Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Barrel Break In and Accuracy

Just wondering for those of you that break in barrels with the shoot one and clean for the first ten rounds and then clean every two for the next ten rounds, what kind of accuracy were you getting at this time? I just got through the first ten shots with my new rifle cleaning , oiling, and dry patching between shots and am getting 3 1/2" groups (for the ten shots). This is the first time I have kept track of groups during break in. I hope things tighten up considerably when I get serious!

Ain't nothin' to worry about.

I just went through the same procedure, several months ago, with a new Wby. Vanguard in .270 WSM. The factory target that came with the rifle was a nice, tidy .5" group, using Winchester Power Point ammo, so I knew it would at least shoot that stuff accurately. I bought two boxes of the Power Point, and confirmed that the rifle really liked this ammo.

I then purchased some Win. Supreme ammo, in 130 and 140 gr. bullet weights, Fail Safe and Ballistic Tip bullets, and Federal 140 gr. ammo with Accubond bullets. Guess what- all of this stuff shoots horrible in this rifle! But, no worries, I was still sighting in and testing several different options.

Once I had some brass accumulated, I began handloading. Tried Barnes 140 gr. TSX. Shot horrible again. I then went to Nosler Partitions, in 130 and 150 gr. weights. Bingo!! With Winchester brass, CCI 250 primers, and RL 22 powder, both these bullet weights gave me sub-moa groups, equalling that spectacular factory target which hooked me in the first place.
I now have two premium bullet loads, and one factory load, which will cover every situation I can possibly imagine with this rifle.

Yeah, the big groups are somewhat nervewracking, but you've got a long way to go yet. If you don't worry about it, it's actually a lot of fun!!

I have given up on barrel break in. I just shoot them and clean them when they need it. I tried it on some custom jobs once or twice, and I can't prove it helps anything.

No barrel break in on the last 3 aftermarket barrels and they are shooting just fine. In fact 2 of them are the most accurate rifles I have.

As always different strokes.............

I dont do any special barrel break in any more. The last 4 rifles I' ve bought new are factory rifle and their just as accurate as the firles I broke in properly. I think the shoot clean shoot clean crap is a waste of time in factory barrels.
BTW. I'm lazzy, I like to shoot but hate to clean rifles.

Jamie

My Sako Finnlight on 06 shot under moa right out of the box with Federal Premium 165gr BTSPs. No break in at all. It still shoots the same after three range sessions of 20 rounds, followed by normal cleaning. My last sako, which ended up being recalled and replaced by this one, was broken in using the method you stated, and shot the same. I see no need for the break in. JMO

Most barrel makers that I have seen quoted have stated that barrel break-in procedures are a waste of time and money and can even damage a new barrel (if you use an abrasive compound to "lap" the barrel). That procedure just puts thousands of rounds of wear on a new barrel within a few minutes and may even void a new barrel warranty. I just take the gun out of the box, clean it initially in case the manufacturer has left any "shavings" or other particles in the barrel) and shoot it and clean it normally after every range session.

http://www.badgerbarrelsinc.com/

Click on BARREL SPECIFICS.

I agree with the last several posters. Barrel break in's are a bunch of crap. Time well wasted. More barrels have been ruined this way than helped. I clean a new gun, and SHOOT it. I've proven to myself over the years that barrel break in's accomplish nothing. It's a "trend", nothing more. I have used the Tubb Fire Lap System on a few guns, and it's helped somewhat. It WILL polish up a barrel. Far more than scrubbing for endless hours with a cleaning rod. I have several guns that improve after having 30 or 40 rounds run through them. I've seen guys at the range clean for 15 minutes, then shoot for 5. Not my idea of a day at the range. billt

If you don't know how to properly clean a barrel or can't do so without damage then barrel break-in is not for you but neither is cleaning a bore at all. As far as voiding the warranty, I can't imagine a barrel company telling an owner not to clean the barrel after shooting, they can't know what number of rounds have been fired. It cannot be proven one way or the other if break-in helps since you can't have the same barrel twice. And if anyone here puts "thousands of rounds of wear" with cleaning, they need to return to square one and start learning how to clean properly.
I have a highly subjective method of break-in and after in excess of 50 rifles using this I have not had a problem so will stay with the method. This subject call be found on a search as it has been discussed.Rick.

witkor,

I bought myself a Savage .223 and shot the fifty shoot and clean routine. It took all day at the range. It will shoot ten shot groups at 200 yards that are only 7/8"!

