Hi all,

I was wondering if any one knows of a website that has the instructions on proper breakin.  I just bought a new upper and i want to treat it right and get great accuracy from it.  

thanks for the help,
lojack

According to several barrell manufactures clean after every 5 rounds for the first 50 then after every 10 til you get to 100 then every 15 til 200 every 20 there after.A little excessive for my taste...

I didn't do anything special to break in my colt and it shoots 2" groups at 100yds with surplus ammo.

I don't know if this was the smartest thing to do but I don't think I screwed anything up. I didn't clean my gun till I put like 200-300 rounds through it.

Remove any existing copper fouling from the barrel by using a high-quality copper-removing solvent like Hoppe’s No. 9.

Fire 11 single shots, each followed by about 20 strokes of a tight fitting patch bearing J-B bore cleaner (available from Brownells, 515-623-5401). Use a Parker Hale or other wrap-around style jag rather than a slotted jag. From 12 to 30 shots, clean after each 3 shots. From 31 to 50 shots, clean after each 5 shots. Clean thoroughly with a high quality bore cleaner every 10 shots until 100 shots. This time-consuming process will allow the barrel to smooth out without an accumulation of copper fouling in the pores of the steel. The barrel should thereafter be cleaned every 20 rounds for best match accuracy. Accuracy continues to improve for several hundred rounds as the rifle breaks in.

lojack,
I could swear this or a similar post was just here a few hours ago.

Anyway, ArmaLite has their own ideas of how to break-in a barrel and I believe there is also another view on the DS Arms site.  (Badger barrels I think.)

My advice would be to contact the manufacturer of your upper and get their views.  Or the views of the manufacturer of the barrel used.

Quoted: According to several barrell manufactures clean after every 5 rounds for the first 50 then after every 10 til you get to 100 then every 15 til 200 every 20 there after. A little excessive for my taste...

and I've seen clean after every round until ten and then every other round until......

I'm beginning to wonder if there is any single correct way.

Yes, this is an old thread. Do what ever your barrel mfg suggests.
No one seems to like my method... It involves a MoJo Bag, some dead chickens, maybe a goat or two.

Don't get that MoJo bag too close to the dead chicken. I've heard that once resurrected, chickens can be quite frightening.

Don't forget the rotten fruit. If you forget that it's bad juju, very very bad. Dead chickens don't scare me, even when they run around with their heads cut off. Waldo, a goat is kinda big to be wavin' around over a barrel isn't it? Or do you do something else with it?

When I first bought my rifle I considered this quite seriously.  I came to conclusion that was not something I wanted to do.  I shoot between 200 - 300 rounds per session.  At this time the rifle is plenty accurate for my needs.  When I build my second, I will then try the shoot and clean method.  

Man, you just didn't say Goat Boy are you gonna get it.  




Sorry, I forgot to add the comma "," after the word Goat.

A while ago, I saw a thread on this on another forum.  I think it was Gale McMillan (correct me, anyone if this isn't the case)who posted in it, saying that breaking-in a barrel doesn't add an advantage. The barrel doesn't know the difference between the amount of shots fired vs cleaning intervals, it's wishful thinking.  That was the first time I saw anything de-bunking the break-in theory.  I've never seen a magazine article saying it doesn't work, but I've seen articles saying the break-in process even restores accuracy of older guns that were never broken in when first purchased.  When it comes to ultra long range cartridges, barrel erosion may occur within a couple hundred shots.  Breaking in would only reduce the barrel's lifespan.  
I have also heard that lapping barrels would cause the sharp endges of the rifling get rounded, causing decreased accuracy.  If a barrel has been test-fired, there won't be any burrs to worry about, and any defects in a chrome-lined barrel are under the chrome.

With all that said, I don't know if break-in works, but wanted to present a rare opposing view I've once seen.

Final Finish....

Quoted: Remove any existing copper fouling from the barrel by using a high-quality copper-removing solvent like Hoppe’s No. 9.

No disrespect intended Sir, but Hoppes #9 is most certainly not a "high-quality copper-removing solvent." Powder fouling solvent sure, but it does next to nothing for removing copper.

It does have that great aroma.

I would suggest Sweet 7.62. It is a very aggresive copper solvent. The manufacturer states it is not to be left in the barrel longer than 15 mins.

not my words, I should have put "straight from Armalites web sight", I use sweets myself.  I started to do this break-in this weekend on a new Ar-10 and just couldnt wait that long to shoot more than 2 rounds and the gun is still shooting moa

Butch's Bore Shine is said to be a mixture of GM Top Engine Cleaner and Croil.  It is said to be the best of the new bore cleaners and doesn't attack barrel steels like ammonia solvents.

I think the current best ratio is 4/5 croil to 1/5 engine cleaner.  Previously guys were using half and half - don't remember the reasons for the ratio switch.  

Will Hoppes Bench Rest No.9 Copper Solvent do any damage to a barrel? The bottle says you can leave it in overnight, which you about have to to clean out the copper, and how often do you really have to clean the copper out?
Which copper solvents are the least dangerous to use?, Barrel damage-wise?

Lance

If your barrel is chrome lined, then the break in is not needed. Here is a link from Compass Lake on their break in idea: http://www.compasslake.com/instructions.htm
Kreiger Barrels also has pretty much the same thing, and they make the best barrels in America IMHO. Sweets 7.62 is amazing, Hoppes #9 is kid stuff compared to Sweets. JB Paste is the other half of the cleaning. The idea is to not allow copper to embed in the somewhat rough machining of the chamber throat and to smooth it out. The barrel itself is lapped and polished. It should only take 50 to 60 rounds to breake in a barrel, the benefit is improved accuracy and much easier cleaning. If you do break it in, you can use the rounds fired to sight in the irons or the scope. Again, if it is chrome lined just shoot it.

Bill

Quoted: Yes, this is an old thread. Do what ever your barrel mfg suggests. No one seems to like my method... It involves a MoJo Bag, some dead chickens, maybe a goat or two.

Waldo, it's your inclusion of a "goat" (or two) that makes us fearful to take your advice.
"Goatboy" can be down right ugly if he thinks his favorte animal has been abused !

I'm not about to admit this in public but I do use a MoJo bag and one dead turkey when shooting off bags and trying to place that difficult 65 yard shot on the paper !