New Gun Break-in

[huntnidaho]

My last 3 factory rifles went like so:

Sako Finnlite - Cleaned upon receiving the rifle. Just started shooting it. It got cleaned after hunting season(s). No other time spent. Gun shoots great.

Christensen Ridgeline - Shoot/clean/shoot/clean, etc. as recommended in the manual. Took forever, gun shoots great.

Seekins PH2 - Cleaned upon receiving it (I do this with all new guns), went to range and shot ~20 rounds, cleaned barrel. Next range trip- another 20 rounds, cleaned barrel. That's it. Way less time, gun shoots great.

I like to clean out the carbon periodically, depends on how much a rifle gets shot. I also clean every rifle after a hunting season if it left the safe. So, I dunno. Seems like whatever makes a person feel good is what they should do.

 

[Kenn]

I do a break in because I store my guns clean, and they seem to clean faster/ easier if I do a break in. Less copper buildup. Half of Rokslide thinks I’m an idiot, the other half probably does something similar . I clean after every shot until copper fouling dissipates, then move to three shot groups. I shoot three shotters until copper dissipates, then move to five shots. I did a stainless T3x like this about a month ago and after 7-8 cleaning cycles, I had no copper fouling with five shot groups. Stopped the “break in” at that point. Not saying it’s right but it’s what I do! I no longer prescribe to any method based on a specific number of shots but let the rifle show me what it needs. Did it on my last three new barrels and I dunno, I guess it worked?

I like your system better than most but what is your guesstimate of how many rounds you shoot for a break in?

 

[MTMeatHunter]

I like your system better than most but what is your guesstimate of how many rounds you shoot for a break in?

The Tikka I did about a month ago took three single shots and clean, then two three shots and clean, then a five shot and clean. The Sako before that took quite a few more rounds to get the copper fouling to go away. I figure if the copper fouling isn’t visible in the barrel after a five shot group, I’m all set. So less than a box of ammo? Sometime more depending on the barrel? I use the shots to start getting dialed in and if factory ammo is on the table, see how a couple types might do initially. I certainly don’t claim to be an authority and like I said, it’s what I do. When friends ask me if they should be a break in, I ask if they intend to clean the rifle. If they don’t, I tell them just shoot it. If they clean, like me, then I like it to be as easy as possible and the abbreviated break in seems to help. But to each their own!

 

[Harvey_NW]

Won't really matter in a factory barrel. Just don't get it too hot.

See I disagree and think that it matters the most in factory barrels.

After spending 10+ years in fab/machine shops, a "break in" makes sense to me because most of the big timers that say break in is a myth are shooting the highest quality and most likely hand lapped, professionally finished barrels on the market. Therefore the finish machining is done for them, and they are ready to shoot. But take a barrel from an assembly line that just had a button ripped through it, a dull reamer stuffed in, and then packed full of grease. The bullet is the final machining process on that barrel, smoothing out the sharp edges, filling imperfections, and potentially creating chips in doing so. Those same big timers say a carbon fiber cleaning rod can mess up a crown, so don't risk it. But a steel chip, or a big ol string of copper from an edge catching a jacket and getting imbedded into the rifling shouldn't mess anything up?

To each their own..

 

[Kenn]

The Tikka I did about a month ago took three single shots and clean, then two three shots and clean, then a five shot and clean. The Sako before that took quite a few more rounds to get the copper fouling to go away. I figure if the copper fouling isn’t visible in the barrel after a five shot group, I’m all set. So less than a box of ammo? Sometime more depending on the barrel? I use the shots to start getting dialed in and if factory ammo is on the table, see how a couple types might do initially. I certainly don’t claim to be an authority and like I said, it’s what I do. When friends ask me if they should be a break in, I ask if they intend to clean the rifle. If they don’t, I tell them just shoot it. If they clean, like me, then I like it to be as easy as possible and the abbreviated break in seems to help. But to each their own!

I don’t see a downside to what you’re doing whether a person intends to clean regularly or not. You’re sighting the gun in during the break in so it doesn’t even waste ammo. Good plan!

 

[awildswanger]

For those who are against regular cleaning, what is your cleaning process if your muzzle takes a nosedive in the mud? Asking for a friend…

for those that conceal carry, what cleaning do you perform on your pistols?

 

[Longleaf]

See I disagree and think that it matters the most in factory barrels.

After spending 10+ years in fab/machine shops, a "break in" makes sense to me because most of the big timers that say break in is a myth are shooting the highest quality and most likely hand lapped, professionally finished barrels on the market. Therefore the finish machining is done for them, and they are ready to shoot. But take a barrel from an assembly line that just had a button ripped through it, a dull reamer stuffed in, and then packed full of grease. The bullet is the final machining process on that barrel, smoothing out the sharp edges, filling imperfections, and potentially creating chips in doing so. Those same big timers say a carbon fiber cleaning rod can mess up a crown, so don't risk it. But a steel chip, or a big ol string of copper from an edge catching a jacket and getting imbedded into the rifling shouldn't mess anything up?

To each their own..

Ah, yes that is a good way of looking at it. I just don't put time and effort into cheap rifles (I probably should), they are usually place holders. FWIW I'm getting .5moa with handholds in my ruger american with no break in.

