Barrel break in accuracy

[RCMSTER]

Once you get "broke in" and done burning that 26 pixie dust, I would try VVN560, Rl-17, 19 or someone that range.

I got lucky finding the 26. No idea where to find 17 or 19.

 

[Starlite]

Just follow their recommended break in procedure faithfully.

Personally I don't expect peak accuracy until I have somewhere between 50-100 rounds through the barrel.

Breaking in a new barrel is kind of like breaking in a new cast iron skillet, when it's properly seasoned you'll know it.

At some point you should see both an increase in velocity and a tightening up of groups, when you hit that point it's probably there and you can start working up accuracy loads and tweaking seating depth.

I'd respectfully disagree WRT accuracy. A good quality barrel that's blueprinted accurately should be very accurate (well under MOA) right off the hop. Yes the OP should see an increase in velocity and again if it's of good quality a small increase after barrel break-in. Especially stainless steel barrels.
An easy test is to shoot some factory; say Hornady match or ELD-x and see what the accuracy is like. Even corelockt should shoot well. Certainly not 1.5"

Just my 2c and experience with custom barrels.

OP. Cane you borescope the barrel.

 

[RCMSTER]

I'd respectfully disagree WRT accuracy. A good quality barrel that's blueprinted accurately should be very accurate (well under MOA) right off the hop. Yes the OP should see an increase in velocity and again if it's of good quality a small increase after barrel break-in. Especially stainless steel barrels.
An easy test is to shoot some factory; say Hornady match or ELD-x and see what the accuracy is like. Even corelockt should shoot well. Certainly not 1.5"

Just my 2c and experience with custom barrels.

OP. Cane you borescope the barrel.

I cannot. I'm not panicking yet. I have faith in the barrel being of good quality. As many reviews as I read on Hart barrels, I never read a bad one.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

How did you load the Hammers?

Clean back to bare steel.

Start .050" off the lands.
Load (1) I round in (1) gr increments up to pressure, back off 1.5 gr. Load 10. Five for groups, five to chrono.

I imagine you will have a descent starting point if not the load worked out in that few.

 

[RCMSTER]

How did you load the Hammers?

Clean back to bare steel.

Start .050" off the lands.
Load (1) I round in (1) gr increments up to pressure, back off 1.5 gr. Load 10. Five for groups, five to chrono.

I imagine you will have a descent starting point if not the load worked out in that few.

I loaded the hammers at 53.0 grains, .040 off the lands, federal 215 primers, and the brass was new w/w nickel plated brass. I'm thinking the brass could be part of the problem. Probably should've mentioned that at the start.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

Reloader 26 may be a bit high based on Alliants site. So you did not work up to 53gr, just chose that to start? If so, I would back down to about 45gr and load as I described above. Your nickel cases are probably fine. In my experience they have a little less case capacity. Unless you were getting a heavy "click" at the top of the bolt throw, then they may not be serviceable anny longer...

 

[RCMSTER]

Reloader 26 may be a bit high based on Alliants site. So you did not work up to 53gr, just chose that to start? If so, I would back down to about 45gr and load as I described above. Your nickel cases are probably fine. In my experience they have a little less case capacity. Unless you were getting a heavy "click" at the top of the bolt throw, then they may not be serviceable anny longer...

View attachment 345720

I based it on an earlier load I had in my load book. I agree in that I think it's a little much. I was gonna back down, and shoot again.

 

[WildRose]

I'd respectfully disagree WRT accuracy. A good quality barrel that's blueprinted accurately should be very accurate (well under MOA) right off the hop. Yes the OP should see an increase in velocity and again if it's of good quality a small increase after barrel break-in. Especially stainless steel barrels.
An easy test is to shoot some factory; say Hornady match or ELD-x and see what the accuracy is like. Even corelockt should shoot well. Certainly not 1.5"

Just my 2c and experience with custom barrels.

OP. Cane you borescope the barrel.

They can be accurate from the get go but I've never seen a decent barrel fail to get more accurate with a proper break-in even if the gains are minimal.

No amount of break-in will make a bad barrel shoot but there are always degrees of accuracy beyond what we're getting at any given time which of course is what drives many of us nuts trying to get that nth degree gain.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

If you have too much pressure you can have issues with accuracy. You won't get a consistent/optimum powder burn.

 

[RCMSTER]

If you have too much pressure you can have issues with accuracy. You won't get a consistent/optimum powder burn.

Yep. I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I definitely agree with you on that.

 

[Don Titus]

In my experiences a barrel which likes the bullet will shoot pretty accurate at the onset and increase accuracy a bit after 10-40 rounds. If your accuracy with that bullet is pretty bad, I would try different loads/bullets. This has just been my experience.
I have gotten lucky with several new rifles that liked the first handloads I fed them and they achieved .5" groups or better with the first shots after getting zeroed... so in the first 20 rounds.
What kind of mediocre accuracy are you talking?
I imagine some of the serious target shooters will come along shortly and have some input. I shoot and handload a good bit, but am not a professional target shooter.

Your experience is the same as what I have had with my T3X and 174 Hammers. It only required a little fine tuning with H4831SC and Hammers seated at mag length of 3.370" ; out of the box ~ 1" then .5" now between .270 and .450".

 

[WildRose]

If you're attempting to load for accuracy-then stop measuring C.O.A.L. You should be measuring B.T.O.

Once you establish the BTO it's really easy then to go to COAL unless you're going to measure and seat each bullet individually to BTO.

There's some variation in bullets no matter how well made but I have never met anyone that loads each one to BTO individually.

I don't even know how one could practically do so.

 

[WildRose]

I had a rifle built with a hart barrel about a year ago chambered in 6.5 Weatherby RPM. After initial break in it would shoot 1/2 moa groups with factory and even some heavy 156 Berger's. I was super excited. At about 100 rounds it opened up to 2-4 moa and no amount of cleaning would change it. Looked in it with a borescope and found porosity issues near the muzzle. We are going to cut it back and recrown it and pray that works. Otherwise, replace it it wit not a hart barrel.

Good luck

If it were me the first thing I'd do is call Hart and let them have a look at it.

If it's a bad barrel they'll replace it.

 

[RCMSTER]

This is what it shot today after work. Bullet on the right is a rem 120 gr core-lokt. That was shot 1. The group of 3 are 116 gr hammers. 48.0 grains of Rel 26, fed 210 primer, herders case. I'm not claiming to be a world class shooter, there's that, but at least it's a group that measures 1 1/16" c to c. I think I'll get there, no doubt.