Maybe relevant. I had a friend that hunted with a Winchester XTR 7 Rem Mag for 20 years and was quite deadly with it. He never cleaned the barrel, at all. I watched him shoot a 3 inch group with it at 300 yards after he had been hunting with it for at least 10 years. Finally after about 1500 rounds he had it rebarreled.
Breaking in A new barrel
- Thread starter mitchell koster
- Start date
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
I like Gale McMillan's story of how "break in" came about: A custom barrel maker recommended all this shoot one and clean, shoot one and clean for some rather large number of rounds. I disremember; 40? Anyhow, when Gale asked him about it, the guy said that it was forty less rounds of barrel life before the customer came back for another barrel.
So, just guessing, the recommendation got spread through the shooting fraternity, and some guys at the gun companies heard about it and believed in the necessity. Well, nobody was ever born an expert anything, no matter where they work. Once some such thing is put into writing, and from a gun company, it becomes Biblical. Gun writers will parrot the instructions, regardless, so they can keep getting guns to test or be invited on hunts. "If it's in print, it must be true."
Me, I never heard of it until here at TFL, back around 1999. My uncle never mentioned it, and he got into the '06 game in the 1920s. I got into an '06 in 1950. I did gunshow tables from around 1970 until the mid-1990s, and never heard anybody ever mention "break in", anytime during the numerous bull sessions about shooting. Or at Lord knows how many gunshops...
But I figure that folks oughta do what they think is righteous.
So, just guessing, the recommendation got spread through the shooting fraternity, and some guys at the gun companies heard about it and believed in the necessity. Well, nobody was ever born an expert anything, no matter where they work. Once some such thing is put into writing, and from a gun company, it becomes Biblical. Gun writers will parrot the instructions, regardless, so they can keep getting guns to test or be invited on hunts. "If it's in print, it must be true."
Me, I never heard of it until here at TFL, back around 1999. My uncle never mentioned it, and he got into the '06 game in the 1920s. I got into an '06 in 1950. I did gunshow tables from around 1970 until the mid-1990s, and never heard anybody ever mention "break in", anytime during the numerous bull sessions about shooting. Or at Lord knows how many gunshops...
But I figure that folks oughta do what they think is righteous.
Did the break-in game once or twice. Other folks on the range were impressed, I wasn't. I start out with a very clean barrel, clean it when I think it needs cleaning and/or clean it when I get done. I have one rifle that prefers to be cold and dirty so I named her after an old girlfriend and run a dry brush and patch thru her now and then. She wasn't big on regular attention either, come to think of it.
I have a friend who swears by it so when he asked about my new rifle and the break-in I just smiled. He shoots tiny groups and prairie dogs by the hundreds so who am to question his methods?
I have a friend who swears by it so when he asked about my new rifle and the break-in I just smiled. He shoots tiny groups and prairie dogs by the hundreds so who am to question his methods?