Barrel breakins

[Tom H]

How do you break in yu Guns ,I like to shoot 1-2 run a few jags ,and let cool and then go again ,until I have put about 30 rounds + /- ,then I start playing with it

[Flatfish]

If it's a varmint/target rig, I might make the effort.

If it's a big game rifle(Read probably wont have a zillion rounds fired thru it, requiring tons of ongoing cleanings), no way.

Now I know that lotsa folks break in rifles. I have done it with maybe a dozen of my own guns. What I do remeber is a whole bag of patches and a couple bottles of solvent in a couple days work.....all in the hope of less fouling in the long run.

Bottom line, if you want a uber smooth bore, Hart makes a fine tube that should make you very happy. So does Lilja.

[Blacktail Slayer]

There are several sites that tell you how to break in a gun. I would do a search or check out some gun brand websites. I believe that this is very important. Just my

[brshooter]

From Dan Lilja's website

http://www.riflebarrels.com/support/...aintenance.htm

[adobe wall]

Ask 40 of the best shooters in the world how to break in a barrel and you'll get 40 different answers. You'll get almost as many answers from 40 different barrel makers.

One of the best barrel makers is on record as saying he personnally doesn't think it helps, but that he gets so many insistent requests for a procedure that he finally documented a recommendation. It's pretty much the same as Lilja's in the post above.

I know some top Palma shooters (the guys on the last US team) that don't break in their barrels at all. I know people that go through all manner of meticulous ritual for a hundred rounds, and I know one guy that just blows 20 rounds through his rifle rapid fire style and calls it good.

I'm superstitious enough to know that if you have confidence that what you are doing will help, it will help you shoot better. I've also shot some form of "break in" through every rifle I own but it's generally been in conjuction with a load development routine to try to get some degree of benefit from the procedure. What I do is also pretty similar to Dan Lilja's instructions.

I don't think you will hurt a rifle doing this unless you are improperly cleaning it. If that's the case, you're going to eventually harm the bore whether you are breaking it in or not.

If you have a caliber that has a very short life expectancy, and you are going to shoot it a lot, a long break in process is costing you money. One of the better F-class long range shooters I know burns through 3 Lilja barrels per year, getting only around 800-1000 rounds through each. If you fire an 80 round break in you've cut the already short barrel life by 10%. If you've got an AR barrel that should give good accuracy for at least 4000 rounds the impact on your wallet is far less.

If you think you need to do it, then buy a bore guide and geterdone. I'd say if the rifle shoots extremely well with the first few rounds I'd stop the process right then unless you need to continue firing a few rounds for load development.

I also don't think there's much point in trying to break in a chrome lined barrel.

hth, aw

[Firedog]

Just clean it when it is new then go shoot it.

[OutTrolling (ot)]

Just finished reading some interesting info about this very subject on VarmintAl's website. I'm not going to try to explain what he says.....take a quick look and see for yourself. There may be something to it????