Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters how do you prep a brand new centerfire barrel

I wipe the new barrel out then I give it about 100 strokes with JB bore paste. Give it a patch or two of Hoppes, wipe dry and start shooting.

I clean, shoot ten shots, clean, shoot ten shots, clean, shoot ten shots, I’m good to go. Then clean hunting rifles once a year.

This

Stick had a video on new barrel break-in...

Clean, shoot.

I always run a solvent patch followed by a brush, then dry patches. Just to make sure there aren't any chips in the bore. You may be surprised how often I get fine steel chips out of match barrels.

I am still learning after over 50 years of center fire rifle shooting. One of the problems is there are so many good shooters, custom rifle shops and barrel makers that have differing opinions and give conflicting advice.


I would like to see and in depth survey done of some of the bench rest crowd and what their opinions are. I am thinking they will be all over the board.

For Alaska, most shots are under 200 yards and the critters are big, so finding a rifle/load combo that will give "MOA critter" is fairly easy. I don't have the patience for my type of shooting to spend the time needed to wring out the max potential of a barrel and load combo, so I find my self saying "that is good enough".

I like to hose them out with brake parts cleaner to get rid of any loose debris and gunk. I follow this with a couple of Ballistol wetted patches and a couple of dry patches just to make sure. I have found crap I was glad I didn't run a bullet over.

If with the Cream of wheat method a dry patch after every couple of rounds to knock out any build up. If with bullets then you could go all fifty but I would usually clean just to let the barrel cool. I got in a hurry and ran about 80 .280AIs down the bore fairly rapidly. The barrel got pretty hot and I should have had longer cool down times. Probably started some throat erosion but not enough to see without a bore scope.

However many I wind up shooting during the first range session.

I have close to 500rd though the Benchmark on my 243AI, and it hasn't seen a patch yet. The Shilen tube on my .22 Creedmoor has a little over 150 though it, and the same story. I dont have a clue what the Criterion on my AR has...I have lost count. I have run the odd dry bore snake through all of them after a particularly wet and nasty hunting trip...other than than, nada.

If they start shooting like crap, they get cleaned.

In order to keep costs down, factory barrels are no longer made according the the old world standard.

Sako still adheres to many of the techniques that make their factory barrels more accurate than the rest. About the only way to get a factory barrel to shoot is to cheat. Breaking in a factory barrel doesn't work, so use one of these. Talk to your gunsmith about getting one. They are charm bags. He will explain how to use it.



Aftermarket specialty barrels are another matter altogether. There are several important things that have to be done with them.

1. Immediately after it is finished, the barrel has to be hung for three months using a jute string. Indian jute, no other kind. It doesn't leave rust rings. Jute wicks away any water. The Corchorus plant has long been used by knowledgeable barrel makers and gunsmiths as a source for jute.

2. Barrels must be properly air dried. The drying room must be at 3% humidity or less, and it is best if the room is south facing. This ensures an even, natural heat is applied to the wall which slowly heats the metal all the way through. Artificial heating methods have been tried, but they do not work as well as natural sunlight. Barrels dried this way are less likely to rust or pit. They also dry straight.

3. The room must be properly sealed to prevent contamination of the metal.

4. Benchrest barrels require an extra three months of what is referred to as "long seasoning". These barrels are subjected to 30 hz passive vibration and produced in small batches. Six barrels are suspended in an oak lined drying cabinet. Standard barrels are not. Horn speakers are built into the walls of the dying room to provide the 30 hz.

5. Some are wrapped in dried palm leaves, but after 50 years, barrel makers are still debating the merits of wrapping. I believe that more competitions have been won with palm wrapped barrels, but I do not have a citation. This is where the term "Palma Shooting" got its name. In the past, competitors used only palm wrapped barrels for LR competition.

You forgot the small white dog in the room. Something in its breath helps the metal.






P

I think someone has been drinking white dog.

These barrel break in threads are never dull......never helpful either

On all rifles ( unless it came with a Match grade barrel) and a couple of handguns, go thru a polishing regiment, prior to the first shot fired. I get automotive polishing compound, liberally coat the barrel (inside of the barrel, for those in Rio Linda, Ca.), and run a tight fitting patch back and forth thru the barrel. You do this, for a lot longer than your arm will appreciate.....then do some more. Thru this process, you will likely need to add compound.

I had a friend that had purchased a new (early production SS Rem.25-06) with a very rough barrel. He wanted to shoot Barnes X ( the original) bullets, but couldn’t get it to group, 5” or so groups being the normal. I (finally) convinced him to try this method ( he had nothing to lose). Upon completion, he was getting 1 1/2” to 1 3/4” groups. Nothing to brag about......but a huge improvement.

I’m convinced that it will help, and I guess that’s all that matters! memtb

Clean well before the first shot,then shoot and clean after every shot for the first ten shots,then after every five shots for the next twenty.Don't know if it makes any difference,but the rifles I've broke in this way will usually shoot the same whether it's from a clean or dirty first cold bore shot.

Somehow I could foresee the ultimate direction of this thread. Perhaps I can predict the future!

I followed these directions to the letter and got this:





Oh, wait a minute, I forgot, all I did was load the magazine and shoot.
Barrel break in is BS.





P

Congratulations! I’ve had a couple like that also....but most factory barrels can use a little help! To each his own....hopefully you can continue to get barrels of that quality, and a properly bedded stock, and all of the other little things that produce those groups! memtb