300Spartans
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canada of course
Remington 700 .223 heavy barrel: How do I break this barrel in? thanks buddies.
Barrel break in
- Thread starter 300Spartans
- Start date
This is just one of many ways....
Breaking In A Barrel - Read fully before starting the procedure
When cleaning, always use a good bore guide and a good rod.
Start with a clean, lightly lubed barrel, fire one shot, then run a loose patch through with Sweets 7.62 or any other solvent that will “eat” jacket fouling. Saturate the bore and let it sit a few minutes. Sweets indicates jacket fouling with a blue colour.
Run patches through to dry the bore and then wet patch it again and saturate the bore. After a few minutes dry patch it again. Repeat until the jacket fouling is removed (no blue patches).
After cleaning with Sweets, swab the bore with several patches using rubbing alcohol, this will dissolve any remaining ammonia. Dry and then brush with Hoppes #9 and dry patch the bore and then leave it slightly lubed with a wet patch of Hoppes #9 before firing.
Then fire one more shot, and repeat the above procedure. Do this for a total of 10 shots, and then proceed to fire 2 shots and then clean as above, for 10 more shots. (Total of 20). The barrel is now broken in. It should be cleaned after every 20 or 30 shots there after, if possible.
You will find when the bore is broken in properly, the cleaning procedure is very quick, because there is very little jacket fouling in the bore.
I prefer Sweets 7.62, because it shows “blue” if there is any jacket fouling. I never use a copper or bronze brush with Sweets, because it will eat them, and give a false blue indication of fouling. I never let any other chemicals mix with Sweets. That is why there is a lot of dry patching and swabbing with rubbing alcohol and dry patching between switching chemicals.
Breaking In A Barrel - Read fully before starting the procedure
When cleaning, always use a good bore guide and a good rod.
Start with a clean, lightly lubed barrel, fire one shot, then run a loose patch through with Sweets 7.62 or any other solvent that will “eat” jacket fouling. Saturate the bore and let it sit a few minutes. Sweets indicates jacket fouling with a blue colour.
Run patches through to dry the bore and then wet patch it again and saturate the bore. After a few minutes dry patch it again. Repeat until the jacket fouling is removed (no blue patches).
After cleaning with Sweets, swab the bore with several patches using rubbing alcohol, this will dissolve any remaining ammonia. Dry and then brush with Hoppes #9 and dry patch the bore and then leave it slightly lubed with a wet patch of Hoppes #9 before firing.
Then fire one more shot, and repeat the above procedure. Do this for a total of 10 shots, and then proceed to fire 2 shots and then clean as above, for 10 more shots. (Total of 20). The barrel is now broken in. It should be cleaned after every 20 or 30 shots there after, if possible.
You will find when the bore is broken in properly, the cleaning procedure is very quick, because there is very little jacket fouling in the bore.
I prefer Sweets 7.62, because it shows “blue” if there is any jacket fouling. I never use a copper or bronze brush with Sweets, because it will eat them, and give a false blue indication of fouling. I never let any other chemicals mix with Sweets. That is why there is a lot of dry patching and swabbing with rubbing alcohol and dry patching between switching chemicals.
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300Spartans
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canada of course
Excellent. Thank you for replying. I will use this procedure.
Long Range Canuck
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Athabasca Alberta aka God's Country
I would recomend trying Microlon Gun Juice. It is an incredible product and totaly eliminates "Jacket fouling" or any real problems associated with dirty barrels. It has a very easy aplication process and when your done you can toss your brushes and solvents away. you wont need them just run a patch with Gun Juice at the end of the day and a couple of dry ones after and all is done.It increases barrel life and increases muzzel velocities.
I have only used it on one rifle so far, but will be using it on all now. Here is the Link. Check it out for yourself.
www.microlon.com/firearms.asp
Just an opinion
I have only used it on one rifle so far, but will be using it on all now. Here is the Link. Check it out for yourself.
www.microlon.com/firearms.asp
Just an opinion
Two of the many quality barrel makers state:
LILJA Break-in Procedure
For an effective break-in the barrel should be cleaned after every shot for the first 10-12 rounds or until copper fouling stops. Our procedure is to push a cotton patch that is wet with solvent through the barrel. This will remove much of the powder fouling and wet the inside of the barrel with solvent. Next, wet a bronze brush with solvent and stroke the barrel 5-10 times. Follow this by another wet patch and then one dry patch. Now soak the barrel with a strong copper removing solvent until all of the blue mess is removed from the barrel. The copper fouling will be heavy for a few rounds and then taper off quickly in just one or two shots. Once it has stopped or diminished significantly it is time to start shooting 5 shot groups, cleaning after each one. After 25-30 rounds clean at a normal interval of 10-25 rounds. Your barrel is now broken-in.
