# Breaking in a new rifle?



## DeadI (Sep 12, 2007)

Just wondering what you experts out there suggest for breaking in a new barrel. I have been told that it takes about 100 rounds and to get to 100 I should take and for the first 5 shots clean the barrel after every shot. Then shoot 5 consecutive shots and clean it good. Then 10 consecutive shots and clean it. Then 20 till I get to 100 rounds.

I have also been told to take and use Moly coated bullets for at least those first 100 rounds.

What do you guys do?


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## muscles (Dec 13, 2009)

this is a largely debated topic and filled full of opinion. that being said, i dont follow anything specific. i take a new rifle, sight it in with how ever many rounds it takes, and clean it when i get home.

some light reading:
How to Break-in a Barrel
-- A Dissenting Point of View

Gale McMillan, of McMillan Stocks fame, was one of the finest barrel-makers and benchrest shooters of all time. Here he argues that elaborate barrel break-in procedures do more harm than good.

Comments collected from Gale's Gun Forum postings.

As a barrel maker I have looked in thousands of new and used barrels with a bore scope and I will tell you that if every one followed the prescribed [one shot, one clean] break-in method, a very large number would do more harm than good. The reason you hear of the gain in accuracy is because if you chamber a barrel with a reamer that has a dull throater instead of cutting clean sharp rifling it smears a burr up on the down wind side of the rifling. It takes from one to two hundred rounds to burn this burr out and the rifle to settle down and shoot its best. Any one who chambers rifle barrels has tolerances on how dull to let the reamer get and factories let them go longer than any competent smith would.

Another tidbit to consider--take a 300 Win Mag that has a life expectancy of 1000 rounds. Use 10% of it up with your break-in procedure. For every 10 barrels the barrel-maker makes he has to make one more just to take care of the break-in. No wonder barrel-makers like to see this. Now when you flame me on this please [explain] what you think is happening to the inside of your barrel during the break in that is helping you.

Consider this: every round shot in breaking-in a barrel is one round off the life of said rifle barrel. No one has ever told me the physical reason of what happens during break-in firing. In other words what, to the number of pounds of powder shot at any given pressure, is the life of the barrel. No one has ever explained what is being accomplished by shooting and cleaning in any prescribed method. Start your barrel off with 5 rounds and clean it thoroughly and do it again. Nev Maden, a friend down under that my brother taught to make barrels was the one who came up with the [one shot one clean] break-in method. He may think he has come upon something, or he has come up with another way to sell barrels. I feel that the first shot out of a barrel is its best and every one after that deteriorates [the bore] until the barrel is gone. If some one can explain what physically takes place during break-in to modify the barrel then I may change my mind. As the physical properties of a barrel don't change because of the break-in procedures it means it's all hog wash. I am open to any suggestions that can be documented otherwise if it is just someone's opinion--forget it.

It all got started when a barrel maker that I know started putting break-in instructions in the box with each barrel he shipped a few years ago. I asked him how he figured it would help and his reply was if they shoot 100 rounds breaking in this barrel that's total life is 3000 rounds and I make 1000 barrels a year just figure how many more barrels I will get to make. He had a point; it definately will shorten the barrel life. I have been a barrel maker a fair amount of time and my barrels have set and reset benchrest world records so many times I quit keeping track (at one time they held 7 at one time) along with High Power, Silhouette, Smallbore national and world records and my instructions were to clean as often as possible preferably every 10 rounds. I inspect every barrel taken off and every new barrel before it is shipped with a bore scope and I will tell you all that I see far more barrels ruined by cleaning rods than I see worn out from normal wear and tear. I am even reading about people recommending breaking-in pistols. As if it will help their shooting ability or the guns'.

More from Gale McMillan: http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/B ... reakIn.asp


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## chet (Sep 7, 2007)

There are so many opinions out there...... It's hard to sort it all out.

I will tell you this:
If you cannot/willnot clean your barrel properly, then I suggest you NEVER EVER EVER clean it at all.
If you are willing to buy/use the proper equipment and methods, then go for it! Otherwise, you WILL do more harm than good. 

On a new rifle: 
I shoot one/clean one until I see a substancial decrease in copper fowling. Sometimes it takes five shots, sometimes it takes 30+. After that I start load development and I don't clean the gun again until it tells me to (groups go to hell usually after 25-40 firings) Typically by the 100th shot I've got the gun all figured out and ready for it's inteded purpose.

The reason I break in a rifle is to extend the amount of firings between cleanings, and to make cleaning easier in the future. So in essence, more cleaning now means less cleaning in the future. And less cleaning means better barrel life.

