Rifle break in??

I know this has been covered before…

Rifle barrel break-in — yes or no?

Does anyone know what Remington recommends for rifle break-in? (if anything)…..

Thanks!

absolute must, not an option not to!

Ensure a true barrel scrub prior to any firing.

Google it up. Lot’s of different methods to get same results.

This is how I do it and it’s worked for me for 25 years: clean it, shoot it, clean it again, then shoot it once or twice and leave it dirty. If the last two shots are accurate you’re in!!

Lots of varying opinions out there. One of those things that there is never any way to actually prove how the gun would have tuned out had you done it a different way.

For that guys that religously “break in” the barrel, what exactly does that do for the barrel??? (I’m not being smart, I’m just trying to reason through this…)

I mean you shoot, clean, shoot, clean, etc…, theoretically removing fouling and copper after every few shots. What does this gain you vs shooting a bunch (a full range session), then cleaning at home, then repeating? Is the theory that you clean it so much that if there are any burrs or tool marks that a super clean bore will allow the bullet to catch and “smooth out” those rough spots (vs a dirty, copper fouled bore would already have fouling deposits in the burr pockets, thus eliminating the chance of the bullet being able to catch and smooth the rough spots)…

Thoughts?

Also, what are the odds that you’ll damage the barrel/rifling with while actually doing the cleaning? For those who do “break in” a barrel, do you use a bore guide and one piece cleaning rods? What is your preferred method or preferred tools to use so that you can ensure no damage to the barrel from your cleaning equiptment? How “tight” do you make your patches run through the bore?

Just an interesting topic, many questions, many opinions.

Thanks!

here is what one expert said

Proper Barrel Break-in
ensures long Barrel Life

Proper barrel break-in procedures are crucial for top accuracy and performance. More barrels are damaged by cleaning rods than by any amount of regular shooting a person may do. If not done correctly, one can do more harm than good.

The barrel break-in technique we endorse, is the “Speedy Method” named after Speedy Gonzalez, owner of S.G.& Y Rifles. Speedy is well known in Benchrest disciplines; national champion, world record holder, and Hall of Fame inductee in the National Benchrest Shooters Association (NBRSA). He has given permission to share with you, his expert advice on the correct method of barrel break-in and cleaning.

Rifle Cleaning the Right Way

Barrel break-in. Many of our customers upon taking delivery of their new rifle or barrel are in a quandary as how to go about breaking in their rifle for maximum life and accuracy. With so much written in magazines these days stating use this, don’t use that, brush, don’t brush…what’s a person to do?? At S.G.& Y. Rifles, we have a unique opportunity to inspect many rifle barrels on a daily basis with our video borescope. Consequently, we see the results of a variety of barrel break-in and cleaning procedures, and most of them leave the rifle owners with their mouth agape when they see the fruits of their misinformed labor on our color monitor. We have seen practically new barrels ruined with less than a hundred rounds shot through them by some of the crazy and sometimes humorous barrel break-in methods. Anyway here goes for what it’s worth.
A. Bore guides- If you don’t have one, get one! Without a good bore guide you are just wasting your time trying to break-in a barrel or cleaning it for that matter. More rifle barrels are destroyed by cleaning without a bore guide than by shooting! There are many types and brands of bore guides available on the market and range in price from $5.00 to $50.00. The only one we recommend is the Lucas two-piece bore guide. They are the best insurance you can buy for that new barrel. All other bore guides in my opinion are only good for keeping the solvents out of the trigger and action.

B. Solvents – We recommend Sweets 7.62 for copper and a *solvent mix of our own (Actually Pat McMillan gave me this formula) for powder fouling and for cleaning/storing your rifle for the next match or season. This Speedy Formula is made as follows:

Mix 2/3 rds. Hoppes No. 9 Plus Black Powder solvent with 1/3rd. Regular Hoppes No. 9 Nitro solvent. Let this mixture set overnight and it will form a sort of gel that adheres very well to the brush and cuts powder fouling to a minimum.

* Note: Butches Boreshine may be substituted for this Speedy formula.

C. Procedure for “Break-in” – Before firing that first shot, clean the barrel as if it had been shot by following these simple steps.

Step 1. Insert Lucas bore guide into receiver and chamber. If you don’t have one stop here and get one, if not, just shoot your rifle and forget trying to take any care of your barrel at all. If you do have one, proceed, and give yourself one “At-A-Boy” for being astute enough to have purchased the proper tools for the job.

Note: One “Aw-Sh*t” wipes out ALL “At-A-Boys”.

Step 2. Run one wet patch of Sweets through the bore and let soak for approximately 30 seconds. Do not patch this out.

Step 3. Next, run the brush through the barrel only enough to expose the entire brush. Yes, I know that you still have 12 more inches of cleaning rod you could push out the end of your barrel but we want to protect that new crown. Also, if that rod hangs out that far, you will eventually start wearing down the rifling at the crown from about 4 to 7 o’clock. This is very bad “JU-JU” for accuracy. OK, back to our next step. Once the brush is exposed, saturate it well with our Speedy Formula or Butch’s Boreshine and SLOWLY run the brush through the barrel 10 complete back and forth passes while keeping the rod as straight as possible. This is when the Lucas bore guide really pays for itself! Remember, the key word is slowly. We are not trying to break any land speed records today. Let this sit a minute or two and proceed to the next step.

Step 4. After you have let the barrel soak for a few moments, saturate a patch with the Speedy Formula or Butch’s Boreshine and pass it through the bore. Follow this with 2 dry patches and then dry the chamber with Brake Kleen or lighter fluid. Next, gently wipe the crown off with a soft cloth and lube your bolt (lets not gall the lugs just yet). Now, your ready to shoot your first shot. Then follow the schedule below to complete your barrel break-in.

1. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 1 shot.

2. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 5 shots.

3. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 10 shots.

4. Clean barrel / lube bolt / 10 to 15 shots and clean again.

D. Additional Barrel Break-in and Cleaning Tips –

1. Each time you clean you may also follow the last dry patch with a patch soaked with LOCK-EEZ. This is a graphite powder suspended in a quick evaporating carrier that coats the bore slightly before passing that first round through a completely dry bore.

2. We are always asked about powder fouling and how to remove it. The only product that we have seen that really does a good job on powder fouling, especially on the carbon ring that forms just ahead of where the neck ends in the chamber, is IOSSO Bore Paste. This is used with a Pro-Shot nylon bristle brush and worked slowly in the neck and throat areas, then slowly down the entire bore. Follow this up with a few wet patches, then dry the bore as usual, and your ready to shoot.

E. Follow the outline above for your regular cleaning program and I promise that your rifle barrels will deliver their greatest accuracy and life without a lot of grief and hours of wondering if they are clean.
Good Shooting,

Speedy Gonzalez

Here is an BoreScope video Comparing the Differences between a Quality, Custom Rifle Barrel, and that of a Mass Produced, Factory Barrel.
LILJA CUSTOM BARREL VS FACTORY BARREL

REVIEW OF LUCAS BORE GUIDE

PROTECT ARIZONA HUNTING AND FISHING

I’ve read that online before also… All of the “Break-in” web pages that I’ve seen seem to be promoting some sort of product or products… Which makes me wonder what is their true goal… Is it to give you the straight info, or sell you something.????

But hey, its on the internet, so its gotta be true… right??? LOL

Quote:

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I’ve read that online before also… All of the “Break-in” web pages that I’ve seen seem to be promoting some sort of product or products… Which makes me wonder what is their true goal… Is it to give you the straight info, or sell you something.????

But hey, its on the internet, so its gotta be true… right??? LOL

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Your probably right… I work with a competition shooter, he claims that the high end guns or guns with aftermarket custom barrels don’t need to be broken in. he feels that only cheap poor quality barrels that may have rough spots or other burrs etc need to be broken in. he said he has seen areas in a cheap barrel that were copper or lead fouled so badly that they were having a hard time holding 3″ groups at 100 yards but once the roughness was gone from the barrel that they would shoot 1″ MOA groups I have also been told not to us a bore snake but still use one with no problems so far

I have done the speedy method on a couple rifles I have. And just started shooting others. I hand load and they all shoot sub-moa at 100. I feel it is a waste of ammo to break in a barrel. Just take care of your barrel and work up a load,most guns now will shoot better then you can. I will say a good bore guide is priceless!

One of the best replies I have seen in layman’s terms is from one of the guys from DP rifles.

No matter how expensive a barrel one buys they have imperfections in them. When a bullet goes down the tube the imperfections take off a little of the brass from the bullet. If the barrel is not cleaned of brass stuck to these imperfections before the next round is put down the tube the barrel picks up even more brass from the next bullet. Once the imperfections have worn down the bore is smoother more accurate and much easier to clean.

I follow the Howa proceedures and have been very pleased with my results
“BREAK-IN PROCEDURE FOR GUN BARRELS USING JACKETED BULLETS
For the first ten shots we recommend using jacketed bullets with a nitro powder load (Most Factory Ammo).
Clean the oil out of the barrel before each shot using a simple window cleaner (like Windex®) which will soak
the oil out of the pores. After firing each cartridge, use a good copper cleaner (one with ammonia) to remove
the copper fouling from the barrel. We do not recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are
trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated.
After cleaning with bore cleaner, clean again with window cleaner after each shot. Use window cleaner
because many bore cleaners use a petroleum base which you want to remove before firing the next shot.
This will keep the carbon from building up in the barrel (oil left in the pores, when burned, turns to carbon).
To keep the temperature cool in the barrel, wait at least 5 minutes between break-in shots. The barrel must
remain cool during the break-in procedure. If the barrel is allowed to heat up during the break-in, it will
destroy the steel’s ability to develop a home registration point, or memory. It will have a tendency to make
the barrel “walk” when it heats up in the future. We have all seen barrels that, as they heat up, start to shoot
high and then “walk” to the right. This was caused by improperly breaking in the barrel (generally by sitting
at a bench rest and shooting 20 rounds in 5 minutes or so). If you take a little time in the beginning and do it
right, you will be much more pleased with the barrel in the future.
Look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, and you will see a light copper-colored wash in the barrel.
Remove this before firing the next shot. Somewhere during the procedure, around shot 6 or 7, it will be
obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel. Continue the window cleaner and bore
cleaner applications through shot 10.
Following the initial ten shots, you then may shoot 2 rounds, cleaning between each pair of shots, for the
next 10 shots. This is simply insuring that the burnishing process has been completed.
In theory, you are closing the pores of the barrel metal that have been opened and exposed through the
cutting and hand lapping procedures.
BREAK-IN PROCEDURE FOR BARRELS USING LEAD BULLETS
The same shooting-cleaning process may be used when firing lead bullets and black powder with this
exception: shoot 2 cartridges, then clean for the first 30 rounds. Naturally, you will use a cleaner appropriate
for black powder. You can also use harder lead if available to accelerate the break in. This will accomplish the
same as the jacketed bullets.
It may take 80 to 100 rounds to break in with lead. That is why we recommend using jacketed bullets when
possible. After this procedure, your barrel’s interior surface will be sealed and should shoot cleaner and
develop less fouling for the rest of its shooting life.”