Barrel break-in for lapped barrels

[L.Sherm]

I look at what the barrel is telling me, but do whatever makes you warm and fuzzy.

 

[SlugFester]

I'm a firm believer in hand lapped barrels & most definitely from a clean bore if testing for initial best round about weight/ speed, load, bullet type, brands.

If you guys worry about hard rifle barrel steel think of my fears with comparably soft LW, BSA, Daystate, PAC-NOR, Benchmark or anyone else making match grade air gun barrels. Choked for pellets or non restricted for slugs.

We sometimes aren't able to go from breech to muzzle without disassembly. Thus many use the weed whacked line trick with a straw down through the dedicated can. Otis, bore snakes. Consider we use 100% pure lead in the best match grade pellets and maybe 1-2% Antimony for hunting pellets. I have one SS 29" 2 L&G Benchmark that has a .215" bore & chokes down to .213". I'm not afraid to use a good one piece rod on certain barrels.

Hand lapping yourself helps tell you what it should feel like and when it definitely needs to be cleaned. You guys have copper galling thought so it's an entire different game. But AG barrels are softer. My Gunsmith only charges me $15.00 per hour to turn a standard 23.83" LW AG barrel. Lot less work & softer steel.

 

[Dell]

Barrel break in is an Archaic practice that doesn't do anything...a few swipes of a nylon brush and some solvent for the first 30 rounds is going to make a barrel shoot better? No way...I just don't buy it. I got caught up in that snake oil several years ago, stopped and haven't noticed a difference. The gun will either shoot or it won't. Seriously, think about it? What's so special about those first 20 or 30 rounds? When they test fire rifles in the factory for an accuracy guarantee are the breaking them in with 30 rounds and running a brush through it every few rounds before they shoot your groups. No.

Agree 100%. I've tried many of the recommended barrel break in procedures recommended by barrel makers. I've also done no barrel break in at all. Develop a quality load or several loads, go out and shoot the **** rifle, and when that consistent .50 MOA or better, at all yardages to 1000 starts to happen, I call it good. I'm a firm believer in quality reloading technique, sweet spot bullet seating depth, good chrony work which include low SD's and ES. I won't settle until both are in single digits. The lower the better. Not saying that barrel break in, by many procedures and forms, doesn't work it's just in my experience it never made a difference in several of my best shooting rifles. The most accurate rifle I own was never "broken in". Over 1500 rounds thru it now and it still meets my personal accuracy criteria in spades (FTR .308). I clean (and yes with a rod and high quality bore guide) after every 40-50 rounds. I only use high quality nylon brushes and patches) Guys, this is only me but the method I use works for the standards I've imposed on my stuff. Many ways to skin a cat and nothing I've read on this forum seems outlandish. Great discussion!

 

[skipglo]

I believe that the barrel is lapped by the manufacturer before it is shipped to the smith to be chambered. So, for a lapped, barrel the break-in is actually meant to smooth out any minute burs left over from cutting the chamber. I guess... unless you keep an Eye of newt and toe of frog in your pocket.

You have that wrong.....Eye of Newt...shirt pocket...Toe of frog you have to keep in your SOCK!......Geeeeez I thought by now everyone knew this

 

[CRaTxn]

David Tubbs (yes a TEXAN) is also the best rifleman in the know universe. His solution is Final Finish AND IT ADDRESSES THE CHAMBER LEADS/THROAT.

 

[Barrelnut]

David Tubbs (yes a TEXAN) is also the best rifleman in the know universe. His solution is Final Finish AND IT ADDRESSES THE CHAMBER LEADS/THROAT.

Final finish can destroy a throat. I have seen the results through a bore scope. Final Finish package instructions even state that some shooters have lost accuracy after using it. Might be better off just wrapping sandpaper around a jag. I might try it on a barrel that has lost it's performance, but would not recommend anyone use it on a new rifle barrel.

 

[nicholasjohn]

I have several cleaning rods but they never get used. Some years ago, I saw a 22 benchrest shooter pull something through his barrel and found it to be weed eater line. He told me he never used a cleaning rod and also cut his own patches for the right fit.

So now in my range box is a roll of weed eater line. Tie a knot in one end and cut the opposite end on a slight angle to make the patch go on easier the pull it through. I've used Wipe Out and Butch's Bore shine and both work very well.

I've used the pull-through method with weed-eater line for in-the-field bore care, too. Can't remember who told me about it, but it works. I haven't had any problems arise from pushing cleaning rods through my bores, but I ALWAYS use a proper-fitting bore guide. I've also been very happy with the triangle patches that are advertised in Handloader magazine. I vary the size of the jag to get the fit I want in the bore. They work great. Amazon carries them, and they aren't ridiculously expensive, either. I also use Wipe-Out, and have used it for the last twenty years. No brushes; just an overnight soak. I usually do this for two nights in a row just to make sure, but only rarely have I found any blue on the patch after the first night. The black stuff comes out with the other solvent from the same company. Can't say enough about how I like their cleaning products.

 

[ajkellerusmc]

I use a coated one pc rod with a bore guide to keep solvent out of the action and patches only no brush needed. Shoot it to break it in! I agree with wolf76 on that. Dunno about golf but for cleaning its different strokes for different folks!

 

[Huntz]

I run a dry patch through new barrels and then shoot until the groups are getting larger.Then I clean with Wipeout and a patch.I have been DBCing my barrels and have noticed that they foul very infrequently now.Huntz.

