Barrell Break-In

[SaBoTaGe]

i think to break it it on you have to let me shoot it and have it and I will do it for you, thats just MY .02

[hspratt3]

Originally Posted by SaBoTaGe

i think to break it it on you have to let me shoot it and have it and I will do it for you, thats just MY .02

With a name like SaBoTaGe, you aren't getting near my toys

[Mercmar]

Originally Posted by Uriel999

I don't know enough to argue whether or not fluting a barrel stiffens it but a fluted barrel looks effing sweet!

I'm using a YHM fluted barrel on my recent build. Love it, but it doesn't stiffen the barrel. As to a local gunsmith's recommendations on barrel break-in...wonder what the chances are that ANY "local gunsmith" knows as much about barrels as Gale McMillan knew??

[SaBoTaGe]

Originally Posted by hspratt3

With a name like SaBoTaGe, you aren't getting near my toys

that goes back to when I was a kid.....I loved Firefly aka sabotage on Gi joe....

[nateroach]

I remember reading an article in American Rifleman here in the last couple of months that discussed "breaking in a barrel." They talked about Tubbs Final Finish line of ammo and several other schools of thought. It came down to a couple of things and long story short... it doesn't matter.

here is the article.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/Webc...leanbarrel.pdf

enjoy

[Yuppicide]

Originally Posted by hspratt3

it really needed? Does it make a diffrence in barrel ware and performance?

According to the November issue of Rifleman Magazine:

NO

"Many obsessive riflemen “know” a lot of things about the insides of their barrels. They know they must break-in barrels and that any bore only slightly smudged by the passage of bullets will shoot less accurately compared with a barrel as clean as Aunt Josie’s kitchen floor.

First, let’s examine “proper” barrel break-in. According to just about everybody, this is accomplished by firing one shot, cleaning the barrel of all powder and copper fouling, firing another shot, cleaning, etc. Advice on how long to continue this tedious routine varies from 10 to 30 rounds. The procedure supposedly smooths the bore, making it much more accurate and less prone to jacket fouling. Some even claim that a barrel that isn’t broken-in “properly” will be ruined forever, unable to produce the half-inch groups necessary for the slaying of white-tailed deer.

I’ve asked many shooters how they know this to be true. The usual answer is that everybody knows a barrel must be broken-in, because so many people know how. Thus the answer becomes circular: If it isn’t necessary to break-in a barrel, why are there instructions on doing it? This resembles a dog chasing his own tail......."

A Clean Barrel


.

[AZXD]

Please consider the following with an open mind and try to forget what you have read or been told about barrel break in procedures.
.
.
20-30 years ago, you were lucky if you could go into a store and purchase a rifle that shot better than 2-4 MOA
Why ??
Manufacturing techniques !!!

Today, you are buying a really poorly quality controlled rifle, if it can't shoot 1 MOA using good quality off the shelf ammo, and can often take that rifle into the 1/2 MOA region if you are hand-loading and take the time to do it right.

Now if you want to pay a premium, it is possible to purchase a rifle that will shoot 1/2 MOA with good quality off the shelf ammo.

Why ???
Manufacturing techniques have improved.

When you consider the top small-bore competitors clean a barrel at the start of the season, and then do nothing more than run an occasional patch through the barrel as the season progresses, after having ruined a barrel or 2 by over-cleaning ... Why would you want to screw up something the manufacturer has spent so much time and money perfecting in an automated fashion.

FWIW,
YES, the small-bore guys shoot at lower velocities, but they also shoot non-jacketed bullets that are susceptible to leading a barrel.

So how does this compare to the higher velocity center-fire rifle and it's barrel ??
They typically shoot a jacketed bullet, and thus are susceptible to copper build-up ... But if the barrel is smooth to begin with, the build-up will be negligible, and is easily remedied with proper care.

The entire purpose of barrel break in, is to remove small imperfections that occur inside the barrel during manufacturing ... But manufacturing techniques have obviously improved over the years.

Do you really need to break in the barrel ??
How much of the (manufacturers) cost of your rifle was spent on the barrel ??

That is my opinion on this subject.
A good quality barrel does not need to be broken in ... It needs to be properly maintained

[Shaniac]

Originally Posted by hspratt3

I over heard someone talking about this, so I did some searching. I found a vid on Midway USA's site and also this link Gun Barrel Break-In Procedure

I was wondering if anyone here has really done this? Is it really needed? Does it make a diffrence in barrel ware and performance?

I am a member of the NRA and I get a subscription of "The American Rifleman" as one of the perks of being a member. In this months issue they had a big article on the myths of breaking barrels. They ran tests on barrels broken in properly and barrels that were not broken in. after 1,000 of rounds through each barrell, there were not any differences in accuracy between the broken in barrel and non-broken in barrel.....

[vafish]

Originally Posted by nateroach

I remember reading an article in American Rifleman here in the last couple of months that discussed "breaking in a barrel." They talked about Tubbs Final Finish line of ammo and several other schools of thought. It came down to a couple of things and long story short... it doesn't matter.

here is the article.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/Webc...leanbarrel.pdf

enjoy

But as the author pointed out no one has ever taken 20 barrels from one manufacturer and tested 10 with a "Break In" procedure and 1 with just shooting them to see what the difference is.

So it never has been scientifically tested.

[nateroach]

vafish, your right Scientifically it has not been tested, but as the artice states..

"In fact, many barrel-makers and custom riflesmiths
state that “pre-group” break-in makes no difference,
especially with lapped barrels. Yet some of the same
barrel-makers and gunsmiths will outline a tedious
break-in method. Why? Because their customers
demand one, having heard about barrel break-in
from their buddies and the Internet. This evidently
counts more than the opinion of a mere barrelmaker
or gunsmith"

All I know is that barrel makers know a lot more about the barrel that they are producing than nearly every shooter out there. If they say it isn't needed, i'll take their word for it. if other people feel more comfortable doing a break in procedure, go for it, i just see little need for one.