varying opinions on new barrel break in

[short range]

I think there is as many varying opinions on how to break in a new barrel as there are shooters. One shot, then clean, five shots, then clean, don't do one shot, then clean, use this solvent, don't use that solvent, that more barrels are ruined by excess cleaning than from just shooting.or there is no data that proves that the break in process changes the barrel in a positive way anymore that just shooting and having a regular cleaning regument. Some say the break in process was started by a barrel maker, because the break in process sends more rounds down the tube, thus the barrel wears out quicker, so he could sell more barrels. I've read several articles and threads on this forum about this subject How are we to know the right thing to do for accuracy and barrel life of our new barrels ?

 

[japple]

If you haven't allready, read this! http://www.rifle-accuracy-reports.com/barrel-break-in.html

then continue to do what you are doing (your own research) and make your own decisions. I do think that there is some middle ground between barrel break in and no barrel break in. but after reading this article I think that cleaing and break in procedues often get done incorrectly and do more damage than good. so read as much as you can by KNOWLEDGABLE people and make your choice.

 

[CoopVA]

Good article. Thanks for sharing!

 

[short range]

Thanks japple, that was one of the first articles that I read. I know Speedy has great knowledge of rifles, but one of the articles that I read, and I don't remember where I read it, was by a barrel maker that has produced many barrels that have won many national titles, he was the one that said he doesn't know of any proof that the break in process does anything to positively affect the barrel, and that regular cleaning practice works just as well, and he challenged anyone to prove otherwise, and according to him, nobody has shown him any proof.

 

[japple]

I think you are talking about mcmilan ( I cant remember his first name). I don't really think there is a conclusive answer to the quiestion you posed. The only thing I can say is that for people who want to break in the barrel be careful becuase you could do alot of damage to it.

 

[short range]

So what are you saying japple ? What do you do with your new barrels ? The reason that I asked this question, is that I had never heard about barrel break in until I got involved with this forum, I've always had hunting rifles before I got involved with the forum and never was so concerned about getting the best accurracy that i could from a rifle. About two years ago I got a savage 223 and never broke in the barrel, after I started shooting pretty good groups with the 223, I started to get mre seri0us about getting the best group that I could from that rifle, and after finding the right load, I shot consistant .5 moa to .25 moa groups, and I'm not the that great of shot, so I wonder if the break in process is needed.

 

[japple]

I shoot them for groups and if they shoot great right off the bat I do nothing but a normal cleaning regiment (bascially when acurracy suffers). If they are not shooting good to start with I check for copper fouling. I don't think there is one set method I treat each situation independently. In my opinion most match grade barrels don't need it as they have been lapped previously and checked for imperfections. As the grade of barrel decreases then more care is needed for the barrel. This is my way and I would never tell anyone how to care for their rifle. Except for saying that improper cleaning technique will screw a barrel up faster than not breaking it in at all.

 

[short range]

Thanks japple

 

[JERRYHM]

Good barrels need ONE round to break in. Others need more!

 

[tenring]

In general, factory barrels come thru with rough areas in the chamber and bore. They require some break in to smooth out those areas. Most custom barrels are lapped, and require little or no break in. The break in varies greatly and you need to examine the results before making a determination whether break in is complete. Of course, Speedy is correct; regular cleaning is always necessary.

 

[BoydAllen]

Whether break-in or cleaning, factory and hand lapped match grade are two different worlds. Generally, hand lapped, stainless barrels, that are properly chambered using a system that continuously flushes the chips, don't need much break in. I find that 2-3 one shot and clean cycles, followed by a five shot and clean or two, is more than enough. If at some point during this procedure I find that my cleaning produces little blue on the patch, I take this as evidence that no further break-in is needed.

One more little tip from Speedy. He once told me that a cleaning rod guide that has a hole in the back big enough to admit a brush can't provide much throat protection by way of rod guidance. He favors guides that have an extra bushing on the rod that plugs into the back of the guide after the brush or patch is in the guide. This close fit does the job right. I believe that he favors the Mike Lucas guides. T.K.Nollan's are worth looking at, if you have the budget. http://benchrest.com/barrelsaver/

 

[short range]

Boyd, thanks for explaining the two piece bore guide that Speedy was talking about, that is a much better guide than the one that I use. The rifle I'm getting is a Savage 10 FCP 308 with a factory barrel. What do suggest for that factory barrel ?

 

[CJ6]

Factory barrels can vary widely in length of breakin (at least some of the different rifle brands I've bought), as to custom barrels I follow what the maker reccomends for their barrels.

