New Rifle Barrel Break-in for Accuracy?

[Dwesson]

Actually, it's about opinions. Show me scientific data that backs up the notion that breaking in the barrel is bad and make me a believer. Links that are someone's point of view or opinion don't count.

If breaking in a barrel is a myth, why do bench rest shooters do it?

People do all sorts of thing because it's been told to them or it's out of habit. It doesn't mean it's correct.

Do we really want to list off all the weird stuff that competitors in sports do because they think it makes a difference?

 

[Mooseman]

Great, who makes your barrels?

Shilen , Krieger , Green Mountain , Winchester to name a few

 

[Kruel J]

Actually, it's about opinions. Show me scientific data that backs up the notion that breaking in the barrel is bad and make me a believer. Links that are someone's point of view or opinion don't count.

If breaking in a barrel is a myth, why do bench rest shooters do it?

Show me scientific data that it does anything positive or backs up the claims of longer barrel life, better accuracy or faster projectiles.

I'm not here to go in circles with you. So let's not.

 

[Dwesson]

My point exactly--gunsmith and competition shooter who knows more than most about the inside of guns! Aren't we talking about a break-in period of 100 rounds, and then regular cleaning of the rifle bore? Or is there more to it?

Neither are metallurgists. Brian Litz is the ballistician for Berger bullets, he probably knows more about ballistics than virtually anyone. I don't see him winning PRS matches ...

 

[Mooseman]

Lived in Ardmore about 40 years ago.

I'm East of Hugo !

 

[Kruel J]

Shilen , Krieger , Green Mountain , Winchester to name a few

Per Shilen's website:

How should I break-in my new Shilen barrel?
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning.
Here is our standard recommendation: Clean after each shot for the first 5 shots. The remainder of the break-in is to clean every 5 shots for the next 50 shots. During this time, don't just shoot bullets down the barrel during this 50 shot procedure. This is a great time to begin load development. Zero the scope over the first 5 shots, and start shooting for accuracy with 5-shot groups for the next 50 shots. Same thing applies to fire forming cases for improved or wildcat cartridges. Just firing rounds down a barrel to form brass without any regard to their accuracy is a mistake. It is a waste of time and barrel life.

 

[MannyGlocks]

My idea of break in: Shoot at least 200/300 rounds and whatever you're shooting will loosen up and act right!

 

[papersoldier]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how a boresnake can burnish steel. Burnishing is a plastic deformation of a material plane that occurs when another material that meets or exceeds the yield strength of the first material rubs against it. This is why burnishing shotgun bores is accomplished by pushing steel wool through the barrel with a dowel. How does a brass brush on a nylon string deform hardened steel?

 

[Dwesson]

If you want to spend a day at the range "breaking in" your barrel, have at it. If someone is willing to actually produce some evidence beyond anecdotal that going through a very specific regimen somehow improves the barrels:

• speed
• cleaning ability
• accuracy
• longevity <-- a lot of confounding variables in this one

I'll gladly listen, until then I'm in the barrel break in is voodoo nonsense.

Now if you excuse me I'm going to go put my underwear on I haven't washed since my last varsity basketball game, I have a pickup game at the YMCA over lunch....

 

[Kruel J]

If you want to spend a day at the range "breaking in" your barrel, have at it. If someone is willing to actually produce some evidence beyond anecdotal that going through a very specific regimen somehow improves the barrels:

• speed
• cleaning ability
• accuracy
• longevity <-- a lot of confounding variables in this one

I'll gladly listen, until then I'm in the barrel break in is voodoo nonsense.

Now if you excuse me I'm going to go put my underwear on I haven't washed since my my last varsity basketball game, I have a pickup game at the YMCA over lunch....

I would gladly listen as well.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat my PB&J with the crusts cut off and get my chores done so mom will let me play xbox later.

 

[Dwesson]

Per Shilen's website:

How should I break-in my new Shilen barrel?
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning.
Here is our standard recommendation: Clean after each shot for the first 5 shots. The remainder of the break-in is to clean every 5 shots for the next 50 shots. During this time, don't just shoot bullets down the barrel during this 50 shot procedure. This is a great time to begin load development. Zero the scope over the first 5 shots, and start shooting for accuracy with 5-shot groups for the next 50 shots. Same thing applies to fire forming cases for improved or wildcat cartridges. Just firing rounds down a barrel to form brass without any regard to their accuracy is a mistake. It is a waste of time and barrel life.

