Barrel Break in

[sbuff]

I'd start with a good cleaning, lots if factory oils and gunk come in new guns. Run some jb  bore paste down it, say 100 strokes to smooth out any imperfections.  Then I'd check barrel to see if its moving from stock, then check scope mounts. Ammo should vary that much from hornady to Remington. Just my two cents 

Edited March 10, 2019 by sbuff

[Moho81]

2 hours ago, philoshop said:

I do a quick test right away to see if a new barrel needs to be broken in. Most don't, and I don't ever remember a Savage barrel requiring a rigorous process of break-in.

At a very stable bench I'll use my top bench rest gear and technique at 100 yards and shoot five rounds. If the group starts to open up after 2 or 3 rounds it's probably a candidate for a good break-in. Most of the time it's a very coarse rifling that is easily fouled. It takes a lot of ammo and patience to fix that. Fortunately I enjoy loading and bench shooting.

The worst offender I've ever seen was the stainless T/C 14" barrel that I have in .223. It required over 200 rounds with substantial cleaning every two shots before it started to come together. I swear half the copper in the bullet jacket was left inside the barrel on every shot. It's capable of nailing woodchucks at 300 yards now if I do my part. Consistently hitting a 55 gallon drum at 300 yards would have been impossible when I first bought it. Things are trickier with factory ammo though.

Interesting thought on the pattern opening up. 

From what I remember shooting it 2 years ago i'd be luck to keep the group on a paper plate. Left, right, up down just all over. My uncle shot it as well just a couple of time with the same result. 

I'll have to get it out there again and shoot it a bunch. 

[Moho81]

I just looked and it's topped with a Simmons Blazer 3x9 scope. From what I know that's an extremely entry level scope. Under $100. 

[Pygmy]

The LACK of barrel break in is probably  the LAST reason the barrel does not shoot well....I would address all the other issues before I even begin to worry about barrel break in...

[rachunter]

27 minutes ago, Moho81 said:

I just looked and it's topped with a Simmons Blazer 3x9 scope. From what I know that's an extremely entry level scope. Under $100. 

throw that thing in the garbage can and buy a leupold scope and mounts.

[Dinsdale]

4 hours ago, Gencountyzeek said:

According to John Krieger, a premium barrel maker their isnt any reccomend break in procedure. This guy produces some of the most accurate barrels made. Shoot, clean and enjoy.

Actually he has a page on barrel break in on his website and it mirrors my experiences with several types of barrels. Better the barrel, ie better machining and hand lapped of tool marks, easier to clean and less break in required.

The page is a very good read to understand materials and machining for those not familiar.

https://kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin

Put a bore scope down a few barrels of mine when I had access. That'd scare the hell out of folks to see the chunks of missing rifling and scratches even across lands in most typical barrels; and most damn good shooters. On the other end the 2 best barreIs I own are remarkably clean of tooling marks,  scary accurate, and clean up with just a few strokes of average cleaner.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by Dinsdale

[Gencountyzeek]

2 hours ago, Dinsdale said:

Actually he has a page on barrel break in on his website and it mirrors my experiences with several types of barrels. Better the barrel, ie better machining and hand lapped of tool marks, easier to clean and less break in required.

The page is a very good read to understand materials and machining for those not familiar.

https://kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin

Put a bore scope down a few barrels of mine when I had access. That'd scare the hell out of folks to see the chunks of missing rifling and scratches even across lands in most typical barrels; and most damn good shooters. On the other end the 2 best barreIs I own are remarkably clean of tooling marks,  scary accurate, and clean up with just a few strokes of average cleaner.

 

 

I was going off a interview he did, and answered that question personally. Yes it was towards high end barrels but i believe theirs opinions on this matter that can go on forever.

[Lawdwaz]

3 hours ago, Pygmy said:

The LACK of barrel break in is probably  the LAST reason the barrel does not shoot well....I would address all the other issues before I even begin to worry about barrel break in...

Bingo

[mlammerhirt]

I just looked and it's topped with a Simmons Blazer 3x9 scope. From what I know that's an extremely entry level scope. Under $100. 

Put some good glass and solid rings on it and give that gun another go.
I have a Savage in .243 and it drives tacks.
That gun right now has a Bushnell on it but will be getting a vortex crossfire 3x9-50 this spring.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

[dbHunterNY]

even budget barrels of today shoot really well. i've never broke in a gun really. cleaned them correctly and more frequently when new. it's just something that takes a little time and will inevitably get done by shooting and using it.