i recently purchased a new weatherby vangaurd in 7mm rem mag iv done the whole run in thing by cleaning every shot for a few then every 5 for a few more. iv fired about 50 rounds all up but i cant seam to get the first one out with the rest of the group after storage, i always run a dry patch through before shooting. Have i fired enough shots to fully break in the barrel or is this just a common fouling problem with the first shot.

FWIW barrel breakin has not proven to do anything except for the folks that counter.....it don't hurt...

There's absolutely nothing wrong with storing a gun that has fired three rounds and not been cleaned. Todays components will not harm the barrel under years of storage uncleaned and fired.

When I go to the range to test fire my gun I clean them and then fire a three shot group and go home. You should be able to get hunting accuracy without cleaning for fifty rounds.

Clean the gun after the hunt if you wish. There's no reason to hunt with a gun that's totally and freshly cleaned when you can take those fouling shots at the range.

I'm not at all certain that fouling shots are real anyway.

quote:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with storing a gun that has fired three rounds and not been cleaned. Todays components will not harm the barrel under years of storage uncleaned and fired.

When I go to the range to test fire my gun I clean them and then fire a three shot group and go home. You should be able to get hunting accuracy without cleaning for fifty rounds.

That is very good advice!

Reloader

break-in only needs to be continued until you see a MAJOR reduction in copper on your patches. Once the copper seems to drop wayyy off, then the barrel for all intents and purposes is broken in.

Break-in does one major thing,..it keeps a barrel from fouling as quickly, which will prolong the period you can go between cleanings and/or between accurcay degradation. It will not make a barrel more accurate,..but it will make it stay accurate for longer periods and reduce the severity of flyers.

Sambar 1
For trying to controle a clean barrel flyer, try my little trick.
When I go down the woods with a clean rifle and want the first shot to count I fire a case/primer only cartridge the primer pushes out the oil of the clean barrel. Noise is less than a 22lr and does not disturb anything. The first shot is good in my rifle, that first flyer is a thing of the past.
Good Luck.

I usually fire a sighter or two to verify my zero before I go hunting. Then just don't clean the bbl. unless I have to (rain, snow, etc.). All of my rifles seem to shoot better groups after a few "fowlers".

The old hand who taught me to reload and who shot thousands of rounds per year for many years, told me to never run anything dry inside a dry barrel, it is OK to run a dry patch through a barrel just swabbed with a cleaning fluid. ----- To ready your rifle for a hunt just be sure to clean well before the trip, foul the barrel with one or more, some require more than others, then go hunting. Case the rifle, then nothing can get in that barrel, unless you drop it in the mud or water, before you hunt. If you should have to clean the barrel for some reason, be sure to fire a fouling shot before hunting. It is that simple. Good shooting.

Unless it gets soaked I never clean my rifle during hunting season. I sight it in, clean it thoroughly and then fire about 3 rds thru it. After that I don't clean it again until after the season is over.

I'm with the guys that shoot a couple shots to verify the load......don't clean the gun.....go hunting....clean when done.