Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires New barrel break in?

Just curious how other rifle nuts treat a brand new rimfire barrel, do you clean and brush every shot during the break-in period for a certain number of shots like some do with new centerfire rifle barrels or do you just shot hell of it and never clean even a new barrel? I know many that never clean their rimfire barrels but I never asked any of these guys if they go through a break-in procedure with a new rifle barrel....this should be very interesting.............Thanks Hillbilly.

VA,

I would give it a good, thorough cleaning to get any factory grease/oils out.

Then shoot the heck out of if.

I like your method Jim, and that is usually what I do......Thanks Hillbilly.

Thats all you need to do.

clean it and then shoot it

then shoot it some more. every 5000 rounds, clean out the action.
Maybe after 50,000 you might squirt some wipe out in the bore and drag a Boresnake thru a few times.

rimfire barrels don't need a break in period. Just shoot 'em.

Clean and shoot.

VaHillbilly: I do not know the answer to your inciteful question!
Decades ago we "broke in" centerfire barrels just by shooting them 100 to 120 times and most often they magically started shooting a tad better at that point.
I have bought dozens of new rimfire Rifles over the years but never actually noticed an "improvement" in accuracy (or an improvement in the ease of cleaning) of any of these rimfires including the 17 HMR and the 17 Mach2's after shooting them for 100 rounds or so.
I do want to add this though - when I get a new rimfire Rifle anymore and I am testing the various ammo offerings to find the most accurate ammo - it often takes several shots with the latest ammo I am shooting to get that ammo to "settle down"?
This changing of ammo during my tests and firing 5 or 6 shots before shooting for grouping has become a "policy" of mine now.
It semes the ammo that I am newly trying out needs to somehow settle in the barrel?
It would be "very interesting" to me to know for sure IF a rimfire barrel would benefit (accuracy wise or in ease of cleaning the barrel) from the traditional shoot and clean regimens for barrel break-in?
I wonder what the 22-BR type shooters do (if anything) to their new barrels?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Clean and shoot a brick of ammo through it.

VarmintGuy, I have also had many new rimfires over the years and while I usually give a new rifle a good initial cleaning then shoot the heck out of it with some of the new rimfire rifles I have had over these many years I did do a break-in procedure like I still do with any new centerfire rifle barrels (for what it's worth) and I noticed no real difference in ease of cleaning or accuracy, I also agree that when changing ammo that it takes several shots with that particular brand before you achieve the accuracy that load is capable of, that was a very good observation that I have also noticed.............Hillbilly.

I, too, just clean 'em before the first range trip, then shoot 'em. I clean ... eh, whenever. I only clean a rimfire when powder fouling buildup seems to interfere with reliability or when the gun is getting gunky enough to "foul" whatever case or rug I put it in.

I have never heard of any one breaking a 22 rim fire barrel. I generally only clean mine after I have shot a brick or value pack worth of amno. I only clean if a semi auto cycling seems to be affected.