Is there a technique to properly break in a new barrel?

I just got an older but apparently unused Czech ZKK in 6.5x55.

I've got about 120 rounds of Swedish military surplus steel jacketed 6.5x55 cartridges around here somewhere. Would they harm the bore?

Don't ruin a good rifle by 'breaking it in'. Steel jackets will shorten the life of the barrel - the military does not mind, their requirements are different from ours.

Proper technique: Take apart rifle and clean it well. Do not fire at a pace that will overheat the barrel. You should be able to pick the rifle up by the barrel at any time. Clean after every range session. During a range session with a lot of firing, run a bore brush followed by a dry patch thru the barrel every so often.

My gunsmith recommends the following:

Shoot one shot then clean the barrel. Do this for 10 rounds.

Then shoot 3 shot groups, and clean after. Do this for the next 40 or so rounds.

I usually use some kind of cheap soft point bullet for the break-in.

If I made my living replacing burnt out barrels, I'd recommend some sort of pointless, involved "break in" also.
The smith in middle TN that did my last barrel told me I'd have to shoot it 250 or 300 times before it would smooth out and shoot good. I asked him why did the rebarrels I had done in Ok and WV and by a smith down in Memphis shoot fine from the git go?? He didn't have an answer to that.

Throw it in my truck for a week or two I''l take care of breakin it in

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Throw it in my truck for a week or two I''l take care of breakin it in

Ted isn't playing either, I've seen a couple of his guns!

Totally waste of time in my opinion.

A good barrel shoots good from the first shot.

A crap barrel shoots crap from the first shot and will continue to do so.

I was once in the barrel break in camp. Not any more.

If that rifle was mine, I would clean the barrel thoroughly. All the way down to bare metal. That way I am starting with a clean barrel. I would then clean after each range session for the first 50-200 shots or so. Usually until I notice it becoming easier to clean.

I would not shoot the steel jacketed rounds down the barrel, if it were mine.

If it becomes a gun that you know you are not going to part with, I would spend the money and time to Ultra Bore Coat the barrel. The guns I have treated will clean up with bore foam and patches in 6-10 passes normally. Even then, I only clean once a year.

In my experience, a good barrel is a good barrel and a bad barrel is just that. You can sometimes go through the all the trials and tribulations to make a bad barrel acceptable. But good barrels are so much more enjoyable.

Maybe I have missed something.
the context of "shooting in" a barrel is not about a good or bad barrel or turning a bad barrel into a good one ............its about barrel "conditioning " as received , new.
pimarily so a good barrel doesn't turn into a bad barrel ASAP.

You simply don't know what the condition of the surfaces in the bore are, in your 'as received' new barrel.

the object of shooting in your new barrel is merely controlled shooting & cleaning until copper deposition per shot is minimal.

how much 'shooting in' is required is determined by how much copper is deposited in the bore per shot.
uncontrolled unregulated shooting of a new barrel can rapidly deposit multiple layers of carbon & copper that become difficult & laborious to remove..........enough of them and a good shooter becomes a bad shooter.

Most of this copper buildup comes from the machining of the chamber and the rifling.
the chamber throat area is the primary culprit
The sharp 'as machined edges' of the chamber throat can shave small copper particles from the projectile which are then exposed to the combustion temp of the powder charge & instantly vaporised ( due to their small size). this is then deposited in the bore & covered by carbon from the powder .

Sure..........we all know those throat edges are tapered.........nevertheless they leave a feathered edge.Those edges are lateral to the projectile movement.
Bore & Rifling are somewhat less of an issue.

we all know that repeated use smooths contact edges.
handlapping barrels smooths the manufacturing machining ( bore & chamber throat).
Some of the chamber throat 'smoothing' is from erosion of the combustion temp of the powder charge.

'shooting in' a barrel is just about controlling the copper buildup in a barrel during the initial rounds shot, until the rate of copper deposition slows down, as the initial smoothing of the barrel takes place.

its simply much easier to remove the copper deposition one layer at a time than 20 layers one on top of the other each separated by a layer of carbon.

How much 'shooting in' does a barrel need?????
your patch tells you !!!!!!!

Some barrels from high quality suppliers need very little.

some need quite a bit.

its not about turning a poor shooter into a great shooter
Its about keeping a decent barrel functioning well in its future life.
AND
making your future cleaning episodes so much easier.

Your choice what you do & how hard you make your future cleaning & how you look after your firearm.

The simple expedient is one round at a time & clean till the copper deposited has settled down ...........then go for it.
Its not rocket science & the reasons for 'shooting in' and indications of how much shooting in is sensible are obvious.

the first patch after your first round down your new barrel after cleaning solution tells you whether you have a well prepared barrel or one that needs a little controlled 'shooting in' ......in your interest.

There's no magic formula, every barrel is different............your patches tell you the truth about what you have.

