When you start using a Teslong bore scope., you will gain some understanding of what is needed on various barrels, break-in and cleaning. When the throats are rough on a new barrel, they take more break in. When the bore it's self is rough, break-in takes longer if it will ever get broke in. If the reamer chattered in the throat, the throat will look like a wash board. The rough surface in the throat will rough up the bullet surface. If you combine a rough throat with a poor barrel inside finish, you have a real copper fouling monster on your hands. Reamer chatter happens MORE on 5 R barrels than 4 and 6 Groove barrels.
I shot registered Benchrest rest for a long time, and I always used the one shot and clean up to 10 shots, then every three shots up to 30 shots, then every five shots.
What I and a lot of other shooters looked for was at what point the barrel stopped copper fouling. At that point, you can go ahead and just start shooting normal groups, up to 20 shot strings.
Key points on cleaning top-quality benchrest barrels:
A. use a bore guide that has a bushing that fits on the rod, which centers the rod in the bore. This helps keep the cleaning rod from rubbing the tops of the lands. Lucas and Neil Jones rod guides do this plus one other that I can not remember the name of.
B. use good bronze bristle brushes, I prefer Dewey and Pro-shot. Regardless of the bore cleaner you use, the brush does the work. The best bronze bristle brushes are worn to a point of diminishing returns at 60 strokes (one stroke is defined as a push and a pull). At 100 strokes, the best bronze bristle brushes are trash.
On a new barrel, examine with the bore scope. Look for how rough the bore is, and especially how slick the leade angle is. If both are slick, chances are that your barrel will be broke in within 3 shots, and a little scrubbing with Issio on a patch, concentrating on the throat helps tremendously.
Make no mistake about it, carbon is an accuracy killer, and a barrel killer as it gets so hard from intense heat and pressure that it gets impossible to get out.
I was given a new Savage 116 in 7 Rem Mag with what looked like exhibition-grade wood on it. I had Sharp Shooter pillar bed the stock and put a Gentry muzzle break on the barrel. After I got the rifle back, I bore-scoped the barrel, and the barrel had deep drill marks from end to end. I loaded some 140g Ballistic tips with 65-66g of IMR 4350 with 9 1/2's and within 12 shots had the barrel shooting 3/8" groups with a 36x Leupold on top to work up loads with only. When I got home, I was curious to see how the fouling was in the barrel. JEEZ, it was copper plated for almost the entire length of the barrel. Three applications of Montana Extreme Copper Killer got all the copper out, went back to the range, and three shot groups were 3/8" and smaller for 9 Shots. After 9 shots, the groups went to 3/4", then 1.5". I repeated this several times on different days, the load was good but loads of copper after 9 shots. Since this is a hunting rifle, I just foul the barrel with one shot after a patch of lighter fluid down the bore, and hunt with the gun. The rough barrel will never be broken in, never. I make lapping compounds up to 180 grit, but do not want to take a chance on ruining such a great shooting barrel, I will just clean it as needed.
In my experience, Cut rifle barrels take more of what most would call "break-in" than Button rifle barrels. Brux, Muller, and Krieger barrels are my favorite cut rifle barrels. Some cut rifle barrels are just ungodly rough, and this is an understatement. The button rifle barrels made by Hart, Lilja, Shilen, X Caliber, Pad Nor, and Wilson barrels that I have worked with have quit copper filing within 20 rounds, and it is not unusual to have them quit copper fouling within 9 rounds. The above are benchrest barrels in 6 PPC that I am referring to.
There are many gunsmiths that will NOT chamber a 5 R barrel now due to reamer chatter, especially in 7 and 30 caliber, while for other gunsmiths, 5R is all they use. The first time you get a barrel with reamer chatter in the throat and deal with the aftermath of such, you may change your tune on liking 5 R as I did.
I had one shot out 6mm Pac Nor Super match re-bored to 25 calibers and chambered to 257 Roberts AI, the bore is not as smooth, drill marks are evident, but I will shoot it this year. Break-in will be a joke with this re-bored barrel, regret is an understatement.
I shot registered Benchrest rest for a long time, and I always used the one shot and clean up to 10 shots, then every three shots up to 30 shots, then every five shots.
What I and a lot of other shooters looked for was at what point the barrel stopped copper fouling. At that point, you can go ahead and just start shooting normal groups, up to 20 shot strings.
Key points on cleaning top-quality benchrest barrels:
A. use a bore guide that has a bushing that fits on the rod, which centers the rod in the bore. This helps keep the cleaning rod from rubbing the tops of the lands. Lucas and Neil Jones rod guides do this plus one other that I can not remember the name of.
B. use good bronze bristle brushes, I prefer Dewey and Pro-shot. Regardless of the bore cleaner you use, the brush does the work. The best bronze bristle brushes are worn to a point of diminishing returns at 60 strokes (one stroke is defined as a push and a pull). At 100 strokes, the best bronze bristle brushes are trash.
On a new barrel, examine with the bore scope. Look for how rough the bore is, and especially how slick the leade angle is. If both are slick, chances are that your barrel will be broke in within 3 shots, and a little scrubbing with Issio on a patch, concentrating on the throat helps tremendously.
Make no mistake about it, carbon is an accuracy killer, and a barrel killer as it gets so hard from intense heat and pressure that it gets impossible to get out.
I was given a new Savage 116 in 7 Rem Mag with what looked like exhibition-grade wood on it. I had Sharp Shooter pillar bed the stock and put a Gentry muzzle break on the barrel. After I got the rifle back, I bore-scoped the barrel, and the barrel had deep drill marks from end to end. I loaded some 140g Ballistic tips with 65-66g of IMR 4350 with 9 1/2's and within 12 shots had the barrel shooting 3/8" groups with a 36x Leupold on top to work up loads with only. When I got home, I was curious to see how the fouling was in the barrel. JEEZ, it was copper plated for almost the entire length of the barrel. Three applications of Montana Extreme Copper Killer got all the copper out, went back to the range, and three shot groups were 3/8" and smaller for 9 Shots. After 9 shots, the groups went to 3/4", then 1.5". I repeated this several times on different days, the load was good but loads of copper after 9 shots. Since this is a hunting rifle, I just foul the barrel with one shot after a patch of lighter fluid down the bore, and hunt with the gun. The rough barrel will never be broken in, never. I make lapping compounds up to 180 grit, but do not want to take a chance on ruining such a great shooting barrel, I will just clean it as needed.
In my experience, Cut rifle barrels take more of what most would call "break-in" than Button rifle barrels. Brux, Muller, and Krieger barrels are my favorite cut rifle barrels. Some cut rifle barrels are just ungodly rough, and this is an understatement. The button rifle barrels made by Hart, Lilja, Shilen, X Caliber, Pad Nor, and Wilson barrels that I have worked with have quit copper filing within 20 rounds, and it is not unusual to have them quit copper fouling within 9 rounds. The above are benchrest barrels in 6 PPC that I am referring to.
There are many gunsmiths that will NOT chamber a 5 R barrel now due to reamer chatter, especially in 7 and 30 caliber, while for other gunsmiths, 5R is all they use. The first time you get a barrel with reamer chatter in the throat and deal with the aftermath of such, you may change your tune on liking 5 R as I did.
I had one shot out 6mm Pac Nor Super match re-bored to 25 calibers and chambered to 257 Roberts AI, the bore is not as smooth, drill marks are evident, but I will shoot it this year. Break-in will be a joke with this re-bored barrel, regret is an understatement.
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