Barrel Breakin Techniques...Which is the BEST?

[Big Dog Dad]

I imagine this topic has been beat to death, but I just had to ask. I have a new 700P in 308 and have read so many different barrel breakin techniques from Gale McMillan's "do nothing except blow the big chunks out" to Sniperhide's "shoot once, scrub 116 strokes, shoot again, scrub 232 strokes, etc." If I use their technique, I don't think I have enough years left in my lifespan to fire a box of 20. Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated.

-=BDD=-

 

[swifter...]

Factory pipe?

Clean carefully before shooting. Solvent, bore brush, JB, Remclean or Flitz for 25 strokes, wash well with solvent. You do not want any residue when you shoot!!
Shoot 3, 5, 10 or so rounds, clean well. after about 100 rounds, call it broke in, and clean every once in a while, or when it starts shooting curves...

For custom barrels, ask the maker.

Tom

 

[Redneck2]

Might as well be the first one to get my head beat in...

had a friend that broke in his new 700 VS 22-250 with cleaning and polishing every round for first 10, every 3rd round for next 10, and every 5th for next 10 (same way Armalite suggests for their AR-10 IIRC)

He used a special super fine jewelers rouge for polishing.

I watched him shoot multiple sub 3/4" groups......at 200+ yards, with Hornady 52 grain factory ammo

don't know if he ruined the barrel, but I'm thinkin' "no"

Some of the very best custom rifle makers make a big deal out of hand lapping their barrels. If you've got an off-the-shelf factory rifle, it could probably use some help. If you've got a $600 super custom barrel , I'd be real disappointed if I had to work it over before shooting.

 

[Handy]

I'm with McMillan. The existance or removal of fouling can't possibly have any affect on the temper or surface quality of the bore. Vigourous cleaning, on the other hand, does remove small amounts of bore metal, wearing the bore. I'll save my bore wear for shooting and necessary cleaning.

I have never heard of any evidence that normal fouling has anything but short term effects on accuracy.

This "process" really amounts to rifle voodoo. Sacrifice a chicken instead. It's less time consuming and potentially tasty.

 

[Bottom Gun]

When the moon is full, hold the unloaded rifle above your head and slowly turn around three times while chanting "I love this new rifle".

Then take it out, shoot the heck out of it, and clean it afterward.

 

[Onslaught]

Any time I want to go breakin' something, I usually just bash it against a tree or stomp on it alot... But why would you want to do that to your barrel?

Oh, wait... you meant break-in...

Boy is my face

 

[Bogie]

The really important thing is to NOT LET ANY APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF COPPER BUILD UP.

That means a THOROUGH cleaning, using a good solvent (I use Butch's Bore Shine) every 15-20 rounds.

 

[Handy]

Why not let the copper build up? What's it doing to a new barrel that it won't do to a broke-in barrel?

 

[No4Mk1]

Old thread on this topic. http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=129865&highlight=barrel+break
Well worth the read. Especially check out the links to other threads within this one.

Happy shooting!

HL.

 

[cratz2]

I've always just cleaned it throughly before shooting, then cleaned it after every 10 rounds the first time out for the first 50 rounds or so. Shoot maybe a round every other minute so the barrel doesn't heat up too much. And then I clean after every 20-50 thereafter.

 

[JIH]

Just shoot it.

 

[4V50 Gary]

I'd follow Gale McMillan's advice. Why second guess a precision barrel maker?

 

[JeepDriver]

Some very interesting methods. A full moon and holding it above your head, gonna have to try that one

 

[Art Eatman]

Bottom Gun, which direction do you turn? And do you hold it horizontally, sights up, or sights down?

In my coven, we turn widdershins, hand on pistol grip and floorplate upwards. This allows the moon to bless the ammunition.

Art

 

[Bottom Gun]

Art,

Clockwise. Always clockwise so I can become one with the earth's rotation. The faster the rifling twist, the faster you spin. Breaking in a barrel with a 1:7 twist is really a sight to see.

I always keep the trigger guard pointed upward so the feathers in my barrel break-in costume don't get caught in the trigger.
I always make sure the rifle is unloaded too.
First time I broke in a barrel like this, I had an accidental discharge.
Luckily, the rifle was empty. . . . . . .

Never thought about the moon blessing the ammo, but that's an excellent point.
I've also tried breaking in the ammo in the past, but it doesn't last past the first shot.

Have to run now. . . . .I have to look into this moon blessing thing. . . . . .



Ken