Author Topic: Barrel break-in? (Read 1339 times)

kix · « **on:** March 15, 2009, 08:41:53 AM »

Hello all. Is there something to breaking-in a new barrel? I used to simply take my new rifle to the range,shoot it,take it home and clean it. Of course I would always let the barrel cool off after 2-3 shots but that's the only care I took.Now,thanks to the cursed internet,I find out that new barrels need extra TLC. Or do they? And if they do,is there a procedure to follow? I am having a .243 re-barreled with a brand new 7/08 barrel so I'm just wondering. Thanks for your replies and suggestions. Kix

trotterlg · « **Reply #1 on:** March 15, 2009, 08:43:43 AM »

I think it is an urban mith. Larry

kix · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2009, 08:57:42 AM »

Larry,you are one fast dude on the keyboard! And I think (big trouble) that you might be right because none of my other rifles seem to have suffered with my hap-hazard,careless,senseless and who-cares mis-treatment of them. Just went and shot them,nothing more. Thanks for your reply. Any other opinions out there? Myth? Legend? Fact? Don't let me ruin my new barrel! Kix

kitchawan kid · « **Reply #3 on:** March 15, 2009, 12:41:06 PM »

Go to FAQ in H&R rifles form.

Catfish · « **Reply #4 on:** March 15, 2009, 12:50:28 PM »

A barrel will breakin if you shoot it period. I do break mine in with a shoot and clean routine. How much I shoot and clean now depends on the barrel. If the barrel copper fouls bad I shoot and clean with Sweets 7.62, but any good copper soulvent will do, and JB bore past, plus the powder solvant. I don`t think that breaking in has as much effect on accuracy as it does on how easy the barrel will clean, and how many shots you can get down it before you start to lose accuracy.

charles p · « **Reply #5 on:** March 15, 2009, 01:30:44 PM »

With my last few new rifles, I've performed the shoot-clean-shoot-clean,,,,, It takes hours. Can't tell any difference from my older rifles that were cleaned a few times per year at most. I know a clean barrel (after a fouling shot) will shoot the best, but I'm not convinced that cleaning after every shot in the beginning has any advantage. Some copper might not be so bad.

You can always just buy a used rifle and shoot it.

kix · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2009, 03:04:17 PM »

Thanks for the replies. This afternoon,after my post,I googled "barrel break in" and got some more info.According to what I read,it has to do more than "conditioning" than anything else.It has to do with eliminating the "burrs" and such that a new barrel has and eliminating those problems with a 1 shot-clean or a 3shot-clean. I just don't know. I think I will do what I done for 30-something years. Kix

the jigger · « **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2009, 08:44:55 AM »

Pac-Nor recommends a specific procedure with specific cleaning products for their barrels. I personally condition every new barrel/rifle and always have. When I was a young man an old fellow who started me reloading believed that every barrel should be conditioned(broken-in). I don't know whether it helps or not; I've never done any differently. I am sure it doesn't "hurt".
Many say buy it load it shoot it;others have a break-in procedure. My best advice is to do as you feel led!
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

crash87 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2009, 09:34:06 AM »

I've "broken in" a few barrels and have also fire lappeed a few. Of course I have also done nothing but shoot them and clean 'em afterwards, when I got the time. This has always been a somewhat controversial topic, more or less. Some barrel mfg's have a break in procedure for there barrels , some don't. (Some actually take offense to such a notion!) My take, (simply because I've done it) is that Catfish hit the primer dead on,
"I don`t think that breaking in has as much effect on accuracy as it does on how easy the barrel will clean," Wiythout exception any barrel I've broken in, has been easier to get "ALL" the fouling out than one that hasn't. In my opinion that is that is reason enough to do it. CRASH87

kix · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2009, 04:59:02 PM »

Hello all and thanks for your opinions. I have a change of thought. For some reason,barrel "conditioning" has a better meaning than "break in". When I get my ex-243 re-barreled I will try my best to make it the best shooting,easiest cleaning rifle on the planet. As an experiment it won't be that hard will it? Kix

jro45 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 17, 2009, 02:45:57 AM »

I just shoot a new barrel like any other rifle barrel. Cooling off after 2,3 shoots. Take it home and clean real good, get all the copper out of it.

crash87 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 17, 2009, 02:55:21 AM »

Kix, How hard can it be? Your basically just cleaning your rifle, alot in the first few outings. Take the recomodations of your barrel maker and go with it. If He doesn't have any, check the websites of other barrelmakers. A few things to remeber, use a good bore guide, you don't want to ruin your new barrel. It's also best to have a good gun cradle or padded vise and above all get out the elbow grease. CRASH87

diggler1833 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 18, 2009, 02:44:55 AM »

This is the question where when you ask 50 different people, you are likely to get 50 different answers, just like cleaning a rifle barrel. Here is what Krieger recommends, and I'd have a tendency to want to listen to what they say. http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/RapidCat/catalog/pagetemplate.cfm?template=/RapidCat/common/viewPage.cfm&PageId=2558&CompanyId=1246

Hope that this helps.