All barrels will lose accuracy at some point. If not broken in properly, it may need cleaning every 20 firings. And it's gonna take many passes of the rod and alot of elbow grease to get it clean again.
A barrel that is broken in properly may fire 40 or more times before it needs cleaning, and it will only need ten or less passes of the rod. 

In a nut shell:
Listen (see) to what the rifle is trying to tell you and take extreme care for the first 100 rounds. then keep the **** cleaning rod out of it as much as possible.


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## DeadI (Sep 12, 2007)

Chet, so what is your idea of "Proper cleaning methods" I know there a lot of opinions our there on this as well? Thanks for the replys guys.


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## chet (Sep 7, 2007)

First I set the gun in a vice and make sure that the muzzle is pointed down hill a little, this helps keep chemicals from runnin back into the action. Cleaning chemicals in your action is a bad thing.

Next, use a bore guide. We discussed it on here a few months back. The bore guide keeps the cleaning rod from bending and thus rubbing on the lands and also aids in keeping the jag centered and helps keep chemicals out of the action.

And, use a good quality coated one piece cleaning rod. Metal muli-piece rods have destroyed many barrels.

I use nylon brushes during break in, and very rarely use a brush at all after break in. Metal brushes (copper, brass, steel, ect) make it hard to "read" the patch and can leave behind as much as they clean off. For the most part, I use a properly sized brass jag with the proper cotton patch.

First I use a powder solvent (butchs bore shine is my fav). Push one soaked patch through the barrel and discard at the muzzle, don't ever pull the first one back through the bore. repeat until patches come out clean. Then I use a copper solvent (sweets is my fav, but the wife might kick you out) I run a soaked patch through about every 5-7 minutes until there is no more blue (sweets breaks down the copper and turns it blue, makes pretty blue stripes on the patch). Then run a patch of oil through and you're done.

Cleaning after the very first shot tells me alot about the gun. Sometimes the second patch of Sweets comes out just freakin loaded with blue slime, and I know the break in is gonna be a long slow process..... and then sometimes the second patch will come out with almost no blue at all, and i know I'll be shootin for groups in no time flat! If the fouling is really bad I'll use a brush, wrap it with a patch, and apply some JB's bore paste. Work it back and forth several times. This always gets the stubborn stuff. If your barrel is broken in properly, you'll use 2-3 patches of Butchs, followed by 2-3 patches of Sweets. If not broken in properly, you'll be cleaning your gun ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!!!


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## chet (Sep 7, 2007)

Like I said before, If you refuse to spend the money on a bore guide and/or coated rod - then you are really better off NEVER NEVER EVER cleaning your gun. (I know people who do this and it drives me crazy!!!!)


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## RBoomK (Feb 10, 2011)

Good advice. A bore guide is definitely a "must have" for proper rod, brush, and jag performance. I for one have never followed any type of break-in procedure. The gun, new or not, gets a lightly oiled patch, followed by a dry one, before a day of shooting. I may shoot 20 to 50 rounds, and if accuracy starts to suffer during this time, particularly with my .17 FB, I take a break and clean it. Otherwise, I enjoy my day and give them a thorough cleaning when I'm all done.


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## Gee LeDouche (Sep 21, 2007)

RBoomK said:


> Good advice. A bore guide is definitely a "must have" for proper rod, brush, and jag performance. I for one have never followed any type of break-in procedure. The gun, new or not, gets a lightly oiled patch, followed by a dry one, before a day of shooting. I may shoot 20 to 50 rounds, and if accuracy starts to suffer during this time, particularly with my .17 FB, I take a break and clean it. Otherwise, I enjoy my day and give them a thorough cleaning when I'm all done.


Same here. I've had numerous gunsmiths tell me "The metal in your barrel is so much stronger than the metal of your bullets that a break in is basically worthless" but who knows? I get excellent accuracy out of my rifles and I've never done the shoot one / clean one procedure but I know guys who swear by it. I think its a matter of opinion really.


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## mm73 (Feb 5, 2010)

I have never done anything special to break in a new rifle/barrel. For my bolt-action rifles I just clean the barrel every 10 - 20 rounds. I use a Tipton one-piece rod with a bore guide, brass jags and nylon brushes. I have always just used Hoppes to clean the bore, and if the gun is not going to be shot again for a while I will run a patch down the bore with a little RemOil or CLP.


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## flyfisher117 (Jun 29, 2009)

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthr ... ost2585388


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