Do you break in the barrel on a new rifle?

[aigel]

I am wondering, what do you guys do and why? It seems to me that there isn't much scientific evidence that supports any elaborate break in activities, at least not on today's rifles.

G

[island911]

It's just an excuse to go shoot the thing, I expect.

[vash]

I’ve never had. Maybe I left some accuracy on the table. I’ll never know.

I’m an awful example tho. I don’t bed my new brakes either.

[KFC911]

I shoot one, then another, then....

I ain't good enough that it matters really

[Rick Lee]

I think it's the trigger that usually needs breaking in. I know plenty of my SIG pistols just get better, the more I shoot them and not because I've become a better shooter. The triggers just get smoother.

[legion]

Yes. I go shoot the **** out of it.

[aigel]

Haha ^^^ You guys are funny.

I do know that the rifle shoots better after a few dozen rounds. Like Rick mentions ... trigger, the barrel, action - all will get better with use! Definitely will shoot it plenty and practice with it in hunting shooting positions (sitting, prone, with shooting sticks, off pack etc.), probably will get 50 rounds through it before heading to the woods.

What I meant was a special ritual where people shoot x rounds, clean a certain way and then say two hail Marys and repeat.

G

[Bill Douglas]

The guys on the gun forums talk about fire three shots, quick clean of the barrel and so on. I never have.

[HardDrive]

I typically fire 40 rounds through a new rifle then clean it. Nothing fancy. Swab it with some Hoppes then a light oil.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

The guys on the gun forums talk about fire three shots, quick clean of the barrel and so on. I never have.

Yes, that's the type of activity I am curious about. I have not read anything online that was founded in science or experiments. IMHO cleaning (scrubbing the barrel) is an activity that generally ruins a gun more than it helps.

G

[LakeCleElum]

From one of my Sniper Texbooks: (After break-in, make sure it's full floating):

by Steve Adelmann -

How to Break-In a Rifle Barrel:

I visited with big-name gun company engineers and owners of familiar premium barrel brands. Thankfully, they all suffered through my questions and looked past my Neanderthal-like understanding of metallurgy. My main focus was the process of breaking in new barrels, about which any two people will have three opinions. True to form, about the only thing they all agreed on was that some barrels break in easier than others. Fortunately, I pulled other gems of wisdom out of their comments that seem to jive with my own experiences.

Ever since I was taught to care for my sniper rifles' barrels in the Army, I've taken time to provide special attention to each new barrel I shoot. The degree of effort I expend depends greatly on the type of barrel I'm using and quality of internal work that went into its finishing.

Unfortunately, off-the-shelf guns often carry whatever barrel a manufacturer decides is most cost-effective. While that tube hung on the front of your favorite long-arm may look sexy on the outside, its material, rifling style, chambering and finish all affect how much break-in is needed. While opinions on this subject vary, I think most of those involved in accuracy-specific shooting disciplines will agree that the simple "load and go" approach is not the best way to initiate a new barrel.

In the simplest terms, break-in is the process of smoothing out the rough edges and tool marks left in a barrel's bore. Depending on manufacturing methods, a bore may be mirror-slick when you receive it, or it may be a few grits shy of 250 on the sandpaper scale. Firing projectiles through a rough barrel—which starts in the leade or free-bore section prior to rifling—leaves microscopic pieces of jacket deposited throughout the bore. The more rounds fired over the rough inner barrel, the more difficult it becomes to remove copper and powder fouling. If these deposits are not removed, you're left with a heavily diminished potential for decent accuracy.

Talking to the gurus solidified a notion I've had for many years: There is no single right way to break-in a new barrel. Since manufacturing methods are out of our hands when using finished barrels, we must learn to read the signs each one provides when new. As a copper or other gilding-metal-jacketed projectile moves through a rough bore, it actually provides an element of lapping action. If this material is removed before continuing to fire, the lapping process continues until the rough surfaces are polished smooth.

The important thing to remember here is that in the first few rounds it's critical to shoot, scrub and patch the bore and chamber clean after each round. While doing so, observe the level of copper fouling and degree of cleaning needed to remove it. In many cases, the process can be done in a few rounds, but occasionally I'll come across a barrel that doesn't see full break-in until 80 to 100 rounds have been through it.

I'm nowhere near patient enough to shoot one round and clean that many times. I normally use that protocol for 10 to 20 rounds before proceeding to shoot a group or two between cleanings. My progress is gauged by two critical indicators: grouping and ease of copper removal. As the bore is smoothed out groups start to tighten—often from one group to the next—and less copper is deposited. Eventually, I see my groups settle-in at about the same time the cleaning process reaches a normal level of effort. At that point, I know I can fire whatever amount of rounds is appropriate for the cartridge and barrel type between cleanings.

