Improper breakin for a new barrel

[Andrew Massi]

It's an X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed in 28 Nosler. Guess I should've included that information.

How are you fire forming brass in a 28 nosler?

 

[hpmag308]

your gonna get a ton of mixed opinions on this one! but here's my two cents ….if it's a custom barrel from a great manufacturer and was chambered with a high quality reamer and done right there really isn't anything to break in!!! I personally think "breaking in" a high end custom rifle/barrel is a waste of time..

Amen

 

[Mike AVM]

You're fine. Also, I have used Tubbs to great effect. You're only trying to lap the throat and after 20 rounds it's likely lapped with no damage done. Clean it and shoot ten, the do a couple more times if it makes you feel better. As long as the copper is gone, you're fine. Almost all of my rifles shoot better fouled than squeaky clean. Each rifle is different though. I have two Kimbers, one shoot great after the first three rounds while the other can go about 30 before it starts throwing flyers.

 

[clownbuster]

Don't waste your time with complex, voodoo break-in procedures, factory barrel or not. Most inaccuracy problems people suffer with their rifles are self-inflicted due to damage from improperly cleaning the barrel chamber and crown, not improper break-in.
-Take it out of the box
-Stick a quality bore guide in the chamber
-1 Wet patch with a jag and Sweets 7.62, pushing past the muzzle. Unscrew the jag before pulling coated rod back thru barrel
-5 strokes with nylon brush wet with Butches Bore Shine.
-1 Wet patch with Butches Bore shine. Unscrew the jag before pulling coated rod back thru barrel
-3 dry patches, unscrewing the jag before pulling coated rod back thru barrel
-Go to the range, shoot it, enjoy your day, zero it, dope it, and clean it again as described when you get home and don't give your barrel another thought.
Break in done.

 

[Eric H]

I use the Tubbs uncoated 6MM and it has done well. I heard the horror stories of the coated.

I would stay away from the Tubbs stuff. It can ruin a barrel. The instructions for use even has disclaimers. It can erode the lands in just a few shots. Have seen the results before. I would use Tubbs as a last resort on a barrel that did not shoot well.

 

[J E Custom]

ive ready close to 100 or more posts on breaking in a new barrel. What I couldn't find is what to do if you've already ran 20 rounds through fire forming brass before the shoot and clean break in.

I've read about using tubbs bullets but would like opinions first as I'm fairly new to this.

You have heard many opinions and theories and that Is why I run test to prove one way or the other. Some of my test have shattered my beliefs and theories because so many people told me that It was a fact.

In my post I referenced a test that In my mind convinced me that a brake in was necessary on all barrels the get it performing at it's best. I also did another test later own to back up the results and it did. It was a much lower velocity test but the results were amazingly similar.

Some of the arguments I have heard are = Adds to the round count. I have found it does just the opposite by allowing load development to start sooner and be achieved with less rounds fired. Before I started breaking in my barrels it was not unusual to take 50 to 100 rounds to find an accurate load. Some even took more. now while breaking in a barrel I do some component changes to see if there is a trend and sometimes this gives me a jump on the load development when the barrel is broke in. Now most of the time i find a good load in less than 20 or 30 rounds. I feel one of the reasons is that the barrel is more consistent in this state.

I also hear that copper fouling has to be laid down before accuracy will peek. All of the best groups I have shot have been with a clean barrel. It is true that at some point it will shoot if fouled and when shooting 100+ shot matches with no chance of cleaning you have to rely on this method, but you must work up your load in the fouled condition if you intend to shoot this way. With a properly worked up load for both conditions, A clean bore will normally out shoot a fouled bore because the fouling in a bore is not consistent, and a clean bore is/can be.

Like everyone I know that has tried it, they all see the advantages and the accuracy improvement by doing a brake in.

I have no intention of trying to change peoples mind about brake in and all I can do is offer my experiences of 55+years of shooting, hunting and building accurate rifles. I use the vary best barrels and the only difference I can see when braking in a rifle is the number of shots required to reach brake in.

