breaking in new revolver for cast boolits?

[jmsj]

Hello All,
I've read somewhere that it is a good idea to idea to break in a new revolver for cast boolits by shooting 200-300 jacketed bullets. Is there any truth to this?
I just picked up a new SBH Bisley hunter and was wondering if this is necessary.Thanks jmsj

[mooman76]

There will probaubly be lots of opinion here on this. I say just shoot it. If you have some small burrs or rough spots it would smooth them out quicker but you hopefully don't have them. The lead will smooth it out also, just take a little longer. Once again hopefully it is smooth to start with. And if you do deside to shoot jacketed, it should only need a box or two.

[docone31]

See how it shoots. If you need to go ahead and fire off some jacketeds. Otherwise, enjoy.
Way back when, no one had jacketeds. They seemed to do ok. My Cap and Ball revolvers do ok.
I think, without firing jacketeds, the pistol might last a long time.

[Ekalb2000]

My gp100 4in brl has only had one jacket thru it. That was the proof firing from the factory. I have over 2000 rounds of nothing but WW aloy. I think it is very accurate. I can hit a soda can at 100 yds off hand.
As docone said, way back when...

[HeavyMetal]

Can't remember when the last time I put Jacketed through a new gun.

I'd cast and shoot before I'd worry about a "break in".

[Piedmont]

Most of us got in to this because we are cheapskates. Those jacketed bullets are just too much for a cheapskate to bear.

Something that I have noticed is new guns shooting-in (accuracy improving as they wear in). That being the case I don't even think I would accuracy test at all until 500 rounds are through it because the results may not be valid in a few hundred rounds.

[August]

Badger suggests that barrel break-in will go better and faster with jacketed bullets. That's what I've done. Worked out well.

Rooooger six guns can be pretty rough at first, in my experience. I believe they might benefit from the jacketed approach.

What ever you do, clean it sooner, rather than later so that you don't get a lot of lead build up if there is a constriction or burr somewhere. I have had a couple of very bad experiences with new Rooogers by shooting fifty rounds before cleaning. They seem to smooth out in time, however, ending up with little cleaning necessary.

Or, start with a six gun that is properly dimensioned (USFA in my experience) and don't worry about breaking it in at all.

[44man]

If that Hunter has proper dimensions, no tight spots in the bore or funny size throats there is no reason to ever shoot a jacketed bullet.
Most Ruger .44's today measure good and will shoot tight groups from the first shot with cast.
What boolit you choose, how you fit it to the gun, the alloy, lube and powder you choose all far outstrip any concerns about smoothing the bore anyway. Most bores today are very smooth and it takes very few shots to remove any marks.
Just working accuracy loads will be enough.
Since we don't need to work loads anymore, my friends new Hunter only needed me to do a trigger job by grinding away all creep, polishing, removing burrs, re-bending the trigger spring and mounting his Ultra Dot for him. I put my load in his brass and he sighted it at 50 yards while I would change adjustments for him.
With every group he shot during the sighting in, the worst he shot were 1/2" groups with cast. Made me laugh that he was shooting better then me from the bench! :lovebooli
Then he turned around and shot his first revolver deer in the neck because he said it was an easy shot. Never mess with friends! :lol:
Relax and shoot your gun, you will love it.
Unhook one side of the trigger spring for a cheap trigger job.

[Frank]

44man said
Most bores today are very smooth and it takes very few shots to remove any marks.

I've seen tooling marks near the muzzle on several occasions with a new gun. Something they do during barrel making or fitting.

[44man]

44man said
I've seen tooling marks near the muzzle on several occasions with a new gun. Something they do during barrel making or fitting.
Yeah, it happens with production stuff no matter what product you buy.

[jlchucker]

Clean your gun thoroughly with a bore brush and some patches before you shoot it, then fire away. I agree with Piedmont. Your accuracy will improve greatly after you shoot a few boxes of ammo. Whether this is because you are "smoothing out" manufacturing remains or are just plain getting used to your gun is something you alone will be able to figure out.

