Proper Barrell Break-in to do or not to do?

[AlaskaCub]

I recently bought a new Kimber Montana in 300WSM and here is my question. For years I owned many rifles that never had any kind of proper barrell break in done to them and they performed flawlessly for many years with great accuracy, simply because I was unaware that this(barrell breakins) was done. I have in the last few years done proper barrel break ins on a couple guns. I have talked to many gunsmiths about this and what I have been told in whole is that the only reason to do a true 1 shot clean and so on barrell break in is simply to condition the barrell for long term cleaning. That it has nothing to do with accuracy or anything else.Can someone give me some insight and even their opinions on whether this is truly neccessary or just a precarious myth.

 

[Float Pilot]

barrel break-in

barrel break-in

I was instructed to do it a couple of different ways at a couple diferent schools.
It really did not seem to make a difference. I did have to lap my last M-700 mountain rifle since the inside of the bore (stainless barrel) was rough when I got it home.
That rifle has such a thin barrel that it will only shoot two bullets next to each other before the barrel heat throws the next one an inch and a half away.
So I shoot, clean and cool at the range. I am only worried about the first and maybe the second shot. And I want to shoot that first shot just like it would be, ,, from a cold barrel with a little solvent or oil residue.

Here is a good thread on the subject with a couple different view points.


http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn.asp



xx

 

[AlaskaCub]

Thats an interesting thread Float Pilot, and I have found many articles from McMillan where he absolutely bashes the theory on barrel break in. If you search for articles and threads on this stuff across the internet you get hundreds of different opinions and procedures on this topic. To me after having done a proper break in and not having done proper break ins, my conclusion is that it doesn't make any difference. I always thorougly clean a new gun before going to the range with it and always thoroughly clean the rifle on return from the range but some of my best sub MOA rifles have never seen a break in so it puzzles me on all this.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Personally I think its a bunch of hog wash. No way to prove it can or can not work. Just don't get the barrel hot and clean it if it begins to foul, or when you get home from the range whatever is sooner.

 

[Bravowhiskey]

Barrel break-in

Barrel break-in

I have gone through the lenthy prossess and found minimal reward for such a task. On the other hand I have seen excellent result from fire-lapping. The only thing different from standard barrel break-in is the addition of soft lead bullets with a fine abrasive compound imbedded init and fired at a low volicity. There are 3 gritts supplied in the kit I got from Midway and 2 steel plates for imbedding the abrassive. I fallowed the included instructions and kept the reloaded the rounds to under 1100 FPS. The bullets I used were ones I had cast from wheel weights in a Lee mold. I fired one round then cleaned the bore and so on for 10 rounds. After 10 rounds of fire-lapping with the first gritt, I fired and cleaned with 10 more rounds with the finer gritt and finally 10 more with the finest gritt. Between each shot I ran a patch with Hopps #9 down the bore and then a bronze brush, and the a clean dry patch untill it came out clean. I know it sound very labor intensive but it is very worth while. I am able to shoot lead ,gas checked, bullets to 2200+ FPS with almost no leading. Beartooth Bullets has an excellent kit and also has several article stating the bennifts of doing fire-lapping. I hope this has been of help and if you want to learn more go to http://beartoothbullets.com/ This is where I learned about it and have since fire-lapped all of my guns.
Bryan

 

[Matt]

I just go out and shoot.

 

[AlaskaCub]

I hear ya Matt. Thats all I ever did for a lot of years. And to be honest with you I think thats what I am gonna do with this one. Every gun I ever owned would either shoot after trying a couple types of experimental ammo till I found the right flavor or it wouldn't and if it didn't I sent it packin, not into all the smithing and stuff to try and make a shooter out of a gun. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Float Pilot]

I just got that new 350 Rem Mag Stainless M-77MKII. the barrel was super clean when I got it and very smooth. Makes me wonder if it was test fired???

All I'm gonna do is clean it after I try 20 rounds of various handloads.
It's not like I'm taking it to the 1,000 yard matches next year....

 

[AlaskaCub]

Found this article to be very interesting on barrel break in. Can it get more credible than this?

http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn_II.asp

 

[Paul H]

I just got that new 350 Rem Mag Stainless M-77MKII. the barrel was super clean when I got it and very smooth. Makes me wonder if it was test fired???

All I'm gonna do is clean it after I try 20 rounds of various handloads.
It's not like I'm taking it to the 1,000 yard matches next year....

Try a 225 sierra over 59 gr of Varget seated to a COL of 2.875". It groups a bit over 1/2" out of my Ruger 350. These were the 17th, 18th and 19th rounds down my barrel, with no break in.

I plan to try the barnes 225 triple shock, but haven't had a chance yet.

 

[Float Pilot]

Cool

Cool

I have to head up to Los-Anchorage to buy some powder. I can't find Varget or RL-15 here in Homer.
I have some Kodiak 225 grain bonded bullets that I want to try, along with most of a box of 225 grain Sierras.

I could only find 40 rounds of 350 rem Mag brass on the kenai Penn so far...
feel free to e-mail me about how you worked up those loads..

[email protected]

 

[Mort]

Brass on eBay

Brass on eBay

I got 160 rds of new and once-fired 350RM for less than $30 plus shipping from Fairbanks. Don't know how often it comes up, but worth keeping an eye out.

Anyone want to share a pet load for RL-15? I've had good luck with 225 gr Barnes TSX and RL-7 in my Rem 600. Now I need to see if they group as well on a bear as they do on a paper target.

Mort

 

[Mike R]

Very Interesting

Very Interesting

Found this article to be very interesting on barrel break in. Can it get more credible than this?

http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn_II.asp

Wow, the article in this link is very very interesting. It changes the way I've always thought of internal ballistics. Consider for example how longer barrels produce increased velocity. I've always read and have been told that longer barrels produce more velocity because, "the pressure has a longer time to act on the bullet." Obviously this is incorrect because if the bullet stops 2-3 times down the barrel, it's starting from a dead stop everytime. Lets say we have two rifles, one with a 20 inch barrel and one with a 26 inch barrel. Lets say when fired the bullet stops 6 inches from the end of both barrels before finally being discharged. The 26 inch barrel is going to have more muzzle velocity, but it's not because "the pressure had a longer time to act on the bullet." In both instances the pressure would have acted on the bullets for 6 inches. Perhaps a better statement is that the longer barrel gives additional time for more pressure to build and more pressure equals more velocity.
Also, consider rifling. I was always of the opinion that each caliber had a specific rate of twist that stablilized that particular bullet best-and this is true. But consider if the bullet stops only 6 inches from the end of the muzzle before being discharged. It's really only that last 6 inches of rifling that are stabilizing the round which doesn't even equate to a full twist.

Well thanks for the article AlaskaCub. It really was quite interesting and it makes me wonder if it is true in all cases with all calibers. I wonder about slugs from a shotgun. And of course, some pistols would have short enough barrels for the round to be expelled from the barrel in one single push.

 

[Murphy]

Barrel break out!!...

Barrel break out!!...

http://www.snipercountry.com/Article...BreakIn_II.asp

This "article" is the dumbest thing I have ever read in regard to internal ballistics. All of it is WRONG! In regards to the barrel break in part it is ...well it is just wrong also. Geez! What was this guy on? The does not stop in the barrel. And it's travel takes a few milliseconds NOT nanaseconds. I don't even know how to respond to such level of ignorance.

But my thanks to whom ever posted this, it lets the rest of us know that we're smarter than we thought. I hope the folks on this forum don't beleive that short course in internal ballistics. We could discuss the pros and cons of barrel break in but not that "theory" of ballistics.


P.S. nice group, Paul.