Barrel break in

Speedy Gonzales - Break-in Procedure
S.G.&Y. BARREL BREAK-IN & CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

Many of our customers upon taking delivery of their new gun or barrel are in a quandary as how to go about breaking-in that new barrel 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 Precision, we have a unique opportunity to inspect many barrels on a daily basis with our video borescope. Consequently, we see the results of a variety of break-in as well as 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 break-in methods. Anyway here goes for what it's worth.

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 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.

Solvents - We recommend Sweets 7.62 for copper and a solvent mix of our own (Actually Pat McMlllan gave me this formula) for powder fouling and for cleaning/storing your gun for the next match or season. This Speedy Formula is made as follows: Mix 2/3rds Hoppes # 9 Plus Black Powder solvent with 1/3rd Regular Hoppes # 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.

Procedure for "Break-in"- Before firing that first shot, clean the barrel as if it had been shot by following these simple steps:

Step1 - Insert Lucas bore guide into receiver and chamber. If you don't have one stop here and get one, if not, just shoot your gun and forget trying to take any care of your barrel at all. Lf you do have one, proceed and give yourself an "At-A-Boy" for being astute enough to have purchased the proper tools for the job. Note: One "Aw-s**t" wipes out all your "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 bore 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 speed records. 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.

Additional Cleaning Tips
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.

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.

Follow the outline above for your regular cleaning program and I promise that your 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

I have posted most of this information in the last 10 or 15 inquiries about "breaking a barrel in"... good luck with what ever you decide to do.
 
guntech said:
Speedy Gonzales - Break-in Procedure
S.G.&Y. BARREL BREAK-IN & CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

Many of our customers upon taking delivery of their new gun or barrel are in a quandary as how to go about breaking-in that new barrel 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 Precision, we have a unique opportunity to inspect many barrels on a daily basis with our video borescope. Consequently, we see the results of a variety of break-in as well as 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 break-in methods. Anyway here goes for what it's worth.

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 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.

Solvents - We recommend Sweets 7.62 for copper and a solvent mix of our own (Actually Pat McMlllan gave me this formula) for powder fouling and for cleaning/storing your gun for the next match or season. This Speedy Formula is made as follows: Mix 2/3rds Hoppes # 9 Plus Black Powder solvent with 1/3rd Regular Hoppes # 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.

Procedure for "Break-in"- Before firing that first shot, clean the barrel as if it had been shot by following these simple steps:

Step1 - Insert Lucas bore guide into receiver and chamber. If you don't have one stop here and get one, if not, just shoot your gun and forget trying to take any care of your barrel at all. Lf you do have one, proceed and give yourself an "At-A-Boy" for being astute enough to have purchased the proper tools for the job. Note: One "Aw-s**t" wipes out all your "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 bore 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 speed records. 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.

Additional Cleaning Tips
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.

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.

Follow the outline above for your regular cleaning program and I promise that your 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

I have posted most of this information in the last 10 or 15 inquiries about "breaking a barrel in"... good luck with what ever you decide to do.
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Thank you for such a detail answer.

Tom
 
Everything with a grain of salt. Boreguide is definately a tool needed for proper cleaning. Following barrel manufacturers advice is probably a good thing. I break in the barrel of every rifle I buy new. It lets you get familiar with the gun and will definately not hurt anything if done correctly! Speedy and Eric Cortina also promoted using LCR for cleaning barrels and have now told people to stop using it. So take that for what its worth. Thorro clean gets great reviews and I have shooting friends that swear bye it. Best of luck with your new rifle
 
Gale McMillan
I see far more barrels ruined by cleaning rods than I see worn out from normal wear and tear.
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THIS is probably the most important thing to keep in mind.

I followed a break in procedure years ago. It was by far the single most annoying thing I have ever done. Will NEVER do it again. It's stupid and pointless, and annoying and wastes a bunch of expensive ammo etc etc. Just shoot your rifle.
 
If it’s a Christensen Arms I would clean it very well so rifle looks like new. Take some really good photos of it and sell it as quick as you can.
 
Smokinyotes said:
If it’s a Christensen Arms I would clean it very well so rifle looks like new. Take some really good photos of it and sell it as quick as you can.
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Just like the first owner did after putting 9 rounds through it lol.
They have a history of putting our major lemons due to poor QC, and any customer service after sale is non-existent.
 
tomL said:
I just got a relatively new gun and the previous owner has fired 9 rounds in it.

Should I still do the proper barrel break-in by cleaning the barrel after a few rounds?

Or should I just go ahead and try to find a good load?

