Barrel break-in advice

Curt

Curt

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I have a new .223. Never been shot. I want to break the barrel in properly. I have heard a few different ideas. Please chime in with opinions.
Do I shoot 5 then clean for the first 20 and then every 10 after that for the first 100?
Do I clean after every one for the first 5 and then every second one until 20?

There seems to be a number of different ideas...???
 
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X2. Because it is new, make sure it is clean when you go to the range and make sure you clean it after the range.
 
Just shoot it. Break-in is of absolutely no *proven* benefit. There has been no published credible controlled study to support break-in. Don't waste the most accurate part of a barrel's life on something with no proven benefit.
 
Can't have everybody here agreeing.........

Clean it every 5 or so for the first while. Can make cleaning easier for the rest of its life, I believe. Sight in scope, or work up loads at the same time....that way you're not "wasting" any of its life.
I like to use a solvent, JB bore paste, solvent, dry patch.
 
I have never broken-in any of my Gaillard barrels. They are all ridiculoulsy easy to clean and a recent trip to the gunsmith's borescope confirmed that their bores are as clean as a whistle. (I recenty shot a match with a new Gallard barrel and prior to the match it had a total of 16 load-developing rounds in it... it was not even cleaned before the match.)

One of my RKS barrels (That I have since given-up on) was meticulously broken-in using the Krieger-prescribed break-in recipe. It turned cleaning patches so dark blue after 50-60 shots, I thought it had been doused ink.

Alas... another anecdote, but comparing different makers to different calibres, to different rifling techniqes and different cleaning too.
 
+2 on Ted's bbls...damn smooth!

Break in is a thing of the past for me now...simply shoot my Gaillard tubes until I get ambitious on evening and then clean 'em up.

Cleaned a Gaillard tubed 7-08AI rifle after a few hundred rounds once after running a few patches of Hoppes to rid the powder fouling. If it weren't for the smell, I'd have sworn I was using water in leu of Barnes CR10...couldn't find a trace of blue!
 
As stated in some posts debates in barrel break in, as to pros and cons. Here is my simple logic, Break in the barrel at least to the minimum, Curt as you have listed. Here is my Spock logic, if you break in the barrel and it is necessary you win, if it is not necessary, you have only lost time and cleaning stuff, if Barrel break in is necessary and you don’t do it, you lose. I break in all my new barrels, the research I have done seems to indicate it is good, and I have seen a difference in the patches coming out, only the Tikka T3 there was almost was no change. If you over scrub, you can also just help the barrel wear out sooner. .02c

Also do a search this topic crops up every so often.
 
Lots of different opinions, check the web site of your barrel maker and do what he says. If he doesn't care then you probably shouldn't either. If he does then he must have good reason.
 
Obtunded said:
Just shoot it. Break-in is of absolutely no *proven* benefit. There has been no published credible controlled study to support break-in. Don't waste the most accurate part of a barrel's life on something with no proven benefit.
Click to expand...

x2. Its designed to be fired out of the box.
 
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