New Barrel on my Rem. 700

C

cw308

New member
Well I took the Jump, having a New barrel - Rock Creek M24 5R 11.27 twist. 308 Cal. At the same time there truing (blueprinting) the action. I would like your thoughts on Barrel break in on a match barrel. Thanks Chris
 
I think barrel break-in is similar with all new barrels. Clean after every shot for the first five shots for 10 shots, then clean after every 3 shots for 15 shots, then clean after every 5 shots for 20 shots. Don't get the barrel hot is important during this process. This is the same break-in Weatherby recommends. Does this make difference??. Who knows but all my rifles shoot sub 1/4" groups and I did the break-in with all of them so I will continue to do this for all my new barrels.
 
10 people will give you 11 different answer when it comes to barrel break-in.

I've read a lot about it, and have decided I believe barrel break in only speeds up the natural process of smoothing out the rough edges, burrs and nicks. So, one, that means it is not necessary because it will happen on its own over time. And, two, match barrels are typically extremely well made and therefore have the very few or no rough edges to smooth out. I'm going with "unnecessary".

On the other hand, following the manufacturers guidelines is never a bad thing.

See.. there's always the one that makes my first statement true! :D
 
Last edited:
The little rough edges strip copper from the bullet and deposit it in the barrel along with tiny pieces of barrel steel. Even high quality, hand lapped barrels will do this because the barrel is lapped before the chamber is cut.

FWIW, I have a rock creek that was fired for a few groups and cleaned by the builder. They commented it was showing very little copper. I shot a couple rds, cleaned and found no 'blue' on the patch. I cleaned it every few rds for about 12 rds and called it good.
 
I would like your thoughts on Barrel break in on a match barrel.
Click to expand...

In my limited experience in trying what Mystro suggested (I've only done it on one rifle) I have come to the conclusion that it sure makes cleaning the barrel quicker than on those rifles I did not do a proper break in on. Now one test is not something to hang your hat on, but until proven otherwise I'm going to continue to break in any new rifles I get in the future.

Congrats on your purchase, be sure to post your thoughts on it and pictures when it's done!
 
Shilen came up with one only because the customers thought they should.

http://shilen.com/faq.html#question10

I know some major barrel producers recommend it.. no one has ever proven that it helps, just that in their experience they ended up with a good barrel. We'll never know, but maybe that barrel would have been just as good without the break-in procedures.
 
The late Mr McMillan gets quoted a lot on the lack of need for barrel break in (and not so much on the functionality of fluting) so I figure if I ever buy a McMillan barrel, I will not go through the shoot and wipe ritual.

Since both my other brand aftermarket barrel makers DID recommend break in, I followed instructions. It was a little tedious but at the end I had not only whatever smoothing was gained by firing single shots through a clean bore, I also had a hundred yard zero and chronograph readings to figure come ups for longer range. So the bullets and barrel life were not wasted, it was shooting I would have done anyhow, even with a McMillan.
 
Ndking, has it right: there is no evidence that breaking in a barrel helps. Why wasted the time, ammo, cleaning supplies, etc. Many big names in the gun industry (who may very well know more than we do, or at least have more experience) have discussed this and the general consensus is it's just not worth doing.
 
How clean to clean it? I have several layers of cleaning my barrel. Should i just run a patch with solvent, or should i go all the way and break out the brushes etc. I have a new green mountain barrel being mounted and it said to clean after each shot for first 5 then after each 10 for first 50 rounds. I was just going to run a patch with solvent but should i do more?
 
How clean to clean it? I have several layers of cleaning my barrel. Should i just run a patch with solvent, or should i go all the way and break out the brushes etc. I have a new green mountain barrel being mounted and it said to clean after each shot for first 5 then after each 10 for first 50 rounds. I was just going to run a patch with solvent but should i do more?
Click to expand...

What I do, which means it may or may not be the right way...

Using a Bore Guide and parker hale jag; I run one patch w/ carbon solvent (KG1) through the barrel to just barely shy of the crown and pull it back through. Then I run a dry patch all the way though, remove the jag and pull the rod back through. The next wet patch is the same, except I run the jag back and forth several times. Then I run a couple of dry patches through the bore to remove any solvent. After that, I go through the same sequence with copper solvent (KG Big Bore). I'll typically let the copper solvent sit a few minutes before following up with the dry patch and I like to use two dry patches per copper solvent wet patch. Repeat until you're not getting any copper. If you're a believer in 'breaking in', then you need to get all the copper out. Also, if you want to use a parker hale jag, I'd suggest using a smaller jag than your bore dia. A .22 jag w/ a 30cal patch works good with a 6.5mm bore and a 7mm jag works good with a 30 cal bore. Matching the jag to the bore was a little too tight for me; maybe it was my patches.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top