Is barrel break in really that sensative?

[Survivor]

I've got a Savage 110 in 243 that I've barely shot.  I shoot some and clean it with a bore snake.  I've put maybe 60 rounds through it and cleaned the barrel a handful of times.  I cought an interesting thread on a new barrel being shot a few times, cleaned with a JB product and he never looking back.  Shoot a bit...clean it...shoot some more, clean it.  I'm low maintenance to some degree so that spoke to me but I want my rifles to last and perform well of course.  I think its still early enough to do this rifle right and develop good gun care habits.  With new guns on the horizon now is the time to tighten up my act.  Any low maintenance advice?
THNX

[Mikey]

I don't think there are really any short cuts to proper maintenance.  Even stainless steel will corrode, rust or pit if not maintained, so be careful of what you read.  I know JB produces a number of great products but also produces the wrong products for firearms maintenance.  60 rounds is really nothing down a Savage barrel - geez, she probably hasn't even warmed up yet... 

About the best thing you can do is clean her up and wipe her down when you're finished with a shooting session.  Use a good bore brush to scrub out residue and fouling in your bore and keep at it until your patches come out dry.  You may also wish to check your trigger mechanism for dirt buildup but your bolt should still be pretty clean yet if they disassemble easily I would check and clean it. 

I wipe my gun metal down after cleaning so that oil buildup doesn't attract dust and lint.  A little bit of preventative maintenance will go a long way toward keepng a firearm in like new condition for generations.  HTH.  Mikey.

[shilo]

Barrel break in is a process in which you let the bullets do the final "lapping" on a new barrel. A new barrel will have very fine burrs or rough spots in the barrel that will catch bullet jacket material and cause the barrel to foul. Breaking in uses the bullets to polish out these final imperfections in the barrel. The benefits to breaking in a barrel is that the barrel will not foul, accumulate copper jacketing, as quickly, will maintain accuracy for more shots between cleaning, and will clean up easier. Breaking in a barrel is work and takes a couple of hours but the results are well worth it. I use the Sincair method.   You can not break a barrel in with a bore snake. A bore snake is minimum maintance. A bore snake will not remove copper jacket fouling. If your really interested in peak accuracy and maintaining it get Sinclair Internationals book Precision Reloading & Shooting Handbook.

[Cement Man]

I agree with Mikey and Shilo.
I almost stay away from this subject because there are literally a gazillion opinions on how to break in a barrel. Even the premium barrel manufactureres and gunsmiths vary quite a bit.  Some folks do some hand lapping, use JB bore paste, etc. to hasten the polishing process while others use a variety of shoot/clean/shoot/clean cycles, and everything in between. Good results are reported with a lot of different methods.  I'm not a bench rest shooter and honestly, I don't hold my expectations to tiny fractions of an inch because I am primarily a hunter and a casual shooter - but I do believe in good maintenance and taking care of my guns.  I think it makes sense to break in a new barrel with some care, and I agree - a bore snake is not the right thing to start with. 
I will have to admit to having used both methods - some judicious use of JB and/either/or Flitz - or the shoot/clean/shoot/clean cycles.  I don't think I've screwed anything up too badly - my guns all shoot better than me, but like I said, I don't have the expectations or requirements that others might have. 
Bottom line to me is - it is worth some extra care to break in a new barrel and keep it clean, use the proper tools, and be careful of your crown when you clean.

[Redhawk1]

I just shoot them ands clean them. I get MOA and some of my rifles get sub MOA.  I don't see a real need for a barrel break in. Now if you were shooting in a competition you may want to do a barrel break in. But I don't compete and never intend to. So my method works great for me.

[Val]

There's a lot of folks that don't think barrel break in is necessary. It might be for competition bench shooters but for hunting and informal target practice, I don't think it's necessary. I do thoroughly clean my guns after each use but I never do any kind of a formal barrel break-in.

[Cement Man]

Shooting moderately and cleaning well afterwards, the break-in process occurs whether you want to call it that or not.  I don't disagree with Val or Redhawk, but I do feel that the cleaning process should not be neglected.

[shilo]

Even if you don't compete the benefit of breaking in a barrel is that it will foul less and make cleaning in the future easier. When I say foul I mean the copper jacket fouling that can build up in barrels over time and degrade accuracy. My barrels after break in foul very little making cleaning much easier. Cement Man you are correct that a break-in process does occur over time as long as when the gun is cleaned the copper is being removed from the barrel. The only way to remove copper fouling from a barrel is to use a copper remover. Brushing and powder sovent won't remove it. It only takes 60 rounds and a couple hours to break a barrel in and I feel it is well worth it.

