Thread: Barrel break-in

That's a strange sweeping statement. Bartlein, Kreiger, Lilja, Brux for example, all excellent barrel makers that I rate highly, all have break-in procedures.
The most outspoken non break-in proponent though was Gale McMillan, sadly long dead. People usually quote him in their arguments.

And, if someone wishes to "break-in" their new barrel I don't argue with them. It's their hard earned dosh they've laid out on the purchase. How big a deal is it to fire a few extra rounds off which in the context most hunting rifles' expected lives won't in any way eat up much of that expected barrel life.

The main issue is not the barrel itself (unless it's a crap barrel), it is the tiny burrs created when reaming the chamber. The Cu seen at the muzzle has mostly come from these burrs ripping the projectile. The Cu turns into plasma and is deposited at the end of the barrel.

A true barrel break-in where there is a change in velocity may not occur until 100 to 300 rounds are fired. Obviously your not going to do the fire one and clean for that many rounds.

I doubt that wearing out your barrel is the maker's point as you're only shooting a dozen or so times. Hardly enough to wear out a barrel. I just think that it won't do any harm to do it. And in the process you can get the rifle roughly dialled in. But; I'm no engineer and certainly know about a 10-million times less than a barrel maker....

I mean it can't hurt, but I just don't buy it. Shooting your new rifle thirty times and cleaning it a lot in between shots is....not going to do anything special to steel.

My understanding of break-in is that it is all about copper fouling interfering with the surface oxidation of the throat / barrel.
I would guess that over the years there have been 10 new barrels shot for the first time by people at my range.
Of those 10, I guess half have hardly made a green mark on the first patch then nothing and half stained at least five patches and one was green for ten shots and needed fifteen to run clean ( A tikka)

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

My understanding of break-in is that it is all about copper fouling interfering with the surface oxidation of the throat / barrel.
I would guess that over the years there have been 10 new barrels shot for the first time by people at my range.
Of those 10, I guess half have hardly made a green mark on the first patch then nothing and half stained at least five patches and one was green for ten shots and needed fifteen to run clean ( A tikka)

Problem with cleaning with a patch as evidence can be a false positive......a barrel can only be determined to be clean with a bore scope. How many times have we heard a gun has lost accuracy and hear anecdotally of a gunsmith restoring it with a good clean.

I have used many copper solvents like Hoppes #2, Sweets, KG line of products, many carbon solvents, and bore pastes of many descriptions, and thinking that must be clean now only to find upon inspection with a borescope it is not the case.

Just because the patch is clean doesn't mean the bore is clean. Try this little experiment for yourself to believe it .......use your usual cleaning method until you are happy the bore is clean, then using a bronze brush and Hoppes give the bore 20 strokes, leave it overnight and I would be willing to bet the patch is fouled, and it could be both blue and black.

Make sure you wash your brush out with a petroleum based solvent immediately otherwise next time you use the brush it will be on smaller calibre....best to leave it in petrol in a glass jar and change to solvent regularly.

Originally Posted by Longranger

Problem with cleaning with a patch as evidence can be a false positive......a barrel can only be determined to be clean with a bore scope. How many times have we heard a gun has lost accuracy and hear anecdotally of a gunsmith restoring it with a good clean.

I have used many copper solvents like Hoppes #2, Sweets, KG line of products, many carbon solvents, and bore pastes of many descriptions, and thinking that must be clean now only to find upon inspection with a borescope it is not the case.

Just because the patch is clean doesn't mean the bore is clean. Try this little experiment for yourself to believe it .......use your usual cleaning method until you are happy the bore is clean, then using a bronze brush and Hoppes give the bore 20 strokes, leave it overnight and I would be willing to bet the patch is fouled, and it could be both blue and black.

Make sure you wash your brush out with a petroleum based solvent immediately otherwise next time you use the brush it will be on smaller calibre....best to leave it in petrol in a glass jar and change to solvent regularly.

