Is there such a thing?

If so, what is the procedure?

Thanks in advance.

Hello Tanks

Any time a get a new rifle I "break-in" the barrels. I do this with single or double barrel guns, where the barrels are brand new, or even if only fired a few rounds.

Different people use different methods, but this has worked great for me. Doing this keeps fowling to a minimum. Theory is that breaking-in "irons shut" the pours in the metal.

My procedure is:

If the barrels have been fired - "clean 3 times" first. (cleaning method described in detail further down)

if a virgin barrel(s):

fire 1 round / clean - I do this five times - cleaning between shots - let the barrel cool between shots

fire 3 rounds / clean - I do this 5 times - cleaning between each 3-shot string - let the barrel cool between each 3-shot string

fire 5 rounds / clean - I do this 5 times - cleaning between each 5-shot string - let the barrel cool between each 5-shot string

fire 10 rounds / clean - I do this 3 times - cleaning between each 10-shot string - let the barrel cool between each 10-shot string

When done, you will have fired 75 rounds and used the whole afternoon at the range. But believe me - it really pays off.

I clean with a combination of "Sweets" and JB bore cleaner (paste) soak the patch with Sweets and apply the paste to the wet patch.

The Sweets removes the copper fowling (chemically)

The JB bore paste removes the carbon fowling (mechanically)

I clean by doing 5 strokes with the above combination patch - followed by one stroke with a clean dry patch.

I have used a high magnification bore scope to see the before and after effect. Its very subtle, but it pays off, making future barrel cleaning a simple task.

On my benchrest rifles, where I'm firing 5 or 10 shot strings, cleaning patches show no fowling and no change in accuracy.

On my service rifles, where I'm firing 60+ shot strings, cleaning patches show no fowling and no change in zero between legs.

On my Schuetzen rifles, with lead bullets, where I'm firing 100+ shot strings, cleaning patches show no fowling and no lead build-up and no change in zero throughout the match . (I've documented 300 rounds without cleaning - and no change in zero or accuracy)

Same results with double rifles, especially with lead bullets.

Again, others have their own approach, but this has worked for me. I've used this method since I started competitive shooting in 1974.

Does anyone remember the movie Harry Black and the Tiger* where Stewart Granger walks around
opening and snapping closed his many double rifles, presumably to make them faster to reload?

I'm amazed the British makers would send their rifles out any way but opening easily, though I must say my Heym could be given that treatment were I to take up hunting maneaters.

* still avail on YouTube:
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=avg&...ch%3Fv%3Dx0mvD-Qkd7I

My newest double rifle was made in 1920. From there it goes back to 1881. Don't have a clue about breaking in barrels.
C

Breaking in a barrel might be fine for a target or long range gun. For normal hunting not worth the effort.

Dave

NO. Forget the idea.

If a double rifle barrel ever needed "breaking in" (which it does not), all the so called breaking in would have been accomplished during the regulation of the barrels by the maker.

What Transvaal said +1

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
My newest double rifle was made in 1920. From there it goes back to 1881. Don't have a clue about breaking in barrels.
C

My earliest is a double rifle made in 1882, but I have never bought a new rifle of any make that I thought needed a break-in period, I simply cleaned them and loaded them and went hunting or to the range to adjust the scopes for the distance I call 100 yds, and go to the range and shoot for accuracy.

I shoot my rifles so often that they automatically get broke in fairly quickly! IOW, I let the shooting break them in.

Ain't that simple? MacD37

Heym Barrels are cold hammer forged-
It is unlikely any break-in procedure will help them shoot any better.

Shoot it clean it , enjoy it

quote:

Originally posted by buckstix:
...
I clean with a combination of "Sweets" and JB bore cleaner (paste) soak the patch with Sweets and apply the paste to the wet patch.

The Sweets removes the copper fowling (chemically)

The JB bore paste removes the carbon fowling (mechanically)
...

You make me feel neglectful, buckstix, only using Pro-Shot copper solvent. Goodness knows if that gets rid of enough fouling.

I did try to clean the barrels of my Heym between shots for a little while but it tends to only fire a few on any outing and then gets cleaned, anyway.

One thing, though. As I recall, Sweets is as aggressive as it smells and, IIRC, many double-rifle men won't use it for fear it attacks the solder.

Me too; and I never use copper solvent; why? My barrels don't accumulate copper; that light wash you see is not a problem as long as it doesn't build up and if it does you have other issues. . You guys are just wearing out your expensive barrels by, over cleaning. Like an iron frying pan; you never clean them down to bare metal.
I clean out the fouling, CLP; move on.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Me too; and I never use copper solvent; why? My barrels don't accumulate copper; that light wash you see is not a problem as long as it doesn't build up and if it does you have other issues. . You guys are just wearing out your expensive barrels by, over cleaning. Like an iron frying pan; you never clean them down to bare metal.
I clean out the fouling, CLP; move on.

My opinion exactly!
...…….........……......…….. MacD37

Some of us double rifle owners and shooters have learned that certain double rifle barrels shoot more accurate with "dirty" barrels that have had one of two shots through them; and this is not just the case of double rife barrels.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:You make me feel neglectful, buckstix, only using Pro-Shot copper solvent. Goodness knows if that gets rid of enough fouling.

I did try to clean the barrels of my Heym between shots for a little while but it tends to only fire a few on any outing and then gets cleaned, anyway.

One thing, though. As I recall, Sweets is as aggressive as it smells and, IIRC, many double-rifle men won't use it for fear it attacks the solder.

Hello sambarman338,

I guess I've not made myself clear in describing my method for "breaking-in" barrels, or reason for it. I do the break-in so that all future cleaning becomes an "easy" simple task. Breaking-in a barrel reduces future fowling of carbon and copper.