 

[deadlyswift]

I keep break-in and cleaning as simple as I can. Basicly I let my barrel tell me what to do. How many rounds for break in, or when it needs to be cleaned etc. It does seem to work best for me. I have no set barrel break-in process or cleaning regiment. On a new barrel I just let the barrel determine how many rounds it needs to smooth things out. Also I don't clean untill accuracy falls off. I am going to invest in a hawkeye bore scope. They are expensive but I now believe they are a very necessary tool to have. With a good bore scope you will be able to see exactly what is going on with the lands, groove, chamber, throat, etc. It's a must have for me. Right now I use butch's bore shine, patch untill my patches come out white. Let the barrel sit 2 or 3 hr. Then patch again untill patches come out white. Continuing untill nothing is left. My last cleaning was done at 125rnds. I have noticed that as more rounds are sent down the tube. I can shoot more rounds between cleanings and there is less elbow gresse needed to get the barrel clean. This is all in a factory barrel. I am anxious to see what my Broughton barrel will be like once it's up and running. Witch is another main reason to invest into a good bore scope. At $368 for a blank plus smith work. I would think the bore scope will pay for itself more than once in a barrels life time. Also help give you a better idea of what the barrel needs to insure accuracy and barrel life.

 

[short range]

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[short range]

What I ended up doing for barrel break-in for my new savage 308 police was: clean it before I shot the first shot, then I shot one shot and cleaned, I did that three times, then I shot five shots and cleaned, I did that until I shot a total of fifty rounds. After trying several different charges during break-in, I settled for now with seirra 168 gr Match King bullets, 42.5 gr of IMR4895, winchester brass, and it's shooting sub .5 MOA at 100 yards. I will keep tweeking, and maybe get some Lapua brass now that I know the rifle shoots pretty well. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[bozo699]

shortrange,
Glad to here your new shoot stick is working good for you. I think Deadlyswift was spot on,let the barrel tell you what needs done! Looks like it worked for you .5 moa load work up while breaking in a factory barrel AWESOME!! Enjoy
Wayne.

 

[flatlander]

The comments on how much a borescope can tell you are spot-on. It's kinda like what the wide availability of accurate chronographs has done for sport shooting - most of the B.S. claims for velocity made over the years went away when chronographs proved them to be B.S. A borescope will tell you more about your barrel's condition & how often it needs cleaning than any other method. The 'scope will also tell you how effective your cleaning methods are and give you a real good idea of how far to go with routine cleaning.

No matter how carefully a gunsmith is while cutting a chamber, there are still going to be some reamer marks on the lands in the leade. Taking increasingly smaller cuts as the chamber nears finished depth may help reduce these reamer marks, and I believe a chamber flush system may also help by keeping chips flushed as reaming progresses. Nevertheless, there's still bound to be - at the very least - some sharp edges in the leade. In a hand lapped custom bbl, that's all we're really trying to do while breaking-in a new bbl - smoothing out any machining marks & sharp edges in the leade. Cleaning frequently during the process just helps prevent excessive copper fouling build-up caused by any roughness or sharp edges in the throat of a freshly chambered bbl.

 

[chino1969]

After investing in a Hawkeye borescope and reading Gail McMillan's article on barrel break in, I stopped breaking in custom hand lapped barrels. Allow me to explain.

When I get a brand new custom match grade barrel blank, I clean it and do a thorough examination with the borescope. I probably spend a good fifteen minutes examining the bore before I decide to take it to my gunsmith. Once the barrel is chambered and ready to screw on my action, I clean it and do another examination. The borescope exam is focused on the throat area and the small circumferential marks left by the sharpest of reamers. The argument for break in is these small marks will be removed or smoothed during the break in process but the same will occur during a normal shooting and cleaning regimin. I've proven this to myself using a borescope and examining a barrel broken in the conventional one shot clean versus one that was shot and cleaned regularly, i.e.: after every twenty rounds. There was no observable difference between the two barrels or break in method. After approx. 200 rds., these small marks are either substantially reduced or smoothed out. The point I'm trying to make is that normal shooting and cleaning accomplishes what you are trying to do with conventional break in.

Chino69

 

[WyleWD]

My approach to this is pretty simple.

Each barrel manufacturer that I've dealt with has a "Recommended Break In Proceedure". I find out what that is and follow it.

That way if the thing don't shoot, or gets worn out before its time, I can call them up and discuss it and that would be one less thing to haggle about. I've got 7 different custom barrels from 3 different manufacturers and have no complaints on any of them. WD