Barrel Break in question

[cambo0420]

Hey guys just wanted to run something by you. I just got a new christensen arms mesa in 300 win mag and I was wondering do you think a barrel break in is necessary with today's quality control? I have shot 20 total shots and for the first (3) 1 round shots I cleaned and after that I cleaned every 3 rounds. Do you think barrel break in is worth the effort

 

[CX5Ranch]

I have done about like you did on several prairie dog rifles.

They all have at least 2500 rounds down the tube. One rifle has, no kidding, at least 9000 down the tube.

These are all 22 cal. Not loaded real hot but about like the army. They are all they can be.

I clean them every 75-100 rounds. Not a bore snake either. I clean them.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[netman]

Many years ago I bought a old Ruger tang safety 220 Swift from a old lady who’s husband had passed away. It was new unfired and probably 25-30 years old.
I shot several loads through it with nothing outstanding. I mentioned this on a predator forum. A guy from Montana offered me 1000.00 bucks for the rifle through a PM. I told him I did not want to sell it.
He said okay now shoot abouta hundred rounds through it cleaning it often.
Before I got to 100 rounds it woke up and started cutting bug holes
My Sendero in 264 Win Mag has recently woke up and really shoots good now. It has 100-150 rounds down the barrel now. When I got it this past winter it was resembling a turd.

 

[ChrisA]

If you have access to a bore scope then you can tell after the initial few rounds down the tube. Just rebarreled a 6.5x47 with a Krieger, fired four rounds, scoped it and saw no copper fouling, cleaned then put 330 rounds through it before cleaning again. Hardly any copper at all.

If you have a bur from the chambering reamer you'll see copper right away and have to do the shoot clean method until bur is gone.

The shoot and clean break in method won't hurt anything but you're wasting time and ammo if it doesn't need it.

Edit to add: my above comments are gearded torward hand lapped custom barrels. Factory barrels may or may not foul and benefit from a break in, that's where a borescope is nice so you know what's going on.

Chris

 

[SkyScrapin]

@ChrisA 's recommendation is a good one.

With my custom rifles sporting Bartlein barrels or similar, cleaning isn't a priority until accuracy begins to degrade. I'm getting 500 rounds or more down my 6.5mm barrels before they ever get touched. Barrel break in is not necessary from my experiences.

With one exception... If you're shooting a non-exotic factory rifle (ex: 700 SPS or 5R), I would pay closer attention to barrel lapping and break in procedures.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

99% of the time....no.

 

[cambo0420]

I am shooting factory ammo so would that make a difference from landlords in barrel break in

 

[cambo0420]

With only 20 rounds down it it's about an moa rifle so it hasn't woken up yet. But I've seen guys shooting .3 groups with this gun and factory 180 nosler accubond ammo

 

[cambo0420]

Does it matter if I use cheaper hornad y American whitetail to do the break in and than switch over to the more expensive 180 grain nosler accusing (the ammo i will hunt deer elk bear and antelope with)?

 

[SkyScrapin]

Just shoot it. It will speed up after you get 100 rounds or so down the barrel. i personally wouldn't waist barrel life trying to "break it in." Just shoot it and accept what you have for accuracy... If it gains accuracy over time, great.

 

[ChrisA]

Does it matter if I use cheaper hornad y American whitetail to do the break in and than switch over to the more expensive 180 grain nosler accusing (the ammo i will hunt deer elk bear and antelope with)?

No, doesn't matter if you use cheap shit; all you are doing is knocking the burs off if they're even there. Go to Krieger barrels website and read their break-in piece, very informative.


Chris

 

[hodgeman]

Barrel break in a waste of time and mental energy. I've done it and not done it on good barrels and crappy ones...I've never noticed a perceivable effect either way.

Just shoot them and clean them.

 

[HellsCanyon]

For my builds, I typically clean REALLY good before any first shot is fired down the barrel (use a good solvent, then soak a patch in acetone and run it through as well, oftentimes you'll pull out some more grime that a solvent won't touch), shoot 1 and clean for 3 rounds, shoot a 3 shot group and clean, and shoot a 5 shot group and clean, done. I've yet to quantify any difference doing this, it may seem that this process 'could' help with ease of cleaning down the road. Essentially a barrel may patch out clean in 4-5 patches instead of 6-7 patches. But at that difference, is it really the "break in" or is it just differences in individual barrels? Good to have a standardized process though.

Mike