Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Barrel Break-in

The fouling history of the brand must be savage to need a preemptive strike like that.

I DBC from the start and go from there. Sorta breaks'em in without much trouble. After a few shoot/clean cycles most good barrels are near foul free. The others, much easier to clean. By clean, I mean Hawkeye bore scope clean.

DF

I should have been more clear. Installing DBC requires a clean barrel. How clean is clean enough. I'm not that much of a fanatic on having to have the barrel that clean normally.

It needs to be as clean as you can possibly make it, dry and oil-free.

I have yet to encounter a barrel where following the directions that come with DBC hasn't done the job.

Yeah, the guy that wrote those directions must have known what he was talking about!

Some of the time, anyway!

Ah, the mythical "totally clean patch" that will someday arrive on the horn of a unicorn being ridden by a leprechaun.

You reckon...

Needs to be down to the steel, squeaky clean before applying DBC.

DF

There are those fellers that keep scrubbing with a bronze brush and swabbing with a brass jag and wonder why they're still getting blue patches.

But, in Jordon's defense, a barrel is probably cleaner when it's new than after it's been shot a bunch. Thus, it's a lot easier to clean.

Given that, why not DBC them while they're pristine. I don't think DBC can hurt, can only help. Some barrels may not need DBC, but it can't hurt'em. The others will for sure benfit.

So, guess I'm with Jordon on that one.

To me, it's a practical matter, do what easiest...

DF

JB said, "And since most of them also shot larger groups for a while after cleaning, I quit cleaning 'em much. Life is good."

Being a bit under the weather today, and bored, I will share some thoughts on this subject that all of you experienced folks already know, but may be helpful to some less experienced. Please pardon my rambling.

Not knowing that bit about larger groups right after cleaning tricked me sometimes many years ago when I started serious load testing. I thought the cleaner the better, for accuracy.

I would go to the range with a squeaky clean barrel to test some loads or a new bullet and it took a while for me to realize that the first group wasn't going to be a valid accuracy test. And the very first shot doesn't give a valid velocity through the chronograph, either.

In my experience most good barrels settle down within a couple of shots. A very worn barrel may need a dozen rounds to build up enough fouling to achieve the best accuracy it can provide. That is the case with my old Savage M-1920 in 250-3000. It starts out with a 5" group at 100 yards from a clean barrel, but from round 12 on the groups are all under two inches with most about an inch or so, some less.

In the Marines during our days at the rifle range we had to clean our rifles ridiculously clean at the end of each day, and pass inspection. Except, at the end of the last day before qualifying day the DI's forbid us to clean the barrels so we would start out the next day with fouled barrels. Since those M-14s were very worn it probably did make a noticeable difference.

Mike Venturino has mentioned his long-time habit of putting his first shot out of a clean barrel into the berm before starting on the paper target. Only for some of his hunting rifles did he want to know how far out of the group the first bullet went from a clean barrel.

A good recommendation for hunting rifles is to not clean the bore between your last sight-in confirmation shots and the first day of the hunt.

Many outfitters require their clients to check their sight-in after first arriving at base camp before starting the hunt.

This accomplishes three things: it confirms that the sight-in didn't get knocked off during travel, or gets corrected to a better sight-in. More than one hunter has showed up for an expensive hunt and when asked if his rifle is sighted in, has replied, "Yes, I just had that new scope put on the day before I left and the kid at the gun store said he bore-sighted it for me for free".

Secondly, the outfitter can see how the client handles his rifle (safely and with familiarity?) and how well he can shoot. And thirdly, it fouls the barrel for accuracy and demonstrates that the rifle and scope are functioning properly.

Now when I go to the range to test loads with a clean barrel I don't pay much attention to the first group. This is fine if I am starting with a lighter load and working up through increasing charges to find a good load.

If I am intending to start right out with a serious test I will put a few factory loads down range from one of the boxes I used to find initial accuracy and velocity info when I first obtained that rifle. Or I may have some leftover rounds from a load that has since been surpassed by better loads or bullets. Otherwise the obsolete, inferior loads get used for offhand practice.

Years ago, before DBC came along, and my knowledge increased, I used JB Bore Paste to get ALL the copper out after every shooting session, verified with my bore-scope. I spent a LOT of time and energy cleaning rifle barrels. Now the most frequent use for the JB Bore Paste is to prepare a bore for the DBC treatment. I also like the guy that wrote those cleaning directions. (smile)

Now I spend much less time cleaning barrels and life is better.

DF,

While new barrels are usually pretty clean when new, most still have the remnants of proof or test-firing in the bore, so need to be cleaned before installing DBC. In fact, the bores of the unnamed rifle brand known for barrels that foul considerably often have enough copper in 'em to be very visible at the muzzle, just from test-firing a round at the factory.

Aside from instances like that, I give 'em all a chance to prove whether they're going to foul or not before installing DBC. We own one very accurate .223 that has gone 500+ rounds without cleaning, with no deterioration in accuracy, and has never been DBC'd. Have several other rifles that will go around 200 rounds without cleaning, and don't bother cleaning them either.

But then, aside from when installing DBC my normal cleaning routine is to run a loose patch soaked in Montana Extreme through the bore, wait overnight, then push a couple fresh, tight patches through.

Nifty-two-fifty,

Glad you like that guy, whoever he is!

I have also seen brand-new, hand-lapped custom barrels that would take at least a dozen fouling rounds to settle down after cleaning. In fact one drove me nuts until I figured it out. I'd go to the range with a dozen or maybe 15 handloads to test, and the rifle wouldn't shoot worth a darn. Then I'd go home, clean the bore, load some more ammo, and head back to the range.

Finally didn't clean it after maybe the 4th range session, and the next time it shot great! Turned out it would go 75-80 rounds before groups opened up, and even then it was only slightly.

I read an article that claimed shooting barrels while they are clean will last twice as many rounds before they go sour. Can't remember the magazine.

What say you: Is this likely, possible?

John, I have a Model 70 375 H&H from 1997 or there about. I don't think it's been fired so I cleaned as I would a new rifle and the blueing is obviously still present in the bore. Two questions. Will the blueing affect the DBC application, and how long can I leave the DBC in the bore without curing with sending bullets down the barrel. IE can it sit in there for a month?
Thanks.

Bugger,

What was the author's definition of a clean barrel? Cleaned between each shot?

pathfinder,

As long as you clean the bore of all fouling and oil, the blueing won't affect DBC at all.

Don't remember how long I've left DBC in a bore before shooting/curing, but it's been at least several days, and maybe weeks. Doesn't seem to make any difference.

I once asked Doug Burche about leaving DBC in a bore for a long time. I had a CM barrel (oh! the horror!), and it was headed to a stockmaker's for whittling, then it would be blued. As a result it was to be more than a year before it would be finished, and I didn't want the bore to rust while it was sitting in his shop.

Doug said no problems at all leaving DBC in the bore even for more than a year, and that it would provide rust resistance when installed. He also mentioned NOT to put Dyna Gun Shield on the exterior of the barrel, because the gunsmith wouldn't be able to remove it to blue the barrel.

I put DBC in all barrels as soon as I get them, new or no. I do clean the new barrels with the same process as a used barrel, with the bore cleaner, JB bore paste, etc. Just one less thing to worry about while shooting, and I clean my rifles at a very irregular interval now.

I will always one guy's idea on barrel break in. He said he breaks in barrels just like he breaks in oil changes. Makes sense to me.

DBC fills in the pores of the steel and has a lower coefficient of friction than steel, so once cured it "scrapes" less material off the bullet jacket, and as you know, it relinquishes it much easier than steel does, as well.