I also wonder if some bore solvents loose their strength/potentcy as they age.

Im using boretech copper cleaner, an suspect it is not as effective now removing copper as what it was when I purchased it around about 3years ago.....

There is some merit in statements that barrel steel molecules lay in one direction after the machining process.....even in cut rifling the metal is torn away at a microscopic level. I have recently done an experiment with a Krieger 284 barrel 32mm parallel chambered in 7mm SAUM. It had done 653 rounds and started to produce the odd flyer so I cut it back and reversed the chamber. It copper fouled terribly for the first 180 rounds and is coming right now on the target after 200 rounds.

The muzzle end which was then re-chambered was pristine, but the fouling was the full length and in particular the original throat end was the worst as expected. I think this suggests there was some disturbance of the molecular surface from the direction of the original bullet travel.

If that disturbance of the surface is what has happened I would suggest some care is required in the treatment of a new barrel. The Howa recommendations are good advice, and as @zimmer has stated the barrel manufacturers provide their procedures because they care more about their reputation of providing good products than wanting their clients to wear out a barrel quickly so another can be sold

I suspect that maybe the case with Hoppes and Sweets, but Boretech Copper is the best and seems to be going good after some time. I have decanted it into a smaller bottle and top it up occasionally from the larger one meaning the larger one gets opened rarely hopefully preserving it. That may be quite incorrect as I suspect it is chemically constituted and there are no solvents to evaporate, however I will continue to decant it.

Interestingly the Sweets being ammonia based still is quite pungent, but largely ineffective or noticeably slower when used on a cotton bud on copper at the muzzle while Boretech removes it very effectively and quickly....a good test.

I clean the barrel then shoot it.
Get my zero then put about 50 rounds down the barrel, then copper clean.
Then keep shooting till accuracy decreases, the hard copper clean. With just a hoppes #9 on a pull though before being put away

I've always used nylon brushes when using copper cutting solutions as brass brushes I believe taint and give false indication of copper being present and you could spend all bloody night cleaning.

Originally Posted by sjjs

I've always used nylon brushes when using copper cutting solutions as brass brushes I believe taint and give false indication of copper being present and you could spend all bloody night cleaning.

@sjjs....just use a bronze brush with Hoppes (sorry not #2 s/be #9) or any other copper solvent rarely....I suggested that as an experiment to be left overnight as Hoppes will do no damage to a bore unlike some solvents. It was to demonstrate if mainly carbon fouling was still present after cleaning indicated a clean bore. The best method is to use a carbon remover with a bronze brush. It is not a carbon solvent as carbon is indestructible so the product needs to agitate the carbon molecules and separate them from the other burnt residues and the barrel steel with a brush. Those products should not be left overnight in a barrel.

To avoid false positives from copper solvents use only those solvents with an aluminum jag etc (as mentioned above) and patches...there is no benefit to brushing with copper solvents......try a cotton bud in the muzzle end with something like Boretech for example and you will see it disappear before your eyes.

I've had the wire that holds the nylon bristles on give a blue false copper reading
I now use nickel-plated and aluminum jags and use a stainless steel rod....no copper 'false positives'

Well guys thanks for the input. After reading what has been posted and some web searches I think I'll probably go with what I've done in the past.
Thanks.
Shane

Here's how one of USA's very top F Class shooters breaks a barrel in. I cannot see many of use here, given the component situation going his way.
https://youtu.be/tOUK_zHt4hQ

Originally Posted by sjjs

Buying myself a new Finnlight 2 in 308 win and was wondering what the general consensus is on how to break it in properly. With other rifles I have cleaned between each of the first 5 shots then shoot a 5 shot group clean same again and repeat again. Then I consider it good to go. What say you? Any other opinions out there?
Cheers Shane

Barrel break-in is the biggest load of shit ever published. Just shoot it and keep it clean in between. I have had ultra match barrels and factory barrels. Never broke them in.