A slightly different question on breaking in a BBL

[4ked Horn]

This is a short one. Is it better to break in a BBL with a reduced load?

I am going to be breaking in a virgin Rem 700 SPS BBL and was wondering if I should make up some 1800 f/s loads to do this or should I go full on right from the start or would a slow to fast progression be the ticket?

Or does it not matter?

Thanks.

 

[sewwhat89]

My line of thinking when breaking in a rifle is to clean until you get no copper left in the barrel. With that in mind, why would you want to shoot reduced loads which would leave no copper, or very little, in the barrel in the first place. Just a thought. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[.338Fan]

I( may be off base but would a quailty barrel that has been hand lapped to a mirror finish require "breaking in". Isn't the point of "breaking in" a barrel to fire lap a barrel and remove same inperfections like burrs and such. To me only a factory or lower quailty barrel would need such "breaking in" not a quailty barrel that already has been lapped and polished to mirror finish. just my thoughts on the subject.

 

[Waltech Jim]

4ked Horn,

Good question. Just thinking out loud here. IF breaking in a barrel is super heating the transverse ridges left by the reamer in the throat area. And then these ridges are "smoothed" by the powder and expanding gases, would a reduced load accomplish this better/faster than a normal load.

JMO, I think it would take longer. Is there an advantage to that? Not sure there is.

OK how was that for a definitive answer?

Jim

 

[jro45]

How about between the rifleing in the barrel I don't think you can lap in between those. They still need to be shot with a few rounds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[4ked Horn]

Thank you all for the time you took to respond. However the answers given don't quite mesh with what I know about breaking in a bbl. (Excepting jro45 who posted as I was typing this response.

I am not diminishing the responses given. I am simply discussing why I dont think we are all on the same page. (I may learn that my page is the wrong page.)

[ QUOTE ]
My line of thinking when breaking in a rifle is to clean until you get no copper left in the barrel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe breaking in a bbl is to reduce the ammount of copper that is abraded as the bullet passes thereby making cleaning easier. Shooting does not remove copper. It leaves copper as it rips the rough steel ridges left by the machining process. That is why it must be cleaned frequently durring the process. Eventually you end up with a smooth barrel that is easy to clean also.

I wonder if shooting a reduced load will remove the ridges without pressing abraded copper into the remaining pores as hard which would make the cleaning between shots easier.

[ QUOTE ]
To me only a factory or lower quailty barrel would need such "breaking in"

[/ QUOTE ]

As stated in my question, that is exactly what I am starting with.

[ QUOTE ]
IF breaking in a barrel is super heating the transverse ridges left by the reamer in the throat area. And then these ridges are "smoothed" by the powder and expanding gases,

[/ QUOTE ]

It is my understanding that this is "throat erosion" and that is not desired. Chamber polishing should help that part of the bbl. As I know it, breaking in a bbl smooths the bore and has little to do with the throat and the leede of the barrel.

 

[lerch]

well as some ofthis was explained to me it seems that even with premiim barrels that have been hand lapped to a mirror finish they still must be broke in.

In these barrels the copper fouling process goes much quicker than what I have experinced in my savage rifle barrels. Another point of the break in process is to heat temper the bore while you smooth out imperfections.

I guess if you tempered the bore and didnt smooth out the imperfections then they would be thier for good.

I my Lilja the barrel smoothed up real nice in about 5 shots but Kirby Allen told me to go ahead and do a 50 round break in.

it sucks and is annoying as hell but if you paid that much for the gun/barrel you might as well do it right.


good luck
steve

 

[7mmRHB]

4ky,I use a heavy for cal. flatbase bullet at around 2600 to 2900 fp (long bearing surface and medium load) depending on what cartridge and gun I'm breaking in. If you have heavy machine marks,this method is not the cure no matter how hard you work at it.
7mmrhb

 

[4ked Horn]

Thanks Roland. I am working on a Rem factory.243 win. I will use the 100 gr fb bullets I have at the starting load for the regular velocity load. I have no reason to believe the machining is any worse or better than the norm.

I'm glad you have been posting more lately.

Lerch. Thank you as well.

 

[7mmRHB]

4ky, Clean the barrel spotless, then put a cuetip 1/2" into the muzzle.Now take it outside on a sunny day and with the angle just right you can see the bore and determin how bad the machine marks are.I use an Optiviser to magnify it better. If they're real light the one shot and clean method might have a chance. 7mmrhb

 

[4ked Horn]

And if they are a bit heavier what would you reccomend? The Tubb system GG has mentioned?

Am I pointing the muzzle up to the sun or down and the fuz will somehow draw the right ammount of light into the BBL.(dumb question, I know)

 

[7mmRHB]

4ky I've used the Tubbs Final Finish system on about 25 (FACTORY) barrels. You can use just the ammount you need to acomplish your goal. You don't have to use all 5 grits !
The end result is they shoot acurately and clean like a dream.7mmrhb

 

[goodgrouper]

I have broke in dozens of custom barrels and dozens of factory ones and I can say with out any holding back that they <font color="blue"> all need to be broke in. </font> The custom ones are smoother which means nothing more than they should break in faster. BUt no matter how sweet she is, that custom barrel or factory barrel will suddenly become much easier to clean on the ??th shot and that is proof that you are accomplishing something with that miserable stinking job (Coppermelt makes it much nicer, but tis still a B^&amp;*%).

Oh, and ditto on the Final Finish. Great stuff.

 

[sewwhat89]

I'll post some before and after pics of groups shot with my .270 after I shoot the FF bullets through it. I want to try it in my brother's 45 Colt too.