Whats the proper way to clean a new rifle
- Thread starter catbegone
- Start date
Originally Posted By: pyscodogEver see them break in a top fuel car? Not going to argue this. It makes no difference to me.
LOL ya but with top fuel motors all they need it to do is make a burn out and a single 1000ft run, then it gets towed back to their pit and the rebuild begins. Often, they don't even last a full pass but in all fairness, top fuel motors are the most extreme, of any motor I can think of.
NASCAR motors get broken in on a dyno. No build em and run em with those motors.
LOL ya but with top fuel motors all they need it to do is make a burn out and a single 1000ft run, then it gets towed back to their pit and the rebuild begins. Often, they don't even last a full pass but in all fairness, top fuel motors are the most extreme, of any motor I can think of.
NASCAR motors get broken in on a dyno. No build em and run em with those motors.
NdIndy
New member
Originally Posted By: RePeteOriginally Posted By: NdIndy On the upside they do get to sell more barrels, some of those procedures knock years of a barrels life.
Pac-Nor recommend's a simple thirty round break in.
Couple questions
1) Do you presume to know more than one of the premier barrel manufacturers in the country.
2) What math does one use to come up with 30 or even 60 rounds equating to "years of barrel life".
1. What text did i post that had either 30 or 60 rounds mentioned?
2. Habla baja moojie flem!
I dont really have a 2nd point
But i do have a third, weird.
3. Other "premier" makers have called it bs, and aimed at boosting sales. I actually didnt come up with the theory.
Blatant copy/pastes from other sites.
Author Comments
bullseye
Senior Member posted September 25, 1999 12:38 AM
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I've seen messages posted on this board refering to breaking in of new barrels. What is this procedure? Is it different for chrome lined vs. regular barrels?
Gale McMillan
Senior Member posted September 25, 1999 10:10 AM
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The break in fad was started by a fellow I helped get started in the barrel business . He started putting a set of break in instructions in ever barrel he shipped. One came into the shop to be installed and I read it and the next time I saw him I asked him What was with this break in crap?. His answer was Mac, My share of the market is about 700 barrels a year. I cater to the target crowd and they shoot a barrel about 3000 rounds before they change it. If each one uses up 100 rounds of each barrel breaking it in you can figure out how many more barrels I will get to make each year. If you will stop and think that the barrel doesn't know whether you are cleaning it every shot or every 5 shots and if you are removing all foreign material that has been deposited in it since the last time you cleaned it what more can you do? When I ship a barrel I send a recommendation with it that you clean it ever chance you get with a brass brush pushed through it at least 12 times with a good solvent and followed by two and only 2 soft patches. This means if you are a bench rest shooter you clean ever 7 or 8 rounds . If you are a high power shooter you clean it when you come off the line after 20 rounds. If you follow the fad of cleaning every shot for X amount and every 2 shots for X amount and so on the only thing you are accomplishing is shortening the life of the barrel by the amount of rounds you shot during this process. I always say Monkey see Monkey do, now I will wait on the flames but before you write them, Please include what you think is happening inside your barrel during break in that is worth the expense and time you are spending during break in."
"Consider this, every round shot in breaking in a barrel is one round off
the life of said rifle barrel. No one has ever told me the physical
reason of what happens during break in firing. In other words to the
number of pounds of powder shot at any given pressure, is the life of the
barrel. No one has ever explained what is being accomplished by
shooting and cleaning in any prescribed method. Start your barrel off
with 5 rounds and clean it thoroughly and do it again. Nev Maden a
friend down under that my brother taught to make barrels was the one who
come up with the break in method. He may think he has come upon
something, or he has come up with another way to sell barrels. I feel
that the first shot out of a barrel is its best and every one after that
deteriorates until the barrel is gone. If some one can explain what
physically takes place during break in to modify the barrel then I may
change my mind. As the physical properties of a barrel doesn't change
because of the break in procedures it means it's all hog wash. I am open
to any suggestions that can be documented otherwise if it is just
someone's opinion forget it.
Gale McMillan"
So i guess you come down to who you choose to believe. The car eengine analogy doesnt fit. A barrel will go to the grave without as many metal/metal contacts as the first 20 minutes of an engines life.
Pac-Nor recommend's a simple thirty round break in.
Couple questions
1) Do you presume to know more than one of the premier barrel manufacturers in the country.
2) What math does one use to come up with 30 or even 60 rounds equating to "years of barrel life".
1. What text did i post that had either 30 or 60 rounds mentioned?
2. Habla baja moojie flem!
I dont really have a 2nd point
But i do have a third, weird.
3. Other "premier" makers have called it bs, and aimed at boosting sales. I actually didnt come up with the theory.
Blatant copy/pastes from other sites.
Author Comments
bullseye
Senior Member posted September 25, 1999 12:38 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've seen messages posted on this board refering to breaking in of new barrels. What is this procedure? Is it different for chrome lined vs. regular barrels?
