Barrel Break-in

[ImBillT]

Most of the necessity for break in is related to the chamber reamer creating circular burrs in the throat. If you shoot, clean, shoot, clean, for a few cycles until you stop getting gone of copper after just one shot, then shoot 2-3, and clean, until you’ve shot 20-30 shots, then a hand lapped barrel should stop fouling and you haven’t gone through all that much effort. On the other hand, if you shoot 15-20 shots, that excess fouling can build up to a level that’s difficult to clean, and your barrel could end up not getting to that stabile fouling level for quite a few more shots. All along the way you’ve probably been developing a load that is not really valid. If your smith did a good job setting up your barrel, it’s possible that you will need no break-in at all, and it’s obvious quickly because you won’t get any copper on your patches. If your barrel isn’t hand lapped, then it may foul excessively for eternity whether you break-in or not. If you buy a custom barrel, it’s no big deal to clean after the first shot. If you don’t get a lot of copper on your patch, then shoot 2-3 and clean, if there’s still no copper, shoot 5-6, and if it isn’t bad, then you’re done. If you got copper after the first shot, or first string of 3, then shoot 1-3 and clean, and repeat until your patches aren’t all coppery. If it takes more than a few cycles, especially if you’re still getting a lot of fouling after fifty shots, then you probably have a barrel that’s gonna foul forever unless you lap it yourself.

 

[quiet22]

Let's ask Dr. Fauchi today.......clean the barrel after every shot. Let's ask Dr. Fauchi tomorrow......no need to clean the barrel.

I actually like the presentation YouTube channel 'GunBlue490' gave on the subject. His opinion....really no mechanical accomplishment in barrel prep.....he said the carbon gets pushed out by next shell and the copper in cracks and inconsistencies is needed to be left there to fill in the errors of the barrel. He reports that by cleaning it out, it will just need to occur again to reach a 'steady state' of barrel smoothness.

 

[Don Fischer]

Let's ask Dr. Fauchi today.......clean the barrel after every shot. Let's ask Dr. Fauchi tomorrow......no need to clean the barrel.

I actually like the presentation YouTube channel 'GunBlue490' gave on the subject. His opinion....really no mechanical accomplishment in barrel prep.....he said the carbon gets pushed out by next shell and the copper in cracks and inconsistencies is needed to be left there to fill in the errors of the barrel. He reports that by cleaning it out, it will just need to occur again to reach a 'steady state' of barrel smoothness.

I've never though I needed to break in a barrel but I did used t over clean the barrel. Used to drive me nut's getting copper fouling out but I'd do it. What I found getting it all out was then to shoot well again I needed to fire a fouling shot or two. Go figure! Something else I found cleaning a rifle barrel to shoot cast bullet's. Use a brush other than copper! Those copper brush's are nice but you use them and you'll find the fouling takes a long long time to get out. Problem being, I think, every time you run a copper brush bcck through the barrel with any solvent in it, the solvent take's of color from the brush. May be the copper fouling is all gone but you still get the blue on the patch! I've gone to nylon brush's. I think they are nylon!

 

[MJE2083]

I break in most of my barrels. Not sure if it really helps or not, but I figure that it can't hurt. I probably wouldn't bother with some fancy hand lapped barrel unless manufacturer recommended it.

 

[LuketheDog]

Let's ask Dr. Fauchi today.......clean the barrel after every shot. Let's ask Dr. Fauchi tomorrow......no need to clean the barrel.

No, he'd say two cleanings are better than one...

I follow the manufacturer's instructions, but also dial my scope in while doing it.

 

[1_pointer]

I will go to great lengths to not have to clean my rifle barrels. That includes no "break in" for me. I generally only get out the cleaning rod if a rifle starts shoot a known good load less than my standards for that rifle. Until then I just keep shooting them.

 

[mrjashu]

I follow Erik Cortina's method for breaking in a barrel, which is to say he doesn't.
A barrel does speed up for the first 80-100 rounds so I guess that's a "break in" but I clean it as needed not using a prescribed formula.

 

[Brian in Montana]

It seems the science is still debated as to barrel break in. A while back I watched a short video from Midway USA, Mr. Potterfield explains it pretty simply (the vid is easy to find on youtube, probably on the Midway website too). Made sense to me so I generally follow a 20 round break-in process.