I clean after each shot in a new or like new barrel. In some it has only taken 5-6 rounds before there is a noticable difference. I did that today with a 325 WSM that had only two rounds shot thru it. After about 5 rounds, I started firing three shot groups and cleaning after each group for the next three groups. At that point, copper fouling was at a minimum so I just shot the remaining test loads and cleaned it good when I got home.

if you MUST perform a break in ritual, be certain to have your fetishes and panther piss handy, along with incense and crystal skulls ...

if you don't catch on, i don't think much of it...

I like to "shoot in" my barrel while I am actually doing load work, range practice and hunting.

If I notice accuray slipping, I will definitely clean it.

I have never noticed the difference in shoot 1, clean for 3, 5, 10 rounds whatever. Versus cleaning after each range session.

I have had a couple barrels that showed improved accuracy after they were "shot in" but not broken in. I have had some barrels that didn't matter, terrific from the start. I have also had the polar opposite, horrible from start to the time they were rebarreled.

My understanding is you are not breaking in the bbl you are burnishing the throat.

I had a krieger bbl put on a 308 and I followed Krieger's directions.

I can tell you I think the bbl/throat now clean easier..

quote:

Originally posted by Norwegianwoods:
Totally waste of time in my opinion.

A good barrel shoots good from the first shot.

A crap barrel shoots crap from the first shot and will continue to do so.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by SDhunter:
I like to "shoot in" my barrel while I am actually doing load work, range practice and hunting.

If I notice accuray slipping, I will definitely clean it.

I have never noticed the difference in shoot 1, clean for 3, 5, 10 rounds whatever. Versus cleaning after each range session.

I have had a couple barrels that showed improved accuracy after they were "shot in" but not broken in. I have had some barrels that didn't matter, terrific from the start. I have also had the polar opposite, horrible from start to the time they were rebarreled.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
if you MUST perform a break in ritual, be certain to have your fetishes and panther piss handy, along with incense and crystal skulls ...

if you don't catch on, i don't think much of it...

I agree with both ! roger

According to Douglas, if you know how to make a barrel, it doesn't need to be lapped.
I've found that to be true with the barrels I've gotten from Douglas.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerard:
Don't ruin a good rifle by 'breaking it in'. Steel jackets will shorten the life of the barrel - the military does not mind, their requirements are different from ours.

I concur with the bullet maker.

So does David Tubb and Todd Hodnett. Both are champion shooters who shoot more in a week that most people shoot in a lifetime.

I don't beleive in it either. Just clean at the end of the day to remove carbon.

With a very accurate barrel,one can run a tight fitting patch down the bore and it should feel very,very slick.If you don`t get this feeling things don`t look that good,IMO.I would trust Krieger barrels.I recently bought two custom barrels from a Canadian barrel maker and only one turned out OK.

I shoot F-Class and have had bad and good barrels from Lilja, Krieger, and Shilen.

Anyone can produce a barrel that is perfect or crap. Even with good machining and closer tolerances, it is easy to have some bad steel kick your ass.

I am pretty happy if I screw a barrel in, and every 10th one is crap. Those are good numbers.

We ordered 5 Krieger 6.5 barrels, we had 2 that wouldn't shoot with tons of load development for F-Class.

Then again the rest were perfect, one is doing well enough it will probably be on the Australian National F-Class Team for our State.

quote:

Originally posted by MOA TACTICAL:
I shoot F-Class and have had bad and good barrels from Lilja, Krieger, and Shilen.

Anyone can produce a barrel that is perfect or crap. Even with good machining and closer tolerances, it is easy to have some bad steel kick your ass.

I am pretty happy if I screw a barrel in, and every 10th one is crap. Those are good numbers.

We ordered 5 Krieger 6.5 barrels, we had 2 that wouldn't shoot with tons of load development for F-Class.

Then again the rest were perfect, one is doing well enough it will probably be on the Australian National F-Class Team for our State.

Got a question did you contact Lilja,Kreiger and Shilen about those barrels and did they replace them?

Sometimes we blame the barrels but could the action be at fault instead? Could there be something wrong with the receiver threads? Could the chamber be not cut right etc...? It is beyond the abilities of most shooters to check these things,IMO.

Dunno... Not sure that the barrel break in routine in and of itself realy does much good.
On the other hand, it does keep an over enthusiastic jack ass like me from getting the barrel of a new gun too hot too quickly. Suspect that probably has more to do with preserving or extending the barrel life than any arcane rituals that go with it. Not that I,m knocking arcane cleaning rituals by any means...

I am of the barrel break-in crowd. You are polishing the throat so you don't spray copper plasma down the barrel. It usually takes 6 to 10 rounds, cleaning between each round. At around 8 rounds you will notice that you can clean the barrel with a patch alone. The reason for break-in is not to improve accuracy, but to preserve it.

If it makes you feel good, do it. As with almost every other compulsive thing shooters do, I suspect the effect is more like a helpful placebo than anything else.

One thing for sure, it IS a great responsibility loophole for a barrel maker if he choses to use it as such. "What? You didn't follow the sacred break-in procedure as recommended on my website? Well,what do you expect then?"

And life goes on....