Barrel break in true or not?

[Gamesniper19]

F-Class shooter told me a button barrel settles in faster than a cut barrel. This true?

Every single bbl is different and every manufacturer is a tiny bit different - so no, there can be no set rule; button rifling puts more stress on a barrel than cut rifling and why they often need more post rifling lapping and prep than a cut rifle.

 

[Rick Richard]

I am too set in my old ways so I will continue to do what has been successful for me. Yours is different, but I don't hate you for it.
Just saying.

 

[ChrisInKY]

Do you really need to?

I think the answer is: "It depends. And, it's certainly not going to hurt anything."

Thank you for adding that your barrels are hand polished. Polished being the operative element of the description. Also, that was an impressive display of shooting. Anyone and everyone could learn something from it. Thank you for the question and the video!!

I, for one, do not ascribe to the regimen most often associated with "break-in". I'm not going to rigorously clean after X shot of X numbers of shots.

I'm going to do much like BFD 2.0 says, "and look down the bore to see what the copper is telling me". Then, I'm going to do what you do, "and let the barrel settle in over as many rounds as are necessary". For my precision rifle, that's about 15-20 rounds.

Every barrel is gonna show you something different. The more work that goes into it up-front (which translates to a higher consumer cost) decreases time consuming (and sometimes frustrating) back-end work.

 

[Pdvdh]

I watched the video. It was informative on BC's process of barrel breakin.
If I had multiple new rifle barrels arriving on a regular schedule, I'd look for a compromise solution to shooting and cleaning back to bare steel for the first 10 shots also.

I don't think BC would agree there's any compromise with their process. Their method works for them, with their source of barrels, with their barrel replacement schedule.

It may or may not be the optimal approach for a guy that gets one new barrel per year. Or every other year.

I shoot and clean after every shot until copper collection decreases notably. Don't view it to be overly burdensome. I collect some MV data versus powder charge during that process. Can also zero the rifle. Don't consider it a significant burden, or a complete waste if time.

If I was prepping multiple barrels for students attending shooting classes, I'd likely do whatever "worked" well enough and was the least time consuming. Probably do it like BC does.

 

[StanleyActual]

I don't . Did it with my first premium
Barrel maybe 15 years ago. Haven't done it since. Saw no improvement either way.

I just break it in with bullets.

Here's a couple good reads on it by Gale MCMillan

Barrel Break-In - Sniper Country

Breaking in the barrel of a new rifle and cleaning techniques are contentious subjects and there are many different opinions and techniques. Read our article to see what we think about..

www.snipercountry.com

Barrel Break in Procedure- Gale McMillan

How to Break-in a Barrel -- A Dissenting Point of View Gale McMillan, of McMillan Stocks fame, was one of the finest barrel-makers and benchrest shooters of all time. Here he argues that elaborate barrel break-in procedures do more harm than good. Comments collected from Gale's Gun Forum...

www.snipershide.com

 

[Barehandlineman11]

I use to barrel break in.. I stopped recently and haven't noticed a difference. Personally I don't see what a brush and patches is going to do a barrel.

 

[Pdvdh]

I use to barrel break in.. I stopped recently and haven't noticed a difference. Personally I don't see what a brush and patches is going to do a barrel.

A brush and patches and cleaning solutions do remove copper fouling. So the next bullet rides down a cleaned, bare steel bore.

Does that speed up the process of conditioning/stabilizing the bore? Some say yes. Some say maybe. Some say, not gonna mess with it.

 

[Lee7588]

Am I understanding those of you that don't think barrel break in is necessary that you are willing to buy a rifle (custom or off the shelf) and buy or load up some ammo without shooting and go on a hunt where your shots maybe 600-800 yards? Which also means that your scope is dialed in without shooting the gun

 

[StanleyActual]

Am I understanding those of you that don't think barrel break in is necessary that you are willing to buy a rifle (custom or off the shelf) and buy or load up some ammo without shooting and go on a hunt where your shots maybe 600-800 yards? Which also means that your scope is dialed in without shooting the gun

No way, I might be misunderstanding but what does taking a rifle out hunting at any distance without zeroing / trueing velocities / BC / or verifying dopes have to do with breaking in a barrel?

 

[Barehandlineman11]

I build a ton of rifles think ive done 6 in last 4 weeks. I understand what the cleaning does but i also dont build a load off a clean barrel. From what i see shooting gun and cleaning every shot then 5 and so on hasn't showed me any difference from shooting it 20-25 times then clean then 50 times then clean. I just shot my 37xc 70 times before cleaning it last. And it cleaned the same as when i shot it 15x and cleaned it.

 

[Barehandlineman11]

It doesn't

No way, I might be misunderstanding but what does taking a rifle out hunting at any distance without zeroing / trueing velocities / BC / or verifying dopes have to do with breaking in a barrel?

 

[Lee7588]

No way, I might be misunderstanding but what does taking a rifle out hunting at any distance without zeroing / trueing velocities / BC / or verifying dopes have to do with breaking in a barrel?

So while doing this aren't you also breaking in the barrel. You are putting rounds through the barrel, burnishing the barrel, removing burrs, and most people clean the barrels so to me while doing the things you noted you are breaking in the barrel

 

[simo hayha]

I don't, never have, never will.

 

[Barehandlineman11]

Shooting it breaks it in. Doesnt need to be cleaned a bunch to do it