Damage Inc.
Well-Known Member
Better a dumba$$… than a liar.
Barrel break in true or not?
- Thread starter Barbourcreek
- Start date
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That seems to be what they are producing lately
Is it your custom that when someone says they are going to be hesitant about something you start calling them names? Let's try to act our age. To be honest I wouldn't buy a Christensen even if you gave me the money. But that is my decision
Playtimefun
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- Dec 9, 2017
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I was looking for a barrel for a 700 titanium action that I had so I phoned one of the big barrel producers and started asking questions. He kindly paused me and said... look... I would love to sell you a barrel but you have of the best barrel manufacturers in all of North America in your backyard. I was like I do???? He was like phone Ted Gaylord (if I remember his name correctly) so I went and seen him as he lived about 1.5 hrs away from me. When I picked up the barrel (being chambered in 7 mm WSM) I asked him what to do for a barrel break in? And he was a cantankerous old guy to start with. (Every second word was a swear word.) You don't break in a barrel if it's built right!!!! (add a bunch of swear words) Come here and look. So he pulled out a bore scope. Do you see any machine marks? Any burrs? NO beep beep beep beep way!!! If a barrel is done right it should shoot accurately right from the first shot!!!! No such beep beep beep beep beep thing as breaking in a barre So go out and SHOOT IT!!! Now he had a WALL FULL of shooting trophies from across North America. So you sure as heck were not arguing with him!!!
So if your paying or getting a high end barrel... perhaps it's easier to say a barrel break in shouldn't be required... But it's not going to hurt you either....
Ever since then, I have stopped doing any kind of barrel break in. The trouble is... can you tell the difference between a barrel being properly broken in or not? I mean was the barrel a shooter with or without the break in... was it always going to be a poor/average/good shooter to start?
So if your paying or getting a high end barrel... perhaps it's easier to say a barrel break in shouldn't be required... But it's not going to hurt you either....
Ever since then, I have stopped doing any kind of barrel break in. The trouble is... can you tell the difference between a barrel being properly broken in or not? I mean was the barrel a shooter with or without the break in... was it always going to be a poor/average/good shooter to start?
I just do a quick clean with new gun with a patch and then shoot 25 to 50 rounds and clean again and have not noticed any improvement, guns that shoot good I keep and they stay good, but from that article you left I'm reading nylon brushes are bad and he gives example of fishing line wearing out guides which is certainly true but wouldn't a line made out of brass also eventually wear guides out, just my 2 cents but would really like to know if someone has the answer, is nylon more abrasive to bore?I don't . Did it with my first premium
Barrel maybe 15 years ago. Haven't done it since. Saw no improvement either way.
I just break it in with bullets.
Here's a couple good reads on it by Gale MCMillan
Barrel Break-In - Sniper Country
Breaking in the barrel of a new rifle and cleaning techniques are contentious subjects and there are many different opinions and techniques. Read our article to see what we think about..www.snipercountry.com
Barrel Break in Procedure- Gale McMillan
How to Break-in a Barrel -- A Dissenting Point of View Gale McMillan, of McMillan Stocks fame, was one of the finest barrel-makers and benchrest shooters of all time. Here he argues that elaborate barrel break-in procedures do more harm than good. Comments collected from Gale's Gun Forum...www.snipershide.com
Playtimefun
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As a guy whose #1 hobby is fishing with I don't know how much fishing tackle... if a guy says that the line ate through the guides of a fishing rod... Well he might be the same guy I heard in a store one time say that the .308 was a bigger and more powerful gun than the 30-06 because the "308" was bigger than a "306". To the stores credit, the manager heard him say it and told him to go in the back. He was fired from the gun counter about an hour later.
Just ain't happening!!!!
Trouble with nylon brushes is that they just don't work as well. But the flip side is... if your one of those guys who spends 20 minutes going back and forth with a steel brush (friends uncle did this and swore up and down that was what you had to do to "properly" clean a gun) then the steel brush will do damage.
Just ain't happening!!!!
Trouble with nylon brushes is that they just don't work as well. But the flip side is... if your one of those guys who spends 20 minutes going back and forth with a steel brush (friends uncle did this and swore up and down that was what you had to do to "properly" clean a gun) then the steel brush will do damage.
Try a ISSO or Montana Extreme nylon brush and get back to me later.
I thought it was a pretty good article until the nylon brush thing, just got me thinking, is their something abrasive about nylon that I don't know about.
Yeah when I have a brand new barrel I clean when I'm done shooting. I sure as heck don't stop in the middle of my range session to do it and I don't over clean. May pull a bore snake though it with some Hoppes 5-6 times, wipe the bolt down and call It a day. I don't dive into the weeds with it by any means.
mightyman
Well-Known Member
Yes they are, for sure! A few targets to show if needed for verification..
