barrel break-in

I have read many of reports from many of "benchrest shooters" concerning barrel break-in and there are a lot of different opinions.

This what most "benchrest" shooters do;
Fire one shot then clean, do this for the first five.
Fire two shots then clean, this for next five.
Fire three shots then clean, this for next five.

Now for a custom barrel all this may not need to be do.

But like I said about - everyone has their own way of doing it. The main thing, don't get the barrel real hot and do clean it with a good copper solvent. All you what to do is smooth the barrel out and that's why you want to get the copper out in between shots.

I am sure there will others hear to help you out more on this subject.
 
prairie chicken
Welcome to the board! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

If you do a search on barrel break in, you will find lots of opinions.

30 years ago, nobody even considered such a thing.
10 years ago, it was a must-do thing.
Now, it has fallen out of favor with most precision shooters.

Frequent cleaning for the first 50-100 rounds will not hurt, if done with a good bore guide and a quality, one piece rod.

Cleaning a factory barrel before the first shot, is probably more important than any break in procedure.

Jack
 
IMO don't worry about it. Just go shoot it and have fun with your new rifle. Clean it just like you clean your other rifles.
Unless you just enjoy cleaning your rifles, some people do, the benefit of cleaning after every couple shots is considered a must by some and not necessary by others.
All my rifles shoot very well and I followed no break in procedure on any of them.
 
Oh yeah! Like Jack said in the post above, make sure you clean it thoroughly before you shoot it the first time. They come very dirty from the factory.
Have fun with your new rifle, hope it turns out to be a shooter!
 
I have to agree with jack .
I would also like to add that there are many barrels ruined by improper ,excessive cleaning . also as mentioned above a coated cleaning rod and a bore guide are a must. Also avoid the use of abrasive bore cleaners or leaving amonia base cleaners in the bore for more than a few minutes at a time.
 
I also agree with jack and would like to add.By doing a break in on a barrel is for slicking the barrel as well as prolonging the barrel life.In my experience doing a break-in like coyote control said does make a differance,it makes it easier to clean.I have owned many guns and i have found that breaking in helps them last longer.I get about 1000 to 2000 more rounds through them by doing a proper breaking in.I normally do the one shot then clean 6 or seven times then i do a 2 shot clean a couple times.Note: when i brush i allow the solvent to set for about 5 minutes each time so it has time to eat all the copper out of the grooves.

My proceedure
(clean it before the first shot)
shoot one,using a bore guide and a one piece rod and a proper jag i push two oil soaked patches through then i brush with solvent,I make about ten strokes(all the way forard and all the way back)= 1 stroke,then i let set for 5 minutes.After 5 minutes I push two more oil soaked patches then i push (do not reuse dirty patches) clean dry patches til i get clean. (white patches out the end)
I repeat this 6 or seven times.
Then i go to 2 shots and clean using the same cleanig method.
I do the 2 shot clean about 4 times.
You will have about 12 to 13 shots before you have one properly broke in if u use this proceedure.This is just my proceedure im not saying this is the best,just giving you the option.After i have one broke-in I clean it about every 40 rounds.Most gunsmiths will tell you to clean every 20 rounds but i say use your own judgment on that.I do agree with the over cleaning theory that is why i clean every 40 oposed to every 20.Hope this helps.Good luck and good hunting.
 
I just shot my brand new .243 last weekend. I shot 5 times, cleaned it with #9, shot 5 more and cleaned it again. Then i finished off the box and cleaned it again. I do not think there is any real benefit to "breaking in", but most factory barrels are not high quality anyway like a hart etc. Too much time to clean after every shot, not sure what that actually accomplishes anyhow. I have read that breaking in a barrel simply means you are coating the fine spiral milling grooves in the throat with copper, which smooths them out since they are perpendicular to the barrel grooves. That is why moly is not a good choice for barrel break in.
 
Moose, that was a great read. Thanks for the info. I won't be wasting my time cleaning at the range on new barrels. That is one thing i wondered, why do people say you have to clean between each shot on a new barrel? Every barrel made is already shot at the factory, so when you get the gun you are not the first person the send a bullet down the barrel anyway.
 


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