Breaking in a new Sako 85 SS 7mm08 while developing a pet load for it,,,suggestions?

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sure as shootin

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I'm curious to find out how others would go about what the titles suggests. Are you from the camp that doesn't believe you have to break in a gun by cleaning after each shot for the first 5 shots, followed up by a cleaning after every 3 shot group up to 4-5 times or do you just shoot away? Also, as the title suggests, I'll be reloading for this rifle and will be looking for the ideal loading recipe for this 7mm08. I've already deide on what projectile and powder I'll be using.

I'm new to reloading so I'll probably make up 3 rounds for each .5 grain jump in powder starting at the suggested minimal. I'm hoping that the gun after some fouling will start to find out what it will like as I move up to the hotter loads. I'll be using a chrony during the break in and load development. Will this kind of thinking kill two birds with one stone,,,,,the break in, as well as the load development,,,,,or would you recommend a different path?

Cheers~
 
How will you know the effect of your barrel break in if you use a bunch of different loads
How can you trust your reload test if you think your barrel needs breaking in
One thing at a time is my vote
 
I load ammo and go shoot none of that cleanin after every shot nonsence. In my supergrade 7mm-08 using h4350 48.7gr with 139gr hornady interlocks amd getting 2895fps. I forget the group size at 100 but 200 its under 1"
 
Also just built arifle with a shilen barrel went straight to load developmentshoots very very small groups. Shot 50 rounds went hme cleaned it when I went back to the range shot the same and still is after 150 ish rounds
 
Keithjohn said:
How will you know the effect of your barrel break in if you use a bunch of different loads
How can you trust your reload test if you think your barrel needs breaking in
One thing at a time is my vote
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I know they shoot the rifles at the factory before they send them out to the stores so they can guarantee a five shot sub MOA so they are probably broken in somewhat. True??
 
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I like to clean before shooting a new rifle. Everyone breaks in differently so you are going to get a different answer from everybody. I run one patch after each shot for the first five and then one after each three shot group for it's first range trip. It's impossible to prove if it did more harm than good, but I've heard it fouls less if you break in properly.
 
Buy a skid of factory ammo, put 5000 rounds through the barrel... and then start load development.
 
Each manufacturer is different and they all have a recommenced procedure.

Ask yourself, what do you think the effects are of running repeated rounds over a freshly machined barrel that is powder and copper fouled?

I look at it as a type of lapping , and IMO this helps cleaning it later on, it cleans faster and easier.

I like to clean after each shot for the first 5 , then each 5 for 25 rounds , then do load development.

I do find that it takes a bit for the barrel to settle in, I watch velocities and to me this is showing that taking place, this has nothing to do with cleaning but it does show me that something is changing.

I may be on one end of the debate but there is people out there that clean their rifle by firing another shot, not saying what to do or not to do but make your own call.
 
sure as shootin said:
What break in procedure do you like to follow, Kevan?
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I use the clean and fire procedure after each round usually for about 10 or 15 depending on the chambering.
Then I clean after every group of three, sometimes after two groups.
This all depends on how dirty the barrel gets because some powders foul a barrel faster than others also certain bullets leave more copper fouling than others.
I handload all my own ammo, its against my religion to shoot store bought stuff.
I also keep a large assortment of bullets in the different calibers so I have no shortage for breaking in and if I have a certain bullet that is not considered an ' accurate ' bullet then that is what I break in the barrel with rather than use a premium bullet.

There are many pros and cons to barrel break in and everybody had their own opinion... rightly so.
As I said before what I do works for me...
 
I break in according to the mfg's website recommendations.

I can't say for certain that it "scientifically" made a difference but after breaking in my last 5 new rifles they do seem to noticeably "tighten up" around round number 30 (in the 40 round break in methods).

Yes, a bit of work and pissing around but seriously, there are far worse ways to spend a few hours in an afternoon than making the new gun go "bang" 40 times.

All my centerfire rifles are "hunting rifles". So some of them aren't going to see many rounds over the course of an average year and the "first shot" is the only one that counts. They can either hit the target or not. Bambi and Bullwinkle don't tend to stand around for you to impress them with how tight a 5 shot group you can shoot.

That doesn't mean you don't work up a decent load, but maybe don't go all .1 grain increment on it.

Depending on the recommended powder range I don't start with starting load (most manuals are way too conservative), so if their is "room" I'll start 1 grain above minimum and then load 4 different charges at .5 grain increments.

I generally load 10 rounds for each charge weight. When it comes time to test them I shoot in groups of 5 over a chrono (go through the 4 loads) and then repeat the process - try to account for my fatigue, barrel temp, changing weather conditions etc - kinda average things out.

I only use the chrono so that I can calculate the distances on my BDC scope hash marks. I almost never select the "fastest" load unless that is also the most accurate (and it often isn't).

No VooDoo when only the first shot matters, whether it's going 2700 or 2800 fps makes "no difference" (unless you are hunting chrono's), you pick the load that shoots "well for you" and stick with it. In 1982 I loaded 50 Swift A-Frames (the year they came on the market) for my 30.06. 20 of them were used to figure out the load. I retired that rifle 2 years back and I still have seven or eight of those loads from 1982. Sometimes you don't have to invest much time or effort into a load that will rarely be fired.
 
I assembled the same rifle for a buddy of mine and took it to the range with a box of Federal Powershock 140s. No special loads and no silly cleaning process between shots. All beautiful, tight, cloverleaf groupings, even from the first 3. That said, I do advocate for developing a load that drops that one special bullet into the tightest group possible.

Sako makes a good barrel. That cleaning process is only for people who need to believe in it.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
I assembled the same rifle for a buddy of mine and took it to the range with a box of Federal Powershock 140s. No special loads and no silly cleaning process between shots. All beautiful, tight, cloverleaf groupings, even from the first 3. That said, I do advocate for developing a load that drops that one special bullet into the tightest group possible.

Sako makes a good barrel. That cleaning process is only for people who need to believe in it.
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Ok, so why criticize the people who do it ??
Like I said... " to each their own"
Maybe I think your method is silly but I don't go on the Internet and say as much.
Have a great day buddy ....
 
I buy a box of factory ammo every time I get a new rifle..... I spend the first ten (if necessary), getting the scope dialed in..... Then I do a quick clean..... Nothing like you would do at home...... Just swab the bore.....

Then I fire off what is left and clean the rifle when I get home..... Now that I reload, the fun starts from there..... :)
 
Superbrad said:
I buy a box of factory ammo every time I get a new rifle..... I spend the first ten (if necessary), getting the scope dialed in..... Then I do a quick clean..... Nothing like you would do at home...... Just swab the bore.....

Then I fire off what is left and clean the rifle when I get home..... Now that I reload, the fun starts from there..... :)
Click to expand...

I noticed my rifles seem to shoot better fouled than clean. That's something I try to determine. How foul does a rifle like to be? My old 270 weatherby was about 15 rounds, but my T3 in 6.5x55 likes 2-3 rounds.

I suspect if I was doing a break-in on a diminishing frequency schedule for cleaning, I'd start to see the barrel "breaking in", too. I wouldn't be shooting a properly fouled bore until round number 30 or so.
 
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