[9.3X62AL]

I usually start things off--rifle or handgun--with jacketed bullets after a THOROUGH cleaning prior to firing the first shot. 50 factory jacketed rounds go through the firearm first--that way, if something REALLY BAD is wrong with the piece, whatever occurs takes place with factory ammo being fired. Rifle barrel break-in goes slowly......but that's a little off-topic.

Assuming the gun and I survive The First 50--and so far all has gone well in that regard--I clean the critter well, and follow with 200-300 jacketed handloads, cleaning the bore and chamber(s) every 50 rounds. I de-copper the bore with Sweet's or Barnes, remove the strong cleaners, and leave the bore, chamber(s), and throat(s) damp (not soaked) with CLP.

Cast boolits follow after this process, and very few of my guns see any more factory loads or even jacketed bullets from that point onward. I honestly don't know if this process does any good, but I'm pretty sure it does no harm.

[Char-Gar]

Normally with a new handgun I just use cast bullets from the start. If I start to get leading from a rough bore and little machine hickies, I will use some jacketed bullets to smooth things out. If you have a rough bore, there is very little cast bullet will do to help for a very long time.

[Char-Gar]

Normally with a new handgun I just use cast bullets from the start. If I start to get leading from a rough bore and little machine hickies, I will use some jacketed bullets to smooth things out. If you have a rough bore, there is very little cast bullet will do to help for a very long time.

[missionary5155]

Good afternoon
I BREAK In all my cartridge firearms the same way.. WW Cast lubed with metal polish. I use Metal-Glo but I also bought a case 15 years ago. Clean the barrel and fire one. Clean the barrel fire one. I do this with 10 rounds. Then I push a Very tight patch through and if there are any snags or tight spots repeat with 5 more. Last barrel I did was a Kel Tech 40 S&W carbine. It groups clover leafs at 25 yards me sitting. My 414 Super Mag got the same treatment 4 weeks earlier. All my firearms shoot well that were tretaed this way. I even did a used Ruger 45 Colt just to know it was ready for cast.
Sure costs alot less than 20 cent per slug J Thangs.

[Char-Gar]

Normally with a new handgun I just use cast bullets from the start. If I start to get leading from a rough bore and little machine hickies, I will use some jacketed bullets to smooth things out. If you have a rough bore, there is very little cast bullet will do to help for a very long time.

[Lloyd Smale]

I used to do it to all of my new guns but like was said above i just got to cheap and also didnt want to spend the time doing it. Anymore i just shoot them. If i find the bore is a tad rough i lap it.

[Changeling]

Try J&B on a tight patch for about 50/60 pass troughs of the bore on any new factory barrel, not on custom barrels.

[jmsj]

Thanks for all the responses,
Decided to go ahead and shoot it first and see how it shoots first. Got out a couple of days ago just at sundown. At my range behind my house, at sundown the sun is in your eyes but I just couldn't wait any longer.
The only ammo I had was some old reloads w/ commercial 240gr SWC's. They had besen stored in my truck for years, winter and summer.
Had time to shoot twenty rounds before the sun was just too blinding, groups averaged about 2" from a rest.
Not great but a start. Only twenty rounds but no leading. I need to do a trigger job(trigger is heavy w/ a lot of creep), slug the barrel and throats, and start working up some loads.
Thanks again for all your input. jmsj

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I think Ruger puts more than one round through . . . My new SRH Alaskan came with powder in all six cylinders . . . and a thin layer of copper in the barrel . . .

I'm gonna just put cast through it . . . my barrel is at .4295, and cylinders range from .4319 - .4321

You can see some of the copper here:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Ruger%20Alaskan/New003.jpg

Hopefully my brass will show up today, and I can load up some!

[9.3X62AL]

Great photo, D/B--and reminded me of a story from back in the day.

