X Calibre Bbl break in ?

[Shooter0302]

I've been reading as much as I can on this, and one point that is seldom mentioned bbl. break in regarding X Cal. Bbl's or other $$$ barrels that cause copper build up is the chambering where there are microscopic scratch's left in the leade by the reamer.
That being said, I have a 22 BR chambered by Apache and a 6 6BR chambered by X Cal.
So. ALL you X Cal. barrel owners,Tell me your break in procedure ??

[SageRat Shooter]

This is a question that Lone Wolf should be able to answer for you as he is an Xcaliber "Guy"...

Break in procedures are pretty similar: shoot one round and clean (x5) Shoot 5 rounds and clean (x5) for hand lapped barrels (which I think the Xcaliber is) that should be all you need for break in. You could go one step further and do a 10 shot string and then clean if you feel the need. I have a CBI (hand lapped) barrel and that was the break in procedure I used.

Lets see what LW says if he comments on this thread though.... He's a competition shooter, so sets a pretty high standard for his gear/setup.

[rjtfroggy]

Barrel break in has been beaten to death and no two opinions will be the same.
I also shoot BR so here is mine, After I install I load 20 rounds with the same charge but with 5 different seating depths and go shoot, then take it home and clean as clean as I can. If none of the loads showed promise I do it again with different charges and or seating depths. I would rather shoot than clean and most barrels shoot better fouled anyway.
But the first thing I do is do my home work for the proper load, bullet combo no barrel will shoot good with out it.

[darkker]

The Waponi Woo thought they could stop a volcanic eruption by finding a willing person to jump into the Big Woo. Because the Toby told them that at some point in the past they did that, and the Big Woo was appeased and did not destroy them.
Ergo: Willing schmuck jumping into a volcano will appease the Big Woo, and prevent any volcanic activity; or so the Toby tells us that's what needs done, and will happen.


If someone tells me I have a Brain Cloud, I'll get a second opinion.
Beyond that, it's your barrel, you do what makes you warm and fuzzy inside.

[wbm]

Barrel break in has been beaten to death and no two opinions will be the same.

It has and they won't.


the Big Woo was appeased and did not destroy them.

WOW! Woo knew!?

[JeepsAndGuns]

I have a x caliber barrel on one of my AR's. I broke it in the same as every other barrel I have broke in. Shoot 1 and clean for the first 5, then shoot 5 and clean for the next 15 for a total of 20. After that, it is shoot as normal.

[RC20]

Best one was the barrel mfg site that says , well, we don't think there is any thing to it, but to get people to quit asking the question, here is something.

In other words, shoot it and then clean it when done (that's an opinion of course) no one has ever done a scientific process to prove it one way or the other.

All Black Magic.

[Texas10]

I have two X-caliber barrels, 22-250 and 6mmBR. I cleaned them prior to installing in the action. Took them to the range and shot the snot out of 'um. Cleaned them when I got home, but those dang hand lapped barrels just don't copper up like a good 'ol stock Savage. Put a little Hoppe's number 9 on a patch to clean out the fouling and brighten up any copper. Put a camera down the barrel, found only a tiny trace of copper. Did a final clean up with bore tech foam and off the to the range again. YMMV.

[LoneWolf]

I run a bore snake through it before the first outing. Shoot about 10rds. Run it through one more time and go to town. Might use some Hoppe's or some frog lube on the bore snake, but that's it. Pretty much just shoot it. The lapping is top notch and you won't have a hard time cleaning it. Took 3 patches the last time I actually "cleaned" one.


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[65Whelen]

This is from Bartlein Barrels. They make some of the best barrels in the world so I think if anyone should know it'd be these guys.
http://bartleinbarrels.com/cleaning-and-breaking-in-guide-lines/

[RC20]

It sound good until you come to the water wears rocks.

Yea, 10s of millions of years and various sediments (grit) in it and it will.

Maybe they just don't make a real hard barrel?

[bowfishn]

When I got my barrel I emailed them X-Caliber for break in instructions and this is their answer: "Clean after every shot for the first 20 and then every 100 shots thereafter." from an email received sales@x-caliber.net on 12/23/2016

[snowgetter1]

Not sure about cleaning every 100 rounds either. If my barrel is humming along shooting great I will not clean it until accuracy starts to fall off.

[Rosco]

Having had a few X-Calibers I say just shoot it, your barrel will let you know when it needs cleaning.

[Shooter0302]

Thank you all, spending the day cleaning the deck of stuff the storm might want to deposit some where else, then going to load 20 rounds each for the 22 & 6 BR's. With the back yard facing a 8 mi. wide bay and if the storm moves through tomorrow NO ONE will be anywhere but home, so I can shoot one, run a mop down the bore, shoot the second, then mop that bore, then clean the first BBL. Shoot, ect.ect till I have 20 rounds through both bbl's.

[RC20]

Good luck, that's an ugly sucker headed your way, hopefully down to tropical by the time it hits your area.

I know you have heard it endle3slyt, watch that storm surge, water is the killer. Give yourself an out, even if its a roost on top of your house (and don't' get caught tin the attic without an axe)

Best advice I have read is that after market barrels are finished good enough they don't need the clean up.

XC is about mid between the better ones and a Savage. You won't hurt it any cleaning too much but 20 rounds and clean should be fine.


I also advocate Carbon Killer 2000 or the similar new carbon cleaners. You don't get much if any copper in the XC.

Nylon brush works better than brass. I am not using an eye dropper, put it in the gun, drip on the cleaner and run it through to the end.

Then I soak it good with CK2000 (amazing how much you can put on nylon and no drip and back and forth a few times.

Push a dry patch through, repeat until it comes out cleaner, good to go.