Barrel break in accuracy

[Rocketeer77]

Are we still talking about barrel break-in cleaning? You think carbon fouling is caked on after say 5-10 shots? My reference to using a plastic bore brush is so you don't mistake copper fouling color on the patches when it might be from a bronze brush...but woe be it for me to tell YOU how to clean your own rifle barrel. After all, it's yours...

do as you wish

Keep taking your medication

 

[PNWdude67]

If you remove the copper more often you'll probably extend your barrel life by a good bit.

It doesn't have to be done with most barrels every time you clean but if you ever get a rough barrel not removing the copper regularly is going to become a very large problem as depositing a good bit of it in the lands and grooves with every shot builds up a significant amout of copper and carbon both since the carbon gets trapped under the copper with every shot.

Very few people will ever be as negligent in cleaning their rifles as I was for decades and it cost me several barrels that had to be replaced long before they would have if I'd been doing a better job all along.

I'm still not the least bit anal or obsessive about it, but I at least now try to give them all a good cleaning every year or so no matter how much they get shot and I no longer let my speed burners like the Swift and .204 Ruger go more than fifty rounds between at least getting wet swabbed and running a brush through it a few times them blowing out the rest with Berryman's before going back to piling up PD's.

We replace ours every 8 months or so. They get cleaned about once a month. Switching to 6.5x47 barrels should last a little longer I suppose. Anticipating 3000 rounds so maybe get two seasons out of them.

 

[stonehands1]

I have rebarreled a dozen rifles and not a single one has ever shot over a 1" group. Even the first 5 shots which is through a clean bore each time has never been worse than a .75
I'm not knocking your smith at all but I feel something is not right.
I often use factory ammo for break in so the fact that I know what load its probably gonna like before I shoot it is not a factor.
Maybe I've just been lucky.
Now all that said I had a custom rifle built by a very reputable barrel maker and I'll say up front it was no fault of there's but the custom action (also very reputable brand) I bought had a flaw in it. One I would not expect any smith to notice during assembly. I struggled with accuracy during break in and found the problem during brass prep on hand loads.
Fixed the action and it was a sub .5 rifle as expected.
Again maybe I've been lucky but after a dozen good ones I'm leaning towards a mechanical problem

 

[Starlite]

I have rebarreled a dozen rifles and not a single one has ever shot over a 1" group. Even the first 5 shots which is through a clean bore each time has never been worse than a .75
I'm not knocking your smith at all but I feel something is not right.
I often use factory ammo for break in so the fact that I know what load its probably gonna like before I shoot it is not a factor.
Maybe I've just been lucky.
Now all that said I had a custom rifle built by a very reputable barrel maker and I'll say up front it was no fault of there's but the custom action (also very reputable brand) I bought had a flaw in it. One I would not expect any smith to notice during assembly. I struggled with accuracy during break in and found the problem during brass prep on hand loads.
Fixed the action and it was a sub .5 rifle as expected.
Again maybe I've been lucky but after a dozen good ones I'm leaning towards a mechanical problem

3-4 would be luck. A dozen or so is an expected reality of a quality build (or a well made factory rifle such as SAKO for example) in my opinion.

 

[5.56×250]

In this age, a rifle that won't shoot under moa w even a factory load it likes, is a non starter IMHO. Years ago , moa at 100 yards w factory ammo was my maximum acceptable grouping size . Id bed the stock, float the barrel, and work the trigger down to 3lbs or less . Then I'd buy a box of the ammo I preferred for the type of game I'd hunt and settle down on the bench . If that ammo wouldnt do 3 in less than an inch , I'd go pick up another brand and try that. If it didn't do it by the third box, I'd move that rifle down the road. Well, at least that would be my intent. I never did that to a single rifle that didn't do better than moa . I never did a prescribed break in either. Id clean the rifle between different ammo brands during testing and that was it. Most all were cheap savage 110Es . I liked them because the stock was bulky and that allowed me to custom contour the pistol grip and forend to my liking . It was a ritual rifle build every year before deer season came in . Id build one, hunt the season and sell it to a friend so they would have a shooter. Rinse and repeat the following summer.

 

[Starlite]

Any updates??