New rifle barrel run in

[njc110381]

Hi guys. I'm picking up my new rifle tomorrow and am wondering if I should get some factory jacketed ammo to run the barrel in? I'm thinking it will smooth the machining roughness out a little better and maybe make it shoot soft lead better? What do you think? I'd appreciate your thoughts please.

[mattw]

I usually load a couple of hundred jacketed for most of my new guns just for that purpose. Is it needed? Not really sure, but in my mind it helps.

[DAFzipper]

I have guns that have never seen a jacketed bullet and probably never will.

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[bmortell]

id clean then shoot a jacketed, repeat a few times, cleaning before each so your not embedding fouling in whatever your smoothing

[dverna]

I shoot one and clean
Shoot two and clean
Shoot three and clean
Shoot five and clean.
Then clean every 10 shots another couple of times

Did it on the last two rifles I broke in. A M70 and a T/ C Compass and both are sub MOA. NOt sure it is necessary but it was recommended to me and it worked....or maybe not. No way of telling.

I have a new rifle to wring out and will follow the same procedure

BTW, only shoot jacketed in rifles, except for the pistol caliber carbines.

[njc110381]

Thanks guys. I'll buy a few cheap factory rounds to run it in. I'm hoping it will work well with cast later on and plan to use the gun to try to develop a good hunting load with them. First idea is to run a lee c309-170f with a high tin alloy and added hollow point.

[barrabruce]

You could just hand Lapp the barrel concentrating around the throat and crown.
Paper patching will smooth and polish well if shot dry and cleaned frequently also.
I’m not a real fan of fire lapping.

There will be some burnishing from the chamber reamer to smooth out.

[waksupi]

I have several rifles I built that have never had a jacketed bullet in them. As long as you have good fit and lube, the cast will shoot fine without any special process.

[centershot]

Well, according to Gale McMillan of McMillan Barrels........

https://www.6mmbr.com/GailMcMbreakin.html

[dverna]

Well, according to Gale McMillan of McMillan Barrels........

https://www.6mmbr.com/GailMcMbreakin.html

There could be a difference in the finish quality of a custom barrel vs the cheap barrels found on something like my Compass. I doubt I could buy a McMillan barrel for the $225 I paid for the entire gun>>>LOL.

Plus the rounds used for breaking in are not wasted. After the last 4 shot group, I am shooting 5 shot groups to test loads anyway. For the two rifles mentioned in my post above, I had a sub MOA load after 50 shots through each.

Cannot comment on cast bullets but expect they would not cause nearly the wear of jacketed. From what I have seen, cast bullets will not achieve the accuracy of a jacketed bullet so the point may be moot. If I wanted a cast bullet rifle, I would do the break in with jacketed.

Are 45-55 bullets going to wear out a barrel??? I will do as I have done as so far it has yielded results. It may have done nothing...but it did not do any harm either. And if I get a gun that will not shoot, I will not have to ask, "I wonder if I should have done the break-in?"

[charlie b]

Have had two rifles I did not do a break in process. I have regretted it both times now. Took over 200 rounds to settle down and I believe that could have been shortened if I had taken the extra time for the break in process.

[turtlezx]

be intresting to take 2 guns exactly the same and do 1 each way and compare .
Otherwize how do you know if breakin works??

[bmortell]

There is no 2 guns that are the same though. Youd have to have a large sample size to smooth out the data and see any valid result. But nobody really goes to the gun store and says ill take 30 savage axis please

[turtlezx]

so this barrel break in is unproven to do anything??

[44Blam]

Most of my guns only shoot lead. Those guns start out on lead and will never see a J-word bullet.

I've got a Remlin 1895 that has only ever shot lead. I have a skinner sight on it and have been able to hit 2' diameter targets at 400 yards consistenly with that sight setup. I'm thinking of buying a post sight to see if I can consistenly hit at 800 or 1000 yards... Pretty sure it will.

I "shot in" a couple guns and finally just decided to shoot them and it works for me.

[charlie b]

The break in process is proven to work. The method is the part people have differences on, ie, how many rounds does it take to 'break in' the barrel.

