In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options

how many shots to break in bbl

cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
edited January 2003 in Ask the Experts
i got a win 70 stealth in 22-250 rem, i have about 30 shots through it now and seems to have settled in very nice,have not really got serious about grouping it yet but run did run a 5 shot string through this afternoon and was under 1/2moa.. i shot one and cleaned for tens shots then run three shots then cleaned for next11 shots then a couple five shot strings through it...mainly just looking for opinions for what you people consider broke in. thanks
doc
Ps why do rifles come with such heavy trigger? thats the first thing i had to do was lighten up the trigger jeeesss about needed a pliers to trip the trigger at factory setting [:)]

Comments

  • Options
    groundhog devastationgroundhog devastation Member Posts: 4,495
    edited November -1
    cowdoc, So glad to see that you followed the guidelines!!! When I first saw "got about 30 shots thru it" I felt a little tinge of "Uh Oh"!! Then saw you explanation of what you did!! You should be about there!! 30-40 shots generally will do it and if you're not getting any copper fouling after those five shot strings I'd say you've got it!!! The life and accuracy of that barrel has been magnified by your diligence!!!! Charlie (GHD)
  • Options
    101AIRBORNE101AIRBORNE Member Posts: 1,252 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    gd apparently answered your first concerns.
    Manufacturer's of arms are always subject to lawsuits, thus the heavy
    trigger pull. 101
  • Options
    cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    saxonpig.... "I hope you didn't forget the chicken. FOR GOD'S SAKE, YOU DID REMEMBER THE CHICKEN, DIDN'T YOU???!!!"
    guess i dont get what you are getting at, care to explain?????
  • Options
    JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Factory barrels will usually take longer to break in, due to the rougher rifling edges than custom barrels. Your method is a good one. I would say that you should go NO MORE than 5 shot strings between cleanings up to 100rnds. That should sufficiently season your barrel, and allow far less fouling, and therefore, longer barrel life (accurate life).

    From The Pac-Nor website:


    Do's and Don'ts of Barrel Cleaning
    Do's:


    Use a good coated rod
    Use a bore guide
    Clean from chamber end (whenever possible)
    Use a bronze bristle brush
    Follow recommended break-in procedures (listed below)
    Don'ts:


    Use a stainless bore brush
    Leave strong ammonia cleaning products in your bore for extended periods of time
    Shoot your barrel hot enough to brand cattle!
    In our experience, the loss of accuracy can be linked to a dirty or fouled barrel approximately 98% of the time!




    Barrel Break-In and Cleaning Techniques
    Thanks for purchasing a barrel from us!

    For best results, of course, it is necessary to 'season' it and use proper cleaning equipment. We like the Dewey coated rods, a good bore guide, copper/bronze brushes and cotton flannel patches, the appropriate size to keep that jag and rod in the middle of the bore. You will need a good bore solvent, like KG 3, Shooters Choice or CR-10 to loosen the fouling, followed by a scrubbing with JB bore Paste, Holland's Witches Brew or KG 2. After cleaning, nullify the solvents with rubbing alcohol and patch dry. Finish with Tetra Gun Oil, KG 4 or Holland's Bbl Break-in Fluid. Never shoot a dry bore as this will greatly promote copper fouling.

    Chris recommends:

    Shoot one, clean, for first ten rounds; shoot three, clean, for next thirty rounds; shoot five, clean, while working up load. Allow bbl to cool to the touch before testing a new load to avoid unnecessary throat erosion.

    It is our desire that your new barrel brings many hours of shooting enjoyment!



    And from the Kreiger website;

    BREAK-IN

    With any premium barrel that has been finish lapped -- such as your Krieger Barrel --, the lay or direction of the finish is in the direction of the bullet travel, so fouling is minimal. This is true of any properly finish-lapped barrel regardless of how it is rifled. If it is not finish-lapped, there will be reamer marks left in the bore that are directly across the direction of the bullet travel. This occurs even in a button-rifled barrel as the button cannot completely iron out these reamer marks.

    Because the lay of the finish is in the direction of the bullet travel, very little is done to the bore during break-in, but the throat is another story. When your barrel is chambered, by necessity there are reamer marks left in the throat that are across the lands, i.e. across the direction of the bullet travel. In a new barrel they are very distinct; much like the teeth on a very fine file. When the bullet is forced into the throat, copper dust is released into the gas which at this temperature and pressure is actually a plasma. The copper dust is vaporized in this gas and is carried down the barrel. As the gas expands and cools, the copper comes out of suspension and is deposited in the bore. This makes it appear as if the source of the fouling is the bore when it is actually for the most part the new throat. If this copper is allowed to stay in the bore, and subsequent bullets and deposits are fired over it; copper which adheres well to itself, will build up quickly and may be difficult to remove later. So when we break in a barrel, our goal is to get the throat polished without allowing copper to build up in the bore. This is the reasoning for the "fire-one-shot-and-clean" procedure.