Tom
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Clean it with Thorro Clean - it’s by FAR the BEST bore cleaner there is ! Cleans out carbon and copper FAST and works really good with IOSSO brushes . Insite Arms has it all ! RJ
 
tomL said:
If I clean it well. Shoot it. Repeat, I am basically breaking it in.

Tom
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Exactly. So why bother "breaking it in." Just take care of it between sessions/hunts. I've been shooting hunting and target rifles a long time - not one of them was better or worse because it was or wasn't "broken in."

An accurate rifle is an accurate rifle, and a lemon is a lemon. Load development and technique is what will get you the most out of your rifle. Barrel break-in will just cost you time and money (it's fun though - so there's that).

Again, just my opinion based on my own experience. Breaking it in can't really hurt anything, so I say go for it if that's what you want to do.
 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fXMThRLwy4

21 company's asked for their barrel break in....

enjoy

personally I just follow the proof research one, mind you it comes from a hand lapped barrel which is very broken in when you think about it, clean, shoot 3, clean, shoot 3, clean shoot 5......clean....that's it 11 round break in, sometimes just to be different I go 3,4,5 lol....anyway, I get to fowling and group testing after pumping that first dozen into the ditch in between cleanings...

I tend to use a heavy for cal full power load for the 11-12 round break in I do. I worry more about damaging bore and wearing it out from brushes etc. than anything else. So lean to the less is more approach, I only use wipeout foaming cleaner and patch it out after 8-12 hour sits, so the cleaning process takes time, put a few in ditch on weekend, start cleaning during the week, before work, after work, before bed...3 soaks a day, she will be ready to go by the next weekend to do it again

then after the real range days and testing ammo's etc. and finding the load then collecting it's drop data, velocity, atmospherics etc. a few boxes up to 100 rounds max on the barrel by the time the rifle is fully set up and ready to go, order a few cases of ammo for it and set for life...or until I sell it all and do again for something fun to build lol (it's sickness, we all understand)....from there it's a few shots a year filling tags and a bit of fun confirming things pre-season etc.

some guys break their barrels in by throwing the rifle down the mountain side....ymmv
 
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Clean it, and then start shooting. When it opens up groups, clean it again.

The main thing to think about when it comes to barrel break in, is that there is no way to prove that it works, or doesn’t work….
 
I usually do a basic barrel break in with all my new rifles. The way I see it is that it can’t hurt. As far as how effective it is, is really hard to prove. You could take two identical factory rifles one with a break in and one without and even if the rifle with a break in does shoot a little better it still doesn’t prove much because some rifles are just ringers/shooters right out of the box and another identical one is just ok. You would have to take a larger sample like 50 or 100 rifles and repeat the test to come to a conclusion. Also someone mentioned that hammer forged barrels are smooth as a baby’s butt and don’t need a break in but I disagree. Some might be but my Sauer in 6.5 Swede is hammer forged but has patches in the bore that look like a gravel road and you can’t even see the rifling in those spots right from the factory. But yet the rifle still shoots quite well.
 
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blakeyboy said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fXMThRLwy4

21 company's asked for their barrel break in....

enjoy

personally I just follow the proof research one, mind you it comes from a hand lapped barrel which is very broken in when you think about it, clean, shoot 3, clean, shoot 3, clean shoot 5......clean....that's it 11 round break in, sometimes just to be different I go 3,4,5 lol....anyway, I get to fowling and group testing after pumping that first dozen into the ditch in between cleanings...

I tend to use a heavy for cal full power load for the 11-12 round break in I do. I worry more about damaging bore and wearing it out from brushes etc. than anything else. So lean to the less is more approach, I only use wipeout foaming cleaner and patch it out after 8-12 hour sits, so the cleaning process takes time, put a few in ditch on weekend, start cleaning during the week, before work, after work, before bed...3 soaks a day, she will be ready to go by the next weekend to do it again

then after the real range days and testing ammo's etc. and finding the load then collecting it's drop data, velocity, atmospherics etc. a few boxes up to 100 rounds max on the barrel by the time the rifle is fully set up and ready to go, order a few cases of ammo for it and set for life...or until I sell it all and do again for something fun to build lol (it's sickness, we all understand)....from there it's a few shots a year filling tags and a bit of fun confirming things pre-season etc.

some guys break their barrels in by throwing the rifle down the mountain side....ymmv
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Worried about wearing out your barrel with brushes? Ok.
 
OP, instead of chasing your tail on this one, clean the rifle first, right back to the steel, with whichever product you like best.

RJs suggestion is good, but not readily available at your local gun shop. Others, such as Wipe Out, First Choice, Shooters Choice and a myriad of others will get the job done, some faster than others.

