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Posted: 1/11/2014 4:19:40 AM EDT
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Ok, so I am hearing talk of the need for breaking in a barrel. That you shoot a round swab and clean, then repeat for so many rounds, then shoot five rounds, swab and clean, then ten......
So. Is this really necessary? I've never done this before, and I have good accuracy, but then again this is my first AR build which I should complete this weekend. The barrel in question is a Bergara 1:9 M4 16" Thanks! |
| This was mainly for Stainless Steel barrels. For anything else, just clean the new barrel and lightly oil it up and just shoot it (the reason to clean a "virgin" barrel is to make sure there arent any burrs inside, esp. where they drill the gas hole). Otherwise, just shoot it and do your normal cleaning. |
| My first 308 required a really long and annoying break in process. I had good results with it, but I've also been told that if you have to go though that much to break it in, the barrel probably isn't worth keeping. Depending on who you got it from, they may have a recommended break in process. If they don't, I usually shoot 3-5 then clean for 20 rounds or so. Clean after the last shots then fire one more to foul the barrel before I take it home. Everyone has a different way, just check the manufacturer first. |
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A long ready but VERY much worth the time. Especially if you care about your rifle.
There are some very compelling reasons to not go through the BS ritual of "Breaking In" a barrel. http://forum.snipershide.com/sniper-hide-gunsmithing/37176-objective-research-barrel-break-procedures.html |
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Quoted:
This was mainly for Stainless Steel barrels. For anything else, just clean the new barrel and lightly oil it up and just shoot it (the reason to clean a "virgin" barrel is to make sure there arent any burrs inside, esp. where they drill the gas hole). Otherwise, just shoot it and do your normal cleaning. The test shoot them at the factory so I'm assuming any burrs that were there have already been shot out and done their damage. |
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Quoted:
The test shoot them at the factory so I'm assuming any burrs that were there have already been shot out and done their damage. Quoted:
Quoted:
This was mainly for Stainless Steel barrels. For anything else, just clean the new barrel and lightly oil it up and just shoot it (the reason to clean a "virgin" barrel is to make sure there arent any burrs inside, esp. where they drill the gas hole). Otherwise, just shoot it and do your normal cleaning. The test shoot them at the factory so I'm assuming any burrs that were there have already been shot out and done their damage. There has been plenty of people post about burrs in their barrels. I know some companies test fire but im guessing the low tier ones arent, they are just mass producing them and getting them out to customers. I would never take that chance, aint nothing to run a patch down the barrel a few times, plus it cleans up any manufacturing crap left behind |
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If the bore and chamber are hard chrome or Nitride coated, no break in is needed or even possible due to the hard coating.
Barrel break in is a hotly argued subject. Suffice to say that some high quality barrel and gun makers say it's not needed, some other equally high quality barrel and gun makers specifically recommend it. |
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Barrel break in is the unification of the rifling in the barrel, the stress relieving on the metal, and in some cases, even the removal of burs from the throat and crown. Once all of this has been sorted out , then the barrel is going to shoot it's best.
In regards to custom match type barrels, after the barrel are produced, they are button lapped to deal with most of the above problems, and within a few shots once you get the barrel, they will have stress relieved too, so the barrel will shot it best pretty much right after a few seasoning/fouling shots from the start. As for lined barrels, what you get is pretty much it, since the plating is so hard, you will have plasma eroded the throat out long before the bullets down the bore will resolve any problems. Simply put, in the case of a broach cut barrel, life expectancy is around 4k rounds, and if the barrel has not been button lapped, then correct barrel break in will get you the most of the life of the barrel to get it shooting its best as soon as possible before it shot out. In the case of a button rifled barrel, life expectancy is around 8K rounds, so if you don't get the barrel seasoned quickly, you still have some time left in the barrels life before the barrel is toasted. In a plated barrel, it is what it is, so just clean the bore, and don't bother trying to break in the barrel. |
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My break in uses about 40 rounds. In the life of a true sub MOA precision rifle you'll probably get 2,000 rounds before you need to set back and rechamber, so 40 rounds is nothing, and I have had good luck in doing so.
Now the chicken vs egg argument is "whould it have shot the same if you didnt do that?" Thats where the argument lives... Some people will take a factory barrel and run a single patch through it and have a sub MOA shooter with the first 5 rounds fired. Other may take 200 rounds down the tube before it starts grouping worth a damm, others will never do better than a 5 moa group... But no one will ever know if it would be better if it was broken in, likewise for those that are broken in, would they still shoot the same even if they weren't? Internet brawls have been started over this topic, some say never, some say always and with some break-in procedures as elaborate as 200 rounds over the course of several hours. If its going to see competition, buy a couple extra boxes and spend the time to do some type of break in. It couldn't hurt and you can do it while you are sighting in the glass... And for those who want to knwo my procedure for rifles- Using standard velocity ammo (doesnt matter what brand or weight bullet) Shoot one and clean for first five rounds, shoot two and clean for next eight rounds, shoot five and clean for next fifteen rounds, shoot twelve and clean. I have found after the first 40 rounds fired and cleaned like that, if its going to group, it will be doing it by then, if not, it never will. |
I always like to run a patch with clp down a new barrel, and one dry, just to make sure there is nothing in it. After that, I am not great about cleaning my guns. I don't let them get filthy, but think some overzealous cleaners might do more harm than good. I like nylon brushes and Hoppes #9 for all around cleaning. Sometimes these don't work, and I use a bronze brush and Butch's bore bright. 
Thanks, Mark |
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