New barrel break-in?

SIOUXcountry

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Joined
Nov 17, 2012
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10
Location
Grand Forks, ND
Just bought a Tikka t3 lite stainless in .243. Just curious if anyone knows if they come ready to shoot or if the barrel needs to be cleaned before each round? If so for how long? Thank you.
 
Yes new barrels should be broken in,when I have a new barrel to break in I clean the barrel after every shot for 20 rounds making sure the barrel stays cool ,then I shoot 6-8 3 shot groups cleaning after every 3 shots, after that i dont shoot more than 21 rounds without cleaning for 100 rounds or so,some say my method is a little extreme but it works for me.I also look at the bore with a hawkeye borescope before i shoot it and after the first 40 or so shots,good luck with your new gun.:D
 
Yes new barrels should be broken in,when I have a new barrel to break in I clean the barrel after every shot for 20 rounds making sure the barrel stays cool ,then I shoot 6-8 3 shot groups cleaning after every 3 shots, after that i dont shoot more than 21 rounds without cleaning for 100 rounds or so,some say my method is a little extreme but it works for me.I also look at the bore with a hawkeye borescope before i shoot it and after the first 40 or so shots,good luck with your new gun.:D

It only takes one shaving to ruin a barrel so I will use your platform. Thanks!
 
Hey bthomasb1,

Sounds like good advise for break-in. I follow a regiment too. But just a little less regimental that yours and so have always wondered if I should do more :rolleyes:

I usually clean each round for the first 10 shots. Then after the every 3 rounds for the next 15 shots. I do seem to notice that the bore starts to seem less fouled after those first 25 shots.

Question: How do your bores look before and after break-in with the bore scope? You hear a lot of folks talk about break-in but very few who actually check with a bore scope!
 
Hello Farout,factory barrels tend to look gray,dingy and have several tooling marks in the chamber and the barrel itself, before shooting them,after breakin the start to shine up and show less tooling marks and will be noticably easier to clean.40 shots can sometimes do a lot for a barrel.If they are really bad to start or dont start to clean up after the first 40 I will firelap the bore but to be honest if the bore is that bad it will probally never be a great gun in my book
There are several video's on youtube that will allow you to see some bores if you want
 
Thanks for all the advice. Tried sighting/breaking in my gun yesterday and after the fourth time cleaning the barrel, I somehow managed to get a patch absolutely &$@"ing stuck halfway down the barrel. I have tried oil, wood dowels, solvent to dissolve the patch, nada. It's going to Mr. Smith in the morning. As I left my shop tonight every coyote in the county was howling and mocking me. I'll get even.
 
You must have been useing a jag,I never have liked those ,I use a loop myself.Good luck at the smiths

I use jags all the time and never have any problem.

PB200971.jpg
 
I was using an Otis cleaning swab and somehow it bunched up and ripped off getting jammed. Ended up getting it out with help from a buddy. He had a small soft metal rod that he would heat up and press against the swab. After a few hits he then put some crazy strong cleaner through and it dissolved most of the patch. From now on I will be cutting my swabs.
 
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