"breaking in" a barrel

[Pmoper]

Please forgive me if I sound like an idiot....I have practicing this for many years and have gotten pretty good at it.....I have read a few threads on "breaking in" a new barrel....Question #1....Do you need to do this on modern firearms ?....#2...How does one go about it...? I was a shooter in the military and we lapped our barrels before shooting a new rifle.....but then again we were pretty much a superstitious lot.....guess you get that way when people are out hunting you as you hunt your "target"....

[Hedge]

I've read so much contradictory and various methods for breaking in a barrel it's making me nutz.

About the only thing that makes sense to me is to just shoot the rifle. Clean it and de-copper it after say every 5- 10 rounds until you've run about 100 rnds down the barrel. (Not, necessarily the same day!) Then just do your normal barrel maintenance.

I wouldn't just shoot it to "break it in". Waste of barrel life IMHO. Have fun with it, practice your trigger control, shooting stance etc.

Since you're an experienced lapper, it wouldn't hurt to do that, as well.

[futuretrades]

The barrel break-in method that came with my new Cooper, with a Douglas stainless barrel is as stated in their manual. This is right out of the Cooper manual that came with the rifle. And run a couple wet patches with your cleaning solvent to get the preservatives out of the barrel before your first shot.

"Do not use moly-coated bullets during break in period. Moly coated bullets can be used after break in period, after about 100 rounds.
Use a bore guide when cleaning the rifle. Clean the bore after every 5 rounds for the first 20 rounds. Run a wet patch thru the bore, using a copper removing compound. ( I use CR10 which is a product of Barnes). Soak a nylon brush with solvent and brush barrel 5 to 10 times. After brushing, use wet patches with copper solvent until the bore is clean. Run dry patches thru the barrel until all solvent has been removed and internal surface is dry."
Also, after using a copper solvent, I run a wet patch with alcohol or my mix of Shooters choice, and Kroil, then a dry patch. This is to neutralize the copper solvent. You will be amazed how dirty the patches come out after the first 2 or 3 wet patches, but will clean up easily after that.

[Darkker]

Because I am lazy and don't want to re-type, and I was just at this site:); I'm borrowing a quote from MZ5. I happen to whole-heartedly agree with about this subject... The person he references is Gail McMillen.

Quote MZ5, from wssmzone:

Barrel 'break-in' is nothing more than shooting the rifle, but cleaning much more frequently than you would normally for the first xx number of shots. Some aftermarket barrel suppliers say it's very important to do it, while others claim it's a load of hogwash. One famous barrel/rifle maker even said that the procedure was invented by his competition in the industry to increase barrel sales!

Every person has their opinion on whether it's necessary or beneficial or not. Personally, my brother and I both have observed that factory rifles (i.e. Ruger, Browning, Savage, Remington, Winchester...) will shoot better as you put rounds through them for the first xx number of shots. However, we've observed that this improvement takes place regardless whether you clean between every single shot at first, or just treat the rifle like you've owned it for years and clean it each ...whatever you usually do; each shooting session, each hundred rounds, each year ...whatever. If you don't shoot your rifle(s) all that much, then the 'break-in' procedures listed all around the 'net may help yours come up to its best potential noticeably sooner.

No matter who tells you what, there is an incontrovertible fact in play:
Shooting a gun wears the interior surface(s) of the barrel.

Whether that wear is serving to eliminate the imperfections in the barrel and thus improving the barrel's potential for accuracy, or whether it's eroding the perfect interior surface and thus reducing the barrel's potential for accuracy is the question. And in fact, both of those things will happen at one time or another over the life of the barrel/gun. Choose accordingly.

[Pmoper]

I have one "Old shooter" that actually told me to clean the preservatives out of the barrel with ammonia based cleaner...then to pour boiling water down it...clean it again with ammonia and then fill the bore with a graphite micro colloidal solution (lock eze as an example) Claims that by getting the barrel hot you open the pores in the metal then the graphite actually fills them before the barrel cools totally....then you shoot one round, clean it....shoot another round....clean it (5 times minimum) then repeat every 3rd round (but don't let the barrel get hot) for 3-5 cycles.....I was wondering if the guy that came up with this originally was an ammunition mfg.....? LOL

[Bill K]

Just recieved my new20VT barrel from Bullberry yesterday and am going to break/clean it as they directed. They included a bottle of EEZOX, a synthetic gun care product.. will follow directions and see how this works. Anyone have experience with it and what do you think ? Bill K

[futuretrades]

IMHO, I would not use ammonia in the barrel just to clean the preservatives out. Most copper removing solvents have ammonia in them, because ammonia will destroy the copper build up in the barrel. Thus the reason to use when breaking in the barrel. Ammonia will also etch the barrel if left in too long, or if not neutralized properly.
Most barrels, when new, have imperfections in them from cutting the lands. These imperfections will strip the copper off the bullet when moving thru the barrel, which will affect accuracy. By breaking in the barrel properly, hopefully, will minimize these imperfections, and reduce the amount of copper build up over a shooting period, and maintain accuracy for a longer time. Also makes cleaning the barrel easier down the road.
As stated above, most people and barrel manufacturers, have their own ideas about barrel break in. Are they all wrong, or right, I do not know? I do try to use common sense, based on my own experience. I do listen and pay attention to others, but in the long run, I have my own ideas, and opinions!

[Darkker]

NO, Ammonia will NOT etch your bore!!
Where the press comes from is Ammonia's love of water. If you don't get the ammonia cleaner out, then leave your gun sit(you live where it is VERY humid) for a long time; come back and your bore has begun to rust.

But ammonia (at least in reference to anyone's gun cleaning regime on the planet) CANNOT harm your bore.

Want a second opinion?
Lilja:
http://www.riflebarrels.com/faq_lilja_rifle_barrels.htm

[ClaimJumper]

Darkker,
That's some good info. I have used the New Smith and Wesson gel overnight and it's a good cleaner also. I make my own Ed's red bore cleaner with ammonia and was reluctant to use it overnight.

[Darkker]

I have left Sweets in my 308 over night on 2 different occasions. That gun still shoots 8" groups @ 1,000 yards.