And, interesting enough, some rifles will shoot really well with 'rough' bores. Some have theories that the rough bore simply fills up with copper until it is smooth. They have plotted curves of accuracy vs rounds fired and show a definite leveling off point. It usually shows that 20 to 100 rounds are required to 'fill' the 'pits' and reach optimal accuracy. Then 300 to ?? rounds before accuracy falls off again. This means a really good copper removal session and start over.

There are also people who say not to clean the barrel at all until accuracy falls off.

I have one barrel that likes being shot when it is fouled with copper and can also go several hundred rounds without being cleaned at all. The other one likes to be cleaned of all copper after each shooting session. This is for 1/2MOA accuracy, not precision shooting.

How does this relate to cast bullets? Don't know as I usually shoot enough jacketed bullets through a barrel to 'break in' before shooting cast through one.

[waksupi]

From what I have seen, cast bullets will not achieve the accuracy of a jacketed bullet so the point may be moot.
"

You are doing something wrong if you can't get a group as good or better with cast.

[Dapaki]

I will have to agree with Gale McMillan, the first shot is your best, from their, you are wearing the barrel out.

My son and I will sit down and shoot all day at our range tomorrow with two new guns, the plan is to shoot and clean, enjoying ourselves all the time. The only breaking in will be breaking into laughter!

[charlie b]

You are doing something wrong if you can't get a group as good or better with cast.

That's true up to a point. Benchrest competition for cast bullets are "much" larger groups than jacketed bench rest competition groups.

[goryshaw]

so this barrel break in is unproven to do anything??
You ask 100 people about barrel break in, you'll get at least 200 answers. If it makes you feel more confident in your gun then do it, otherwise my opinion is you're burning through finite barrel life for nebulous gain. Handguns and most rifles that are going to shoot cast it probably won't be a noticeable reduction in life. Over bore barrel burners I wouldn't do it, but you are unlikely to be casting for them anyways.

[megasupermagnum]

There is no 2 guns that are the same though. Youd have to have a large sample size to smooth out the data and see any valid result. But nobody really goes to the gun store and says ill take 30 savage axis please

You could take 100 top level shooters, half who "break in" their barrels, half who don't. You would end up with 100 top level shooters with no correlation to some mystical cleaning break in. If your barrel is rough, a bore brush won't do anything. My experience is jacketed bullets won't do anything. Maybe thousands of round will smooth a barrel. If you want to smooth your barrel in a matter of hours or days, the only effective option is lapping.

[tomme boy]

Usually they will clean up better if you do do a break in. The leade is what needs the break in. If it has a horrible chambering job like most factory guns have it will help.

[FLINTNFIRE]

And I will dissent that you are better to lap or polish then try to shoot it in , but in the end it does put more wear down the barrel , if you are shooting it before hunting season and only after that during season at game , well polish or shoot it in , I remember a benchrest shooter who made bullets also telling me that when they bought a batch of barrels , that no matter what only a small percentage would ever shoot to what he wanted , I have had a few rifles that needed bore polished , pistols do need some shooting to cycle better , but it is all wear in the end, As to the original question if it is a cast shooter then pass on the jacketed and shoot cast , and let your barrel tell you , I myself do not shoot one clean and shoot two and clean that in itself puts wear on the barrel , shoot a pair see what they show on the target , but the mind of man believes what it will , even if it has been proven or proven false you will have some who will believe forever and pass their wisdom on .

[njc110381]

Well it looks like it will be jacketed factory ammo whether I like it or not, at least to start. I just figured out Lee dies no longer have a roll crimp so I've got 50 rounds sat here with the necks still flared! I've had a little tantrum and I'm going to bed! Range day is tomorrow so no hope of sorting it before then...

[megasupermagnum]

Well it looks like it will be jacketed factory ammo whether I like it or not, at least to start. I just figured out Lee dies no longer have a roll crimp so I've got 50 rounds sat here with the necks still flared! I've had a little tantrum and I'm going to bed! Range day is tomorrow so no hope of sorting it before then...

If you mean the seating die, I don't know that they ever had a crimp feature. That's why I like them so much. They still do have a collet crimp die with any rifle die set though. If yours is missing, you should call Lee. A quick and dirty solution I've done before is to run them into the sizing die with the decapping rod removed. I won't pretend it's perfect, but if you are careful, it will remove the flare with no other problems.

[barrabruce]

If they chamber and load use them single shot style.
You may find they will be just wonderfull.