I had become acquainted with the night clerk at one of our Stop-&-Rob convenience stores, good kid from South Central LA who was attending college nearby (College of the Desert in Palm Desert). He liked fishing, hunting, and firearms--and was a criminal justice major. Sharp, funny, and good street smarts in a 19 year old. He had the makings of a GREAT street cop, if so inclined.

One winter weekend night, we were getting HAMMERED with called-for services--the bars were rowdy, the traffic was nuts, everybody running calls-behind and tied up with work. Naturally, some predator/thug/goblin chose that time to hold up the Stop & Rob, with our young man solo behind the counter. The alarm call comes out, we clear from our other matters and respond.

I'm first on scene. I have Dispatch call the store and we learn that the robber has exited and fled on foot. We search and clear the store, then start our music to get things handled. I note that our young friend has transitioned from the SCARED SPITLESS mode of most robbery victims to the "I'M PROFOUNDLY PISSED/MAY I BORROW A GUN, PLEASE?" mindset. I take him outside the store to interview him away from the 'fear point', confirm that he hasn't been injured, and that he's "gonna be all right". We kinda banter back and forth for a minute or so, and he starts smiling a little, a good sign to start the interview in earnest. I asked the clerk "Did you see what he looked like?"

"Looked like? LOOKED LIKE?! HE LOOKED LIKE A M----- F------ HOWITZER IN REEBOKS, MR. PAINE, THAT'S WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE!!"

Those were the days.......

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I had emailed my friend, who I use to go to church with when I lived back east.
Larry,

Look what I bought! (Pic)

Sure are hard to find! I had this one flown out of Alaska from Sportsman’s Warehouse . . . why are these pricier than the 7.5” or 9.5” Super’s? And harder to find? (most dealers could not get them from their distributors!)

Here is my question, it looks like the rifling is cut right into the frame, but then again while I’m cleaning it, it sorta looks like maybe the whole barrel is an insert?

Why do they send them dirty? It would seem that an almost $1000 gun could/should be shipped clean . . . how many rounds do they test fire with? Mine has lots of copper build up in the barrel.

I really like how it fits in my hand!

Stay warm,

Shawn

Here is his response:

Shawn,

You shouldn't forget you're carrying that gun.

The barrel is an insert and the gun is a little more costly to process. The suggested retail is about $50 more. I don't believe that it is a supply and demand thing. We typically fire each chamber of each gun once with a proof round before shipping. The proof round has higher pressure than standard factory ammo and is performed as part of our testing. We also test 10% of each model daily for POA/POI. So your Super could have been fired 12 time at Ruger. When the gun is packed, it is brushed with cleaner and oil before shipping. Is it possible that someone at the distributor took it to the range?

You should be happy with that and if it feels too small after a while, you could step up to a 454.

Shoot straight,

Larry Hall
Manufacturing Engineer
Ruger Firearms


I believe him, I've known him for a long time, and is a good Christian man, but . . . I also know that things don't always happen as policy is written . . . could have been shipped out on a Friday afternoon at the last min . . . or the store in Alaska could have "tried it out" Sportsman's Warehouse does have a policy about "No Returns" on guns . . . but look what I think about policy some times . . . they also said that they don't ship from AK either . . . but they did for me!

[9.3X62AL]

Good viewpoint, never say "never", never say "always".

The copper fouling may indeed be from the test firing as your friend's letter indicates. Copper fouling is not a thing that can be absolutely eliminated, but it can be managed with good copper-removing solvents. Just don't leave those solvents in place for a long time--they can do bad things to steel over time.

Hoppe's #9 and Break-Free CLP will also remove copper fouling over time, and don't harm steels--quite the opposite, actually. I leave my jacketed-bullet rifles with bores dampened with CLP, and store them muzzle down in the safe. After a week or so, there will be a small robin-egg blue stain on the cloth the muzzles are placed on.

I used to go to great lengths to remove as much of the copper fouling from barrels as possible. Now, not so much. I think it is easier to harm a barrel through over-cleaning than to extend its life by being "anal" on the subject.