Barrel Break-in Questions

[Texas10]

And if you bring that barrel back to the maker and complain about accuracy not being achieved, the first question they're going to ask is "did you break it in according to our (onerous) directions?". If you answer no, you've given them the perfect excuse to blame you for what may be a workmanship issue.

Q: Does it make sense to break in a barrel using a powder with copper fouling eraser? Wouldn't that remove copper before it can plate the barrel and make cleaning much easier?

[LongRange]

While I'm not a fan of criterion I will say that their customer service is outstanding...a buddy of mine had an issue with a criterion barrel so he called and spoke with the guy that posts on the board here...the only question he asked was where to send the shipping label...criterion replaced the barrel,threaded it and installed a muzzle break that indexed perfectly all free of charge and he had it back in 2wks.I also had a shilen barrel I waited almost 9 months for that I had an issue with...they also fixed the issue paid for both ways and I had it back in 9 days.If you talk to the barrel makers most don't agree with the shoot one clean for X amount of rounds.

[Kadams1563]

LR, what kind of issues were you having with the CBI? I have a 26" heavy varmint sitting on my build now and sure hope I got a good one. Are problems frequent with the Criterions?

[LongRange]

my buddies barrel was fouling very heavy at the lands/throat and the crown was messed up...some of the fouling was partly due to the rifle being bedded 2-3" past the lug but as i said criterion stepped right up and took care of it...as far as im concerned they went above and beyond.

i seriously doubt you will have any issues with your barrel but if you do you can bet they will take care of it.
something you have to keep in mind is the amount of barrels a barrel make produce each year and as with anything theres bound to be a bad one get by every now and then...if you search around you can find someone that has had a bad experience with just about every barrel maker out there but in the end what matters is how they handle the problem.
theres a lot of guys out there shooting bug holes with criterion barrels and id be willing to bet yours will too!

[Iowa Fox]

My new Criterion should be here in a couple weeks. Hoping its a good one but also nervous it could be a dud. Friend of mine got a dud from one of the major MFGs and they didn't step up for him so he had to reach into his pocket for the cost of a new one. Of course it has from a different company (Krieger) that one shot to his expectations.

[LongRange]

My new Criterion should be here in a couple weeks. Hoping its a good one but also nervous it could be a dud. Friend of mine got a dud from one of the major MFGs and they didn't step up for him so he had to reach into his pocket for the cost of a new one. Of course it has from a different company (Krieger) that one shot to his expectations.

so you guys had a bad krieger?

[earl39]

...some of the fouling was partly due to the rifle being bedded 2-3" past the lug

You might get some noob to believe that some bedding compound on the outside of the barrel caused excess fouling inside the barrel but i call b.s.on that part of your statement.

[FW Conch]

^ :-) ^

[750k2]

All my centerfire bbl's get the same
Shoot one and clean after ea. for 10
Shoot 3 and clean for ten groups working on groups and charge weight
Shoot 2 5 rd groups cleaning after ea. jammed and jumped to see preference.
Fowling is usually reduced to no copper or very little by this point.
Gives me 50 fire formed cases and I tweak my loads from shown likes.
Only one bbl had small issues - was with a 22br tight neck that showed a large like
for fire formed brass but only as far as charge weight - jam/jump stayed the same.
Just pick what you think works - but all my bbls have been very responsive as far as
copper reduction goes.
Kreiger, Pac-nor, Mcgowen, Shilen, Rock, Hart,Lilja, broughton and factory
I might have missed a mfg to but all have responded very well - some quicker than
others but all improved.
To each his own

[LongRange]

You might get some noob to believe that some bedding compound on the outside of the barrel caused excess fouling inside the barrel but i call b.s.on that part of your statement.

you may be right but can you prove it didnt? and no i cant prove it did but i know that when the bedding was removed from in front of the lug the barrel still fouled in the throat but not as heavy...maybe because it had X amount of rounds through it at that point? i guess we will never know for sure.

[yobuck]

my buddies barrel was fouling very heavy at the lands/throat and the crown was messed up...some of the fouling was partly due to the rifle being bedded 2-3" past the lug but as i said criterion stepped right up and took care of it...as far as im concerned they went above and beyond.

i seriously doubt you will have any issues with your barrel but if you do you can bet they will take care of it.
something you have to keep in mind is the amount of barrels a barrel make produce each year and as with anything theres bound to be a bad one get by every now and then...if you search around you can find someone that has had a bad experience with just about every barrel maker out there but in the end what matters is how they handle the problem.
theres a lot of guys out there shooting bug holes with criterion barrels and id be willing to bet yours will too!

So if bedding past the lug affects accuracy, what affect would a barrel block have which eliminates all bedding except for under the block?
Maybe thats why my guns never seem to hit anything? lol

[LongRange]

i have no idea and i dont claim to be an expert on bedding but i do know that a rifle that is used for 10 to 20 shot strings gets hot and i know that when metal gets hot it expands so if a barrel is bedded past the lug and the barrel goes from cold to hot does that not effect barrel harmonics and in turn accuracy?

as Earl said maybe BS but having seen barrels bedded past the lug having accuracy issues i personally wouldnt do it...especially after seeing a rifle shoot 1/4moa for the first 3-5 shots and then start throwing fliers go to a 1/4moa rifle with 10 shots after removing the bedding past the lug and no other changes.

youve been hunting longer than ive been alive buck and have probably seen about all there is to see in this sport...ive been shooting since i was about 6yrs old and only got into the precision/long range shooting 8yrs ago so all i know is what ive learned and seen in that time.

[yobuck]

I think the jury will always be out on alot of this stuff. Best to do what works well for you, for that which you are trying to accomplish.
If it dosent work, or for some reason stops working, then look around till something does.
The question arises as to wether a long heavy barrel of say 30" or more, which might be needed to burn lots of slow powder, needs any
support other than the threads holding it onto the action.
Is even a 26 or 28 inch 1" 250 barrel heavy enough to require support?
Even if we can prove it dosent, is our usual fabulous bedding/pillar job giving us the very best?
If im shooting at a deer at long range im in hopes of killing it on the first shot. Real world situations however sometimes
dont allow that to happen. There would be but 2 approaches in handeling that situation. Neither would be wrong depending
on your personal mindset. First would be to stop and check and evaluate all data. And maybe go off and practice some more.
The other would be to send lead, evaluating as you go, and keep sending it till its over one way or another.
I find that barrel blocks on my guns keep my shots in the zone more so than my guns without them when sending lead.

[LongRange]

i agree...its all what works for you...if i was a long range hunter i would do things completely different than i do now.

[yobuck]

i agree...its all what works for you...if i was a long range hunter i would do things completely different than i do now.

Not necessarily, the good shooting part is always a very relevant part.
But its not the only part, and that is what usually creates heated discussions.

[earl39]

My comment had nothing to do with accuracy. It had to do with fouling of the bore.

[GaCop]

After approximately 70 rounds through my 308 Criterion barrel, I got no indication of copper fouling on patches when using Montana Extreme 50 BMG copper cleaner. Now, powder fouling is another matter,lol! I have a Savage factory 308 sporter barrel that still coppers up after having 500 rounds fired through it. The barrel is a shooter though giving me 1.4" groups at 200 yards with 165 grain Sierra Gamekings.