Breaking in a new rifle
- Thread starter Slooshark1
- Start date
Clean all the grease and oil out first. I'm not sure if a barrel break in really works, but I do it anyways. I just fire one shot, and clean the bore with a copper solvent and hoppes #9. But only one wet patch, then a dry patch of each type. I do that for about ten shots. Then I'll shoot a few more, and clean again but with several shots between cleanings. Good luck, and congrats on the new rifle.
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
For quite a while, all the gun writers were talking about "barrel break-in", and now virtually all of them are saying, "Just go out and shoot."
I've only owned a couple new rifles, and my "break-in" was 20 rounds at the range, followed by cleaning. Years later, the rifles are just as accurate. At the risk of sounding like a complete troglodyte, I don't put any credence in a break-in procedure.
Let us know your impressions of that rifle!
I've only owned a couple new rifles, and my "break-in" was 20 rounds at the range, followed by cleaning. Years later, the rifles are just as accurate. At the risk of sounding like a complete troglodyte, I don't put any credence in a break-in procedure.
Let us know your impressions of that rifle!
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
barrel break in
Clean all the factory grease out first as others have stated and shoot and enjoy. After degreasing all I ever do is use a dry patch down the tube to get the burnt powder residue out. I believe more damage is done with improper usage of cleaning rods and solvents than is done by shooting regularly.
Clean all the factory grease out first as others have stated and shoot and enjoy. After degreasing all I ever do is use a dry patch down the tube to get the burnt powder residue out. I believe more damage is done with improper usage of cleaning rods and solvents than is done by shooting regularly.
Unlike a lot of others, I believe in breaking in a barrel simply because I have seen a borescope picture of new factory barrels, before and after shooting, and after cleaning and polishing. The sharp edges that are left on the rifling corners "peel" away when shot out rather than being "smoothed" out. But hey, to each his own. I break in my barrels in the kitchen sink and all of my guns shoot accurately. And if as the 303carbine says, if you're going to damage your gun using a cleaning rod, then it only leads me to wonder if one is smart enough to shoot one? duhhh.
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The short of it. Fully dismantle, quick clean with bore solvent/cleaner, followed up with boiling hot water down the tube and clean with dish detergent, rince, very light polish (10 strokes each way) with JB bore bright. Repeat clean with detergent and rince, must be very boiling water which actually makes the barrel so hot, you need oven mits to handle it. Oil. Before shooting, run a dry patch thru it. This procedure polishes any sharp edges and ridges that may be left in the bore from the rifling cutting process.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
over on rimfire central alot of people use to swear by breaking in barrels until they started seeing reports of people getting the same size groups or better from guns that they just took out and shot.
break it in if you want to waste time and money, or shoot it like normal. either way you will get the same results.
break it in if you want to waste time and money, or shoot it like normal. either way you will get the same results.
It's not strictly about the group size, it's also about barrel longevity. My decision to clean and polish a bore before shooting is based on the comparitive pictures that I saw from a borescope. In this world of fast food, instant messaging, blackberries and fast paces, I'm not surprised at the "get out and shoot 'er attittude. If that's what floats your boat, then by all means......
My take on the break in process is not so much for accuracy, but for easing the woes of prolonged cleaning sessions.
Copper left imbedded will strip more copper, and copper left in the pores of the steel is a PITA to remove. That simple.
Shoot and clean for the first three shots, and if your not getting blue or green on your patches your not removing copper. Then shoot and clean for the next 5, 3 shot groups, then clean only if accuracy drops off.
Match grade hand lapped barrels see the least benifit from break in for obvious reasons, but until I see unequivical evidance to the contrary, I will always do some sort of break in on any new barrel I own.
Copper left imbedded will strip more copper, and copper left in the pores of the steel is a PITA to remove. That simple.
Shoot and clean for the first three shots, and if your not getting blue or green on your patches your not removing copper. Then shoot and clean for the next 5, 3 shot groups, then clean only if accuracy drops off.
Match grade hand lapped barrels see the least benifit from break in for obvious reasons, but until I see unequivical evidance to the contrary, I will always do some sort of break in on any new barrel I own.
I've followed the barrel break in procedure offered by Savage (on their website)on the last 4 rifles that I have purchaed "NEW", and I believe (as Lefty #### said)that these 4 rifle clean up much easier than any of my other rifles that have not had the barrel break in procedure.
To me,,they just dont foul up nearly as bad or as quick.
Like "Redfrog" once told me.."Its like praying,it may not help but it certainly wont hurt."
I dont agree that cleaning often ,will actually damage a rifle either,provided it's done properly with a rod guide and proper equipment.
