked up a tip last year from one of the shooters selected for the US F-Class Team. He suggested breaking in a new barrel with uncoated bullets fired thru a bore wetted first with plain old Ford-type red ATF fluid.

Clean the bore first of course, then run a patch wetted with ATF fluid & fire your first round. Clean the bore, repeat the wet ATF & fire another round. Repeat. Maybe five or six times.

I tried it on a new Bartlein Palma barrel & was done in five rounds. Never saw copper & it shoots great. Turns out ATF is a pretty good bore cleaner too all on its own.

You've GOT to be kidding on the above quote. I've been at this for while now and that is 180* from anything I've ever been told or heard of.

When breaking in a new barrel the best advice is to follow the barrel manufacturer's recomendations to the letter. That way if you have a quality issue with the barrel at some point they can't come back and say that you broke it in wrong. WD

 

[jo191145]

I picked up a tip last year from one of the shooters selected for the US F-Class Team. He suggested breaking in a new barrel with uncoated bullets fired thru a bore wetted first with plain old Ford-type red ATF fluid.

Clean the bore first of course, then run a patch wetted with ATF fluid & fire your first round. Clean the bore, repeat the wet ATF & fire another round. Repeat. Maybe five or six times.

I tried it on a new Bartlein Palma barrel & was done in five rounds. Never saw copper & it shoots great. Turns out ATF is a pretty good bore cleaner too all on its own.

I'm sure that works fine. Only caveat is not to wet.
The only objective is to get bullets running down the barrel without leaving copper behind.
Accomplish that and breakin happens very quickly unless the barrel/chamber job is very rough.

On factory barrels I use graphite and rubbing alcohol.
Custom handlapped I'll run em as is. See what happens.
Good barrel at lower velocities you can run 15 rds through it then clean. Break in is essentially done.

I've been lucky enough to buy a handlapped barrel that definately missed the handlapping excercise.
Could tell just by the initial prefiring cleaning.
Fired one shot out of it and the entire bore was bright orange.
Took days to get that copper out.
It came around eventually after I began treating it as if it were a factory tube.

 

[Hopkins]

Life would be much simpler if bore scopes would get as common as chronographs.

 

[Hopkins]

Krieger maintains that the copper fouling is a result of the copper being atomized at the transition between the throat and rifling as I understand them.

 

[jo191145]

Krieger maintains that the copper fouling is a result of the copper being atomized at the transition between the throat and rifling as I understand them.

In a properly lapped/chambered barrel they're probably correct.
Take away either two of those factors and things change quickly.

As a good barrel ages and the throat becomes rough it starts all over again. Usually.....

In my expierience powder choice can make a more dramatic correction than moly,ws2, hbn.

 

[Hopkins]

Jo 1911, in general what factors come into play influencing your choice of powder for a break in regimen?

 

[Homer]

G'Day Fella's,

Thanks for your various ideas and methods of running in a barrel.
Ford ATF, may work but sorry I'll pass on this as it sounds like a great way to put a bulge, in the barrel?!

Doh!
Homer

 

[jo191145]

Jo 1911, in general what factors come into play influencing your choice of powder for a break in regimen?

First off, Homer I think, JMO, I think your right. Done incorrectly I can see it causing problems. Hence my caveat "not to wet"
I've done just about every imaginable thing to a barrel you can think of and I would try the ATF (if warranted) but,,,,,, one sopping wet patch followed by a dry reinserted three times.
Thats my (just mine) method of wet bore firing. Over wet and puddles you definately want to avoid.

Hopkins
Now your asking questions that can draw more ridicule than barrel break in procedures ;D
Its OK its not the first time.
I could type pages of opinions born of my expieriences on this one subject and get laughed at for every sentence.
It goes far beyond barrel run in. (like the Aussie term better) It goes forth into accuracy and more importantly (to me) substainable accuracy.

Given a suitable projectile at the barrels preferred distance from the lands we can all see varying degrees of accuracy with different powders.
We can also see differing amount of shots fired, without cleaning and maintaining accuracy with different powders.
WHY?
I personally call this "bore condition". Not the condition of the steel but the condition of the fouling present in the bore.
That IMO is where accuracy begins, just begins, to start.
Steadily accumulate copper and accuracy will suffer.
Steadily accumulate carbon and accuracy will suffer.
You find the right powder for your particular barrel/bullet combo that will not accumulate either AND still produce accuracy and a winning combo is born.

Quick examples of sucesses in my endeavors.
2 factory Savage barrels in egg shoots with naked 35 gn Bergers and W-748. A winning combo that would shoot all season (500+) rounds with never a patch down the bore.
Same barrels could copper/carbon foul out with other powders in 20 shots.
I've been through five of those barrels but only two could dream of getting close to .25 moa with any consistency whatsoever. Never an easy task with factory chambers/bores.
My full custom 6PPC has well over 3000 rds down the tube. Still shoots well (well not great) if I scrub it clean constantly using n-133.
Toss Ramshot X-Terminator in it along with HBN coated pills and it becomes a 500+ rd barrel with no patchs. OK, outright accuracy is still not up to snuff with " national winning" 6 PPC's but consistency is there all year. 6 BR 1-14 likes the same combo just more of it. All year no cleaning.
I learned this stuff from my first accurate barrel and "the need" to fire 100 rds without cleaning in egg shoot competitions.
Its darn easy to find a barrel/powder/bullet combo that will shoot accurately with a cleaning rod always present.
I personally demand 100+ rds on all my barrels.

I still have my first hummer factory tube with well over 4000+ rds through it. Throat is visibly deteroriated without a scope and theres what I call "a divot" about half way down. Feel it with a patch easily enough. Expieriment gone awry I imagine. Maybe just a piece of rifling disappeared.
I'd wager I can screw that old burnt out varmint barrel on any Savage action and the first five shots out of the bore (prepped in just a fashion) with 35 gn Bergers(also prepped in just a fashion) would produce a zero group. No foulers needed. Extreme spread of 200+ fps.
Thats more than I ask or expect from my PPC.
Trying to resurrect that poor old barrel from the dead taught me just as much as when it was new and finicky.
Oddly enough the lesson was exactly the same. Bore condition is everything.
Does'nt much matter how perfect the steel is as long as the bullet has the "SAME EXACT FEEL" as it goes down that bore.

I've never loaded for the Swede but if appliacable I'd try W-760/H-414 or IMR-4350. Something with a little more carbon than Hodgen Extremes but not too much either.
Never saw any gun run "long term" on any powder with an "R" in front of it.

Oh Boy, sit back and watch the flames grow

 

[Hopkins]

Thanks for sharing. I understand where you are coming from so far as finding a consistent and happy balance for the load and specific barrel that continues through a long string without cleaning. I have no experience with ball powders and much more experience with .30 calibers. I have used RL 22 in an old Swede and for a few rounds in this rifle. I put it back on the shelf for the belted 30's. IMR 4350 that I used last in this gun shows promise. I'll give the ball powders a try too. I am not a slave to velocity but do need to be somewhere in 2950's+ theoretically with the 139-142s ultimately. I appreciate your taking the time to thoughtfully answer my question.