Barrel break in

[Oily]

New to the forum first post. Have 2 new rifles 223 and 260. My question is do I need to break them in with J bullets before I start with CBs

[Clay M]

Not necessarily .
I usually shoot about 200 rds of jacketed bullets through my new rifles.
Not because they need it , but because I always have plenty of jacketed bullets on hand and want to shoot the new gun ASAP.
My Ruger #1 .45/70 has never had a jacketed bullet fired through it, and probably never will.
Same with my Sharps.
Just make sure if you do shoot jacketed bullets that you get all the copper out of that barrel before you change to cast.

[JSnover]

It won't hurt but you don't have to.

[Oily]

Sorry for my tardy reply had 12 slabs of ribs and 3 pork butts on the smoker for a benefit. Delivered and back online. My wife can't wait till I start Hi Tek coating my boolits.

[Oily]

another question; can I break in my barrels using HiTek coated bullets. Sorry haven't reloaded or cast in 25 years and am trying to catch up. Reading this site could make a guy go blind with all the great info and new techniques. I learn something new every time I log on cudos to all that share their knowledge and experience with us. Cast On my friends

[JSnover]

If you subscribe to the break-in school (a lot of people don't), the main thing will be to keep the bore CLEAN between shots. I don't see any reason not to coat your boolits. People have broken them in with cast/lubed and copper jacketed. Doesn't seem like PC would hurt anything.

[runfiverun]

if you have a good smooth barrel your just putting stress on the throat.
if it has chatter marks and stuff then a break in period is better.

I have gone straight to cast in new rifles without even giving it a thought.
eventually the antimony on the surface of the water dropped boolit will polish the rifles barrel.

[HangFireW8]

Break-in must be the most over-thought aspect of shooting.

Rough barrels take longer to break-in.

Smooth barrels require little to no break-in.

Clean it more often when new until it doesn't foul quickly when shooting.

Gale McMillan would void warranties on his hand-lapped barrels for anyone using an abrasive to break-in a barrel. He said he understood why other barrel makers recommended lengthy break-in procedures; they sold more barrels that way.

[Oily]

Thanks to all for the replies always seemed to me if it shoots well shoot it. Easy to get caught up in the conjecture of psuedo {experts} on the subject who have only one option. My original question sounds foolish now as I have broken in 10/22 barrels with lead bullets that shoot 1/2 moa @ 50 yds. Will send feedback after I break them in to show my results. Cast on my friends

[Oily]

I also apologize for capitalizing the j on j boolits in my first post. Such sins may be forgiven in time.

[EDG]

It depends on how rough the barrel is.
I have some of the hand lapped Badger barrels that have all of the surface texture lines running the length of the barrel.
I have never fired a j bullet in them because there is nothing that needs smoothing

I have also had many rifles with tool marks that resembled a corn cob. They might take 50 to 200 rounds to break in.
My break in is not very formal. I clean between each round for between 5 and 10 rounds. More rounds if I think it is really rough.
Then I continue to work up loads and shoot test groups and clean between each 5 shot group. Since I am working up loads from round #1 it adds no wear to the barrel.
Most of the cleaning is done with Hoppes and a synthetic patch with a lot of grab so that it can drag out any loose crud. If it feels smooth 4 or 5 patches is about all I use.
If it feels rough and I can see fouling, especially like the stripped off metal on top of the lands then I will use a brush and Hoppes. Then I will clean the stuff loosened by the brush
with a few synthetic patches. Quality barrels in good condition do not need much if any brushing. You might have to brush an old military barrel or a neglected barrel.

One thing that really helps is to light a light film of Hoppes or similar rust preventing but copper attacking solvents in the bore. It must be so light that it does not drain down on the stock or you will need to stand it on the muzzle. Wipe the Hoppes with a new film one a week or more often for several weeks to remove the fouling with little work or scrubbing of the metal.
Hoppes is very safe. If you have an especially crud loaded old rifle you can plug the muzzle then stand it on the muzzle and very carefully pour the bore full. Plug the chamber to prevent evaporation an leave it a week. Then clean with a patch and you will be amazed at the green. I have also wet cotton rope wet with Hoppes and pulled into the bore. Then stand in the corner on the muzzle for a few nights to a week. You will eventually pull out a green rope.

[w5pv]

I usually just start shooting cast until I get that carnauba shine in the bore.Cleaning the bore with 1/2 Reds Bore cleaner and 1/2 Kroil when it looks dirty and then running very slightly Micro Lubed Kroil patch followed by a dry patch.When I get that carnauba shine then I say the bore is broke in and very easy to keep clean from then on.Some Stainless Steel bore are harder to get broke in.

[OS OK]

SNIPER 101 Part 43 - Barrel Break In Procedures Compared - YouTube

Nuff said!

[gnostic]

Years ago the NRA dismissed the concept of breaking in barrels.

[HangFireW8]

Years ago the NRA dismissed the concept of breaking in barrels.

You mean back when Remington, Winchester and even Savage made smooth barrels?

[Oily]

Thanks for the replies. Ruger American Predator shoots decent with cast with no fouling at all.Rem 700 Varmint in .223 fouls everything I put down the tube.Only shot 50 rds so far so looks it will take awhile on it.Severe storms here in OK put a damper on any decent sessions.

[JSnover]

If barrel break-in is accomplished within the first 100 rounds (or whatever number satisfies you), then you have a choice: fire them all in the same day or spread them out over a few months (or years in some cases).

[country gent]

While I normally do a break in of some sort on new barrels ( and occasionaly on a used rifle) I let the barrel tell show me what to do. I first give it a good inspection with a bore scope paying attention to lead throat areas ( cutter marks here tend to run across the bore). And also tooling marks rough areas in the bore. I then shoot 1 round cleaning between shots if lead or jacket fouling is present I then continue this for up to 10 rounds. On most custom High grade barrels this takes care of the rough areas in the throat lead area.Jacketed bullets are easier to see fouling as most cleaners turn colors when cleaning jacket fouling. 2 rounds cleaning between for 10 rounds. clean well here and a quick look witht the bore scope to see whats going on This normally takes care of alot of the issues. then cleaning every 10 rds for awhile ( I normally do this for a complete total of 100 rds but not always) Again I let the individual barrel tell me what it needs. If fouling has stopped I may not fire the whole series of shots. Like load development, bedding and most firearms releated let the rifle tell you what it needs.

[Earlwb]

I don't know, I never thought about it, I never really bothered to break in a barrel. I would go to the range to sight the rifle in, do some target shooting to get a good feel for it and that was about it for the gun. Then it was off to hunting with it. So I guess one could consider that initial shooting a break in but I didn't.

Now then today they have some processes that use EDM (electric discharge machining) and that may leave a barrel more rough on the inside. So maybe a break in might be needed now. I don't know yet for this method.

[JSnover]

I don't know, I never thought about it, I never really bothered to break in a barrel. I would go to the range to sight the rifle in, do some target shooting to get a good feel for it and that was about it for the gun. Then it was off to hunting with it. So I guess one could consider that initial shooting a break in but I didn't.

I'd bet that's how most people do it. If a new gun shoots good'nuff out of the box, it's good'nuff for them and the 'break-in' process happens whether they know it or not, it just takes a lot longer. Keeping it clean during those first few boxes of ammo will determine how well it breaks in.