barrel break in

[sako55]

I just recieved my Rock River LAR-9. Any pointers on how to break the barrel in correctly?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Guylee]

Shoot it. Breaking in is a myth.

/flameshield

[banks74]

If it were me, I would just clean the factory lube out. Lightly oil it with your favorite CLP. Than I would just shoot it. Clean it after it gets real dirty or when accuracy drops off.

I just went 900rds through my 7mm without barrel cleaning, before accuracy opened up to MOA.

[sako55]

good i didn't want to have to mess around with what I have read about breaking in.

I would post some pics but can quite firgure it out yet.

[mc223]

Enjoy it

[kidicarus13]

From my rifle experience uncleaned barrels are more accurate up to a point.

[Gman]

Shoot it. Breaking in is a myth.
+1

[sako55]

http://i51.tinypic.com/2lmb77a.jpg

I hope this link works

[twitchyfinger]

Shoot it. Breaking in is a myth.

/flameshield



+1

BINGO!!!

Another +1

[sako55]

http://www.webarms.com/breaking%20in%20a%20barrel.htm (http://www.webarms.com/breaking%20in%20a%20barrel.htm)

[Bailey Guns]

http://www.webarms.com/breaking%20in%20a%20barrel.htm (http://www.webarms.com/breaking%20in%20a%20barrel.htm)

I'm betting he doesn't have a Krieger premium barrel on his AR.

As others have said, no break-in required.

[Byte Stryke]

I'm betting he doesn't have a Krieger premium barrel on his AR.

As others have said, no break-in required.


This.


at the most
Make sure it has a LIGHT swab of oil at the start
if you are feeling really paranoid run another one through every 500-1K or so.

[Zombie Steve]

It warms my blackened little heart to see people finally getting the barrel break in crap out of their systems.

In 5 years online nobody has been able to explain to me what they think is happening inside the barrel during their voodoo break in process.



Just go shoot your gun. Have fun... be safe.

[Storm]

I have never done this, but am a believer to a point.

What's going on inside the barrel when you break it in is each bullet down the bore is smoothing out the tool burrs and depositing carbon and copper into the divits and the bore. The breaking-in process is to remove the copper and allow some of the carbon to remain filling in the flaws.

I can see the point in doing this to a stainless match barrel and perhaps even a chrome-moly barrel, but for a chrome lined barrel the effort is too much and I don't really think it's going to do that much given that the chrome is so hard.

AR Perfomance Break-In Routine (http://www.ar15performance.com/6_8_cleaning___info_)

[BPTactical]

I have never done this, but am a believer to a point.

What's going on inside the barrel when you break it in is each bullet down the bore is smoothing out the tool burrs and depositing carbon and copper into the divits and the bore. The breaking-in process is to remove the copper and allow some of the carbon to remain filling in the flaws.

I can see the point in doing this to a stainless match barrel and perhaps even a chrome-moly barrel, but for a chrome lined barrel the effort is too much and I don't really think it's going to do that much given that the chrome is so hard.

AR Perfomance Break-In Routine (http://www.ar15performance.com/6_8_cleaning___info_)


Really close-
It doesn't matter what name is on the barrel, the process is the same.
What one is doing during "break in" is burnishing the microscopic burrs and valleys that are present in any cut rifled barrel. It is infact more critical with a Stainless barrel as opposed to Carbon steel, stainless does not machine as cleanly as carbon steel and will have more irregularities in the bore. A hammer forged or button rifled barrel will not have as many irregularities.


Light cleaning is needed between rounds to prevent forcing debris (dirt and carbon) into the microscopic pores and valleys present and create a clean surface to burnish. You want to leave the copper in place, it helps to "gild" the bore with the copper creating a smooth bore and sealing surface for the projectile. It also helps keep the carbon down, which can be abrasive.
No need to go mad dog on some extended break in process but a couple of things to ensure long lasting accuracy.
Clean the bore as it comes from the factory and then oil it with a good quality oil such as Tetra and let the oil sit for a day or two, this let's it soak into the pores of the steel and it will make it easier to keep the carbon down initially.
Shoot good quality, clean burning ammo during break in. Stay away from "break in" bullets, they typically have abrasive material. You want to burnish the bore, not grind it.
Before you go to shoot it wipe the bore with a dry patch and you will see black/grey residue. Continue with dry patches until they come out clean.
On a dry bore take two shots then just wet patch (no brushing) with a cleaner that IS NOT a copper remover and follow up with dry patches until very light grey or clean .
Clean from breech to muzzle(remember sanding with the grain?) and remove the swab/patch before withdrawing the rod. Leave the boresnake at home.
Repeat this for the first 15-20 shots then open it up to 10 rounds before you swab it.
Once you have hit 50 rounds it has burnished the bore as much as it is going to.
Is it a PITA? Yes, but you will also have a barrel that will be accurate and more importantly long lasting and accurate. You just dropped a good chunk of coin so take the time to do it right
Once it is broken in just wet patch it to clean it. Only pull out the bore brush and copper cleaner when you see a degradation in accuracy. Expect a few "flier" shots after a thorough cleaning.
It is not uncommon for serious precision shooters to go 500-1000 rounds between bore cleanings.
When you do clean it always clean from breech to muzzle and go very easy on the muzzle. Use a nylon brush before the bronze, chances are it will do what you want.
More accurate rifles have the accuracy degrade from over/poor cleaning practices than any break in procedures or lack of.


Chrome lined bore? Initial cleaning and go shoot it.

