Breaking in my barrel.....

Preferably clean from the receiver. But, if you have the brass cone to keep a cleaning rod from rubbing the edges of the crown of the muzzle, it's no big deal to clean from the muzzle end.

I never heard of barrel break-in before getting on TFL in 1998. Almost fifty years of ignorance and half-MOA groups.

I generally do minimal cleaning after any shooting (I rarely fire many shots in any one session) and then run an oily patch through. If group sizes begin to enlarge, I'll do a serious effort.

Here you go OP, just in case Art's wise words are lost on you.

This article should probably be a sticky.

The truth about barrel break in

I can't for the life of me remember where I read this but I do remember it was from a trusted source who was repeating what he heard a barrel maker say. (not an interview)

After many years of recommending an elaborate barrel break-in procedure a custom match barrel maker admitted to a friend the procedure he recommended was partly designed to force shooters to buy replacement barrels sooner. He said if one of his match barrels was good for 5000 rounds if the user shot 200 rounds and did a lot of cleaning in between they would reach that 5000 round limit just that much sooner and buy another barrel.

IMO that sounds more realistic than anything else I've ever heard.

Barrel break-in, barrel lapping...

I see both sides of this.

I would lap/polish any barrel that was rough with milling marks and burrs. Hopefully 'that new barrel' that I paid big bucks for doesn't need such measures.

My daddy told me to just keep pushing a tight patch down the barrel, for hours and hours. Always push the same way the bullets gona be goin. Ok, some weapons you just can 'push', M1 Garand types, so pull. This makes good sense, were the run-of-the mill barrels all that good in the 1930's?

I do what my daddy told me, just cause he said to.

You have already done more than enough. Keep shooting and don't worry about cleaning until the rifle starts to open up.

How much copper did you see on the second cleaning?

I never heard of barrel break-in before getting on TFL in 1998. Almost fifty years of ignorance and half-MOA groups.

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^^^^

This. Though I'm far from 50 years, my "break in" has always consisted of putting bullets down the bore.

A good barrel will shoot good groups, a mediocre barrel will shoot medioccre groups, and so on. Cleaning every 3rd, 5th, 10th round or some other snake oil product or process won't change that.

Shooting, with or without cleaning, burnishes the barrel. So, probably somewhere between 50 and 200 shots will probably have the barrel as smooth as meets any practical needs.

atomd said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_LvPjreNjg

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Maybe the joker on the video should put eyes on before he tells us anything. I don't listen to anyone who doesn't shoot safely. (even if he is joking)

I don't listen to anyone who doesn't shoot safely.

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Damn, just as I was about to start going to the woods without hearing or eye protection.

Post #2 from a Numero Uno benchrester and barrel maker:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12582&highlight=break+in

i find it hard to believe that someone would be that concerned about people shooting out their bbls a whole 80-100 rounds sooner, and think that it gains them anything.

i only clean with patches, no brushes. my bbls (on the guns that matter) are treated to a modified break in procedure during sight in, so in actuality, my bbls aren't shot out any sooner than anyone elses, and it harms nothing. after that they aren't cleaned again until accuracy falls off.

http://www.legacysports.com/uploads/pdf/NewRifleBreakInProcedure.pdf
Your rifle is a Howa and this is straight from Howa's website

I have never had success breaking in a gun barrel. I've noticed that my groups have shrank noticeably since I've become less anal about cleaning the barrel. However, I am cautious to avoid overheating the barrel when I'm at the range working up loads.

I always leave my barrel fouled before I go hunting; my first shot predictably flies true and on target. I don't shoot old or foreign made ammo that has corrosive primers and my rifles are pretty much stainless steel. Haven't had any bad experiences up to this point and I would say that breaking in a rifle barrel is a wives tale.

Hand lapped barrels require little if any break in period, but budget barrels and rifles do not have the luxury of hand lapping from the factory. I have seen first hand the buildup of copper wash and bullet fragments on initial shots fired, and I choose to clean the barrels to avoid that buildup, and I have seen the results on the patches.

It's your choice to avoid cleaning your barrel during break in for your own reasons, and it's my choice to follow a regimen that satisfies me.

Howa's PDF is a sensible approach, and most firearms manufacturers have some sort of recommended break in for a reason.


NCsmitty

ArchAngelCD said:

Maybe the joker on the video should put eyes on before he tells us anything. I don't listen to anyone who doesn't shoot safely. (even if he is joking)

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we must be safe lol. would you listen to any one of the millions of soldiers who fired guns without glasses?

Here is another viewpoint from Kreiger barrels.

http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Break_In__Cleaning-c1246-wp2558.htm

Their recommended procedure is far from 80-100 rounds, more like 15 to 30 depending (see bottom of page). My .02 is that a cut rifling match barrel might see some benefit as per Kreiger but production barrels are so rough to start out that breakin probably does nothing.

So what about fire lapping? I've never tried it but know a guy who swears by it.

Laphroaig

I have a Krieger barrel on a custom hunting rifle . 7mm rm and found that it took my SS barrel right at 12 to 15 rounds to stop any coppering. I did clean between shots and it took some time to do using kroil and bore brite. I am not a match shooter. Shot a few egg matchs for fun . This rifle was a with is a very good shooter and easy to clean up.

Mcmillan, of the benchrest shooting fame and custom rifle stocks/rifles fame, says he doesnt believe in break in for a quality barrel. His opinion is actually right out there in a couple forums..