Can't remove Copper Fouling during Barrel Break in

[77TMK]

Help me understand what you are saying - in a barrel that is projected to last 2000 rounds, that it will now reduce that to 1990 rounds due to just barrel break in?

It's typically more rounds than that fired for the normal wives' tale barrel "break-in", but sure. It's wasted rounds and time to bring you closer to replacing a barrel, buying more snake oil cleaning gear and chemicals, and wasting ammo. It's practiced because some men simply cannot proceed with using something without finding, and often creating, some reason to tinker, investigate, or otherwise screw with what was factually made with exacting standards in a highly-professional factory setting because part of their brain shut off enough to believe a monkey with a cleaning rod, brush, and flavor-of-the-year cleaning chemical is going to do a single damned thing of merit.

 

[SDHNTR]

I personally have developed a carbon ring in the leade of my Tikka CTR 6.5 CM. If anything, I would get a Dewey Chamber rod and a good bronze 20 or 12 gauge bronze brush and periodically spin that brush in the chamber with a good solvent. Cleaning with a bore guide never touches that area and carbon can build up and create pressure spikes.

You cram a bronze shotgun brush into the throat of a 6.5?

 

[General RE LEE]

You cram a bronze shotgun brush into the throat of a 6.5?

Yep

 

[Article 4]

It's typically more rounds than that fired for the normal wives' tale barrel "break-in", but sure. It's wasted rounds and time to bring you closer to replacing a barrel, buying more snake oil cleaning gear and chemicals, and wasting ammo. It's practiced because some men simply cannot proceed with using something without finding, and often creating, some reason to tinker, investigate, or otherwise screw with what was factually made with exacting standards in a highly-professional factory setting because part of their brain shut off enough to believe a monkey with a cleaning rod, brush, and flavor-of-the-year cleaning chemical is going to do a single damned thing of merit.

So you are saying, yes...that you have data that shows it reduces the barrel life by 10-15 rounds? BS.

How is it wasted rounds? Every single round a guy shoots can be used to get better. Especially with a brand new barrel. The notion that a guy should never clean or break in their barrel is as much bias as a guy who says never clean one. Claiming there is no merit in it is a complete falsehood.

Here is a quote from Bartlein: "Shoot one round and clean for the first two rounds individually. Look to see what the barrel is telling you. If I’m getting little to no copper out of it, I sit down and shoot the gun. Say 4 – 5 round groups and then clean. If the barrel cleans easily and shoots well, we consider it done."

They continue to say "If the barrel shows some copper and or is taking a little longer to clean after the first two, shoot a group of 3 rounds and clean. Then a group of 5 and clean."

Then state: "After you shoot the 3rd group and 5th group, watch how long it takes to clean. Also notice your group sizes. If the group sizes are good and the cleaning is getting easier or is staying the same, then shoot 4 – 5 round groups. If fouling appears to be heavy and taking a while to clean, notice your group sizes. If groups sizes are good and not going sour, you don’t have a fouling problem. Some barrels will clean easier than others. Some barrels may take a little longer to break in. Remember that throat. Fouling can start all the way from here. We have noticed sometimes that even up to approximately 100 rounds, a barrel can show signs of a lot of copper, but it still shoots really well and then for no apparent reason you will notice little to no copper and or it will start to clean easier."

Bartlein is NOT going to sell a ton more barrels because someone "wasted 15 rounds." IME, if it does no harm - do it!!

 

[77TMK]

 

[SDHNTR]

Yep

Come on. That’s taking something .600”+ and cramming it into something like .290”. Is it even possible to smash those fibers down that small?

I could understand using a 20 ga brush to clean the body of the chamber (which is rarely necessary) but not the throat so as to remove a carbon ring. For that most will use a slightly oversized bore brush (next cal up).

 

[Article 4]

Yep

I do too but I am of a mind that cleaner is better when not shooting.

I wrap a 12ga brass brush with a soaking patch first and then a dry patch to soak up any junk - I see huge deposits in the chamber. Use a 50 cal brash brush for the throat area. I dont smach it into the throat very hard, just till I feel some resistance and then spin a half turn and pull it out. I do this before I clean the barrel to ensure I am not taking any residue into the barrel during cleaning.

I wondered about "potential damage" a long time ago and wondered if I could be doing any harm so I looked up hardness and checked it with my Teslong. Looks perfectly smooth.

416 barrel steel is about 210 brinell hardness - brass is about 93 hardness - it would take a hell of a lot of work with a brass brush to show damage to the stainless.

 

[General RE LEE]

Come on. That’s taking something .600”+ and cramming it into something like .290”. Is it even possible to smash those fibers down that small?

I could understand using a 20 ga brush to clean the body of the chamber (which is rarely necessary) but not the throat so as to remove a carbon ring. For that most will use a slightly oversized bore brush (next cal up).

Honestly it’s probably a 20 gauge brush. I have both and now that I think about it, I don’t use the bigger one. Never hurt a thing and it will get the carbon out with solvent. I tried next caliber up and it just doesn’t apply the pressure I wanted when spinning the chamber rod.