Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New tikka 260, do a "barrel break in" or just shoot it?

Get help By the way, are you a democrat? I will stupidly say! [/quote]

I am not an Obama lover at all, and you are not much of a poet

Are Tikka barrels butter soft?

LOL.

Shoot it = break in. Especially if steel plates or animals are shot within the first 10 rounds.

Well, I guess I'm the odd ball. I like to shoot the bbl in, why, well I've been doing it for fifty years so why change now. Does it help, who knows, between my Daughter and myself we have 5 Tikkas and one Sako. They all shoot sub minute especially my Daughters new Compact 7mm-08. Besides that, I just like to shoot them and I'm to old to change my ways.

shot mine about 60 times- without cleaning- While sighting in and seeing what load was showing promise. Shot this group the following range session and declared everything 'broke in'.

Just saying, Tikka and Sako both warn not to use metal brushes in their barrels.I'll heed to their warning.
Most of the time you here these break-in regiments they say brush 100X with lapping compound,smooth that barrel.
I say shoot.

I've used brass brushes in my Sako barrel for 20 years. No problem so far, though I have switched to Boretech Eliminator copper remover so had to switch to nylon brushes for the last year or two.

As for barrel break-in, I did go thru a procedure for the Brux barrel on the Tikka. Did it help? I have not a clue. Rifle shoots great but probably would have anyway.

I can't remember if I've cleaned a barrel yet this year.

Shoot the rifle... after all "breaking in" is is....., ready for this?


Shooting the rifle!

Once upon a time there was a little old woman who liked to make stuff up. She lived in the far away land of "Wives Tales"

Every thing she said sure sounded good but she was full of schit!

Shod

Most of the time you here these break-in regiments they say brush 100X with lapping compound,smooth that barrel.
I say shoot. [/quote]

Tikka barrels are lapped from the factory!

Shod

Look at how much it fouls as I believe a break-in procedure can ease the cleaning process for new barrels that fouls badly.

Pieter

My Tikka was never put through a "break in" process. Funny thing is, it has never seen a rod either. I have used a Bore-Snake and Wipe-out since day one and it is the most accurate rifle I own. I clean every 40-50 rounds or so. I cleaned every 25 or so when it was newer though.

Pieter,

Have you ever noted a tikka to be a barrel fouler? Neither have I.

Thats because match grade barrels machined to exact tolerances and then HAND LAPPED don't foul.

Shod

Tikka T3 338 WM


Match grade hand lapped 338 cal Truvelo barrel


You will find that even some of the best barrel makers in the world puts out barrels that fouls (hand lapped does not guarantee it will not foul). I am not saying all of them do, but it does not hurt to observe each individual barrel and see what it needs to improve.

Pieter

I have done both. Have had good results with both. And have had finicky barrels with both. At this point, I would just shoot it. The last Lilja I had chambered for .30-06 had 20 rounds down the tube before I cleaned it the first time. VERY little fouling (blue residue) even with the first patch thru the bore... Second patch was basically nil.

Really?

Someone should tell that to the Bartlein, Krieger, Lilja, & Hart barrels in my safe because all of them fouled when new. If you don't think that a "match grade" barrel will foul then you haven't looked very hard at one.

Tikka barrels are hammer forged. They typically shoot well but despite the marketing they are not "match grade". With a factory barrel I lean towards the " just shoot it" camp, but with a real custom barrel I take the time to break them in because I have seen that it does help to make cleaning easier in the future.

Gonna try this with my new wood stock. should be just the ticket to get her broken in right.

Never heard of breaking in a rifle until I came to this website...I've never "broke in" a barrel, and not EVER had a problem with it.