Breaking in barrel.

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purdeydog

purdeydog

Well-Known Member
Hi

Got myself a M12 impact 243 today. Looking forward to getting out tomorrow and getting it set up. What are people’s thoughts on barrel breaking in these days?

I’ve not really put too much effort into barrel breaking in with my rifles in recent years and had no issues. I did follow a routine with a custom rifle I’ve got.

Thanks.
 
If you dont do it, you cant go back.
For the time it takes i personally think its worth doing. But allot of folk will tell you not to bother.
Do a search on the websites and look at both options and make your own decisions.
 
Forget the break in procedure for series production hammer forged barrels. There is nothing you could improve by breaking it in.
BUT clean it very thoroughly before you even take your first shot. There is going to be a hell of a lot of grime in there. The factory applies some sort of conservation grease which cannot be removed by simply patching out the barrel. I suspect they smear it on top of the left-overs from the proofing shots.
You will see that quite a lot of brownish gunk will come out and that you will need several runs to completely get rid of it.
Don't do it and you will transform all this grease into baked in carbon.
 
www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

Breaking in a new rifle

Picked up my new 30.06 a few weeks ago and it has sat in the safe untouched until now.... With a range session booked, first job was to clean the barrel. Boy was there some crud in there. Then fit my old 6x24x56 off my .243 on her. My new 3x12x56 went on the .243. Went to the...
www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

The journey of breaking in my M12 :thumb:
 
The thing is though how do you KNOW that it would or wouldn't have been better if "broken in" or "shot in" or not? In fact I don't think I've ever owned a new rifle in fact the only guns I've ever owned from new were a .357 Magnum Colt Trooper III in about 1976 and, that my mother bought me a a twenty-first birthday present, a Smith & Wesson Model 29-2 in 1978. So what is the "problem" or matter that this process of breaking in or shooting in a new from the box rifle is meant to be addressing? Bearing in mind that all rifles sold in Western Europe including he UK will have been proof fired for definite and, likely, test fired in the factory even if that is only three rounds before Proof.
 
Rider said:
Forget the break in procedure for series production hammer forged barrels. There is nothing you could improve by breaking it in.
Click to expand...

This is what I thought. They must have a very different bore from a new button or cut rifled barrel...?
 
I wouldn't bother with any sort of specialised 'procedure' as such. For myself, I'd give it a clean first, then a few shots, then let it cool and run a solvent-soaked boresnake through it. I reckon that would be more than enough
 
Great replies thanks guys. Given a good clean as standard. Wasn’t too bad in the barrel. Think I will follow a shortened break in style process. Can’t believe it’s ****ing down here! Got a day off work with a new rifle and new day scope and N450 both with QD mounts to set up. Not rained in weeks. Sad face!
 
I did a shot and clean, 5 times then 5 shots and clean twice then again after about 20 shots, as above, not sure if its needed these days but you can't loose much, cheers
 
I have broken in a lot of barrels. There are good ones and bad ones. The latest was a Bartlein and was excellent. I have had plenty of others that were not, including some well known custom barrels.

Unless a barrel has been very well honed before delivery the inside of the bore will not be as smooth as it could be. The bullets then do the honing and polish the bore smooth as more shots are fired. Clean thoroughly before you fire your first shot. The proof house has already put a couple through. After you fire the first shot clean again. Look at the first patch - there are highly likely to be traces of steel swarf on the patch - this is what you're looking for. If left in the barrel that steel will be pushed down the barrel by the next bullet and mark the bore - effectively steel on steel.

On a good barrel there will be little trace of steel on that first patch and by the time you have shot one and cleaned 3 times there will be no trace. I have had barrels which have taken 8-10 shoot and cleans before any trace of steel has gone from the patches. It's worse with CM than with stainless as CM is harder and more difficult to hone so usually get's delivered a little rougher.

When you're not getting any trace of steel on the patches go to shoot 3 clean once for 3 rounds and you're there. The barrel will get quicker over the first couple of hundred rounds so I don't do any serious load development until a new barrel has had at least a hundred through it.
 
Surely...or am I talking of things that were once done that aren't done now...the thing should be lead lapped by the maker before it leaves the factory? Or don't people lead lap rifle barrels any more? Properly done it shouldn't need breaking in it should be ready to shoot from the get go.
 
enfieldspares said:
Surely...or am I talking of things that were once done that aren't done now...the thing should be lead lapped by the maker before it leaves the factory? Or don't people lead lap rifle barrels any more? Properly done it shouldn't need breaking in it should be ready to shoot from the get go.
Click to expand...

I fear a lot of makers don't make them like they used to... that's my experience anyway.
 
I break in every barrel, on every new gun. I give it a good clean with solvent then I shoot the hell out of it. From then on, the only time a rod gets run down the barrel is if i get foreign matter such as dust or debris from the field. Then it's single patch with a drop of oil, followed by dry patches.

Nothing makes a rifle's accuracy improve like being shot by it's owner who learns to shoot it in the process. Too many shooters seem to spend more time cleaning their rifles than shooting. JMHO.~Muir

 
Some if not all modern rifles are guaranteed 1 MOA from the factory. Would you not say that the break in period is done before you even get the rifle. Never under stood the whole 5 shots clean/ 10 shots clean etc
 
New Sabatti 6.5 I have followed there advise and am happy with the 0.1165in 5 round hole :) just got to do load development now :rolleyes:
 
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