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Author Topic: Do you break in your barrels?  (Read 764 times)

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Offline Scootter

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Do you break in your barrels?
« on: April 02, 2007, 06:42:44 PM »
I was thinking on it and this is my first, brand new to me, rifle other than .22lr's. I did some searches and some reading tonight and I have deiced NOT to do a barrel break in. I'm going to just shoot and clean as I normaly would right from the start. If I'm right the barrel shoot settle down and start to shoot where it's going to shoot before I can really notice it.

I'm just wondering what the folks here do and why?

Scootter
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Offline Sourdough

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2007, 08:33:01 PM »
That's all I have ever done, take them out and shoot them.  I clean them when I get around to it.  Here in Alaska things don't corrode like down south, so skipping a few days before cleaning doesn't mean much.  It seem the more I shoot mine, the better they shoot.
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Offline dw06

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2007, 12:09:46 AM »
Every new rifle I've owned has been broken in by shooting them.Always cleaned them well before shooting,then cleaned after 10-15 shots.Only one I polished bore with flitz before firing is a new handi bull barrel I just got.Haven't got to shoot it much yet so will see if it cleans eaiser or shoots better sooner.
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Offline FLNT4EVR

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2007, 03:21:00 AM »
That's how I always break mine in also.You should start to notice the accuracy improving within 50 rnds or so.With my 223 I shot a lot of the cheap wolf fmj before switching to wwb and the 50 grn ultramax ammo.Both are very accurate in my Handy, as are my reloads.
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Offline Mac11700

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2007, 03:36:01 AM »
Quote from: Scootter on April 02, 2007, 06:42:44 PM
I was thinking on it and this is my first, brand new to me, rifle other than .22lr's. I did some searches and some reading tonight and I have deiced NOT to do a barrel break in. I'm going to just shoot and clean as I normaly would right from the start. If I'm right the barrel shoot settle down and start to shoot where it's going to shoot before I can really notice it.

I'm just wondering what the folks here do and why?

Scootter

Most folks do some type of break-in process ie;(lapping/polishing) to speed the settling in of the barrel. Handi's aren't lapped like most of the expensive barrels and some are very rough.If you have a good feel for it..you can run a tight fitting patch down the bore and see if it snags anywhere..I use cotton type patches for doing this..because they will show rough spot easier..Others just shoot them in by shooting factory ammo thru it. Sometimes this can get costly to do it this way with certain calibers before you have it broke in..Mostly it will depend on the condition of the individual barrel I'm working with as to how much polishing/lapping I'll do...I have spent as long as 4-6 hours working on a barrel before..till it was were I wanted it..before shooting it...and it has helped my groups...You get out of it...what you put into it..

Mac 
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Offline McLernon

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2007, 12:53:11 PM »
With the Handi this 'break-in' period also shakes-down the latch and its shelf on the lug. So after many shots the latch and its shelf have more engagement and mate up better for better shot-to- shot consistency and improved accuracy.

Mc
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Offline DalesCarpentry

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2007, 01:59:43 PM »
Every new gun I have ever owned I just went out and shot it. I do clean them before the first time at the range. I also make sure I never get the barrel to hot to touch. Even after a barrel is broken in I still never shoot it till it is to hot to touch. Really the barrel never gets much past luke warm. I just would not want to get it hot enough to warp the barrel.
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Offline Roudy

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #7 on: April 05, 2007, 03:16:57 AM »
Scooter,

I bought a new 22 lr Sportster a while back and it wasn't shooting a tight of groups as I thought it should.  I usually try about 10 different brands/style of ammunition in my 22 lr's to see which it favors.  I had read about polishing the bore somewhere and decided to polish this little 22.  I used a wooden dowel rod, small patches and Flitz to polish the bore.  Took quite a while, but the results at the range showed that is was a worthwhile effort.  In the future I plan to polish the bores on all 22 lrs that I get.

Don't know if the same would be true for center fires, but it worked for me on the 22 lr.

Everyone seems to have different ideas about whether or not to polish the bore of a new rifle, guess you'll just have to make your own decision.

Roudy
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Offline Gandalf

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2007, 08:50:27 PM »
I got a 223 Handi last year, and I've been breaking it in ever since.  I fire some break-in groups at the range, then I go out and break it in on a few nutria, then back to the paper another time.  If'n I can make time, I might go break it in on some sage rats later this month.
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Offline Bob_VT

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2007, 12:36:03 AM »
I do.

1 shot clean up to 10 rounds, then every 5 up to 50, I still require a fouling shot or two when I am going for accuracy. 

I have a few guns that cost me some big $$ so I figured I would do it the way I learned.

When I get a "used" gun I usually plug and soak the barrel overnight with bore cleaner before I shoot it.
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Offline John Boy

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Re: Do you break in your barrels?
« Reply #10 on: April 11, 2007, 10:13:03 AM »
I don't shoot copper jackets out of the H&R's but ... I start out with 50 or so Lyman#2 lead bullets.  Then I start working my through the alloy ratios to see which one the rifle likes.
Interestingly, I've found the H&R 38-55 with the 0.002 shallow grooves likes a Bhn of 11.  The 45-70 likes 1:15 alloy and the 25-20 is still being worked on.  These are all BP rounds and that's all is done to break in the barrels.

I was told that H&R barrels come from Green Mountain, so they should be shooters out of the box
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Regards
John Boy
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