New Rifle Barrel Break-in for Accuracy?

[Dwesson]

Go back and see my post #181.
Its not about Velocity per se , it IS about Accuracy and Consistency shot after shot.
.22LR and other rimfires are the cartridges we shooters have No control over , we rely on the manufacturer , then we weigh each cartridge and sort by weight and rim thickness to increase our CHANCES for that elusive 100-10x score from a factory rifle.
You wont get that kind of score without some amount of break in / seasoning of your bore.
Centerfire is a whole different ballgame with case selection, powder and amount, bullet selection, seating depth, primer used and it gets almost scientific using the ladder load procedure to find the load that bugholes the target bullseye.
You do ladder load to find the optimum accuracy round don't you ?

Accuracy is almost as easy to measure as velocity. Again, chuck up 2 barrels, same manufacturer same ammo in the same action. Go through the procedure with one and not the other, after Z rounds measure your groups.

Consistency, assuming you're talking about the ES/StD in your velocities, even easier to measure than accuracy and is a byproduct of your velocity measurements. Are you talking about something else when you say consistency?

This isn't that hard, yet no one seems to want to do it to put it to bed.

The picture I posted of my 308 is on a target literally titled Optimal Charge Weight Target, I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Probably 98% of people don't do a "break-in" on their $50,000 automobiles so why would they do it for a glorified tube?

 

[CLT65]

Here's another question along the lines of "What are we actually talking about here":

How does breaking in a barrel effect the average shooter? What advantage can a non-bench rest guy expect from it?

Is it purely a specialized precision technique, to milk out a few thousandths better groups, or vitally important for the average hunter?

I think it's safe to say that whatever your view on break-in, for the average guy with a mass produced.22lr and bulk ammo, or lever action 30-30, it's an exercise in futility.

 

[Dwesson]

Here's another question along the lines of "What are we actually talking about here":

How does breaking in a barrel effect the average shooter? What advantage can a non-bench rest guy expect from it?

Is it purely a specialized precision technique, to milk out a few thousandths better groups, or vitally important for the average hunter?

I think it's safe to say that whatever your view on break-in, for the average guy with a mass produced.22lr and bulk ammo, or lever action 30-30, it's an exercise in futility.

+1000

Not to mention the other claims about longevity and ease of cleaning, most people will never shoot out a barrel of any commercially available caliber. Not to mention that the life of a barrel is going to depend a lot more on how hard you run it than some barrel break in.

As for the cleaning thing, I'm not sure anyone is going to know the difference between running one or two extra patches through. Frankly I don't strip the copper out of my guns for hundreds if not thousand+ rounds.

 

[DLS]

Here's another question along the lines of "What are we actually talking about here":

How does breaking in a barrel effect the average shooter? What advantage can a non-bench rest guy expect from it?

Is it purely a specialized precision technique, to milk out a few thousandths better groups, or vitally important for the average hunter?

I think it's safe to say that whatever your view on break-in, for the average guy with a mass produced.22lr and bulk ammo, or lever action 30-30, it's an exercise in futility.

Or to put the question in another way ...

Is doing something to gain a 1/4 MOA of accuracy worth it when you have a 3 MOA hold? I'll bet the average shooter is right there to worse in field positions and can do no better than 1 MOA off a bench.

(Assuming you can actually improve the accuracy in the first place)

 

[CLT65]

You are shooting the target the whole time you are breaking in a barrel... sometimes you will see the shots tighten up in as few as 10 rounds , again , as i stated, i shoot the first 5 and clean after each, then start my 3 shot and clean, to observe what my barrel is telling me. Lets say shots 12,13, and 14 shoot a clover leaf , I will run a dry patch down the barrel , and start shooting groups from that point.
Shots 15-20 should be a very tight group if the ammo is consistent.

What you describe here makes perfect sense to me, and is much more reasonable than the old traditional break-in that I remember. Thank you for posting that!

 

[Mooseman]

Accuracy is almost as easy to measure as velocity. Again, chuck up 2 barrels, same manufacturer same ammo in the same action. Go through the procedure with one and not the other, after Z rounds measure your groups.

Consistency, assuming you're talking about the ES/StD in your velocities, even easier to measure than accuracy and is a byproduct of your velocity measurements. Are you talking about something else when you say consistency?

This isn't that hard, yet no one seems to want to do it to put it to bed.

The picture I posted of my 308 is on a target literally titled Optimal Charge Weight Target, I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

I'm talking Consistent accuracy shot after shot even when your barrel is heating up during the timed competition and if I know my bullet is going where the crosshair is , then the rest is on me, my breathing, my heartbeat, my trigger squeeze, the position of my stock in the Caldwell rest are all relevant. If I move .001 of an inch then that equates to a 1 inch difference at 100 yards or 1/2 inch at 50 yards which can mean the difference between being in the top 3 or losing the match.
I can take 2 identical centerfire barrels and chamber and headspace them the same and mount them on a trued receiver with the same torque and I guarantee you they will each shoot differently with the same ammo. I can change POI by changing the torque on the front and rear screws. I can get an increase in velocity just by putting a certain oil in my bore and letting it sit for a while before mopping it out , the chrono will show a 50-75 FPS velocity increase from the same ammo and that will shoot a tad higher at the target.
Winchester even proved that only certain barrels from the same machines would shoot very accurately and hence went on the 1 of 100 marked guns they built...
All I can do is share what I have done and what I know works and its a matter of personal choice what you do with your guns...

