Breaking in new barrels

[rsgirdner]

I have just purchased a Springfield XD in 9mm, a Springfield XDM in 40S&W, and a FN Browning Hi Power 40S&W. Do I need to Break the barrels in by cleaning after each spent round for the first ten rounds, and then cleaning after every fifth round until 20 more rounds fire?

[diehli]

http://www.schuemann.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=3zZ4oir3t50%3d&tabid=67&mid=445

In other words: shoot more, worry less.

[G-ManBart]

Nope, just shoot 'em! The one thing you can do to help preserve your barrel life/accuracy is to keep from getting it too hot. If you can't touch the slide, it's getting too hot, let it cool for a few minutes (set on the bench with the slide open seems to be the easiest way). When I practice with an Open or Limited gun, I don't shoot more than two full mags in a row without letting the gun cool...shoot two mags, paste targets, reload mags, repeat. With a Production or Single Stack gun, I might bump that up to three-four mags. R,

Edited September 21, 2010 by G-ManBart

[BigGabe]

The only barrels I use a breakin on are rifles. Just ran a bunch of rounds through an Edge and after cleaning, the barrel looks good and has no fowling. To me that's the biggest issue. No lead or copper fowling in the barrel. Gabe

[dabeaven]

I am certainly no expert but I also agree the the strict break in procedures are more appropriate for a rifle as they generally generate more heat per shot than a pistol does. I am espescially careful with the small caliber high speed rounds ( 2700 fps+.

Don

[Biloxi23]

According to rifle/barrel maker Gayle McMillan, teh whole shot one, then clean procedure was a method to get shooters to shoot 50-100 roundsw "brealing in" a new barrel. Benchreswt shooter that change barrels ever 600 to 900 rounds would be buying more barrels, and thus the originator of the idea, (not Gayle McMillan)m would be selling more high grade barrels. I don't know if this is true, but I do agree with G-man. Just shootit, but don't overheat it. Have fun.

[warpspeed]

I believe the proper way to break in a new pistol barrel is to loan the gun to your best friend along with 500 rds of factory ammo and have him shoot it for a couple of weeks. Or so I was told.....