Barrel break in

[yoteslayer]

I break mine in a little some take very few shots but I always Fire first shot to see how it coppers and go from there with what I think it needs but if you dont use good cleaning techniques you can do more harm than good just my 2 cents

 

[elkaholic]

I usually shoot and clean each shot for about the first 3 shots but as soon as the copper goes way down, I quit messing around and just shoot it. It usually doesnt take more than about 10 rounds with a well lapped barrel.
After that, I usually dont even try to remove copper, just carbon. As long as accuracy stays, I dont ever clean copper again!

 

[J E Custom]

You will never get a unanimous consensus on brake In so everyone just has to satisfy/convince them selves as to whether they brake a barrel in or not.

I am one of those people that do break in ALL new barrels regardless of what brand they are and how they were made. I have proven to my self and many others the benefit of break in through testing, not on hearsay. I cant change others minds and don't try if they are not doing any testing. Shooting a good group just doesn't tell you anything as far as I am concerned, It just tells you what the rifle will do at the time and not the real potential of the barrel is.

I have found that doing a break in in the beginning allows you to start with the true potential of the barrel. Not doing a break in allows a barrel to change between rounds fired and consistency is hard to find until the barrel has many rounds down it.

Doing a break in also tells you what kind of quality you have because the brake in improves faster the better the barrel quality and takes longer the poorer it is. doing a proper break in doesn't wear out a barrel or shorten barrel life. Shooting hundreds of rounds trying to find an accurate load does. If a barrel is good quality, it will normally take no more than 10 to 20 rounds to get properly broke in.

After testing many barrels that were not broke in and many that were, (Several hundred of both) the choice is clear to me and I Won't build another rifle that doesn't get broke in. It is a pain to do, but well worth the effort in my opinion.

Len posted on this subject and if everyone reads the entire post I think they will see the benefits of break in and decide whether or not to do break in.

https://www.longrangehunting.com/th...-in-and-cleaning-methods.160450/#post-1125735

J E CUSTOM

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Hello all. Never really gave barrel break in much thought. Read that some recommend a break in sequence and others say not needed. Have done both on the several rifles I own and haven't seen much difference between the two techniques. Seemed like the "break in" procedure made future cleanings easier, but not sure. What are your thoughts/experiences and what is your break in procedure. Thx

I think it is a complete waste of time. Dabbled with a couple break in procedures and didnt notice a difference.

 

[memtb]

I'm far from an expert here, and most here are far more professional and have more knowledge than I. But, when we purchase a "new" firearm.....the very first thing I do, is thoroughly clean then hand lap my barrels. Even recently did it on a $250.00 Ruger American in 30-06. Until I "croak" and one the heirs get it......it will likely never be used! Hell, I even hand lap my hunting handgun barrels. They all shoot pretty good, and seem to clean-up pretty easy....so I don't think it's time wasted! memtb

 

[BasilPascali]

Clean it out of the box, shoot five rounds, clean after five, shoot five, clean and forget about it. Its sort of a compilation from a number of the "experts." Many say it is not needed, but just in case. Cannot hurt anything. This is on my new Sako TRG 22 .260 Rem. I cleaned more during the break-in of a Tikka .260. I have looked for break-in instructions from Sako/Beretta but have found none. The Sako with an NightForcenATACR put a bullet through the eye socket of a cow elk at 225 yards yesterday PM.

 

[Swiftkill]

Most top quality barrel manufacturers say, "We broke in the barrel by hand lapping it, all you are doing is wearing the barrel".
I am guilty of breaking in factory barrels and not. When i got my swift i didnt know about break in and just shot it. Over 2000 rounds later it still shoots same groups in the .3s. I started off shooting Winchester nosler combined tech lubalox bullets for hundreds of rounds. Then switched to hornady moly bullets mostly but shot bare copper in between and here and there. I recently started using federal 40 gr copper bullets in factory ammo at 4200 fps!. My groups shrank. Factory ammo in the .3s!!!! Screaming!. Also experimenting with brakes, without brakes. Shoots the same. Im a firm believer that its all in the node and consistently holding the firearm. BTW, thats a Schneider barrel Winchester put on their HBV in 1992. Whatever Schneider does to make a barrel......they have me sold!

 

[WyoHunter1]

As mentioned, lots of opinions.
I personally use one break in procedure or another. Not everybody has hand lapped barrels on all their guns and if you do a procedure that doesn't take more than 20 shots or so you are not shortening your barrel life enough to ever notice and it is not going to hurt anything.
Then you never have to stop and wonder "What If".

 

[Groot]

I see it as this, it might be a bit of a pain to do but in all reality an hour at the range is minuscule in the grand scheme of things. When someone builds something like a roof, porch, a house etc is it okay to skip or cut corners on a step in the process and then a little ways down the road theres issues with the product that could have been prevented if the builder took a a little more time and did things the "proper way". Even if issues only come up a 1/5-10 chance. Not saying theres a right or wrong process to barrel brake in and improvement to be seen by doing it but you only have one chance in the very beginning, I feel the small amount of time and effort it requires is worth it in the end. For that reason I will always do it, just in case!

 

[Jluck]

some people buy a match grade barrel that has been hand lapped already and intentionally put sand/compound down the barrel and swear its logical.

I am trying the cool kid ELR break in procedure on my new Christiansen arms 338 Lapua to gain education in the matter.

 

[Mram10us]

You get very experienced people in both camps. John Krieger doesn't break in barrels. He just shoots them. If you do break it in, make sure you use a good bore guide and the right tools. Whole nuther subject Good luck

 

[J E Custom]

You get very experienced people in both camps. John Krieger doesn't break in barrels. He just shoots them. If you do break it in, make sure you use a good bore guide and the right tools. Whole nuther subject Good luck

Krieger does have a break in procedure for their barrels.
https://www.kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin

They refer to the throat as the most important part, but you cant break in the throat unless you break in the rest of the barrel at the same time. Total performance is the goal. It is their sales pitch to imply that their barrels don't need anything because their bore is as good as it gets. Having looked through many barrels with a bore scope and broke in many barrels and finding that there are other barrels that require less break in than Krieger.

I still use many Krieger barrels and like them but don't believe everything that "ANY" manufacture says until you test it many many times.

Just saying

J E CUSTOM

 

[Jim Wright]

Soooo tell me about breaking in a barrel?

 

[Mram10us]

Krieger does have a break in procedure for their barrels.
https://www.kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin

They refer to the throat as the most important part, but you cant break in the throat unless you break in the rest of the barrel at the same time. Total performance is the goal. It is their sales pitch to imply that their barrels don't need anything because their bore is as good as it gets. Having looked through many barrels with a bore scope and broke in many barrels and finding that there are other barrels that require less break in than Krieger.

I still use many Krieger barrels and like them but don't believe everything that "ANY" manufacture says until you test it many many times.

Just saying

J E CUSTOM

Krieger barrels come with one but watch this video with John Krieger where he says he doesn't break in his.