 

[Mooseman]

What you describe here makes perfect sense to me, and is much more reasonable than the old traditional break-in that I remember. Thank you for posting that!

You're Welcome ! Happy shooting....

 

[Mooseman]

Or to put the question in another way ...

Is doing something to gain a 1/4 MOA of accuracy worth it when you have a 3 MOA hold? I'll bet the average shooter is right there to worse in field positions and can do no better than 1 MOA off a bench.

(Assuming you can actually improve the accuracy in the first place)

The point is... Not ALL of us want to be Average shooters... just like most Golfers don't want to just be average Golfers.

 

[Dwesson]

I'm talking Consistent accuracy shot after shot even when your barrel is heating up during the timed competition and if I know my bullet is going where the crosshair is , then the rest is on me, my breathing, my heartbeat, my trigger squeeze, the position of my stock in the Caldwell rest are all relevant. If I move .001 of an inch then that equates to a 1 inch difference at 100 yards or 1/2 inch at 50 yards which can mean the difference between being in the top 3 or losing the match.
I can take 2 identical centerfire barrels and chamber and headspace them the same and mount them on a trued receiver with the same torque and I guarantee you they will each shoot differently with the same ammo. I can change POI by changing the torque on the front and rear screws. I can get an increase in velocity just by putting a certain oil in my bore and letting it sit for a while before mopping it out , the chrono will show a 50-75 FPS velocity increase from the same ammo and that will shoot a tad higher at the target.
Winchester even proved that only certain barrels from the same machines would shoot very accurately and hence went on the 1 of 100 marked guns they built...
All I can do is share what I have done and what I know works and its a matter of personal choice what you do with your guns...

You've basically laid out the case why the "barrel break in procedure" has so many confounding variables with regard to accuracy that you can't possibly measure it. This is an unfalsifiability fallacy.

So what MEASURABLE benefit can you get out of barrel break in>

As for the magical oil that adds 70FPS, what is it?

 

[DLS]

The point is... Not ALL of us want to be Average shooters... just like most Golfers don't want to just be average Golfers.

And what does that have to do with what I posted? Talk about a nonsequitur!

Unless you are stating that you have to do barrel break-in to be other than average?

 

[Mooseman]

You've basically laid out the case why the "barrel break in procedure" has so many confounding variables with regard to accuracy that you can't possibly measure it. This is an unfalsifiability fallacy.

So what MEASURABLE benefit can you get out of barrel break in>

As for the magical oil that adds 70FPS, what is it?

Again... the measurable Benefit is tighter groups , less barrel fouling, and Consistent accuracy at longer ranges .
The oil I use is a trade secret ... sorry.

 

[11Charlie]

I think we need an emoji with some little dude pissing in the wind!!

 

[Dwesson]

Again... the measurable Benefit is tighter groups , less barrel fouling, and Consistent accuracy at longer ranges .
The oil I use is a trade secret ... sorry.

And again you demonstrated, measurably, none of those things, nor defined long ranges.

You've also seemed to confine your criteria to bench rest 22LR where you are beholden to the whims of the ammunition manufacturer.

I'm sure your trade secret oil is also derived from snakes.

 

[Dwesson]

I think we need an emoji with some little dude pissing in the wind!!

This one seems to convey a similar message...

 

[11Charlie]

This one seems to convey a similar message...

I kinda feel like this!


Edit: Just to clarify its just my mood today not just this thread. My employees are being a pain in my arse LOL

 

[DLS]

... I can get an increase in velocity just by putting a certain oil in my bore ...

What type of oil will not vaporize or denature within the first round or two, not to mention just plain being ejected in front of the projectile as it passes down the bore? The bullet makes a very efficient wipe on anything over a few microns in thickness.

Not trying to be pissy here … but this files in the face of all my organic chemistry training.

 

[Mooseman]

And again you demonstrated, measurably, none of those things, nor defined long ranges.

You've also seemed to confine your criteria to bench rest 22LR where you are beholden to the whims of the ammunition manufacturer.

I'm sure your trade secret oil is also derived from snakes.

I shoot 300 H&H mag at 100 to 600 yards , I shoot .50 BMG at 600 to 1000 yards, I shoot a National Match M1A at 100-300 yards, and my current 22-250 varmint rifle build (as seen in this Thread) should be good from 100 to 800 yards once i get it broke in and the load using Sierra Matchkings is determined. I have 2- AR-15s I custom built I have not Benched yet due to the weather, so i have other choices besides my .22 Bench guns.
Why do you keep poking me with your Verbal stick ?
Yeah , I squeeze Copperheads with my bare hands to get one drop of magic oil out of em ...

 

[Mooseman]

What type of oil will not vaporize or denature within the first round or two, not to mention just plain being ejected in front of the projectile as it passes down the bore? The bullet makes a very efficient wipe on anything over a few microns in thickness.

Not trying to be pissy here … but this files in the face of all my organic chemistry training.

Think along the lines of a High temperature synthetic that micro bonds to the steel reducing friction but unlike Moly is not Hydroscopic. I oil the barrel bore but remove the excess so there is no push of oil.

 

[Mooseman]

I think we need an emoji with some little dude pissing in the wind!!

I think we need one with a Facepalm....