Just my experience

J E CUSTOM

 

[PNWdude67]

ive ready close to 100 or more posts on breaking in a new barrel. What I couldn't find is what to do if you've already ran 20 rounds through fire forming brass before the shoot and clean break in.

I've read about using tubbs bullets but would like opinions first as I'm fairly new to this.

Barrel break in regiments are "guidelines not code" . Fire forming usually at reduced charges can create a little more carbon so my suggestion is Clean well now with good bore solvent and patches (nylon brush won't hurt either), shoot another 20 and clean it, finish fire forming and clean it... start load development after 5 shot to foul the barrel and enjoy!! We clean every 300 rounds or so til the barrel dies. IMO Don't over do the break in cleaning process if you don't have an issue with accuracy.... if the barrel is not performing well I have heard some can "bring it to life" with the Tubbs process but it is the exception. Cheers and happy holidays!

 

[PNWdude67]

You have heard many opinions and theories and that Is why I run test to prove one way or the other. Some of my test have shattered my beliefs and theories because so many people told me that It was a fact.

In my post I referenced a test that In my mind convinced me that a brake in was necessary on all barrels the get it performing at it's best. I also did another test later own to back up the results and it did. It was a much lower velocity test but the results were amazingly similar.

Some of the arguments I have heard are = Adds to the round count. I have found it does just the opposite by allowing load development to start sooner and be achieved with less rounds fired. Before I started breaking in my barrels it was not unusual to take 50 to 100 rounds to find an accurate load. Some even took more. now while breaking in a barrel I do some component changes to see if there is a trend and sometimes this gives me a jump on the load development when the barrel is broke in. Now most of the time i find a good load in less than 20 or 30 rounds. I feel one of the reasons is that the barrel is more consistent in this state.

I also hear that copper fouling has to be laid down before accuracy will peek. All of the best groups I have shot have been with a clean barrel. It is true that at some point it will shoot if fouled and when shooting 100+ shot matches with no chance of cleaning you have to rely on this method, but you must work up your load in the fouled condition if you intend to shoot this way. With a properly worked up load for both conditions, A clean bore will normally out shoot a fouled bore because the fouling in a bore is not consistent, and a clean bore is/can be.

Like everyone I know that has tried it, they all see the advantages and the accuracy improvement by doing a brake in.

I have no intention of trying to change peoples mind about brake in and all I can do is offer my experiences of 55+years of shooting, hunting and building accurate rifles. I use the vary best barrels and the only difference I can see when braking in a rifle is the number of shots required to reach brake in.

Just my experience

J E CUSTOM

 

[PNWdude67]

You have heard many opinions and theories and that Is why I run test to prove one way or the other. Some of my test have shattered my beliefs and theories because so many people told me that It was a fact.

In my post I referenced a test that In my mind convinced me that a brake in was necessary on all barrels the get it performing at it's best. I also did another test later own to back up the results and it did. It was a much lower velocity test but the results were amazingly similar.

Some of the arguments I have heard are = Adds to the round count. I have found it does just the opposite by allowing load development to start sooner and be achieved with less rounds fired. Before I started breaking in my barrels it was not unusual to take 50 to 100 rounds to find an accurate load. Some even took more. now while breaking in a barrel I do some component changes to see if there is a trend and sometimes this gives me a jump on the load development when the barrel is broke in. Now most of the time i find a good load in less than 20 or 30 rounds. I feel one of the reasons is that the barrel is more consistent in this state.

I also hear that copper fouling has to be laid down before accuracy will peek. All of the best groups I have shot have been with a clean barrel. It is true that at some point it will shoot if fouled and when shooting 100+ shot matches with no chance of cleaning you have to rely on this method, but you must work up your load in the fouled condition if you intend to shoot this way. With a properly worked up load for both conditions, A clean bore will normally out shoot a fouled bore because the fouling in a bore is not consistent, and a clean bore is/can be.

Like everyone I know that has tried it, they all see the advantages and the accuracy improvement by doing a brake in.