    Barrels will vary slightly in how many rounds they take to break in because of things like slightly different machinability of the steel, or steel chemistry, or the condition of the chambering reamer, etc. . . For example a chrome moly barrel may take longer to break in than stainless steel because it is more abrasion resistant even though it is the same hardness. Also chrome moly has a little more of an affinity for copper than stainless steel so it will usually show a little more "color" if you are using a chemical cleaner. (Chrome moly and stainless steel are different materials with some things in common and others different.) Rim Fire barrels can take an extremely long time to break in -- sometimes requiring several hundred rounds or more. But cleaning can be lengthened to every 25-50 rounds. The break-in procedure and the clearing procedure are really the same except for the frequency. Remember the goal is to get or keep the barrel clean while polishing out the throat.

    Finally, the best way to break-in the barrel is to observe when the barrel is broken in; i.e. when the fouling is reduced. This is better than some set number of cycles of "shoot and clean" as many owners report practically no fouling after the first few shots, and more break-in would be pointless. Conversely, if more is required, a set number would not address that either. Besides, cleaning is not a completely benign procedure so it should be done carefully and no more than necessary.

    Both Shilin and Hart websites state the same facts as both of these two manufacturers. The hand lapped, custom stainless barrels are far more smooth and polished in their rifling. This is why some of your custom stainless barrel manufacturers say it is not always a long process or they may even bragg enough to say that it doesn't need to be done. BUT, you must remember that they are talking about their finished, MATCH GRADE, HAND LAPPED, STAINLESS barrels. They are a totally different animal than your factory barrels. Factory barrels are not lapped to the fine polish, nor are they of the same tooling and precision as the rifling in a match stainless barrel, therefore THEY MUST BE BROKEN IN, to reduce fouling and give a longer and more accurate life.

    But you can always bring a chicken too, that way when you cut the head off of it at 200yds from a heated barrel, you'll know it's accurate. I'll bring the grill.[}:)][:p]

    I'm a man,....but I can change,.....If I have to,......I guess.
  • Options
    cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    ok thanks guys...i have seen first hand what not breaking in a bbl does,, when i was a young kid i got a Smith & Wesson model 1500 in 243win and didnt know any better to break it in,it doesnt shoot the best or atleast to my liking,I am pretty fussy about how good a rifle shoots for me. this
    Smith and Wesson rifle probably will be the next rifle i will have rebarreled to 243 ackley in the near future i hope.
    this stealth bbl is showing no signs of copper fouling that i can see by looking"no copper wash at the muzzle" and no green showing on the patches.
    The reason i did 5 shot string was because i was trying to chrono a hand load that i come up with and my chrono wouldnt work, i think because it was very dark over cast clouds anyways i was a little poed that my chrono wasnt working so i tried a couple more shots.
    I can say that i like dewey cleaning rods' i have two of them and they are very nice,one for .308 bore rifles and one for .224 bores.
    I did try to get a duck or two with my other 22-250 couple years ago with head shots but there was a little to much chop on the water.. their heads didnt stay in one place long enough..[:)] it was during duck season[:)]
    Does a pheasant or prairie chicken count? dont have any regular chickens on my farm [:D]
    and like always this is a great site, some very helpful people here, have learned a lot here....again thanks
  • Options
    JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    [|)]

    I'm a man,....but I can change,.....If I have to,......I guess.
  • Options
    uncle milouncle milo Member Posts: 419 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    you all forgot to mention no shots over 50 yds. for the first 100 rds. last thing you want to do is strain the new barrel by makeing long 100 or 200 yd. shots untill the barrel is properly broke-in[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]


    it is better to die on your feet then to live on your knees.
  • Options
    cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    uncle milo a 200 yd shot is not a long shot for me [:D] i take it you dont believe in breaking in a new bbl?
  • Options
    JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    cowdoc, some men you just can't reach. Do it your way, it is correct. I offer advice from the owners of the top barrel manufacturers in the country, and the replies are opinions.

    Chris that owns Pac-Nor holds benchrest records.
    So does the owner of Hart barrels, and Dan Lilja of Lilja Barrels. matter of fact, dan Lilja is a past president of the IBSA.

    Show me a single record holder or benchrest barrel that finishes a 2 or 3 gun aggregate in first place,..and I'll show you a man who breaks in his barrels.

    If people want to shoot 1moa all their life, let em go. If you want to see .250" with your rifle, do what you already know works. Break it in!!![8]



    I'm a man,....but I can change,.....If I have to,......I guess.
  • Options
    cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just c
    i do believe in breaking in BBL, a guy i know that i would never ever ever want shooting at me breaks in his bbls[:D]
Sign In or Register to comment.