[Rogue Ram]

The correct answer is "it depends on the gun".  Some of my guns it makes no difference. BUT, my Medesha built M1A with Krieger barrel went from over 4" groups @ 100 to about 1/2" during the break in process right before my eyes.  I agree with Shilo, its the final lapping. I am guessing, just guessing, that it is entirely possibly the groups would have shrank just by shooting those rounds through it minus the cleaning between each round/every other round/every 5th round and so on.

The arguments about how to do it and how to clean a bore will drive you nuts: chemical vs. mechanical methods, etc. I finally settled on nice bore guides for all my rifles, nice one piece rod, quality brushes and proper patches, and am real careful around the crown when brushing or patching. I do the break in on all of them as I agree, it does make cleaning easier on most of them.

Later

RR

[Survivor]

I was an average math student as a kid.  Years later when I got into carpentry/picture framing and construction I made regular use of decimal conversions ect.  It never mattered until I had an application for it.  You helped make all of this practical and useful.  That's just how my brain works.  Working down the burs in the barrel makes sense.  Any how.  If copper is the enemy should I avoid copper brushes?  I found some nylon one's on Midway.  Probably not.  There's still hope for this savage.  I'll get a guide and a better rod.  Mine is a 3 piece and its not couted.  I have an all purpose/do-it-all solvent but I'll get a good copper solvent too.  Good info again guys.  You're pulling me through.  Happy new year.  Be safe.

[bigjeepman]

Survivor ...

The only thing I will add to what has already been said is  ... take that 3 piece non-coated cleaning rod and make a tomato stake out it. I suggest you go buy a $20 to $30 (or whatever they cost now) Tipton or Dewey one piece rod. Some are made of steel and some are nylon coated ... it is another debate on which is best. For sure, either one is quite an improvement over the 3 piece you now use.

[Cement Man]

Like bigjeepman stated - that cleaning rod is really the baseline equipment, and a good one like Tipton or Dewey makes the job a whole lot easier, safer, and better. The other thing is, I have recently started using some of the foam type cleaners as recommended by many on this board, and I really like them.  Quickdtoo turned me on to Wipe Out and some others.  Put a little foam in at night, clean the next day with patches.  My barrels are staying very clean and they do a good job with carbon as well as copper. 

And Happy New Year to you all too!

[shilo]

Survivor, your definately on the right path. A good cleaning rod, I like coated. A bore guide, helps protect the bore and keeps crud and solvents out of the action. Bronze brushes are fine, but you'll want to use a nylon one with the copper remover - the copper remover will attack the bronze brushes. A good all purpose cleaner, I like shooter's choice. And copper remover. Clean the barrel as you normally would to remove powder fouling. Then run a patch soaked with the copper remover through the barrel. Waite 5 minutes, or what the directions on the bottle say, and run a dry patch through. If the patch comes out blue/green, that the copper coming out and repeat until the patches come out clean. Then follow up with a good oil to prevent rust.  I have no experience with the foam type cleaners. I'm going to have to look into them. Sounds like you are going to take excellent care of this rifle and it will deliver years of excellent service for you.

[jro45]

When braking in a new barrel I just do what I always do when shooting. I'll fire 2 or 3 rounds let the barrel cool
and do it again until I'm done shooting. Then I take it home and clean it and take the copper out. I always leave a little copper in for that first round. I then coat the barrel with WD40. Been doing this way for 45 years.

[Redhawk1]

Shooting moderately and cleaning well afterwards, the break-in process occurs whether you want to call it that or not.  I don't disagree with Val or Redhawk, but I do feel that the cleaning process should not be neglected.

I clean my guns every time I shoot them, one shot or 50 they get cleaned. 

[safetysheriff]

if copper or powder fouling are not cleaned out of the firearm before the bore is smoothed out then the copper will be 'ironed into' the pores in the bore and will probably create problems later. 

when i break-in a bore i clean it after every several shots..........maybe every four to six.   i use a bronze brush.   i use Hoppe's #9 and let the brush do the work during the break-in.    a nylon-brush, to me, is probably a waste, unless cleaning a muzzleloader.   

don't clean after every shot like some say. and i wouldn't use any bore paste or any other abrasive compound that can also be left in the bore if not properly removed.   a bronze brush is abrasive enough to clean the bore.   

take care,

ss' 

[Little Joe]

I like Tyetra gun care products. They have worked for me very well over the years. They have a great web site that will walk you through the process. Just hit the print button on your computer. There are many fine products out there. I am just sharing with you what has worked with me. I too am breaking in a new barrel on my new rifle.  It is a Weatherby Vanguard.

http://www.tetraproducts.com/cleaning_tips.asp
Regards

Little Joe