After the initial break-in, I DO NOT use Sweets and JB for general cleaning - I only use "old" Hoppies No. 9 on a cotton patch. In most cases one or two passes through the bore cleans and protects the barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Me too; and I never use copper solvent; why? My barrels don't accumulate copper; that light wash you see is not a problem as long as it doesn't build up and if it does you have other issues. . You guys are just wearing out your expensive barrels by, over cleaning. Like an iron frying pan; you never clean them down to bare metal.
I clean out the fouling, CLP; move on.

Exactly. We used to say a rifle is like a BBQ grill, it does its best work when it has been seasoned!

quote:

Originally posted by buckstix:
Hello sambarman338,

I guess I've not made myself clear in describing my method for "breaking-in" barrels, or reason for it. I do the break-in so that all future cleaning becomes an "easy" simple task. Breaking-in a barrel reduces future fowling of carbon and copper.

After the initial break-in, I DO NOT use Sweets and JB for general cleaning - I only use "old" Hoppies No. 9 on a cotton patch. In most cases one or two passes through the bore cleans and protects the barrel.

Thanks buckstix,
Do you fire mostly cast bullets? I ask because as I understand it Hoppes' No. 9 is a lead solvent but not much use with copper.

I know I fail to jump through all the hoops like riflemen who identify removing powder residue and copper fouling as different issues, requiring different solvents - but the makers of that stuff have not suffered as it's all there, up on my shelf.

I've even got the JB 'non-imbedding bore cleaning compound' Bill Hambly-Clark insists on but haven't found enough brushes to go through the whole palaver he requires. It remains unopened, hence I can't say whether it's red or brown or even the paste you mention.

That said, I generally spend as long cleaning the guns afterwards as I do at the range. Cleaning several rifles at once at least makes it easier to leave solvent lying in the barrels while others are tended to.

I do like Transvaal's outlook on this, though: by the time we get the rifle those precious first shots have already been fired.

"Breaking in a barrel" ...
unless you have Hen's Teeth, Frog Hair, and Panther Piss, all aged in a white lead jar, with a iridium lid, you may as well just shoot it!

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:Thanks buckstix,
Do you fire mostly cast bullets? I ask because as I understand it Hoppes' No. 9 is a lead solvent but not much use with copper. .....
I've even got the JB 'non-imbedding bore cleaning compound ...... That said, I generally spend as long cleaning the guns afterwards as I do at the range. Cleaning several rifles at once at least makes it easier to leave solvent lying in the barrels while others are tended to.

Hello sambarman338

Yes, I shoot a lot of cast bullets - about 3,000 rounds a year in my Wehrmanns Gewehr rifles and Schuetzrn rifles. About 1,000 rounds per year in competition with jacketed bullets. Cleaning is much easier by a factor of 5 fold in those rifles where I took the time to break-in the barrels.

As for JB paste. JB is a paste made of diatomaceous earth. (the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms) I have a 600yd Match rifle with a 34" Obermeyer barrel that quit shooting under 1" groups. (it originally shot 1/4" groups when new) I called Boots Obermeyer and asked if the barrel was "shot-out" because I had booked over 4,000 rounds through it. He said no, it should last at least 8,000 rounds. He instructed me to scrub the bore with JB every day for a month and then report back. When I asked about JB being an abrasive - he said "yes" it was - but so is water if given enough time. 30 days later the rifle went back to shooting 1/4" groups, and still does.

Thanks buckstix,
I'll have to crack open that JB stuff - but the way things are going I too may be fossilized before they open the range again

Im of the school that 250 rounds will break in any barrel on a bolt gun or double..all Icare about is will it shoot to POI within an inch or two at 50 yards...

Never heard of such a thing in doubles, most are not nor will ever be that accurate to start with..

Clean wipe down the barrel and action from time to time is the best I can manage..in humid areas of Africa I swab the bores every night and a thin coat of oil in and out..,if its dry I wait until I get home..I do care for the action however, keep it lightly oiled is a good idea.

But whatever blows yer skir up it can't hurt a thing unless your rod scratches the bores..

quote:

Originally posted by Transvaal:
If a double rifle barrel ever needed "breaking in" (which it does not), all the so called breaking in would have been accomplished during the regulation of the barrels by the maker.

I’m a double rifle neophyte, but this same thing ran through my mind. Not sure how many shots it takes on average to regulate one, but I’d think of the maker is satisfied with the performance, the user should be as well.

quote:

My earliest is a double rifle made in 1882

Mac, you bought that one new, didn't you? :-)

Can't believe we are still talking about this; proves that the Rona has softened everyone's brains.

Rona? What is that?

Corona. Virus. Short form. Didn't think it would be so hard to pick up on.
It's a joke. Sorry it didn't work.

The death of 104,000 Americans is not a joke. An apology is in order.

Ain't going to happen. Call the moderator and have me banned.

quote:

Originally posted by Transvaal:
The death of 104,000 Americans is not a joke. An apology is in order.

Apologize for what? Get over it.

Gentlemen;

I apologize for the discord my post has caused.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Ain't going to happen. Call the moderator and have me banned.

…………………………………………………...………...… ld I'm not sure how to take that response! The things one reads on the internet!

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

My earliest is a double rifle made in 1882

Mac, you bought that one new, didn't you? :-)

Well I was young though! However $18.00s was a stiff price to come by for the teen ager in those days !
……………………………………………………. MacD37 (that is 1837)

After giving this some thought I would be concerned breaking in a double as described above as you are breaking two guns not one, and you might shoot your beautiful double rifle off face, its not hard to do and expensive to fix. There sure are a lot of off face doubles out there and the owners don't even know it..

Hell, a new H&H would need put back on face six or seven times just during break in.