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So I finally have a new hunting rifle to take out this season (Nosler M48 Liberty in 26 Nosler) and was reading about barrel break-in. This rifle has a factory hand lapped barrel, so should I really have to go through this whole process? It isn't like there is cheapo ammo out there for this thing to just run down the barrel. We are talking $4.50-5.00 per shot. And that isn't the actual hunting rounds. So there is sight in also. Knew when I bought the thing it wasn't going to be cheap to shoot, but it is a hunting rifle. Probably will be shot at the most 5 times a year if I get lucky. Anyway, opinions?
 
You will likely get a very wide range of answers. Like asking which is better Ford of Chevy, which oil is the best?, it is hard to say what the right answer is. I have heard more than one barrel manufacture state that more good barrels have been ruined from cleaning than shooting. I am of the philosophy of go out and shoot it, clean if accuracy degrades. For you barrels are going to be the cheap part of the equation vs. cost of ammunition. Your barrel will take a couple dozen to 100+ rounds to settle in and show its true performance most likely (best groups and attainable velocity). Some folks like the tedious process of shoot one round, clean for 15-minutes for the first 20, 50, 100 rounds but that isn't me.
 
If you are only willing to spend one box on a break-in that will serve you better than skipping the process. Just do a single round 10 times and then 5 times with two rounds. The goal is to not imbed copper and lead in your fresh steel. I find my barrels that had the three-hour 33-round experience shoot above expectations. It is a rifle that can serve a few lifetimes, do it justice.
 
If you are only willing to spend one box on a break-in that will serve you better than skipping the process. Just do a single round 10 times and then 5 times with two rounds. The goal is to not imbed copper and lead in your fresh steel. I find my barrels that had the three-hour 33-round experience shoot above expectations. It is a rifle that can serve a few lifetimes, do it justice.
Depending on what type of break in you do, the process does imbed copper into the steel essentially "gilding" the barrel uniformly.
 
Depending on what type of break in you do, the process does imbed copper into the steel essentially "gilding" the barrel uniformly.
You just gave me a great half arse idea to go cheap. Push an appropriate size fmj bullet down the barrel manually, clean and keep repeating the processwith a new bullet. Who knows, it might be a positive! :rolleyes:
 
You just gave me a great half arse idea to go cheap. Push an appropriate size fmj bullet down the barrel manually, clean and keep repeating the processwith a new bullet. Who knows, it might be a positive! :rolleyes:
I think the main schools of thought are to either clean all copper out of the bore and mechanically polish by cleaning or to have a controlled copper imbedding and let the bullet do the polishing. This seems like the best option for most non bench rest shooters but YMMV.

Or just shoot it like others mentioned, but It makes sense to my feeble mind though to keep carbon out of the bore for the initial copper fouling.
 
So I finally have a new hunting rifle to take out this season (Nosler M48 Liberty in 26 Nosler) and was reading about barrel break-in. This rifle has a factory hand lapped barrel, so should I really have to go through this whole process?
Where were you reading about this, because Noslers owners manuals says to break in the barrel and outlines the procedure. I would do that, especially if you end up with a warranty issue.
 
You just gave me a great half arse idea to go cheap. Push an appropriate size fmj bullet down the barrel manually, clean and keep repeating the processwith a new bullet. Who knows, it might be a positive! :rolleyes:
That won't work if you're intending it to replace an actual break-in process. It requires a combination of factors. Heat and high pressure being key among them. Simply pushing an FMJ only serves to shave copper but won't do much to actually "polish" or "settle" your barrel.

I'm a believer in listening to barrel manufacturers, and in the end... you certainly won't hurt anything by doing it. It might cost you a bit in the beginning, but even if you feel there is only an off-chance of doing anything to retain long term accuracy over the ages... isn't it better worth it than not?
 
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Lapped barrels still have cut chambers that don't have a lapped throat. The theory of barrel break in is to take the roughness out of the throat so it does not deposit copper in the barrel.

That being said, I wouldn't waste a dime on barrel break-in. If this is a hunting rifle you are only going to sight in a few rounds then kill something with it. You can just clean it between each use and it would be the same as doing break in all at one time on the bench. Maybe in five or ten years your break in procedure will be complete.

My service rifle barrel took a couple hundred rounds before it quit putting copper in the gas system. Imagine how much time and money it would have cost to break it in, especially in a high cost round like a Nosler.
 
Did not expect to have such a wide variety of opinions, or maybe I did which is why I asked. Think I will shoot the first shot, run a soaked cloth through, let it wait, run a dry cloth through a couple times. If second shot is on top of that one, do it again, site in and done.

Really appreciate the opinions! Thanks guys!
 
all I know is if I spent that kind of money on a Nosler rifle Id follow the Nosler break in instruction to the T....
 
Some of the most accurate standard rifles are those Savages with the super rough looking bores, as if bore smoothness is immaterial. How is that possible?
 
That won't work if you're intending it to replace an actual break-in process. It requires a combination of factors. Heat and high pressure being key among them. Simply pushing an FMJ only serves to shave copper but won't do much to actually "polish" or "settle" your barrel.

I'm a believer in listening to barrel manufacturers, and in the end... you certainly won't hurt anything by doing it. It might cost you a bit in the beginning, but even if you feel there is only an off-chance of doing anything to retain long term accuracy over the ages... isn't it better worth it than not?
Just so we are on the same page, I know that would not be worthwhile to shove a bullet down what is probably a 26" barrel, simply a major pain. I was trying to get @Reno worked up, but good on him for not taking the bait.

Shoot, clean, smile!
 
Just so we are on the same page, I know that would not be worthwhile to shove a bullet down what is probably a 26" barrel, simply a major pain. I was trying to get @Reno worked up, but good on him for not taking the bait.

Shoot, clean, smile!
I know you don't actually shoot the guns you keep! ;)
 
Some of the most accurate standard rifles are those Savages with the super rough looking bores, as if bore smoothness is immaterial. How is that possible?
Exactly. This is with a savage. 0 break in.

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It's a HUNTING rifle.

I'm, uh, not that young. Any rifle I buy today.. well, how it shoots in 30 years probably won't be that important to me. When that 6X6 bull elk is standing still for the one shot opportunity you're going to get, 1/4" extra accuracy is gonna be the least of your worries.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend "cheaping out" and only shooting five shots a year. Nothing to do with the break-in process. Familiarity with the rifle is what's more important. I don't necessarily hunt with my most accurate from a benchrest rifles. I hunt with the ones I know and trust.
 
On a lapped bore barrel I just run about 100 rounds at a moderate load (-100 to 125 fps)to get it up to speed as well harden and once fire the brass and clean it once or twice in that period to see what the barrel is doing.

On a bigger magnum I never go much beyond 50 shots without cleaning nor do I let the bore sit dirty for extended periods.
 

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