A good article on breaking in a barrel

[Heym SR20]

There are regular questions on here on breaking in barrels, with a whole host of answers. This IMHO is a good article on why and how to do it, and the benefits of doing so.

Barrel Break-In: Obtaining the Best Chance at Premium Precision - RifleShooter

Breaking in a new barrel can make your rifle more accurate and easier to clean but knowing exactly how can be confusing. Here's what you need to know for optimal barrel break-in.

www.rifleshootermag.com

 

[VSS]

And another one:

 

[Swedish]

 

[Mungo]

It’s pure voodoo.

Until someone runs a proper trial with a good sample size of broken in and un broken in barrels, identical in every other way, it’s completely impossible to say anything about what effect it has.

 

[finnbear270]

It has an effect I would say, On the shooter's mind & confidence?

 

[nun_hunter]

The whole thing about burrs and sharp edges or minor tooling marks being smoothed out by soft copper coated bullets seems like an expensive waste of time.

If that was the aim surely a cleaning rod with a mop and some fine polishing compound would be quicker, cheaper and more effective.

With today's modern engineering it seems again that this is a cover up for poor quality machining when most manufacturers can produce very accurate, easy to clean and long lasting barrels straight out the factory.

 

[FISH BOY]

Honestly don’t see why all the animosity to a bit of initial care.

Pick up a new centrefire next week and will be breaking in while zeroing.

Proper clean pre range time
Fire one - clean (brush and mop)
Fire one - clean
Fire one - clean
Fire one - clean
Fire one - clean
Fire three - clean

Will take half hour - don’t see what the big deal is. Suits really as I want a cold barrel zero.

 

[The Singing Stalker]

I have a life. Shoot, zero, then off out. Clean when I come home.
so in effect I have been breaking my barrel in for years now,

 

[Vissie]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why does it supposedly have to be done when the rifle is new? Why can't it be done later? I won't be buying a new rifle any time soon, so it won't make much difference to me , just curious?

 

[The Singing Stalker]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why does it supposedly have to be done when the rifle is new? Why can't it be done later? I won't be buying a new rifle any time soon, so it won't make much difference to me , just curious?

It is a subject that divides opinion as much as those who believe in the flat earth and the round earth societies. Don’t expect to get an answer that makes any sense from any side. Lol.

 

[stubear]

“I took the time to run 100 rounds through my new rifle to break the barrel in and now it shoots great!”

No, you spent 100 rounds practicing and getting used to the rifle and that’s why you’re now confident with it and think it shoots great.

That’s my view anyway.

I’ve never bothered - buy rifle, buy as many different types of ammo as I can and then take it to the range to see which one shoots best. Then buy a couple hundred rounds of that ammo, get 60-100 down range to say hello, then go out and shoot stuff. Job done

 

[Norfolk Horn]

I don't understand it when the likes of sako get a brand new barrel and pop three shots through it right sharpish to show how well its shoots so they don't worry about the shoot clean thing.

 

[cjm1066]

It's a good article, thanks for sharing.

Cleaning and barrel break in generate a lot heat, let's add bore guides and this thread can run and run

 

[Heym SR20]

If any body has actually read the article, making a barrels involves some form of cutting which leaves little burrs. Even with hammer forged barrels which are very smooth on the rifling have the chamber cut with a reamer, which will leave burrs around the throat of the barrel —according to the article. I think some barrels - military in particular may have the chamber hammer forged as part of the barrel forging process, but may well be wrong with this.

The point of firing one shot and cleaning is to allow the next bullet to have full friction and to knock off the burrs.

The article suggests a clean 1 shoot 1 regime for less than a box of cartridges. You can do the setting up scope and getting it zeroed in the same process.

By knocking off the burrs the rifle may well shoot better, but will certainly clean more easily.

And I keep my barrels clean as that prevents any chance of moisture causing mischief.

Being sympathetic to any form of machine, I would always want to run anything new in a little gently. Whether its a new rifle / barrel or a new car, or even just new break pads. Indeed on a car I always let it get up temperature before using full throttle.

Certainly when I get a new barrel I will run it in gently, whilst get the rifle set up. I have nothing to loose, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I have given the barrel the best opportunity to deliver good service. Can I measure it. Probably not - especially as I am probably not a good shot.

But I treat my guns as valuable tools that should be looked after - they are after all expensive and are bought with hard earned money.

But I know plenty who just treat their tools hard, especially when the do not pick up the bill. These are the bread and butter for gun dealers.

 

[trickie]

I also treat my new barrels gently, however that to me is cleans first then shoot the first 20 rounds slowly have a cuppa, wash rinse repeat a 2nd 20, go home clean and get out shooting stuff.