 

[shooter7]

David Tubbs (yes a TEXAN) is also the best rifleman in the know universe. His solution is Final Finish AND IT ADDRESSES THE CHAMBER LEADS/THROAT.

This video is from Bolt Action Reloading. He illustrates the process of using the system. At the 23 minute mark he talks about the throat erosion he encountered after using the product. It essentially removed the first 35 to 40 thousandths of the lands.

 

[Danny Butler]

Yesterday I went to my range to sight in my new 6.5 PRC X-Bolt. Managed a 3/4" final group at 200 yards off a bench rest - cement bench, cast iron rest.

I shot 18 rounds with no cleaning between rounds. Today I'm soaking the barrel bore in Slip 2000 Copper Cutter solution for 20 minutes then cleaning it with a plastic brush and patches.

Since the barrel was already factory lapped I saw no reason to clean between each round. The lapping IS the break-in when compared to un-lapped barrels. (IMHO, that is)

The next tim I shoot will be for a Magnetospeed V3 velocity check on my ammo. Ten rounds for a decent average velocity and then I'll clean it with Hoppe's #9. That should give me enough copper residue remaining for good accuracy.

1. Anyone see any problems with this "method"?
2. Would cleaning every 40 to 50 rounds be enough? (With copper cleaning every 200 rounds?)

Eric B.

I've been around a little while and have heard about a thousand ways to break in a bbl. First.. you have to break in a bbl if you want it to reach its full potential....break in is simple but tedious.... clean the bbl with Shooters Choice solvent first.. not Hoppes , it's crap. Fire the rifle and clean said rifle/bbl after each firing for 20 rds. Check for copper fouling with Barnes CR 10 after 5,10,15 and the final 20th rd. If the patch color (blue) is lighter after every five rds you are doing your job. After this don't fire the rifle over 20 to 25 rds without cleaning it. If the rifle is not preforming to your expectations check it for copper periodically. There really shouldn't be any reason to introduce the CR10 in the bbl ever again. This break in procedure works very well especially on 5 R bbls and was recommended to me by a barrel manufacturer.... Good Luck

 

[Wedgy]

Without a quality borescope you have no idea what your barrel, lapped or unlapped, looks like before or after shooting and cleaning. Every manufacturer and smith can pass a turd now and then. Break in shouldn't really be needed on a lapped barrel but lapping is done before chambering, and chambering leaves little edges that break in can remove, otherwise you just coat them with layer after layer of copper.
I have a Hawkeye but I am told and seen some very good images from this $50 borescope; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTQF24F/?tag=lrhmag19-20

Also, different solvents work better or worse on different copper alloys. A while back I soaked various bullets in solvent over night then reweighed them, found that the Barnes solvent worked by far the best on Barnes bullets, but average on Berger. Something to consider.
i have not found a barrel to shoot better after doing a breakin but they do seem to clean easier and a little less frequent.

 

[J E Custom]

Final finish can destroy a throat. I have seen the results through a bore scope. Final Finish package instructions even state that some shooters have lost accuracy after using it. Might be better off just wrapping sandpaper around a jag. I might try it on a barrel that has lost it's performance, but would not recommend anyone use it on a new rifle barrel.

I totally agree with this !!!

The "Only" time I have considered this was on a barrel that was real rough and figured it couldn't hurt. After doing the treatment, I bore scoped the barrel and found that the throat and leade looked pretty worn and the rest of the barrel showed signs of some wear. It did shoot better than it did, but at the cost of some barrel life.

Based on this experience, I started trying Lapping and using Take off barrels developed a good process that did a good job, but did not hurt the barrel. (Like anything else, improper lapping can ruin a good barrel if not done correctly.

I recommend buying a hand lapped barrel blank several inches longer than the finished length so each end can be removed to get away from ether end.

Doing a proper break in allows the bullet to do a more accurate job of conditioning the bore and placing the correct finish in it.

J E CUSTOM

 

[vancewalker007]

Yesterday I went to my range to sight in my new 6.5 PRC X-Bolt. Managed a 3/4" final group at 200 yards off a bench rest - cement bench, cast iron rest.

I shot 18 rounds with no cleaning between rounds. Today I'm soaking the barrel bore in Slip 2000 Copper Cutter solution for 20 minutes then cleaning it with a plastic brush and patches.

Since the barrel was already factory lapped I saw no reason to clean between each round. The lapping IS the break-in when compared to un-lapped barrels. (IMHO, that is)

The next tim I shoot will be for a Magnetospeed V3 velocity check on my ammo. Ten rounds for a decent average velocity and then I'll clean it with Hoppe's #9. That should give me enough copper residue remaining for good accuracy.

1. Anyone see any problems with this "method"?
2. Would cleaning every 40 to 50 rounds be enough? (With copper cleaning every 200 rounds?)

Eric B.

Well the last 3 barrels I've worked with, a Brux, a Hart, and a Proof all hand lap their barrels and told me just go shoot them. They pretty much clean out at 15-20 patches of Boretech eliminator and all shoot 1/2 MOA or better. Two are 7mm LRMs and the Proof is a 6.5 PRC.

So I think you're going to be fine.

I haven't used a break-in sequence since I bought a Kimber 12 years ago. But I did put a brake on it.