SHILEN Break-in Procedure
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning.
Here is our standard recommendation: Clean after each shot for the first 5 shots. The remainder of the break-in is to clean every 5 shots for the next 50 shots. During this time, don't just shoot bullets down the barrel during this 50 shot procedure. This is a great time to begin load development. Zero the scope over the first 5 shots, and start shooting for accuracy with 5-shot groups for the next 50 shots. Same thing applies to fire forming cases for improved or wildcat cartridges. Just firing rounds down a barrel to form brass without any regard to their accuracy is a mistake. It is a waste of time and barrel life.
Factory barrels may benefit more from breaking in than the precise smooth quality custom barrels.
On a custom barrel the only part that is really being broken in to any extent is the throat which has been freshly cut right from the chambering reamer. I would like to think that with the bullet ironing the bore smooth with no impurities being ironed into that surface help with barrel life and fouling. I know it does not harm a barrel but the benefit is hard to prove as each barrel is an individual.
It is an individual's decision to "break in" or not.
LILJA Break-in Procedure
For an effective break-in the barrel should be cleaned after every shot for the first 10-12 rounds or until copper fouling stops. Our procedure is to push a cotton patch that is wet with solvent through the barrel. This will remove much of the powder fouling and wet the inside of the barrel with solvent. Next, wet a bronze brush with solvent and stroke the barrel 5-10 times. Follow this by another wet patch and then one dry patch. Now soak the barrel with a strong copper removing solvent until all of the blue mess is removed from the barrel. The copper fouling will be heavy for a few rounds and then taper off quickly in just one or two shots. Once it has stopped or diminished significantly it is time to start shooting 5 shot groups, cleaning after each one. After 25-30 rounds clean at a normal interval of 10-25 rounds. Your barrel is now broken-in.
SHILEN Break-in Procedure
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning.
Here is our standard recommendation: Clean after each shot for the first 5 shots. The remainder of the break-in is to clean every 5 shots for the next 50 shots. During this time, don't just shoot bullets down the barrel during this 50 shot procedure. This is a great time to begin load development. Zero the scope over the first 5 shots, and start shooting for accuracy with 5-shot groups for the next 50 shots. Same thing applies to fire forming cases for improved or wildcat cartridges. Just firing rounds down a barrel to form brass without any regard to their accuracy is a mistake. It is a waste of time and barrel life.
Factory barrels may benefit more from breaking in than the precise smooth quality custom barrels.
On a custom barrel the only part that is really being broken in to any extent is the throat which has been freshly cut right from the chambering reamer. I would like to think that with the bullet ironing the bore smooth with no impurities being ironed into that surface help with barrel life and fouling. I know it does not harm a barrel but the benefit is hard to prove as each barrel is an individual.
It is an individual's decision to "break in" or not.
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My brother followed this procedure when he was getting started with his Savage .223 rig. I'll probably do the same if/when I get a precision rifle even if it will ruin a day at the range. After dropping $1000 on a rifle I would want to make sure and do things right.
I could post a huge thing on how Gail McMillian,the father of modern day sniper rifles, says barrel break in is just a ploy by barrel manufacturers to sell more barrels.I'd have to agree with him.It doesn't make any difference.Just go shoot it and clean it after.It will be just fine.
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FAQs: Barrel Break-In Procedure
Q. What is the barrel break-in procedure?
A. Although there may be different schools of thought on barrel break-in, 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.
www.savagearms.com
Q. What is the barrel break-in procedure?
A. Although there may be different schools of thought on barrel break-in, 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.
www.savagearms.com
300Spartans
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canada of course
Longshot said:
If that is the case, then maybe its really a ploy by the solvent makers? I don't know, I'm just asking for advice. Seems like there's a lot of different school of thought on these matters. Nubes like me get confused by it all.
With all this to "clean or not to clean break-in" there has been no mention of using a good bore guide. That is more important for sustaining accuracy. You can clean all you want but if you are not using a good rod and a good bore guide you are doing damage to your barrel each time the rod goes in.
300Spartans
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canada of course
I knew one guy who had a Savage heavy barrel, I think it was a 112FV. He said that he never cleaned the barrel at all after shooting it. What do you think of this?
Hi
Mike Rock is the father of the M24. That is good enough for me.
http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn_II.asp
Sticker
Mike Rock is the father of the M24. That is good enough for me.
http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn_II.asp
Sticker
300Spartans
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Canada of course
Thanks Sticker. I didn't know that about the moly bullets.