I have no intention of trying to change peoples mind about brake in and all I can do is offer my experiences of 55+years of shooting, hunting and building accurate rifles. I use the vary best barrels and the only difference I can see when braking in a rifle is the number of shots required to reach brake in.

Just my experience

J E CUSTOM

Great explanations and this makes 100% sense as it also generally follows what the competitive shooters do. The bench rest guys clean a lot and can compete with a barrel in a controlled "clean" state. Field match shooters, we clean much less and I shoot 50-100 rounds after cleaning to practice and leave the bore fouled for a match and find it performs consistently over a 200 round match. I DO "break in clean" my new barrels for the first 20 rounds and your post gives me validation it may be helping! Thx

 

[freddiej]

It looks like I am going to have to echo JE Custom's post. I learned from a custom rifle builder that all barrels need burnishing and thorough cleaning for the first 25 to 100 rounds. What I would do is clean it as best you can with chemicals, then get the JB Bore paste out and get all the carbon out and the copper fowling as well. then keep scrubbing with JB until you stop getting black out of the barrel, the barrel has no spots of resistance, and starts polishing the bore. then get JB Bore shine and use that until your barrel gets a bit smoother. then return to shoot/clean cycles for 25 to 50 rounds. your velocity should increase 50 to 75 FPS once the barrel is broken in/burnished. that is always how I tell is velocity (POI is slightly higher at 300 yards than it was at the starting with the same load). like the first person said you will get several opinions. this is mine and Tom's opinions.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Most Mfgr. I've read say you can run the "break-in" process at any time with a new rifle and it will improve the accuracy-best done in the first 50 rds or so. Here is the process from Fierce Rifles--I like it because its straight forward. When we were shooting in our new rigs using this technique, my biz partner suggested we should also shake a chicken leg over our rifles after the process to ensure the magic happends!
Your break in will require shooting one box (20 rounds) of ammo

1. Shoot one round and then clean
   Do this for the first five rounds.
2. Shoot five rounds and then clean
   Do this for the next fifteen rounds.
3. Shoot a fouler round and then a three shot group for accuracy.

NOTE: Allow barrel to cool before shooting each series of break-in rounds to avoid unnecessary throat erosion. Do not shoot your rifle in succession until the barrel is too hot to touch with a bare hand. This can burn the throat out of your match grade chamber.

When cleaning we recommend the following items

• Use a quality one-piece cleaning rod.
• Use high quality patches.
• Use a bore guide.

Clean from chamber end only.

Clean powder residue from bore using a high quality barrel cleaning solvent.

Follow with a copper remover like Barnes CR-10 Copper to remove copper fouling. Follow the instructions on the bottle.

Finish with a patch lightly coated with gun oil. Your rifle is ready to shoot.
Remember to clean your rifle after 20-30 rounds.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Oh yeah, about that protocol I just posted form Fierce--I forgot to mention--Fierce rifle barrels are already hand lapped from the get go--hence the easy break-in protocol...my bad. That said we used the same protocol on my wife's new Camilla and my Sako 85 .260 Rem and seemed to work pretty well.

 

[Mram10us]

There is no set procedure you have to follow. Just know it will copper foul quickly at first due to machining marks. Enemies are carbon ring in neck area and excessive copper fouling. Google "John krieger barrel breakin". Just one way to do it, but he says he just shoots them

 

[skipglo]

ive ready close to 100 or more posts on breaking in a new barrel. What I couldn't find is what to do if you've already ran 20 rounds through fire forming brass before the shoot and clean break in.
Just clean your gun....until the patc

I've read about using tubbs bullets but would like opinions first as I'm fairly new to this.

ive ready close to 100 or more posts on breaking in a new barrel. What I couldn't find is what to do if you've already ran 20 rounds through fire forming brass before the shoot and clean break in.

I've read about using tubbs bullets but would like opinions first as I'm fairly new to this.

Just clean your gun...use a good copper solvent...keep pulling patches till they are clean and enjoy the rest of your guns life and yours!