Barrel break-in with cast boolits...

[44Blam]

I've got a couple rifles that I shoot jacket bullets out of, but then I've got a few that have never seen a copper jacket.
With the cast lead boolits, I don't really do anything special. I just shoot and clean it after.
I know the normal break-in routine is because of copper fouling, but what about if you never intend to shoot jacketed bullets?

[JSnover]

Keep it clean in either case. When your group size and location settle down, you'll know it's broke in.

[smoked turkey]

I think if you only shoot sensible cast boolit loads that it will be a long time before your new barrel is "broken in". That is because cast boolits are very easy on barrels. I know you will get a variety of opinions on when to clean the barrel on your new firearms after a session of cast boolit shooting. I tend to think a good cleaning of your new rifle after the first ten rounds or so will tell you a lot about how your boolit fits the bore, and chamber of your new rifle. That along with your alloy, and chosen load compatibility of your new rifle. I think those are part of the joys of shooting cast boolits.

[Rcmaveric]

I like think of my barrel like the cylinder of a motor. So i break in per manufacture recommendations. Smooth over tool marks and rough edges. Then switch to cast. I just like to follow directions though. The guys that make my guns know more than me. It probably may not be needed but i have herd rough barrela are bad. I wont my guns to last a few generations of hunting and plinking.

Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

[JSnover]

Yeah, kinda like an engine. Back when they were still worth reading the Chilton's manuals advice for a rebuilt engine was (if I recall) to drive it normally for the first thousand miles "don't baby it, but don't abuse it either." And change oil after the first 500.

[Marlin356]

Barrel break in is a scam perpetuated by barrel makers and goop makers. A quality barrel needs no break in.

[Green Frog]

Barrel break in is a scam perpetuated by barrel makers and goop makers. A quality barrel needs no break in.

Not necessarily... about 20 years ago I had an early Green Mountain barrel in 32-40 fitted to an original high wall action and it wouldn't shoot until I did a little fire lapping. Turned out that the barrel had been heat treated before GM started using their nitrogen chamber and there was scale in the cut rifling that needed lapping out. While most modern barrels might not need any kind of break in procedure, this is just another case where "YMMV."

Froggie

[sigep1764]

Even with pistols, some smoothing out can be required. My CZ75 came with a mirror like bore, but leaded intermittently down the edges of the lands. I knew boolit fit wasn't the issue because I slugged it. I knew it wasn't lube failure because it was so wildly located down just the edges. I cleaned it and put 300 rounds of hot Fiocchi down it, cleaned it, and its ran cast ever since with no issues. I guarantee that barrel had burrs and the j words smoothed them out.

[Grmps]

I read somewhere that you should shoot 200 + jacketed bullet through a new barrel to break it in to clean out any burs/?, then clean the barrel thoroughly and go with cast.

[trapper9260]

Since I seen this post. I am wonder also about this because I have a gun that will not see jacket, just cast in it. I do not want to shoot jacket in it. So what is the right thing to do.Like the OP have ask .I know there will be different ways on this.

[dondiego]

You could shoot a few cast boolits coated with a little JB Bore Paste or Flitz and forgo the jacketed slugs.

[JSnover]

Since I seen this post. I am wonder also about this because I have a gun that will not see jacket, just cast in it. I do not want to shoot jacket in it. So what is the right thing to do.Like the OP have ask .I know there will be different ways on this.

The principle is the same either way. Clean your bore often when it's new. Every round, or every five or ten or whatever. Just do it often for the first 100 or so.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

You could shoot a few cast boolits coated with a little JB Bore Paste or Flitz and forgo the jacketed slugs.

Probably not the most efficient method, but I simply cleaned my SP101 with a chore boy wrapped brush then JB until it quit leading (wasn't terrible to begin with, but was present). Probably took around 5 cleanings and 500 rounds of cast to smooth out.

The idea of buying a pile of j-words when I have tubs of cast on hand kind of hurts...

[trapper9260]

The principle is the same either way. Clean your bore often when it's new. Every round, or every five or ten or whatever. Just do it often for the first 100 or so.

Thank you I will do that with that one gun that I will use for cast only.

[Hickok]

Jacketed or cast, I simply shoot them and clean them when they need it.

Years ago I tried the "recommended" shoot, clean, shoot, clean, etc. Quickly began to feel "the misery was overcoming the joy" of shooting, so I quit. Never saw where wearing out a new barrel cleaning it made it shoot any better, in my guns.

[JSnover]

Jacketed or cast, I simply shoot them and clean them when they need it.

Years ago I tried the "recommended" shoot, clean, shoot, clean, etc. Quickly began to feel "the misery was overcoming the joy" of shooting, so I quit. Never saw where wearing out a new barrel cleaning it made it shoot any better, in my guns.

