Barrel break in?

[CdnCombatMedic]

please explain to me why this is bad? i keep hearing people complain about boresnakes ruining the barrel, but how exactly does it ruin the barrel or cause damage?

Do you keep putting your gritty dirty patch through your barrel each time?
Are you pulling it completly straight through the crown?
There have been boresnakes get stuck in barrels...... ##### to get out.
I think boresnakes have a place (field use) but they don't clean a barrel....

 

[theBuilder]

I had a boresnake for a .22 and it was a pos. it was almost impossible to pull through, and it snapped halfway through the barrel. A waste of $25.

 

[Paddy80]

Pull resistance on the tail end of the bore snake while pulling through the barrel to give it a slimmer profile, wash when dirty. For some reason I don't worry about my bore snakes damaging the barrel crown. Lol
If you clean a barrel too well you end up with bare metal contact ( fire lapping ). I would rather fill the imperfections with copper while removing carbon build up.

 

[gks]

Hey even before you fire that 1 st. shot clean the barrel, it is amazing what will come out of that new barrel. The 1 shot and clean is what is recommended for the first 10-20 rounds generally. Then fire 3 and clean for the next few cycles. It seems like a real pain but it does help condition the barrel .

 

[bucktomcat]

I have never "broken in" a barrel.....all my guns shoot.....I'm just lucky maybe......

Only thing I do it clean the barrel first then shoot.....I never clean it again unless the groups open up.....JMHO

 

[xdmer]

Are you serious?

Bore snake and "best" can't be used in the same sentence. Since this is ATRS section I will let him comment on his view and how using one on an ATRS rifle voids warranty

 

[Travis Bickle]

I built a retro-ish M40 out of a brand new Rem700 Tac
I broke the barrel in by shooting about 200 rounds through it so far.
Will probably clean it some time eventually.
Barrel break in lol People still buy into this nonsense?

 

[tactical_tech]

Not sure if it made a difference but I did this for my savage 10 tr

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/proceduresbarrelbreakin/

Barrel Break-In Procedure

Schools of thought

There may be different schools of thought on barrel break-in, however, this is what Precision Shooting Magazine recommends:

STEP 1 (repeated 10 times)

Fire one round
Push wet patches soaked with a powder solvent through the bore
Push a brush through the bore (5 times in each direction)
Push dry patches through the bore (2 times)
Push wet patches soaked with a copper solvent through the bore
Push a brush through the bore (5 times in each direction)
Push dry patches through the bore (2 times)
Push a patch with 2 drops of oil through the bore
STEP 2 (repeated 5 times)

Fire a 3 shot group
Repeat the cleaning procedure from STEP 1 after each group
STEP 3 (repeat 5 times)

Fire a 5 shot group
Repeat the cleaning procedure from STEP 1
They recommend the use of a patch with 2 drops of oil after the cleaning so that you are not shooting with a dry bore. It is also advisable to use a powder solvent and copper solvent from the same manufacturer to be sure they are chemically compatible.

I'm surprised that this is what Savage recommends. Seems like a lot of work for possibly no gain and possibly some harm. I did not do that with my 10TR. Initial cleaning then straight to a couple hundred rounds of load development. I subscribe to the no break in procedure school of thought.

 

[kawicrash]

Anybody ever check with the manufacturers about what procedure should be followed?
What about talking to someone like Ted Gaillard to see what he says? I have a custom Rem. 700 22/250 with a Gaillard barrel, and other than more frequent cleanings in the beginning I never really followed any specific break-in procedure, and it's still putting them all in one hole 20 years later.

 

[6MT]

I think the lack of input here from ATRS on this matter speaks volumes. I wouldn't touch it either.

 

[tylert]

I find shooting is 70% mental and 30% physical. If you find a barrel break in procedure that you think will help your rifle then why not do it, if it helps mentally then it wil help your shooting. If you don't beleive in break ins don't bother. No matter what it doesn't hurt to follow a procedure but also it doesn't hurt not to either.

 

[Chris89lx]

I think the lack of input here from ATRS on this matter speaks volumes. I wouldn't touch it either.

Guess I should have just called them.
I wasn't looking for EVERYONES opinion!!!
That's why I asked on the ATRS forum. Not the general forum.

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

Good Christ, I go away for a weekend and come home to this?

There are a ton of various opinions on barrel break in, most are rather absurd, some plain stupid.
On barrels that are not hand lapped match grade barrels, there may be some merit to some of the more vigorous manners that are proposed.
On a top quality match grade barrel MY PERSONAL BELIEF is that the clean this way, then that way, then do a little dance followed by prayers in all directions and to all the God like entities is rubbish.
MY PERSONAL barrel break in is as follows. 1 clean patch down the bore just to ensure nothing is in the bore followed by shooting the rifle.
Once I have enough shots to ensure the scope is sighted in, clean said barrel with Wipe Out foaming bore cleaner. Dry patch as per the instructions on the Wipe Out can and then commence load development. This consists of 3 or 4 fouling shots and a couple of 5 shot strings fired for group size.
Re-clean bore and repeat until happy with the group the load produces.
Once load is determined shoot rifle until group size opens up, then clean.

ATRS does NOT recommend the use of Bore Snakes or non coated rods having seen far too much damage resulting from improper use.

I do not think there is any proven and definitive manner that proves barrel break in is anything but a bunch of opinions.
The opinion expressed is simply my own and reflects what has always worked for me.
YMMV

And she's locked.