Gale McMillan
Senior Member posted September 25, 1999 10:10 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The break in fad was started by a fellow I helped get started in the barrel business . He started putting a set of break in instructions in ever barrel he shipped. One came into the shop to be installed and I read it and the next time I saw him I asked him What was with this break in crap?. His answer was Mac, My share of the market is about 700 barrels a year. I cater to the target crowd and they shoot a barrel about 3000 rounds before they change it. If each one uses up 100 rounds of each barrel breaking it in you can figure out how many more barrels I will get to make each year. If you will stop and think that the barrel doesn't know whether you are cleaning it every shot or every 5 shots and if you are removing all foreign material that has been deposited in it since the last time you cleaned it what more can you do? When I ship a barrel I send a recommendation with it that you clean it ever chance you get with a brass brush pushed through it at least 12 times with a good solvent and followed by two and only 2 soft patches. This means if you are a bench rest shooter you clean ever 7 or 8 rounds . If you are a high power shooter you clean it when you come off the line after 20 rounds. If you follow the fad of cleaning every shot for X amount and every 2 shots for X amount and so on the only thing you are accomplishing is shortening the life of the barrel by the amount of rounds you shot during this process. I always say Monkey see Monkey do, now I will wait on the flames but before you write them, Please include what you think is happening inside your barrel during break in that is worth the expense and time you are spending during break in."
"Consider this, every round shot in breaking in a barrel is one round off
the life of said rifle barrel. No one has ever told me the physical
reason of what happens during break in firing. In other words to the
number of pounds of powder shot at any given pressure, is the life of the
barrel. No one has ever explained what is being accomplished by
shooting and cleaning in any prescribed method. Start your barrel off
with 5 rounds and clean it thoroughly and do it again. Nev Maden a
friend down under that my brother taught to make barrels was the one who
come up with the break in method. He may think he has come upon
something, or he has come up with another way to sell barrels. I feel
that the first shot out of a barrel is its best and every one after that
deteriorates until the barrel is gone. If some one can explain what
physically takes place during break in to modify the barrel then I may
change my mind. As the physical properties of a barrel doesn't change
because of the break in procedures it means it's all hog wash. I am open
to any suggestions that can be documented otherwise if it is just
someone's opinion forget it.
Gale McMillan"
So i guess you come down to who you choose to believe. The car eengine analogy doesnt fit. A barrel will go to the grave without as many metal/metal contacts as the first 20 minutes of an engines life.
Ok, this is a thread kinda like whether you like blonds or red heads.
ON a new barrel I will JB the barrel. I saturate 5 patches with JB and short stroke them back and forth in effect, scrubbing with the patches. Montana Extreme Copper cream is just as good as JB, but ISSo is a lot more aggressive.
Then I go and shoot the barrels. I shot registered BR for a while, went the whole 9 yards of shot one and clean for 5 shots, then shoot three and clean for five groups, then shoot five and clean for five groups, it is not a fun job and I don't think that there is any pay off other than getting your off the couch or out from in front of the computer shooting. These were the finest barrels made.
Cut rifle barrels will take more break in time vs a button rifle barrel in my experience.
Go shoot them, enjoy!!!!
ON a new barrel I will JB the barrel. I saturate 5 patches with JB and short stroke them back and forth in effect, scrubbing with the patches. Montana Extreme Copper cream is just as good as JB, but ISSo is a lot more aggressive.
Then I go and shoot the barrels. I shot registered BR for a while, went the whole 9 yards of shot one and clean for 5 shots, then shoot three and clean for five groups, then shoot five and clean for five groups, it is not a fun job and I don't think that there is any pay off other than getting your off the couch or out from in front of the computer shooting. These were the finest barrels made.
Cut rifle barrels will take more break in time vs a button rifle barrel in my experience.
Go shoot them, enjoy!!!!
Eric_Mayer
Active member
IMO, that McMillan post has been used out of context so many times, that people are starting to quote it as gospel to all rifle barrels. He is discussing high-end, hand-lapped (at the manufacturer), custom barrels, not your typical factory barrel. With that being said, I don't know of any custom barrel maker that does not recommend some type of break-in (does McMillan even make barrels any more?).
A good video on the differences between a mass-produced factory barrel, and a custom barrel, is this one by Lilja:
To each their own, but removing variables when acquiring any new rifle is important to me. Breaking in a barrel, checking the crown after initial shooting, trigger pull, bedding, proper scope alignment/torque, cheek weld, removing bolt slop, adjusting receiver screw torque, type of target dot, target dot background, environment issues (wind/heat mainly) when sighting-in, checking zero after ammo lot changes, rim size checking/sorting (rimfire), etc, are all things I do in order to remove the variables. To me, a couple of hours when I purchase a rifle, will allow me to shoot well for many, many days/weeks/months out in the field, and know it's not the rifle, but me who is missing (on the rare occasion that happens
)!
Eric
A good video on the differences between a mass-produced factory barrel, and a custom barrel, is this one by Lilja:
To each their own, but removing variables when acquiring any new rifle is important to me. Breaking in a barrel, checking the crown after initial shooting, trigger pull, bedding, proper scope alignment/torque, cheek weld, removing bolt slop, adjusting receiver screw torque, type of target dot, target dot background, environment issues (wind/heat mainly) when sighting-in, checking zero after ammo lot changes, rim size checking/sorting (rimfire), etc, are all things I do in order to remove the variables. To me, a couple of hours when I purchase a rifle, will allow me to shoot well for many, many days/weeks/months out in the field, and know it's not the rifle, but me who is missing (on the rare occasion that happens
Eric