All custom LH except for 1 Factory 1988 BDL 270 LH that is 1/2 with my sons reloads
however now due to my age…. It is the shooter and Not the guns .. at this point.
I mentioned that I I've owned at least 60 barrels (various guns and rebarrels)…some of them, long ago I "broke-in" shoot-clean-repeat.
Either a barrel shot well or it shot mediocre…right from the start.
Every premium barrel shot exceptionally well and cleaned easily.
"Factory" barrels with the drill scars visible shot well too…fouled terribly and tedious to clean.
Shot well means 1/2-3/4 moa regularly…exceptionally well means 1/2moa with 1/4moa groups
The rare moa and over moa gun always had a mismachining issue with a cocked chamber, throat or crown…
Breaking-in isn't going to accomplish anything that just-shoot-it won't do.
Meticulous brass preparation and maintenance, and laboratory quality loading techniques is where the fine accuracy gains are made…it's a little bit of work.
Either a barrel shot well or it shot mediocre…right from the start.
Every premium barrel shot exceptionally well and cleaned easily.
"Factory" barrels with the drill scars visible shot well too…fouled terribly and tedious to clean.
Shot well means 1/2-3/4 moa regularly…exceptionally well means 1/2moa with 1/4moa groups
The rare moa and over moa gun always had a mismachining issue with a cocked chamber, throat or crown…
Breaking-in isn't going to accomplish anything that just-shoot-it won't do.
Meticulous brass preparation and maintenance, and laboratory quality loading techniques is where the fine accuracy gains are made…it's a little bit of work.
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This discussion has definitely gone off the rails. So what is it that one expects to accomplish with "break-in"? Some are looking for improved accuracy while others want to realize better bore conditions (cleaning). I'm surprised at the level of emotion this has exposed. Everyone has their own experience and as we SHOULD know every barrel, rifle, and rifleman is different.
I recently bought a CA mpr at a screaming deal in 6cm. I followed the break-in directions halfway thru the process and cleaning became exponentially easier. I don't have "range days" because i shoot from home. The time to finish the process is easier for me than most. I know down the road speed up is coming but as it stands this thing is a tack driver. Did I gain accuracy? No. Did I gain extended cleaning intervals w/o loss of accuracy? Yes. To me that's broke in.
I recently bought a CA mpr at a screaming deal in 6cm. I followed the break-in directions halfway thru the process and cleaning became exponentially easier. I don't have "range days" because i shoot from home. The time to finish the process is easier for me than most. I know down the road speed up is coming but as it stands this thing is a tack driver. Did I gain accuracy? No. Did I gain extended cleaning intervals w/o loss of accuracy? Yes. To me that's broke in.
Clem Bronkoski
Well-Known Member
IMO barrel break in is to eliminate minute burrs in the rifling which can catch fouling. A bulid up of this fouling can result in a harder to clean bore and/or ultimately a loss in accuracy. Its better to take the time initially and break in a production barrel. Needing a break in I think it all depends on the barrel manufacturer. A good quality custom barrel is most likely lapped and free of any minute burrs which would catch fouling. A production barrel I would say yes. What I normally do with a new rifle is give it a good cleaning and then lap it with bore polish and clean again.
Then the 1st 10 shots I run a solvent and 2 dry patches through after each shot. Next i clean every 3rd shot for 15 shots (5 times). That's all I do. Using this process on the last 5 or so rifles has made them a breeze to clean up. Normally one or two solvent patches and 4-5 dry patches and its clean as a whistle. Then a light coat of Montana Xtreme Bore Conditioner and store in the safe muzzle down.
Then the 1st 10 shots I run a solvent and 2 dry patches through after each shot. Next i clean every 3rd shot for 15 shots (5 times). That's all I do. Using this process on the last 5 or so rifles has made them a breeze to clean up. Normally one or two solvent patches and 4-5 dry patches and its clean as a whistle. Then a light coat of Montana Xtreme Bore Conditioner and store in the safe muzzle down.
I shoot 500 to 1000 rounds through my 10/22s, custom before I clean, one kidd, I only do it cause accuracy seems to fall off, didn't even clean when I first got it, just fired it and it's been incredibly accurate, .5 at fifty always, good ammo and ,25 or less, savage bolt 223 heavy barrel, under .5 all day at 100yds, same thing, only clean when accuracy falls off, love that gun, I believe that article is correct, damage you can do by not cleaning right is way worse than not cleaning, actually not cleaning doesn't mess up anything, lastly had browning x bolt 6.5, best group I shot was 1.5, best!, 200 rounds later, cleaning like crazy, checking everything, still crap, lots of time wasted but I can tell you I was so happy to get rid of it, yes tried every load conceivable to man, annealing too.