It might be worth it to try those polishing bullets if not getting <1moa in a factory gun.

 

[SAM55]

I usually do an abbreviated barrel-break in. I clean after each of the first 3 rounds. Then clean after each three shot group for 3 groups. So, 6 cleans in 12 rounds then call it good. It seems to work well. But, no break-in might work just as well. I do pay attention to barrel heating. I live in SE Texas and a barrel can overheat pretty easily in the summer. I typically take at least two guns to the range and swap off to another gun after shooting a group to give the barrel time to cool between groups. Most of the regular shooters at my range also alternate guns when shooting off the bench in warm weather.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Bartlein recommends break in. I imagine they know more than anyone on this site.

So does Pac-Nor, Proof, Lilja, Krieger, and Mcgowen to name a few . I will say that while these manufacturers DO, Tikka does not. So even among manufacturers there seems to be some opinions.

And if you talk to those barrel makers most of them have a "break in" procedure only because they have had so many customer demands for one that they figured it was just easier to provide one rather than fight with people as to why they didn't.

Honestly for a barrel that is cut-rifled and hand-lapped, please tell me how "breaking in" the barrel is going to do anything.

 

[XLR]

There are a billion ways to skin this cat and most of it is repetitive. Personally, I run a patch before and after the first shot. The first patch is to clean out any chips that might have been left behind from reaming or other operations. The second patch is to clean out any chips that might have been knocked loose after the first shot. After that, it doesn't get cleaned until around 150 rounds through the tube. Then I will go in and clean all of the carbon out and do load development. This has allowed the barrel to speed up and the copper has filled the voids where you want it. Do not clean down to bare steel because that copper will fill any voids that were left from the machining process. This is especially important in a factory barrel because most of the time they are a button barrel and will have more voids than a nice cut barrel that was hand lapped. The only reason to clean out the copper is if the rifle starts shooting badly. Clean the copper and then shoot a few rounds before you expect the accuracy to come back. I have had good luck with this method on both the custom rifle side and factory rifle so I have just stuck with it.

 

[MTMeatHunter]

And if you talk to those barrel makers most of them have a "break in" procedure only because they have had so many customer demands for one that they figured it was just easier to provide one rather than fight with people as to why they didn't.

Honestly for a barrel that is cut-rifled and hand-lapped, please tell me how "breaking in" the barrel is going to do anything.

Like I said, half of Rokslide thinks I’m an idiot, the other half does something similar. I should’ve known better than to post in a “break in or not” thread. Nothing good comes of these things

 

[HandgunHTR]

Like I said, half of Rokslide thinks I’m an idiot, the other half does something similar. I should’ve known better than to post in a “break in or not” thread. Nothing good comes of these things

It's all good. Fun to argue these things. My personal opinion is that it doesn't hurt or help, so as long as you are happy, then rock on.

Unless, of course, you are using up primers and powder to make "break-in" loads and therefore making it harder for me to find components. If that is the case then you are an "insert internet insult here" and I hate you forever.

 

[Forestryguy]

In these times of not wanting to use too much ammo up to break in. Would it be worth lapping a factory barrel to smooth it out before shooting it in? Is there a way to determine what grit lapping compound to use first?

 

[HandgunHTR]

In these times of not wanting to use too much ammo up to break in. Would it be worth lapping a factory barrel to smooth it out before shooting it in? Is there a way to determine what grit lapping compound to use first?

I wouldn’t. Unless you have the right tools and really know what you are doing, the chances that you will cause permanent damage to the barrel are greater than 0 so it shouldn’t be done.
Just shoot the gun and let it tell you if it needs something or not.

 

[Harvey_NW]

In these times of not wanting to use too much ammo up to break in. Would it be worth lapping a factory barrel to smooth it out before shooting it in? Is there a way to determine what grit lapping compound to use first?

The potential damage isn't worth the non guaranteed reward. Use the first couple to get a zero roughed in, 1 fouler and a group to confirm, 1 fouler and most likely another group to confirm adjustment. Break in done, rifle zeroed.

 

[T3X]

Found this interesting, no break in needed for Sako/Tikka guns due to rifling process, hammered.
Sako & Tikka Firearms Factory Gun Making Process

 

[rileybassman]

Let the gun tell you what it needs. I shoot till groups start opening up and then clean or end of season for my hunting rigs. My old savages liked to be dirty and didn’t get tight till 10-15 shots, my tikkas don’t seem to care as much and one fouling shot is really all they need. My Bergara HMR really started opening up after 70-80 shots. Stripped copper and cleaned it down to bare metal and groups went from 1.5” down to around .5”. Each rifle seems to have a different threshold.


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[Gila]

I like your system better than most but what is your guesstimate of how many rounds you shoot for a break in?

I did the 1,3,5 method with my first Tikka 20 years ago. Still a very accurate rifle. Tikka barrels are cold hammer forged and their barrel rifling is very good. TIkka test fires all of their rifles. With my new Tikka, I decided to let the barrel tell me what it needed. The barrel was heavily fouled after 3 shots. Did 3 shots and clean until the fouling subsided. After the 15th shot there was little fouling, groups tightened up, and the barrel actually vibrated differently. I always clean after shooting. Over the years I learned to use the best cleaning products that I can find. I stick with Bore Tech: https://www.boretech.com/