What's the best procedure for breaking in a new barrel? 30-06 - 22" stainless on an A-Bolt.
Thanks in advance,

Mike

Clean all the preservative from the bore and chamber. Factory hammer-forged barrels such as your Browning don't require the shoot and clean, shoot and clean regiment as a benchrest barrel would. But don't use moly coated bullets for your first ~20 shots. Then clean as usual--only when accuracy deteriorates or for long term storage.

Break-in is much ado about nothing. As onfunzr2 said, clean your rifle to begin with, then go shoot and enjoy it. After every 20 or 25 rounds thoroughly clean the bore for copper and powder fouling. I like Shooter's Choice or MPro-7 for powder fouling and Wipeout or Barnes CR-10 for copper.

Everyone has diff. views on bbl. breakin. I start w/ a clean bbl. & shoot & clean after every shot for 10 shots. THis gets my scope on paper @ 100yds. Then I shoot 3 shot groups & clean after every group for 6-7 strings. Then shoot away. My PacNor SS bbl. in .260ai cleans up quickly after a trip to the range. Lately that's about 50rds worth.

Most of my barrels are stainless steel. The gunsmith gives them a final polishing or lapping to smooth them out. Supposedly this gets rid of any spots in the barrel that might attract copper. Some gunsmiths do not even recommend the "Shoot and clean" format. I get most of my barrels from Hart and don't bother breaking them in. It's pretty much what the individual feels comfortable with I guess. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Cal, my own personal feeling is that if you have or even let a gunsmith run any kind of lap down a Hart barrel you are doing the barrel and yourself a grave injustice. Just my opinion but one that is shared by most guys, including Hart I would bet. I think it is just crazy.

Barrel break-in is usually a split decision, some think it makes a difference in overall perfromance, some don't. IMO I think the only time barrel break-in is truly needed is when the barrel is quite rough and inaccurate. I've had brand new factory barrels that shot quite well and didn't need any break in but, I've also had some that didn't really shine until lots of bullets went down the tube and alittle JB cleaner to top em' off.

I would just clean thoroughly and shoot some groups, you never know what she may do.

Some Barrel Manus even say break-in is not necessary.

Good Luck!

Reloader

quote:

Originally posted by DeltaHunter:
Break-in is much ado about nothing. As onfunzr2 said, clean your rifle to begin with, then go shoot and enjoy it.

That pretty much covers it!!

Shoot a shot, clean, shoot, clean. Do that until you notice not much blue on your patches. Do it with Sweets or CR10. Then shoot 3 shots and clean and do that until you notice little to no fouling. Try 10 shots and clean. Every rifle is different. Your going to have to look for when there is little to no copper fouling. Some rifles like my sako needed very very little breakin. But it did help fouling. And the groups got smaller and smaller. Some rifles take alot more. Some will never break in. I had a 300RUM in BDL that would always copper foul after each shot. I gave up after 15 rounds.

Just take note of the copper fouling and adjust accordingly.

There are alot of nay sayers but I find you can jump into some serious load development after a gun is broke in correctly. Velocity spreads go way down between each cycle.

On Point, I think Browning recommends a break in procedure for their barrels in their FAQ. I agree with several others here, I like to shoot a shot and look at the barrel and see whats going on.

I usually go ahead and clean it after every shot or two for the first 10-12 and then after every 6 or so unless there isn't any noticeable fouling and then I'll run 20 or so through unless accuracy starts falling apart. At that stage-due to waiting for the barrel to cool, thats about all I'm gonna get a given session at the range. If accuracy had been stable I'll just run a few patches with Tetra lube down and a few dry patches to touch up, and then just take it back to the range and shoot some more monitoring perforamnce and checking for fouling.
When it is pretty obvious that the barrel isn't fouling as easy -and it will be- then I start working for my accuracy load, I take a few of the usual suspects, loads I like, seating depths of a couple different specs, and start shooting and recording group data from 5 shot strings ( much more informative than 3 shots) and decide on a load.

In several of my rifles I only shoot Moly coated pills--actually Lubalox from C/T Nosler-Winchester, and there is a significantly reduced 'break in' period. I am a fan of coated pills, but routinely shoot some non coated, mostly because I can't get a certain bullet in that configuration, i.e. Accubonds or Triple Shocks, and the non coated definitely take more to get 'dialed in' for me.

The barrels I shoot exclusively coated bullets in clean up much quicker than the others BTW.

Regards, and enjoy your new rifel--Don

quote:

. I am a fan of coated pills, but routinely shoot some non coated, mostly because I can't get a certain bullet in that configuration, i.e. Accubonds or Triple Shocks, and the non coated definitely take more to get 'dialed in' for me.

Fish,

It seems like Nosler would offer a Combined Tech. Accubond like the Red tipped ones Winchester's been putting in their factory loads.

Might be a while but, they may sell em'.

Good Luck!

Reloader

Thanks for all of the advice, I will be checking the Browning website to see what they recommend.
Thanks again,
Mike

Reloader, you're right, you can buy CT ammo with accubonds with the lubalox, so I'm hoping they offer the bullets to us soon.

Regards--Don

I never worry about breaking in a barrel.

If I even do have the slightest inkling of needing to break in a barrel, I shoot reduced loads in the neighborhood of 2000 fps for the first 100 shots or so.

I think it is a bigger concern if you are shooting a varmint rifle, which on average will see a lot more rounds thru it than the average 30/06 will in a life time.

I don't think "not breaking in" a barrel is important unless you are one of the benchrest crowd. When they are ready to throw away a barrel, I consider it just broken in for my needs.

Too many guys get hung up on piddley things.
Worrying about breaking in a barrel is like worrying about breaking in a hammer in my book.
If it is inaccurate out of the box, then breaking it in won't accomplish anything.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

Well, I took Don's advice and went to the Browning website. They recommend cleaning after every shot for 10 shots, then after every 2 shots for the next 10. Basically, Browning is saying that you are burnishing your barrel or closing the pores that were opened during the cutting and lapping procedures. Sealing it for ease of cleaning in the future. True or not, that's what they say.
Thanks again,
Mike

On point give it a try. It sure won't hurt anything. And I see improvements on some guns and some guns no.

Hello,
Believe Browning's advise sound. U.S. Army Marksmanship Manual dictates break in and so do others for best life and ease of cleaning down the road in the life of the barrel. Less fouling, copper build up, etc. as a result of proper break in early in barrel's life.
Favor Center!!
dsiteman

Browning barrels are hammer-forged. There are no cut marks to iron out.

All Browning and Winchester stainless barrels are button rifled. Only the blued barrels are hammer forged.

There are lots of opinions on the validity of breaking in a barrel from "an absolute must" to a "waste of the barrel". I didn't know which camp I was in, so when I picked up a 243 CDL and a 223 ADL I broke in the barrels at the same time as I sighted in the guns. Seemed to be satisfying to both camps. JMHO

Browning web site: http://www.browning.com/faq/detail.asp?ID=112

Just follow the procedure. I went through this process three times in the last 24 months. Can't say I enjoy it.

Danny Boy

Only take notice of guys that break their barrels in. ALWAYS clean your barrel after use. Shold be within a week of using it. If moisture is present in the air...it will help the residue in your barrel start to eat away at it and shorten barrel life. Copper build up also effects accuracy.