Take the rifle to the range and shoot it.

Some rifles shoot best from a pristine bore and some prefer a bit of fouling before they begin to shoot well.

You won't know until you shoot it.

If this barrel shoots decent groups starting with the first round to the last of what should be a five or better yet ten round group it will always shoot well if you do your part.

Some barrels just require a break-in period. Most do.

Some folks, like RJ and several others here, just follow the break-in procedure they prefer because it won't hurt anything and when all is said and done, you might save some precious time, which as we get older, seems to be more elusive than ever.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

I just finished three builds, one with a factory, unfired, 270 Win chambered Remington take-off barrel. This rifle shot a sub moa ten shot group with the first ten shots down the tube. I know the barrel wasn't shot before, other than factory proof testing, as the smith I bought it from took it off a NIB rifle for a custom build.

Fouling was minimal and it cleaned up, back to the steel with less than fifteen minutes of effort. It shot exactly the same way for the next ten-shot string.

Good enough.

It's one of those GEMS we all hope for.

The second rifle is chambered for the 7mm Rem Mag, with a custom Shilen, hand-lapped barrel. It shot the first ten into a 6 inch group.

This one was concerning. $600 select grade barrels should shoot well right from the beginning. Not this one. It was a circular group as well, which indicates the bedding, scope mounting etc were OK.

I took the rifle home, and cleaned it back to the steel, then ran some tight patches with Motty's Bore Paste through it. Took it back and shot it again, the ten shot group was now around two inches.

Not good enough for a barrel of this quality, shooting good quality bullets.

Went through the whole cleaning, light polishing procedure again, and the results produced groups that were just over a moa. 1 3/8 in.


This was a good starting point, as this barrel with a tight chamber and minimal head space on this properly bedded Remington 700 action, with a Swarovski scope should shoot better.

Shilen barrels usually shoot well right from the first couple of shots or they don't shoot well ever, no matter how much effort is put into them.

This barrel is probably ten years old, factory profiled, chambered by myself, and fitted by myself. I was extremely careful with the setup.

This barrel required fifty rounds before it could be trusted to shoot well consistently with good bullets and a load it liked into moa or sub moa groups from a cold barrel with a bit of fouling. Go figure.

The third rifle was a vanilla 308Win on a Winchester Mod 70, chambered with a Palma Match reamer, on a Green Mountain barrel. It was built for a fellow that will never shoot hand loads. He will shoot whatever is cheapest at the LGS or what he can root out at gun shows.

This barrel shot three different factory loads into 2 inches, after twenty rounds, and settled down right there. Considering what the owner is going to use it for, that will do everything that will be required from this rifle, out to two hundred yards, which will include the odd bear, deer, sick or hurt steer, or wolf.

It might do better with more shooting or hand loading, but considering it's a working rifle that will be adequately but not meticulously maintained, it will do the job.

I've had a few Christenson Arms rifles in my hands, both as a personal rifle and others.

Lovely rifles, feel good when carrying and shouldering. IMHO, they were never intended to be "tack drivers"

I'm talking about hunting rifles, not their high end match grade rifles

They shot acceptably for hunting, but all required proprietary handloads. None of them shot factory offerings, no matter how good well.
 
Sh!t… I never broken in a barrel in my life and I doubt the people I bought the rifles from did it either, for sure not the k98 my dad gave me with a dark bore and that thing shoot easy moa with an old cheap tasco 4x scope! Do we go overboard with hunting rifles, especially big game hunting rifles? This is a genuine question! If you intention is to hunt inside 300m( I never needed to shoot past 200 myself) I think 1.5” at 100 consistently is plenty good for the purpose, even 2” for that matter… minute of moose/deer/bear/elk!
I’m curious because I’m getting a custom rifle with 2 barrels soonish and I do t wanna fvck it up!
 
I don’t think anyone would ever complaint about a rifle being too accurate. The way I see it a 2 moa rifle should be adequate for hunting. But a 2 moa rifle is likely only 2 moa when shot off a solid benchrest and at 300 yards for example would be a 5 or 6 moa at best, off the benchrest. Now you are tromping through snow with heavy clothing and breathing hard and you get a 300 yard shot. Now in those conditions a 2 moa rifle can easily become an 8 or 9 moa rifle for many people which could miss the vital area on a deer for instance. Now you take the 1 moa rifle or better. In the same conditions the 1 moa rifle may become a 4 moa rifle. That’s the way I see it anyway, better accuracy may give you an advantage. I like my hunting rifles to at least be able to shoot 1 moa or less.
 
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