You know how Shilen believes this is BS? They tell you to do load development over barrel break in. If breaking in a barrel materially changed accuracy you wouldn't be able to do load development and break in at the same time!

 

[Mister Bisley]

Per Shilen's website:

How should I break-in my new Shilen barrel?
Break-in procedures are as diverse as cleaning techniques. Shilen, Inc. introduced a break-in procedure mostly because customers seemed to think that we should have one. By and large, we don't think breaking-in a new barrel is a big deal. All our stainless steel barrels have been hand lapped as part of their production, as well as any chrome moly barrel we install. Hand lapping a barrel polishes the interior of the barrel and eliminates sharp edges or burrs that could cause jacket deformity. This, in fact, is what you are doing when you break-in a new barrel through firing and cleaning.
Here is our standard recommendation: Clean after each shot for the first 5 shots. The remainder of the break-in is to clean every 5 shots for the next 50 shots. During this time, don't just shoot bullets down the barrel during this 50 shot procedure. This is a great time to begin load development. Zero the scope over the first 5 shots, and start shooting for accuracy with 5-shot groups for the next 50 shots. Same thing applies to fire forming cases for improved or wildcat cartridges. Just firing rounds down a barrel to form brass without any regard to their accuracy is a mistake. It is a waste of time and barrel life.

This is pretty much how I go about my barrel break-in. I'm very confused by your stance here.

 

[Kruel J]

You know how Shilen believes this is BS? They tell you to do load development over barrel break in. If breaking in a barrel materially changed accuracy you wouldn't be able to do load development and break in at the same time!

It's all fluff. The first few sentences say it all. Basically they think barrel break in is BS but since customers asked they felt they had to come up with something to appease the consumer.

 

[Dwesson]

This is pretty much how I go about my barrel break-in. I'm very confused by your stance here.

Shilen is telling you they don't believe it's necessary but that old timers that grew up hearing and doing break in kept calling them asking for a procedure. So they put that on the website so they would stop getting hassled.

 

[Kruel J]

This is pretty much how I go about my barrel break-in. I'm very confused by your stance here.

I'm confused why you keep quoting my posts and asking me about my stance. I'm BY FAR not the only one who doubts the validity of barrel break in yet you continue to quote MY posts....

Is there anything else I can help you with?

 

[G8rHunter]

People do all sorts of thing because it's been told to them or it's out of habit. It doesn't mean it's correct.

Do we really want to list off all the weird stuff that competitors in sports do because they think it makes a difference?

Do you really want to broaden this discussion? Ted Williams had a habit of 400 ghost-strokes before each game. Not 300 or 500 but 400; he was also the purest hitter to ever play baseball. The great players in every sport had routines, and some of them were flat-out superstitious! Hell, I wouldn't criticize Michael Jordan for all the practice he did on free-throws. He won many games at the foul line. Larry Bird stayed on the court long after everyone else went home, practicing shooting. Why, because he was a poor shooter?

 

[Mooseman]

I have just finished one AR-15 project with an air gauged barrel with 5R (Russian) rifling to test claims of accuracy and actually getting higher velocity from the same ammo compared to regular rifling.It goes on the Benchrest as soon as the weather gets better.
I have another Krieger 5R rifled .30 heavy barrel to build for Bealzybub when he comes down from Portland and brings the donor action. We will post results in the future when we git 'er Done !

 

[Mooseman]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how a boresnake can burnish steel. Burnishing is a plastic deformation of a material plane that occurs when another material that meets or exceeds the yield strength of the first material rubs against it. This is why burnishing shotgun bores is accomplished by pushing steel wool through the barrel with a dowel. How does a brass brush on a nylon string deform hardened steel?

A boresnake only cleans the bore...its the fired copper jacketed bullets at high velocity that burnish the bore.

 

[Dwesson]

Do you really want to broaden this discussion? Ted Williams had a habit of 400 ghost-strokes before each game. Not 300 or 500 but 400; he was also the purest hitter to ever play baseball. The great players in every sport had routines, and some of them were flat-out superstitious! Hell, I wouldn't criticize Michael Jordan for all the practice he did on free-throws. He won many games at the foul line. Larry Bird stayed on the court long after everyone else went home, practicing shooting. Why, because he was a poor shooter?

If you need to properly break in your barrel so you can be sure it's you, and not your gun or your ammo leading to your performance, by all means.

When my shots don't go where I want'em though, I usually blame it on the trigger puller (me)

 

[G8rHunter]

I'm East of Hugo !

Yeah, east of Ardmore!