A friend bought one and asked me to do the same for him. When I got to the range I realized the cleaning rod was at home. Shooting three shots was not going to hurt anything, I fugred, so I did. Using my load, the group was 3/8". I called the owner and asked what he wanted to do. He wanted to go rock chuch hunting. When we got together, he paced off 110 long steps. He decied on the ten extra steps just to be on the safe side. He laid some sand bags on the hood of the car and shot five into a group only sightly larger than my original three. His group was 4/10".

If you want to play with your new rifle, you might fire lap it to make it easier to clean. Otherwise go shooting! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

What the custom barrel makeres have to say about their products and how it compares to a factory barrel is apples and oranges. A factory barrel is usually rougher and gets fouled more and faster. Whether or not a break in helps or not will always be up for debate. When I clean my rifles I get all of the copper out. From time to time I read or hear of a pitted barrel. Corrosive primers haven't been around for years ( cheap mil-surplus not included) so why does it happen? Two dissimilar metals can cause galvanic corrosion and moisture can form between the copper plating and the bore. Cleaning the barrel properly won't hurt it. Lapping it yourself can damage it.

Thanks for all the reply's everyone. Well I got the break in done. Now I need to get out and see how this thing will shoot without the cleaning between shots.

No wonder you got a 3-1/2" group. If you'd just shot the rifle without all the rest of the dancing around, the group probably would have been 1-2".

I have done a lot of experimenting with "break in" techniques and have yet to find any difference between cleaning every round and cleaning every 10-30 rounds--such as, say, cleaning only between range sessions--for ending up with a good-shooting barrel.

I have also done a lot of reading over the years and have yet to find any other experiments on the one-shot-clean method of break-in. Evidently somnebody just suggested it out of the clear blue one day and many shooters have been slavishly following this mystery advice ever since.

MD

Thanks for the reply Mule Deer. I really wasn't sure if I wanted to do the break in or not so I called Kimber and they told me I should do it following Ed Brown's procedure. Anyway, it's done, so now I need to go shoot some groups. I don't think I'll waste my time doing this again though!

I've gone through the ritual for the last dozen or so rifles I've bought, and have had exceptionally good luck with accuracy from factory barrels. However, I've also been as uptight about load development as I could, which plays a much bigger factor. Long story short, I didn't break in the barrel of my new .338 because components (mostly the bullets) cost enought to change my mind. I'm still in the earlier stages of load fiddling so the verdict isn't out yet, but in the end, it wouldn't prove anything one way or the other. I do think that some good initial scrubbing on a new bore to remove factory dirt is a reasonable step, and also so judicious use of JB polish on the clean bore to smooth out the micro burrs prior to shooting the first time. Again, no proof, just my feelings.
222Rem

Mule Deer,

Does the suggestion of "seasoning" a bore make sense
as suggested by Badger Barrels?

http://www.badgerbarrelsinc.com/

Click: Barrel Specifics

MD - thanks for those thoughts - it is always refreshing to find someone (especially someone who has earned the respect that you have) who notices that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. Best, John

I have had good luck with judicious fire lapping and a little JB bore polish as my break in method.

safariman

My "barrel break in" these days is to try the trigger. If I'm not happy with it I usually just lube it with a fluoropolymer lube ( I use Tetra). I lube it and work the trigger a few hundred times then take it out to shoot. My first cleaning I usually use J-B to clean it, unless it was stellar as is then I just use a copper or other cleaner as needed. Like a cartridge case I prefer not to work it more than nbecessary for prolonged life.

Lubing the trigger mechanism with the fluro lube (and dry firing to break in) has seemed to help big time with triggers I was not satisfied with at first pull. My Armalite AR 10 comes immediately to mind. It now shoots 5 shot usually moa or less groups and I haven't put a dime extra into it.

P.S. Altho I sure some sears are so rough that only smith work alone can improve it, I won't buy a gun unless they let me check the trigger pull. A large part of which gun I choose to purchase is this evaluation. I'm just not happy with spending 6 bills or more on a gun and then figure all these addition costs, and it's become my habit when checking out a firearm. YMMV. Factory barrels have gotten a bad name but most are capable of all the accuracy that 95% of all shooters are capable of using. We happen to have many very experienced shooters at the campfire and we are discerning. The other 95% may never notice the difference they're spending their money on and this is one of the tricks I use, and have been pleased by.

Jian wa

I agree that the trigger is far far more important than most shooters know. I often replace the trigger return spring with a lighter unit and add a good lube and find this works wonders much of the time. But sometimes a barrel does need a little smoothing up which is when I fire lap (MODESTLY!!) and finish up with the JB routine. Good luck!!

Safariman