I've tried it and honestly can't say if it made a difference. Two of the rifles I bought new, "broke them in," they shoot pretty much the same as my used ones but it is a sure way to make sure any burrs or debris are out (even though I doubt there's any loose/foreign objects left in the bore after a couple of shots).
After a long, drawn out argument over this, somebody finally opened my eyes: Within the first 50-150 shots, that barrel is going to break itself in. You can do it the hard way, all in one day, or you can do what a lot of folks do; stretch it out over a few months or years.
I know my dad didn't break in his Ward's Western Field 30-30 when he bought it new back in the 70s. I also know he didn't shoot more than a box of shells per year but he always cleaned it before he put it in the closet and it still shoots just fine. And I know for a fact it has never tasted a cast boolit.
Having blown all of that hot air onto the board, if anyone wishes to break theirs in 'the right way,' be my guest, I'll never say it's wrong.

[sw282]

Barrel break in is a scam perpetuated by barrel makers and goop makers. A quality barrel needs no break in.

l most heartily disagree. l worked for Kenny Jarrett for a time.. One of my jobs was breaking in barrels.. Shoot-Clean Shoot-Clean for the first 20 rds... l was by his shop a couple months ago. After almost 40 years he is still following the same routine... lm not saying Kenny Jarrett knows everything about barrels... But he sure knows a lot more than ME. Wife got a brand new lawnmower for Fathers Day.. She even lets me use it... Guess what... 0il got changed @ 2hrs!!! Sure don't want to mess up Wifes new Briggs&Stratton.. New rifle barrel either

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've got a couple rifles that I shoot jacket bullets out of, but then I've got a few that have never seen a copper jacket.
With the cast lead boolits, I don't really do anything special. I just shoot and clean it after.
I know the normal break-in routine is because of copper fouling, but what about if you never intend to shoot jacketed bullets?

With a new Rifle, I just shoot it, like it's a used gun. The gun will tell me if it needs improvement. If it does, shooting some J-words with the "Cleaning the barrel after every shot" technique is where I'd start.

[Bent Ramrod]

The break-in process was invented by benchrest shooters who wanted to shave that last couple thousandths of an inch off their aggregate scores. It was done with standard smokeless loads for caliber and jacketed bullets. IIRC, it was a hot topic in Precision Shooting for a while.

You fired one shot, cleaned with Sweet’s 7.62 until no more blue or green came out, fired another, did the same, repeat, repeat.

Eventually you would notice a reduction in the intensity or persistence of the color when cleaning. Then it was time to fire three shots and clean. Then five shots and finally ten, cleaning between.

By this time (theoretically) the micro ridges left by the rifling button, any tool marks left by reaming, and the pores in the steel were burnished out so subsequent firing would leave only a trace, at most, of copper fouling, and the barrel would perform consistently at matches. As far as I could tell, they still cleaned them (intensively) between relays.

None of this had anything to do with lapping or the use of bore polishing agents. Or cast boolits, for that matter, until somebody decided to recommend the same procedure with cast boolits in their barrels. Why not—they aren’t doing the work, it can’t hurt, and people love to give good advice. I’m a latecomer to The Fouling Shot, but if the benchresters there break in their barrels with cast boolits, I’ve never read a mention of it that I recall. No copper fouling to manage, and, if the barrel leads, it’s time to call the barrel maker and complain.

I have heard that the best cast boolit barrel is one that a serious competitor has just decided to retire from serious competition. You remove any copper fouling, cut off the breech, rechamber ahead of the old throat, and the rest of the barrel is as slick as glass. I’m testing this theory out with a used Krieger barrel, but the results aren’t in yet.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I would like to relay my experience with 2 separate .45c revolvers. This is just my experience, and does not involve rifles. I will let you guys decide the relevance.

I had 2 new .45c revolvers, different brands. They both leaded a good bit just past the forcing cone. This indicated to me that they both had a barrel constriction where they were threaded into the frame. Fire lapping scared me, and because I shot an indoor range that was at times fairly busy, I decided to try to lap it with jacketed bullets. I absolutely hated plunking down my hard earned money on a bunch of xtp’s, but I decided to try it none the less.

I loaded them fairly hot. A different load for each gun, and started shooting. They both took around 200-250rds, and when they cleared the constriction, I could immediately tell. The sound changed. The groups tightened up, and all of a sudden just felt right. Now I have 2 great revolvers that can shoot anything I want, and clean up with a wet patch.

I don’t know if this will help anyone, but if it helps one person, it was worth it. I was ready to give up. I had good cast bullet loads all ready, and couldn’t use them. I didn’t give up, and now I am very happy.