barrel break-in

[buggybuilder]

Is there a proper procdure for breaking in a barrel? Savage Hog Hunter .223?

[stangfish]

The short answer is no. At least that is what most Barrel manufacturers say. There are some donts like the type of brush and the type of rod you use but that is the answer to a different question.

[LoneWolf]

I use a bore snake with hopes #9. 2 passes and clean. Did it every 2-3 shots the first 10rds and every 5-10 up to 50rds. McGowen 26" 10 twist 308Win SS Varmint contour. Shoots sub half MOA. My method satisfies me.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2

[Stockrex]

Just shoot it

[big honkin jeep]

Some people say its hogwash but I'm a firm believer in it.
I guess it has something to do with my first Savage being a big investment at the time so I followed the procedure and the rifle turned out to be a 1 holer with the factory tube. Fast forward to years later and quite a few very impressive shooters I see no reason to do anything differently than what has worked for me in the past.
Here's a link to the method I use from the Savage website
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/proceduresbarrelbreakin/

[pisgah]

I don't go so far as calling it hogwash; but undeniably, there is absolutely no way to say whether any break-in procedure works or not. Once you have chosen to follow a break-in procedure -- or, just to go out and shoot it -- there's no way of knowing if things would have gone better by following the other option. To assign any benefit to one or the other amounts to pure belief, with no way to scientifically back it up.

[yobuck]

good topic for starting an argument.

[FW Conch]

A brush 5 times in "both" directions? Not Me ! :-(

[Apache]

A word of warning........discussions are fine, ARGUING will get the thread closed and infractions issued.

[earl39]

Ask 100 people and you get 100 different answers. The best way is the way that gives you the most confidance.

[RP12]

I have a local shop that tells everyone that their gun builder breaks in all his barrels and that's why they are so accurate. His system is crazy different from other methods I've heard of too. I, can take a new gun and match his results, with out so called breaking in the barrel. So yes it's all in what your comfortable doing IMO. For what it's worth, he takes forever to work up loads, bedding, pressure points, torqueing the action screws, lapping rings, all the tricks, then he claims the guns are so accurate because of break in ?

[goinssr]

I think the disparity in opinions comes from the way barrels used to be manufactured and how they are now. In many years past I don't think that most barrels were lapped like they are now and had a tendency to accumulate copper in the bore fairly quickly and required a good steady cleaning regiment until the barrel's bore became fire lapped and the build up could be minimized. Todays higher end barrel manufacturers incorporated hand lapping into the manufacturing process thus eliminating the need for fire lapping and those pesky break in procedures that many believe are still required.

[rattfink]

Just shoot it


Has been voted the number one answer.

[LoneWolf]

A brush 5 times in "both" directions? Not Me ! :-(

Agree bullets only travel one direction through a barrel! Why work against the rifling?


Has been voted the number one answer.

+1 I agree with this. The Marines don't do anything special to break in a barrel, just tune the action to the stock and the load to the barrel.

[rattfink]

+1 I agree with this. The Marines don't do anything special to break in a barrel, just tune the action to the stock and the load to the barrel.

Actually I am pretty sure every barrel I have ever been issued was broken in by at least a dozen jarheads before me firing off as many 5.56 tracers as quickly as possible in order to not have to turn in ammo after the range is shut down for being on fire at the end of every fiscal year.

So if I was going to recommend a break in procedure, that would be it. Why mess with a winning formula?

[LoneWolf]

I was stationed at PI for 4 years. Used the same rifles the recruits did. Even the weapon I had to set the sights 27 clicks to the left (note: M16 A-2 sights only get about 30 in each direction) Shot expert without issue. Probably 100,000 round through most of those barrels easy. Not to mention all the blanks and other garbage they have done to them on a regular basis. Recruits would break an anvil if you gave them one!

[rattfink]

I was stationed at PI for 4 years. Used the same rifles the recruits did. Even the weapon I had to set the sights 27 clicks to the left (note: M16 A-2 sights only get about 30 in each direction) Shot expert without issue. Probably 100,000 round through most of those barrels easy. Not to mention all the blanks and other garbage they have done to them on a regular basis. Recruits would break an anvil if you gave them one!

Yep. I shoot about the same every year. The only bad rifle I ever had was in MCT, and the upper was visibly more aged and very pitted. The upper wobbled wildly on the lower. It was ridiculous.

Enough thread highjack though. Suffice to say, I have yet to see anything that would convince me there is any value to a barrel break in procedure. I hear plenty of anecdotes both ways but I have never seen anything remotely resembling a scientific test with an experiment and control group. It makes me wonder what companies recommending this or that break in procedure are basing their recommendations on.