Barrel Break-In (or how to shorten a barrel's useful life)

[lwminton]

I have looked around a fair amount, but cannot find any explanation of what "break-in" does? Does it fill in or smooth out or straighten or what?
Does it assume there is something wrong with a new barrel that has to be fixed with a bullet?

[bwaites]

It assumes that there are tooling marks and other rough spots that need to be smoothed to reduced long term copper and powder fouling. This is why hand lapping and machine lapping were introduced. Todays barrels really don't need that much break in, and most of us use little or none and get great results.

[LRRPF52]

The Lilja bores are easily the smoothest I have ever seen in top-end rifle barrels. Bill Alexander also mentioned how superb their bores and chambers were finished, to the point that it would require optical instrumentation to detect any marks on the surface.

I'm having very good results with my Lilja barrel. PDS went through the recommended break-in procedure with his 22", because he comes from a benchrest background, whereas I just shoot mine. I've been getting .659" to 1.5" groups with my little lightweight barrel including shooter error, best 5rd group is at .984" at 100yds (.939 MOA). My best 3-rd group is .659" with 123gr SST factory ammo (.629 MOA). That's without shooting from a rest, just a lightweight little gun on a carpeted block at the range with a lightweight rear bag.

It stacks bullets on the same POI at 470yds on steel.

At the end of the day, as the shooter, I realize that I am the biggest variable in the accuracy equation. If I'm in the right mood, I can rapid fire a 5rd group into .6" at 100yds. If I'm not dialed in, the groups will open up to 1.2-1.5".

[pds]

The vast majority of benchrest shooters perform some form of a break-in procedure on new barrels before they are used in a match. They do it to control CU fowling. You would be surprised now much copper is left in a brand new barrel after the first shot fired through it.

pds

[GregB.]

I am no pro, nor a gunsmith, nor claim to know everything the is to know about barrels. I have really only been in to custom rifles and precision shooting for a few years, I learned a lot from a good buddy who is a wealth of knowledge and has some military sniper time under his belt. What he has told me is a mass produced rifle such as a good old remington 700 should be properly broke in for best performance. However your top notch custom barrels it is not as important due to aspects such as hand lapping (as mentioned already) and very precise manufacturing practices. Does this make sense? It is what I have been led to believe and makes sense to me?

[pds]

I am no pro, nor a gunsmith, nor claim to know everything the is to know about barrels. I have really only been in to custom rifles and precision shooting for a few years, I learned a lot from a good buddy who is a wealth of knowledge and has some military sniper time under his belt. What he has told me is a mass produced rifle such as a good old remington 700 should be properly broke in for best performance. However your top notch custom barrels it is not as important due to aspects such as hand lapping (as mentioned already) and very precise manufacturing practices. Does this make sense? It is what I have been led to believe and makes sense to me?

Greg,
Most all benchrest shooters follow a break-in procedure of some kind on their new custom barrel. Most custom barrel makers have a break-in procedure and recommend the customer follows it. A lot of shooters don't. Too each his own.

pds

[bwaites]

Barrel makers make barrels, it makes sense that they have specified procedures for break in. I pay them to make a barrel that should be both accurate and have minimal fouling out of the box if I am buying a custom barrel. That's not necessarily true for factory, mass produced barrels, though I have seen enough pictures of the insides of factory Savage barrels to understand that they dont have to be perfect to shoot lights out.

When a barrel maker tells me that I have to follow a specific break in procedure to get the best accuracy out of his barrel, especially when its a high end, match barrel, I think I'm being blown smoke. Benchrest shooters developed their procedures in decades past, when most barrels simply weren't finished the way they can be now, before the days of borescopes and so on. They haven't changed because most benchrest shooters are aging geezers older than me that believe if it worked then, it must still be necessary, dang it!

I admire their pursuit of perfection, but apart from their sport, barrel break in, at least with high end barrels, is not necessary. Why pay for a custom barrel, then burn a percentage of its useable life breaking it in? Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it!

[pds]

I knew I was getting old. Didn't know I was an "old benchrest geezer" though :-))

pds

[bwaites]

I knew I was getting old. Didn't know I was an "old benchrest geezer" though :-))

pds

LOL! Everytime I go to a long range match I realize that I'm not that old (at 52) because I'm usually in the youngest 2 or 3 at the match! Even in F class that's true!

[Adam Lilja]

http://riflebarrels.com/articles/barrel_making/barrel_fouling.htm

[Kikn]

http://riflebarrels.com/articles/bar...el_fouling.htm

That is what I was referencing in my post above. Although I think what I read was a different article of publication the same holds true. Clean out the copper and leave the carbon behind. If you clean out the carbon and the copper you must break in the barrel again cleaning out the copper and leaving the carbon behind..

[bwaites]

I've read that in the past, but I've also heard the opposite, that copper is good, carbon is bad. I really wonder if we have any real grasp about what the issues with barrels REALLY are. I'm looking for the article on cold bore shots and copper fouling as a good sign.

[pds]

LOL! Everytime I go to a long range match I realize that I'm not that old (at 52) because I'm usually in the youngest 2 or 3 at the match! Even in F class that's true!

Patience grasshopper your turn will come.

pds

[IceAxe]

I recently picked up some bulk Sierra moly bullets in 6mm to use in my 6mmx45. I read somewhere that you should clean out any copper fowling prior to shooting moly coated bullets. It is my first time shooting moly. I generally just snake the barrel with clp after shooting. I picked up some Montana copper killer and liberally applied it to a patch and let it sit for 15 minutes, when I ran a clean patch through...no blue. I repeated the process and still no blue. I don't know if it has something to do with the polygonal barrel or todays barrels have a better bore finish.

[Adam Lilja]

I recently picked up some bulk Sierra moly bullets in 6mm to use in my 6mmx45. I read somewhere that you should clean out any copper fowling prior to shooting moly coated bullets. It is my first time shooting moly. I generally just snake the barrel with clp after shooting. I picked up some Montana copper killer and liberally applied it to a patch and let it sit for 15 minutes, when I ran a clean patch through...no blue. I repeated the process and still no blue. I don't know if it has something to do with the polygonal barrel or todays barrels have a better bore finish.

Soak a bronze brush in the stuff and brush your bore out and then wait a bit while it soaks and you'll think you killed a smurf.