Barrel "break-in"

Breaking in a barrel allows the elimination of burrs and other roughness in the barrel without allowing an excessive buildup of jacket material.

The ultimate effect of breaking in the barrel is a longer lived barrel which is less prone to fouling buildup and easier to clean.


Yr. Obt. Svnt.

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Fred J. Drumheller
NRA Life
NRA Golden Eagle
 
Why the various methods of breaking in a barrel?

What purpose does "shoot x# and then clean the bore" serve in the elimination of burrs and what-not?

Wouldn't the regular course of shooting do the same job?

Curious minds wanna know! :D

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John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!

www.cphv.COM & www.handguncontrol.NET are being sued by Handgun Control, Inc.!

See the "cease and desist" letter here: www.cphv.com/lawsuit.html
 
John, this response by Mr. McMillan is a personal favorite.
http://www.thefiringline.com/NonCGI/Forum3/HTML/001752.html

Gale McMillan
Senior Member
posted January 27, 2000 08:57 AM

I will make one last post on this subject and appeal to logic on this subject I think it is
the height of arrogance to believe a novice can improve a barrel using a cleaning rod
more than that a barrel maker can do with 30 years of experience and a ¼ million dollars
in equipment . The barrel is a relatively precise bit of machining and to imagine that it can
be improved on with a bit of abrasive smeared on a patch or embedded in a bullet. The
surface finish of a barrel is a delicate thing with more of them being ruined with a
cleaning rod in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use one. I would never in
a million years buy a used rifle now because you well may buy one that has been
improved. First give a little thought to what you think you are accomplishing with any of
the break in methods. Do you really believe that if what you are doing would help a barrel
that the barrel maker wouldn't have already done it. The best marketing advantage he
can have is for his barrels to out perform his competitors! Of coarse he is happy to see
you poking things in your barrel . Its only going to improve his sales. Get real!!!! I am not
saying the following to brag because the record speak for it' self McMillan barrels won the
gold at 4 straight Olympics. Won the Leach Cup eight years running. Had more barrels in
the Wimbledon shoot off every year for 4 straight yearsthan any other make. Set the
national 1000 yard record 17 times in one year. Held 7 world records at the same time in
the NBRSA . Won the national silhouette matches 5 straight times and set 3 world
records while doing that . Shot the only two 6400 scores in the history of small bore and
holds a 100 yard world record that will stand for ever at .009 of one inch. All with barrels
the shooter didn't have to improve on by breaking them in.
 
There's no doubt Mr. McMillan knew what he was talking about. However, I don't believe you can equate a hand lapped match quality barrel to mass produced factory barrels. Having "broken in" factory barrels, I do believe they benefit by this process. The primary benefit is reduced fouling and easier cleaning. Accuracy may or may not improve, however. But I will say that it is in no way absolutely necessary. I would bet almost anything that not one of the guys I hunt with has ever broken in a rifle barrel and they have as much or maybe more success while hunting as I do.
 
Quite correct, freestate.

G. McMillan was quoted:
"Do you really believe that if what you are doing would help a barrel that the barrel maker wouldn't have already done it."

Yes. We are talking mass-produced, not match-perfect. How many of you take you high-dollar 1911s in for trigger work?

My dear bench-resting, varminting brother does the typical shoot-once, clean...etc, etc break-in on his many Savage rifles (he has tried them all) which he has mated to SharpShooter triggers (he has tried them all). This gets him .5-.75 MOA.

Next he severly down-loads rounds and coats the bullets with gradually differing grits of lapping compound and fire-laps them. This takes him all day at the range and gives him one hole, roughly the size of the caliber he is shooting at 200 yards from the same rifle noted above.

Would *I* go to the trouble of fire-lapping? I haven't yet (cuz he tells me one can really screw up the process), but I would volunteer him to do it for me, anytime. Otherwise, I surely take the time to break in my barrel, nonetheless.

Rick
 
A good match-quality barrel does not require break in. I've had the opportunity to examine the bores of some Badger and Krieger barrels with a scope and was impressed with the difference between those and my own Marlin rack grade. The edges on the custom barrels were sharp and the lands and grooves were uniform in spacing and depth. The Marlin barrel (although it shoots real nice) looked like it was cut with a back hoe.

I would not recommend adding abrasive pastes and extra passes with a cleaning rod to any decent barrel. Those lands have sharp edges for a reason. On the cheaper barrels, what does it matter? Just shoot and enjoy it.

Noban
 
I have seen several articles on barrel cleaning and "break-in", in different shooting magazines including American Rifleman, The Rifle and I believe Handloader magazines. One at hand now is entiotled Rifle Barrel Care, appearing in The Rifle magazine, number 177 for May 1998.

Re production rifle barrels, the articles generally agreed that firing a few rounds, then thorough, careful cleaning, with a good 1 piece rod, and a proper bore guide were benefical. This proceedure should be repeated for the first 50 to 100 rounds, as I recall, check the articles for yourself.
 
Another post here that I read of Mr. McMillan's said that the barrelmaker has already put the optimum surface polish on the interior of the barrel to achieve accuracy and cleanability and the use of Bore-shine or other products would adversely change this surface. I believe he said that he told customers that the use of such products would void the warranties on his barrels.

Regards,

Ledbetter
 
Ledbetter, I haven't seen anything negative about Butch's Bore Shine...and I've not read anything that Gale said about it. I am using BBS on my M1A quite often, being under the impression that it would not harm barrels...does anyone know more?

I do know that items like JB bore paste are abrasive and are therefore not looked on as well. I don't use any abrasives, unless the BBS is (I hope not!).
 
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