 

[nun_hunter]

If any body has actually read the article, making a barrels involves some form of cutting which leaves little burrs. Even with hammer forged barrels which are very smooth on the rifling have the chamber cut with a reamer, which will leave burrs around the throat of the barrel —according to the article. I think some barrels - military in particular may have the chamber hammer forged as part of the barrel forging process, but may well be wrong with this.

The point of firing one shot and cleaning is to allow the next bullet to have full friction and to knock off the burrs.

The article suggests a clean 1 shoot 1 regime for less than a box of cartridges. You can do the setting up scope and getting it zeroed in the same process.

By knocking off the burrs the rifle may well shoot better, but will certainly clean more easily.

And I keep my barrels clean as that prevents any chance of moisture causing mischief.

Being sympathetic to any form of machine, I would always want to run anything new in a little gently. Whether its a new rifle / barrel or a new car, or even just new break pads. Indeed on a car I always let it get up temperature before using full throttle.

Certainly when I get a new barrel I will run it in gently, whilst get the rifle set up. I have nothing to loose, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I have given the barrel the best opportunity to deliver good service. Can I measure it. Probably not - especially as I am probably not a good shot.

But I treat my guns as valuable tools that should be looked after - they are after all expensive and are bought with hard earned money.

But I know plenty who just treat their tools hard, especially when the do not pick up the bill. These are the bread and butter for gun dealers.

The article could have at least included pictures to show all these Burr's and sharp bits then show them after the bullets had smoothed them out. Or maybe it's not as simple as that.

As I said before there's an easier, cheaper, better way to remove burrs and smooth out tooling marks.

 

[Len the dog]

I can understand the thinking behind bullets smoothing off any burrs or tooling marks, although personally I don’t think they would, but what on Earth is the cleaning between every shot about?
You could scrub a barrel with a bronze brush for hours on end and the only thing that will happen is that you will wear your brush out, and possibly get RSI, but you are not going to alter the steel surface.
Furthermore, what is the difference between the bullets you are using to ‘break in’ the barrel and the bullets that you subsequently use to shoot stuff?

As has been suggested, if you want to smooth the steel surface/burrs/tooling marks then a series of increasingly fine lapping compounds would do a far better job, although you would run the risk of completely ruining your barrel before you’ve fired a single shot.

Until someone takes two identical barrels and does a long term comparison between ‘broken in’ and not then I remain totally convinced that it is ineffectual.

 

[User00040]

If any body has actually read the article, making a barrels involves some form of cutting which leaves little burrs. Even with hammer forged barrels which are very smooth on the rifling have the chamber cut with a reamer, which will leave burrs around the throat of the barrel —according to the article. I think some barrels - military in particular may have the chamber hammer forged as part of the barrel forging process, but may well be wrong with this.

The point of firing one shot and cleaning is to allow the next bullet to have full friction and to knock off the burrs.

The article suggests a clean 1 shoot 1 regime for less than a box of cartridges. You can do the setting up scope and getting it zeroed in the same process.

By knocking off the burrs the rifle may well shoot better, but will certainly clean more easily.

And I keep my barrels clean as that prevents any chance of moisture causing mischief.

Being sympathetic to any form of machine, I would always want to run anything new in a little gently. Whether its a new rifle / barrel or a new car, or even just new break pads. Indeed on a car I always let it get up temperature before using full throttle.

Certainly when I get a new barrel I will run it in gently, whilst get the rifle set up. I have nothing to loose, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I have given the barrel the best opportunity to deliver good service. Can I measure it. Probably not - especially as I am probably not a good shot.

But I treat my guns as valuable tools that should be looked after - they are after all expensive and are bought with hard earned money.

But I know plenty who just treat their tools hard, especially when the do not pick up the bill. These are the bread and butter for gun dealers.

Do you clean the barrel of a rimfire?

 

[Heym SR20]

Do you clean the barrel of a rimfire?

Yup - run a patch to clean out powder residue to prevent moisture forming. Plenty of rimfires end up with pitted barrels.

Quite often my rifles are not shot for weeks at a time, hence I keep a clean barrel.

Powder and primer residue also hardens over time. So next time you shoot it, you are effectively running a bullet over grinding paste.

 

[Heym SR20]

The article could have at least included pictures to show all these Burr's and sharp bits then show them after the bullets had smoothed them out. Or maybe it's not as simple as that.

As I said before there's an easier, cheaper, better way to remove burrs and smooth out tooling marks.

Please explain a cheaper and easier way of removing the tooling marks in a barrel.

What is the additional cost of setting up a rifle by cleaning the barrel between shots. A few more patches and a little cleaning fluid?