The methods used to clean both bore and chamber throughout the break-in process are just as important as the frequency of cleaning. I recommend using the same detailed bore-cleaning procedures you would use after a heavy range session. This should consist of using a bore brush soaked with a good solvent that will dissolve copper and carbon fouling without damaging the bore. Hoppe's No. 9 Solvent and Shooter's Choice MC #7 Bore Cleaner and Condi-tioner are both excellent choices for this task.

While ammonia-based solvents are generally OK when used according to their directions, it's very important to remove all traces of ammonia before firing or storing the rifle. According to a source much smarter than me, firing with any ammonia in the bore will result in a chemical reaction that destroys it, so diligence is required when using these potent cleaners.

Regardless of solvent type, scrub well between shots, let it soak for a few minutes (the warmer the barrel the easier the copper and fouling are to remove) then push patches in one direction through the bore repeatedly until they come out clean. If you use homemade patches, don't use colored cloth that will disguise the greenish-blue signs of copper you should be looking for. After the initial crud is removed, send a solvent-soaked patch through the barrel in one direction, let the bore soak again for a few more minutes and follow it with clean patches. If they continue to come out greenish-blue, repeat the process until they're clean.

I've come across a few rough bores that require additional work in the first few rounds. If I can't seem to get the copper out, I'll use a mildly abrasive cleaner like J-B Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound until I get the fouling out.

Some companies offer projectiles impregnated with a lapping compound intended to speed the break-in process. I can't vouch for these products, but I have read some positive reviews of them over the years. I'm very wary of the paste compounds advertised to have miracle break-in assisting properties because I saw one such product destroy two premium .308 Win. barrels many years ago. The guilty company is still in business, but the specific product used is no longer available. The end result of successful, expedient break-in methods is the same as doing it the old fashioned shoot-and-clean way, so it's up to you to figure out what's best in your case.

If you have a break-in technique that works, there's no reason to change what you're doing. The important part is taking the time to do something more than simply firing a bunch of rounds and proclaiming the barrel broken-in. The results of spending more time and ammunition always pays off for me. Many of my custom AR clients don't have the budget for a premium barrel, yet through careful fitting, accurizing and breaking in, I'm able to provide them with sub-MOA rifles and carbines, regardless of barrel type.

I can't over-emphasize the importance of paying close attention to chamber cleanliness during break-in. Whenever you're going through a cleaning cycle, use a chamber brush, solvent and patches to ensure the chamber and throat receive a thorough cleaning each time.

While most folks don't have access to a bore scope, those who do will find it worthwhile to watch their bore throughout break-in. Not only are the tooling marks in a new barrel evident, copper fouling will stand out and tell you when there's more cleaning to be done.

With care, a good break-in will extend the life of your new barrel while preparing it to deliver whatever level of accuracy it's capable of. No amount of proper break-in can fix a poorly made barrel, but lack of any break-in procedures will likely limit a good barrel's life and diminish its accuracy potential right from the start.

[John Rogers]

The high power shooters (1000 yard folks) that I watch at our range generally will buy their barrels in batches so the metal is the same and also make sure the internals are polished at the factory. They fire several rounds to insure the new barrel shoots as well as the last one they had. The shooter who was winning most of the 1000 yard matches at Camp Pendleton was using barrels that were cut and had gain twist and over the time of several years they all were specially made for him by Ron Smith in Canada and were like a work of art. He used to wipe after every shot as I do with my muzzle loaders.


If the barrels are hammer forged which as lot of the commercial rifles have then they need some polishing or shooting to get the roughness out. How much is required that is hard to say. If you are shooting 4000 FPS velocity then about the time the barrel is smooth and roughness gone there is not much time before the barrel is burned out.

[Eric Coffey]

If you want to maintain first-shot/cold-bore accuracy (hunting, etc.), then you probably want to leave the barrel somewhat fouled. If you zero it and then thoroughly clean it afterwards, you might be (unpleasantly) surprised the next time you take it out (when it counts). Might not be drastic, but could be enough to miss the shot. Some barrels may be more sensitive to that than others as well (stainless vs. chrome-lined, type of rifling/manufacturing process, etc.).

If you are just punching paper, then I wouldn't worry about it...Just clean the bore with more boolits. YMMV.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

I went to bed and thought about this-
.

I wuz up half the night....folks actually shoot a NIB barrel? Ima gonna have nightmares...the horror of doing it ALL wrong .

Rip Van Winkle