Breaking in .17HMR

Clamman · 12-17-2003, 03:38 PM

Recently purchased a marlin 17vs and have just gotten the scope rings (ones that came with it were to small for the scope objective)and have it bore sighted.

What I want to know is what should my break in shooting consist of. I imagine like most bore sights it will hit the paper, but how many shots should I take between cleaning or whatever the best method for a proper break in is.

I am really looking foreward to poppin' some varmits with this :grin:

Thanks in advance.

Clam

KingFisher85 · 12-17-2003, 05:00 PM

send it over my way....I'll be sure to work on it for you :grin:

salmurai · 12-17-2003, 05:50 PM

I've heard to run a brush through the bore between the first twenty shots. I did this on my 77/22 and it will shoot pretty good but I don't know if it made any difference. Just my 2 cents.....

blacktail · 12-17-2003, 06:14 PM

I'd say run some solvent like Shooters Choice or Hoppe's #9 and a bore brush through it every three shots for about the first 50 rounds.

Mike

#1 Okie · 12-17-2003, 06:34 PM

I've got the exact same gun. I cleaned inside with solvent and shot it about 15 rounds to zero in just right(had the same scope ring problem with the super low weavers). ive probably shot 500 rounds through it now and love it. i've shot 5 coyotes a bunch of prarie dogs and 6 marmots with it. does fine out to about 150 yards or so. also is very accurate. I don't know about your's but mine likes the hornady ammo best. Also found that the 17 bore snake works great to clean it.

billc_sbio · 12-17-2003, 06:56 PM

Well...there's really not supposed to be anything DIFFERENT about breaking in new barrels (using jacketed bullets) between a rimfire and a centerfire.

So the "drill" (for accurate barrels) goes something like this...

Using a proper rod and rod guide mounted in place of your bolt with (only) BRONZE bristle brush (never Steel!)and a "Copper" solvent, clean from the breech end only, and brush about 5 strokes between EACH shot for the first 10 shots.

Then, shoot about 15 shots, doing the same brush job after every 3rd shot.

After this use your judgement and maybe brush every 15-20 shots for best accuracy.

What you're trying to do here is to remove the "burrs" on the rifling with the bullets, while at the same time keeping the deposited (copper) guilding metal to a minimum.

The smoother your bore, the less metal deposits you'll have. The burrs left from the rifling cutter can act like a file, filing metal off the bullet. At the same time you're using the bullets to smooth off the burrs.

This initial "break in" procedure keeps the streaked off metal from accumulating.

Clamman · 12-18-2003, 07:44 AM

Awesome replies!!

Thanks a bunch for the great info. I am totally drooling to shoot this gun and have heard nothing but positives about this caliber.

Though the offer is tempting to let someone else break in this gun I think I would have more fun doing it :grin: so sorry about that Kingfisher85.

1 OKIE, I read on a different board that the Hornady ammo was far superior so I have about 1000 rounds stocked up. I plan on doing mainly target shooting and plinkin away at some swamp rats (Nutria).

billc_sbio, thank you very much for the great information. I will probably do exactly what you suggested unless someone has a better method.

Thanks,

Clam

Grip It-N-Rip It · 12-18-2003, 06:51 PM

Claman
If you really want to break it in right try this. Boil some water take bolt out and put end of barrel on sponge. Dump boiled water in barrel and let sit for a little time about 1 min. let water out. Put some Dawn dish detergent in barrel and let sit same amount of time. Put more boiling water in barrel and clean out detergent. Next put some clean patches through barrel and dry out. Now from the crown of the barrel take your rod and a brass jag and a patch. Put JB compound on the patch and push through barrel severall times. Repeat this 5-10 times and then go back to the boiling water. You won't believe the crud that comes out of your new barrel. Not to mention the JB compound polishes your barrel out making it smooth and boy will she shoot now! I did this with my 223 when I got it new and that puppy will drive tacks. Just my two cents worth.
P.S. I also love my 17 HRM

[ 12-18-2003, 07:53 PM: Message edited by: Grip It-N-Rip It ]

billc_sbio · 12-18-2003, 08:51 PM

I probably should have mentioned that AFTER the brushing with Copper Removing Bore Solvent (I really like "Sweet's 7.62") you should run the correct sized DRY patch on a correct sized jag through the bore.

Finding the "right" accessories to do all of this, especially in .17 caliber isn't all that easy. Notice I say "Right", because so many gun cleaning kits, rods, etc., even made by easily recognized and well known manufacturers are actually "junk"! (You DON'T really want to use ALUMINUM or BRASS cleaning rods in good barrels. Those soft metals allow abrasive grit to imbed in them, just like the "Lap" that I'll mention below). Prolonged useage with some of them can cause more DAMAGE to a good barrel than not cleaning your barrel at all!

One of the BEST brands of rods (again, you're looking for the special .17 caliber ones) is Dewey. Pro-Shot is a brand of patches that offers them in .17 cal.

Finding this stuff isn't all that easy, although the introduction of the .17 Rimfire Magnum should make them easier to locate. But one local place that you might want to try is Russ Haydon's Shooters Supply, which you can find via a search engine. You can also look up Sinclair Products if you REALLY want your eyes opened up by the world of precision shooting.

About the lapping, mentioned above. Many shooters like and use JB for making sure their bores are shiny and metal deposit free. I'm not sure what the dishwashing detergent will do to remove "crud" in your barrel that a really agressive bore solvent like "Shooters Choice", which contain fairly strong chemical solvents, won't?

Typically when lapping custom barrels, barrel makers and gunsmiths will make a "Lap", which is a "slug" made out of dead soft Lead. The Lap is GROOVE diameter, so when they start, they have to push hard and "engrave" it into the barrel's bore, just like an actual bullet. They then will take an extremely FINE grade of lapping compound (JB is a "polish" not supposed to be that abrasive) and put a small amount onto this Lead Lap, where it imbeds into the Lead, and they run it back and forth, up and down the barrel, adding more compound on occasion. This is done a number of passes and then the barrel is carefully wiped out and all traces of lapping compound are removed.

Lapping .17 caliber barrels gets to be an extra problem as by the time you get down to this small size getting the materials and being able to DO this handily is pretty difficult. It takes some force to push that lap back and forth. A steel rod, about .168", doesn't have much rigidity to it, causing it to flex badly.

[ 12-19-2003, 05:11 AM: Message edited by: billc_sbio ]