CoffeeInMe · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2009, 12:49:46 AM »

I asked the same question several months ago kix. I searched and read many many different procedures etc...I wore this question out, upside down and sideways. Then I finally got an answer that fit me. I understand if the person is shooting precision shots at several hundreds of yards away in tight competition matches and has to inspect the barrel with a microscope after every shot then maybe there is justification. The answer I finally got was to shoot my rifle one to three times and then clean it and your done

Thats right just shoot away until your groups are starting to be affected and they start to open too much then it will be time for a cleaning and then you need to re-foul the barrel with a few rounds and check the accuracy and groups and then go again. The only other advice that I got in addition to this was to simply run a patch of protective oil down the barrel for any long term storage like a month or longer and then just wipe the old oil and crude out with some dry clean patches and then shoot. Even these procedures would be an improvement for some and dont requires a lot of time. Some will certainly argue this procedure and explain how its damaging the barrel and they may be right but it does seem to have been working for many years now.
Good luck.

diggler1833 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2009, 04:57:48 AM »

Some big-time barrel makers recommend their own way of breaking in. I've heard many success stories from people who use completely different methods. I'm personally not a fan of the Tubb final finish bullets, but have heard that they work well on barrels that foul quickly and badly. I'd just say go with what works best for you, but if you notice after a few rounds that there is copper already built-up in the bore then I'd probably do a more extensive break in procedure. Hope this helps.

Daniel · « **Reply #15 on:** March 20, 2009, 09:56:08 AM »

Although I will admit to having experimented with break-in on 2 or 3 rifles a few years ago, I no longer bother with it. I found it to be a waste of my time, accomplishing absolutely nothing in terms of improved accuracy. Plus, If I think back on the 35 years or so I've been hunting I can't recall a single instance where I failed to take an animal because my barrel wasn't "properly" broken in.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2009, 10:06:23 AM »

I would venture to say it depends on what you want out of a rifle as to how you break it in . The quality of rifle you have would also make a difference.
If you want the best you can get out of a new rifle and wish to shoot it anyway what does it hurt to season it ? if all you want is 2 inch groups at 50 yards in a knockabout deer gun why waste your time ?
It is much like putting an eadge on a knife or raising a kid - you get out of it what you put into it .

kix · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2009, 12:07:53 PM »

Thanks for your replies everyone. I am sending my .243 off real soon to be changed over to 7/08 and I am going to follow a "conditioning" procedure. What the hell, it can't hurt! Just today I ran some Sweet's 7.62 (newly acquired) thru a .243,6mm,6.5x55,06,a Bob,and an Garand and couldn't believe the copper residue that came out. I almost ran out of patches! So I am going to follow the conditioning route and see what happens on my new barrel. Kix

Daniel · « **Reply #18 on:** March 25, 2009, 10:47:20 AM »

I can only imagine how accurate these rifles would have been had I only given them a proper break-in:

Sako 75 7mm mag (bedded but everything else completely stock):

Sako 75 .300 WM (Lilja barrel, bedded):

These rifles are just two examples of some I've owned that shot extremely well without having gone through a tedious break-in routine. kix, makes me no difference if you want to do this to your rifle. Probably won't harm a thing. Just don't believe the myth that rifles can't be accurate unless they're properly "seasoned", "conditioned" or whatever else they want to call it. Give 'em a good cleaning every 20 or 30 rounds and you'll be just as well off.

ThunderStick · « **Reply #19 on:** April 02, 2009, 02:04:17 PM »

Better let the gun tell ya what it want's.

My old Vanguard 243 Win. was never "broken in", I done a proper copper removal and cleaning every 2-3 years and it was fine. Enter the new kid on the block, a new 700 CDL SF in .260. I tried a proper "break in" procedure, only to find that this is the worst rifle I have ever owned at copper fouling! The first time at the range I spent half a day shooting, cleaning, and then shooting some groups. It took me half the night to get the copper out! The next time I forgot the rod and couldn't clean it. It took all day to get her clean again! The next time out I decided to clean between groups, shooting 4 shot groups, with 1 fouling shot, of different loadings of the most promising powder. Took about 20 mins between groups to get it clean! One thing that did suprise me is that this rifle does not throw the first shot from a cold clean barrel, and it shows a definate affinaty for a clean tube! As of now I have over 100 rounds down the pipe and a loading that shoots just over 1/2 inch at 100. Long story short, Let the gun do the talking!