How Do You Break In A New Rifle?

[mspingy]

I just bought a new Savage 22-250 Series 12 varmint rifle and I want to break it in. What is the best technique to ensure maximum accuracy?

[ErikW]

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9644&hl=

[JD45]

Breaking in a barrel is something that isn't much fun. I'm done with extensive break-in procedures. After doing several, I don't believe it helps accuracy or cleaning in a factory barrel.

I actually have a Savage M-12FV, 22-250 that shoots like a house afire with handloads. This is all of the attention it got: First, fresh out of the box, clean to bare steel. Fire three shots. Clean to bare steel. Then shoot groups and adjust scope. Somewhere around 25 shots you could start normal cleaning procedures.

All barrels are different but most varmint rifles like to be cleaned between 20 and 50 rounds. Some people like to get all of the metal fouling out every cleaning session, but I don't anymore. I just watch for copper build-up at the muzzle and use that as a guide. Two wet patches and two dry is the norm for me. Brushing and harsh solvents are used very little. I like plain Shooters Choice for an everyday solvent.

On the subject of how many shots can a rifle go before groups go downhill, Bob Milek once wrote an article where he shot rifles and graphed group size for like 25 5-shot groups(no cleaning). By the charts, even in many calibers, it was hard to see a definite trend. I guess we all may be cleaning more than we need to. Don't mention the bench rest crowd. They're a different breed.

[Vlad]

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showth...?threadid=12582

And consider the source ..

[John Dunn]

For ARs, shoot 'em till they jam, then clean 'em.

For bolt guns I try to clean every 100 rds or so.

I guess I don't care whether break in works or not, I don't have the patience for it. JB or Tubb's Throat Maintenance system probably smooths the bore quicker anyway.

[EricW]

Until someone can produce *objective* evidence, barrel "break-in" strikes me as a pile of crapola, and the statement by Gale McMillan in the link above sounds totally plausible as the reason for its inception.

I disagree somewhat about JB bore paste being the devil, but agree that the regular use of JB will drastically accelerate barrel wear.

[Wim]

When I built a new rifle with a mtch grade barrel a while ago I also went through the same process of finding the "best break-in procedure".

So I went to the barrel oracle! Dan Lilja - he pm mailed me after I asked him directly about Gale McMillan's thoughts on the subject. This is an edited cut and paste from Dan's reply to me....

"...Gail has been dead for 5 years or so now but I've known him since the 1970's and know his two sons well. Rock buys barrels from us and Kelly is the stockmaker....

I think that a proper break-in is important and recommend that customers follow the procedure we have on our website. However, with barrels that have not been lapped it is doubtful that they'll ever completely break-in. Using the procedure on a rough factory barrel is probably a waste of time.

Hope that helps a little."

These are the links to the relevant articles on Dan Lilja's site...

http://www.riflebarrels.com/support/center...maintenance.htm

http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/barre...rel_fouling.htm

Now I just hope that I can scrape enough cash together to build another rifle - with a Lilja barrel!

Wim

[Clay1]

This is from Shilen barrels: http://www.shilen.com/frequent.htm#How%20s...Shilen%20barrel?

Break it in - what can it hurt? By the way the boys that shoot itty bitty groups all break in barrels, so when in Rome. I hang out here now, but for a while I lived on benchrest central, a wonderful BB for paper punchers - check it out sometime.

Rick

[cking]

There are so many factors at play here, that you could say all the responses are correct.

Chrome lined barrel, just shoot and clean.

Run of mill production barrels, breakin with some moly and JB will smooth up the bore fast and provide a bore that won't foul as fast, and will clean up easier.

Top quality lapped custom barrels after extreme accuracy. Shoot and clean when accuracy drops off just a little. How many rounds will depend alot on many variables like how hot your loading. How you seat your bullets, like touching the rifling or not. They all control pressures. Which controls buildup in rifle throat area, which is where most wear occurs. MOR barrels, when shot out can be cut rechamber and live again.

Most smiths will tell you they see few shot out barrels, usually throat rings from not cleaning well. Simply brush and solvent often times isn't good enough. and Muzzle dings.

Whats great about the AR is just clean it and dry patch it and walk out into the sun and look down the bore. You'll be able to see the crud spots.

For those with unlimited budgets buy yourself a bore scope, then you'll know for sure.