[sako55]

Never said it had a kreiger on it. RRA uses wilson barrels like many other big name makers. Like BP said, spent a lot of scratch just want to make sure I didn't jack something up. Thanks BP for the info.

[Zombie Steve]

If it's microscopic barrel imperfections and burrs that keep you up at night, why not save yourself some hassle and run a few patches with this through before you start?

http://spinstage.http.internapcdn.net/Spinstage/userdocs/products/p_083065100_1.jpg

[Zombie Steve]

From Gale McMillan (custom barrel / stock and benchrest gun maker)... RIP, Gale.


The break in fad was started by a fellow I helped get started in the barrel business . He started putting a set of break in instructions in ever barrel he shipped. One came into the shop to be installed and I read it and the next time I saw him I asked him What was with this break in crap?. His answer was Mac, My share of the market is about 700 barrels a year. I cater to the target crowd and they shoot a barrel about 3000 rounds before they change it. If each one uses up 100 rounds of each barrel breaking it in you can figure out how many more barrels I will get to make each year. If you will stop and think that the barrel doesn't know whether you are cleaning it every shot or every 5 shots and if you are removing all foreign material that has been deposited in it since the last time you cleaned it what more can you do? When I ship a barrel I send a recommendation with it that you clean it ever chance you get with a brass brush pushed through it at least 12 times with a good solvent and followed by two and only 2 soft patches. This means if you are a bench rest shooter you clean ever 7 or 8 rounds . If you are a high power shooter you clean it when you come off the line after 20 rounds. If you follow the fad of cleaning every shot for X amount and every 2 shots for X amount and so on the only thing you are accomplishing is shortening the life of the barrel by the amount of rounds you shot during this process. I always say Monkey see Monkey do, now I will wait on the flames but before you write them, Please include what you think is happening inside your barrel during break in that is worth the expense and time you are spending during break in

http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn.asp

[bobbyfairbanks]

From Gale McMillan (custom barrel / stock and benchrest gun maker)... RIP, Gale.



http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn.asp


hi Five bro[Beer]

[BPTactical]

If it's microscopic barrel imperfections and burrs that keep you up at night, why not save yourself some hassle and run a few patches with this through before you start?

http://spinstage.http.internapcdn.net/Spinstage/userdocs/products/p_083065100_1.jpg


And Clover Lapping compound helps break in engines faster........................

[two shoes]

If it's microscopic barrel imperfections and burrs that keep you up at night, why not save yourself some hassle and run a few patches with this through before you start?

http://spinstage.http.internapcdn.net/Spinstage/userdocs/products/p_083065100_1.jpg

Mr. McMillan would not agree with using JB compound. He was asked about this a little further down the page you referenced.

"...Look at it this way, A barrel starts out with nice sharp areas of the corners of the rifling . Along the way you build a big fire in it a few thousand times and it burns the corners off. Now take a barrel that to break in you put an abrasive on a patch and run it in and out. The result is that you take the corners off the rifling so that all that fire which would have started with sharp rifling is now starting with rifling that is thousands of rounds old. Which means that a lot of the life is gone. A lap always cuts more on each end where the compound reverses direction as it starts back through the barrel which means that it is enlarging the bore at each ends of the barrel. And last picture a patch riding along the barrel with abrasive on it. It is removing material at a given rate. It comes to a place where there is copper fouling and it rides over it cutting the same amount that it was cutting before it came to the copper. You continue until all the fouling is gone and what have you done? You have put the came contour in the barrel steel that was in it when it was metal fouled. It would not be as bad if it were used on a lead lap but I ask why would you want to abuse the barrel when you can accomplish the same thing without the bad side effects. There is Sweats, Otters foul out or just a good daily cleaning with a good bore cleaner till the fouling is gone. To top this off I will relate a true happening. I built a bench rest rifle for a customer and as usual I fired 5 groups of 5 shots and calculated the aggregate. It was good enough to see that the rifle was capable of winning the Nationals so I shipped it. I got a call from the new owner saying how happy he was with it the way it shot. About 4 weeks later the rifle showed up with a note saying it wouldn't shoot. Sure enough when I tested it it was shooting groups three times the size if the ones I had shot before I shipped it. When I bore scoped it the barrel looked like a mirror and the rifling wasn't square it was half round. From that time on I put a flyer in each gun saying if any abrasive was use in it voided the Warrantee. Now I am not trying to stop you from doing what you want but just inform you what is happening when you use JB. Brass brushes are softer than barrel steel and does no harm. S/S brushes are harder than barrel steel is definetly a no no. Nylon may surprise you to know is very abrasive If you doubt this look at the carbide eye on yout fishing rod where nylon line has worn groves into it."

[summitskier]

Sorry to go a little off-topic but I saw this and had a question about it:


Nylon may surprise you to know is very abrasive If you doubt this look at the carbide eye on your fishing rod where nylon line has worn groves into it.I have seen this other places on the 'net and was wondering people's opinions on this. Is a brass brush the best way to clean a bore?

[Zombie Steve]

Mr. McMillan would not agree with using JB compound. He was asked about this a little further down the page you referenced.

Having some issues with my browser... sorry.


Again, I'm not advocating anything but shooting the rifle and cleaning it when you're done. I said if it really worries you, run a few patches with JB down the bore. In his second post in that thread, he's obviously talking about people that use it regularly to clean.

[sako55]

[ar15]

[<MADDOG>]

+1 avoid bore bright...