I just cant see how pushing a hoppes soaked patch, with the appropriate jag,down the barrel out the muzzle end is going to harm anything.
I do it ,and do it alot.My rifles have not shown any loss in accuracy.
I believe in the break in procedure!
To me,,they just dont foul up nearly as bad or as quick.
Like "Redfrog" once told me.."Its like praying,it may not help but it certainly wont hurt."
I dont agree that cleaning often ,will actually damage a rifle either,provided it's done properly with a rod guide and proper equipment.
I just cant see how pushing a hoppes soaked patch, with the appropriate jag,down the barrel out the muzzle end is going to harm anything.
I do it ,and do it alot.My rifles have not shown any loss in accuracy.
I believe in the break in procedure!
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
Okay, if one considers a thorough cleaning and a bit of bore polishing a break-in, I've done that. The "break-in" I was referring to was a subject of great interest a while back, where people were shooting new rifles, for example, 5 shots, clean, 5 shots, clean, repeat 4 times, then 10 shots, clean, repeat 5 times. That's what I considered a "break-in".
I really don't think there are many shooters who would literally just go out and shoot a new rifle without a thorough cleaning first....even in this world of fast food and instant gratification.
I havbe a book on building muzzleloaders where the author recommends scrubbing the bor with steel wool on a jag, for, IIRC, "about a hundred hundred times, or three songs on the radio."
There is also a company in the US that sells bullets coated with a fine abrasive, the idea being to fire these down the bore to polish it. I've only read one review of the system (on Chuck Hawks' website), the reviewer seemed happy with his improvement.
I really don't think there are many shooters who would literally just go out and shoot a new rifle without a thorough cleaning first....even in this world of fast food and instant gratification.
I havbe a book on building muzzleloaders where the author recommends scrubbing the bor with steel wool on a jag, for, IIRC, "about a hundred hundred times, or three songs on the radio."
There is also a company in the US that sells bullets coated with a fine abrasive, the idea being to fire these down the bore to polish it. I've only read one review of the system (on Chuck Hawks' website), the reviewer seemed happy with his improvement.
As previously mentioned, a really good cleaning to get out the factory goop is the most important. Personally I oil completely with whatever your fav oil/lube is after such a cleaning/degreasing... run some dry patches through the bore to remove any excess and shoot it as one normally would. All that 'break in' crap was invented by people looking for something to sell barrels and fill magazine articles. But then again, I could be wrong. Personally I don't do barrel break in, nor do I pray to an invisible man in the clouds.
I do however have a voodoo doll that looks a lot like Paul Martin that I flog three times before each shot fired. Seems to work.
I do however have a voodoo doll that looks a lot like Paul Martin that I flog three times before each shot fired. Seems to work.
Long before I heard of breaking in a barrel, I bought a number of fireamrs- new and used.
Since I was eager to shoot them, and didn't know any better I took them out of the box and shot them.
I still have a couple of them, and now, thousands of rounds later, they are still accurate.
I try not to clean bores that often, and only do it if/when accuracy drops off.
Since I was eager to shoot them, and didn't know any better I took them out of the box and shot them.
I still have a couple of them, and now, thousands of rounds later, they are still accurate.
I try not to clean bores that often, and only do it if/when accuracy drops off.
I take it to the range, sight it in, clean it once a year.
I have done that with every rifle I've ever owned and my 1980 .30-06 M-700 will put 5 (handloads) shots inside an inch.
I've heard people worry about a film of oil in the bore causing the barrel to "bulge" if it's not cleaned... pah!
I have done that with every rifle I've ever owned and my 1980 .30-06 M-700 will put 5 (handloads) shots inside an inch.
I've heard people worry about a film of oil in the bore causing the barrel to "bulge" if it's not cleaned... pah!
Buy it, clean it, shoot it.
Same here. For rifles, black rifles and pistols. I wipe them down to prevent corrosion, and my .17HMR will get the odd "snaking" but that's about it.
Life's too short. I've got a Sav12FV that'll shoot 5 round 0.5" groups all day (off a rest) that I haven't cleaned in 500 to 800ish rounds.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
canadian hunter312 said:
My father was the shooting sports development manager for C.I.L., so I was privy to many Anschutz and Savage rifles over the years.
We NEVER broke in Anschutz barrels other than to clean them very well before hand, as they are lapped at the factory.
Same es the Savage OEM rifles that C.I.L. marketed.
Sometimes we would get a rough barrel however, and he would break out the JB's.
Most times however, we didn't need to.
The one thing he did do was to check for the first few rounds to check on copper fouling, but that would be determined by group size.
I don't break in my custom barrels either,except to check for fouling, as they are super smooth when they come from the 'smith's.
Cat
