Newbie Question: How do I break in a new gun properly?

[VictoriaShooter]

I'm a relatively new shooter, and just picked up my first center-fire rifle, a Savage 12FVSS in .223, earlier today. With any luck, schedule and weather-permitting, I'm hoping to get out to the range this Sunday to put it through it's paces for the first time...

Now, seeing as this is my first non-rimfire rifle, I'm quite anxious to take good care of the thing, starting with breaking it in properly. The guys at the store ran over the basics of what they suggested, which is as follows:

1) Fire a round.
2) Run a dry brush down the barrel
3) Run a wet patch down the barrel
4) Run dry patches down the barrel until clean
Repeat for each shot fired for the first 10 - 20 rounds fired from the gun.

Anyone else care to comment? Add suggestions? Tell me to do something different? ... Again, I'm new to center-fire, and would like to hear any newbie-suggestions that people feel might be helpful.



P.S. As an aside, other than the above steps, at the end of the day, should I be doing anything else to clean the gun? Seems like probably no, but ... ??

 

[TGC]

I have never heard of all those steps, just make sure the barrel is clear, no excess oil and than shoot away, dirty it up, sight it in.

 

[Longshot]

Start by hitting the search function.

 

[Outcast]

Start by hitting the search function.

Nice

 

[redman]

I'll sum the remainder of this thread up:

- Boomer will chime in with quotes from barrel manufacturers and how the jacketting of the bullet gets stripped by the chamber reamer burrs, turns into a "plasma" and gets deposited in the bore and will give you Krieger's suggested method.
- Obtunded will tell you it's a waste of time
- MysticPlayer, although erring on the side of indifference, will lean towards it being useless and will likely refer you to Shilen stating that their break-in procedure was created only because people seem to think they need one.
- Overall, people will mock this thread
- Some will say to do it because "if you do, you don't loose anything and might gain something, but if you don't, you might miss out"
- This thread will also likely be peppered with some posts alluding to your described break-in procedure, but will probably be somewhat less complex.
- I'll chime in and say that I don't know what you think you can do to hardened steel with soft metals like copper & lead.

Neither side will have concrete evidence to back their claims and you'll end up none the wiser. Just do whatever.

 

[GRiNGo]

Oh boy that was good, you just summed up everytime I have read this question over the past 2 years on here!

I like!

 

[Paulinator]

Shoot it till it's dirty.
Always clean from breech end.

 

[redman]

Always clean from breech end.

I'd say either end is okay so long as you're pushing/pulling the junk from the bore towards the muzzle end of the barrel.

 

[BeerBaron]

I'd say either end is okay so long as you're pushing/pulling the junk from the bore towards the muzzle end of the barrel.

AND making sure you have the crown properly protected. Uneven crown wear = definitely bad. I hope no one will argue about that.

As for the break in procedure... Clean it from the factory, then shoot the sh!t out of it until its dirty. Clean and repeat as necessary.

 

[Ice-Pick]

- take it to range
-site it in
-have fun
-clean when you get home.
Repeat as often as you can.

M.

 

[stevebc]

More contradictory advice -don't clean until your groups start to open up.

 

[tjhaile]

For a new gun, clean off any shipping preservative, particularly from the bore. Shoot it until accuracy drops off and then clean the bore. There should be no need for any sort of barrel break in procedure.

 

[rlg]

This is what you

Newbie Question: How do I break in a new gun properly?

Go to the range and shoot until it hurts. Go home, TLC that baby until she purrs, go back to the range and start all over again. .

Welcome to CGN VictoriaShooter.

You will actually like it here despite some of the sarcasm you may witness. Most of these guys are knowledgeable and very well informed. I have learnt more in a few years on CGN than I have in over 35 years of shooting and hunting.

As to whom is right or wrong on any issue posted on the MB, that is always open for debate.

Regards
Robert

 

[guntech]

If you wish to follow a "break in" procedure, don't do what your store told you. It sounds like they heard of a procedure and then forgot what it was. What they describe has nothing to do with removing jacket fouling between shots, which is what most "break in" procedures require.

There are procedures various high quality barrel makers suggest. Most of those procedures are ridiculed by many shooters for various reasons. I suggest you go to the various barrel makers websites and find what they recommend and decide for yourself. This has been discussed endlessly on CGN.

There are a lot of opinions.... take them with a grain of salt so to speak.

I do believe regardless of what you do, a proper bore guide and quality cleaning equipment is most important, otherwise you will damage the bore over time just by your cleaning procedure.

 

[P*Funk]

I've seen people say clean it everytime you finish shooting and I've seen people say you don't clean it til the groups open up.

Why the dissent on that? I can understand some people thinking that its no use cleaning if it doesn't affect the grouping but is there a reason other than unnecessary? I cleaned my buddy's rifle both times we went out shooting having put between 75 and 100 rounds through her each time and damn that thing was bloody dirty. I can't see how that wouldn't somehow affect it or at least... you know be prudent.

 

[tjhaile]

Many rifles require fouling shots before they start shooting to their potential. If you don't clean the bore until accuracy starts to fall off, you may end up wasting more ammunition on fouling shots than necessary, besides saving yourself a bunch of unnecessary work.

Modern non-corrosive ammunition won't hurt the bore if it is left uncleaned.