hy, will be getting my new Sako 300 ultra mag. next week and was wondering, what is the proper procedure for breaking in a new barrel, also what is the proper cleaning brush for a stainless barrel, Thank's guy's: Rick.

barrel break in? dont bother.

Rick,

Probably more important to a barrel than any one specific procedure during break in is to avoid allowing the barrel to become too hot. Let it cool a bit between rounds. When I smoked I would shoot a round and have a cigarette, shoot a round and have a cigarette which worked fine until I got cancer... Now I give it a couple of minutes between rounds and give the barrel a good cleaning when I'm finished for the day. I have never ruined a barrel using this procedure. Whatever procedure you use, keep it cool.

You have to excercise caution when cleaning a stainless barrel as you can easily damage a stainless barrel easier than one made of crome moly. If you need to use a brush, then use a bronze bore brush. Never use a stainless brush to scrub the bore.

Good luck,

Malm

I picked up my Browning A-bold to-days and couldn’t find any instruction in the owners manual. However, this is what I found in the Browning web site:

“For the first ten shots we recommend, if possible, using jacketed bullets with a nitro powder load. After firing each bullet, use a good copper cleaner (one that has ammonia) to remove copper fouling in the barrel. We do NOT recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated. If you look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, you will see a light copper-colored wash in the barrel. This must be removed before firing the next shot. Somewhere in the procedure, around shot 6 or 7, it will be obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel. Continue applications through shot 10.

If you have any ammunition left, you then may shoot two rounds and clean it for the next ten shots. This is simply insurance that the burnishing process has been completed.

In theory what you have just accomplished is the closing of the pores of the barrel metal which have been opened and exposed through the cutting and lapping procedures.

The same process may be used with firing lead bullets and black powder to do the break-in procedure with the exception that in this case you should shoot 2 bullets before cleaning for the first 30 rounds. You could use harder lead if available. This will accelerate the break-in. This will accomplish the same thing as the jacketed bullets.

After following the procedure, your barrel's interior surface will be sealed and should shoot cleaner and develop less fouling for the rest of its shooting life.”

Danny Boy

What is a "Nitro powder"? Would IMR 3031 fill the bill? Is Winchester's 748 an Nitro powder?

Rickt,

I expect the meaning is nitro powder, and not black powder!

RickF,

I went to a seminar Kenny Jarrett put-on covering his stainless steel barrel cleaning procedure. He explained why you need to break in a barrel, which is to "blend" the differently machined zones of the chamber and the barrel proper. He advocates shooting 20 shots, cleaning after each shot, with a major cleaning after the 10th shot.

Other barrel makers advocate similar procedures, you can read the Krieger on their website and I think Shilen has a similar section on their website. The AR forums have past threads covering this subjects, the search engine will find them.

Jarrett's micro videographs show fouling is made up of alternating layers of powder fouling and jacket material fouling, so your cleaning method needs to remove both. Kenny recommends cleaning with Shooters Choice for the powder fouling, then Sweets 7.62 for the metal fouling.

I have been following Kenny's procedure for the last 2+ years, and the rifles I have used it with all shoot well. Of course, maybe they would have anyway.

jim dodd

Nitro powder?/ Why that's any powder that is made with nitrocellulose or nitrocellulose & nitroglycerine. Not just Cordite....

My gunsmith, Speedy Gonzalez, doesn't believe that barrel break-in makes any difference. He says that either the barrel is going to shoot or it isn't. Made a believer out of me and it saves me a bunch of trouble.

Oh no, not another barrel break in thread. That is almost as bad as the fluting thread.

I almost forgot. Fluted barrels must be broken in if you intend to use moly coated Match Kings.

Unless, of course, it is a Remington then nothing is required because they are perfect out of the box.

I follow Shilen's technique. They told me to shot one and clean for the first 5 shots, then shoot 5 and clean until you put 50 through the barrel. I guess it works. Some rifles that I didn't break in shoot as well. At least I get practice shooting!

Bob257