I spent the better portion of this past Saturday with my father-in-law (another former Infantryman) at a family friend's ranch in the beautiful mountains of East TN, finally getting a chance to break in the barrel of my new rifle.
Here's the conundrum for this posting. There's quite a bit of information on the web about rifle "break-in" procedures, and even more debate as to what it actually DOES for the rifle and IF you should even waste the time doing it?
As with most things "firearms related", you should FIRST question your true application of the weapon itself. Is it for hunting? Competition shooting? Professional soft or hard target interdiction? Long and/or extreme long range precision shooting?
Your application will let you know whether you need to consider taking the time for a break in procedure or not. Before you begin to question your motives, let's take a look at what a rifle break in can do for you. Across the web you will see arguments about "break in" and what is going on inside the barrel.
First and foremost, your barrel came off of a piece of mechanical equipment, possibly a robotic lathe or two. Something drilled the bore and then drilled the rifling. I don't know if you have ever worked with steel or not, but 100% of the time there are burrs, spots, etc that are left behind. You might even be able to see some, but most are small enough to escape the naked eye. That's only PART of it. As you shoot, your bullets will somewhat lap the barrel smooth during the firing process. What the break-in does is it prevents any particles that have been left after those first initial shots from being hit with the next bullet that travels through the barrel at a high rate of speed. Even though the barrel is hardened steel, internally there is a LOT of pressure, heat, and VERY fast moving objects which COULD embed those itty bitty sharp metallic particles into the bore/rifling which in turn could affect your future accuracy.
Scientifically speaking, it makes sense to clean the barrel out after each shot after the rifle comes off of the assembly line. Some high end barrel producers actually lap the insides of the barrels, which certainly helps the smooth consistency inside and eliminates MOST of the mechanical imperfections. Listen, you just spent beaucoup benjamins on a new rifle, why take a chance?
Another thing that the break in procedure does is that it helps the copper build up inside the rifle. Why is THAT important?? Don't they make all kinds of compounds to ELIMINATE copper from the barrel? We can do a full thesis on barrel coppering, copper fowling, etc., but here's what you NEED to know about copper in a rifle barrel...SOME copper is GOOD. How's that? Every time you shoot, copper is left behind in the barrel. This copper is nice and smooth, tends to fill in any gaps, is temporary, and HELPS accuracy to a certain extent. The copper helps seal around the bullet as it travels through the bore, keeping all of the "power" behind it, where it SHOULD be, therefor gaining the momentum of that power and increasing muzzle velocity. It ALSO creates a tighter tolerance for the bullet as it travels the length of the barrel, therefore DECREASING the possibilities of "flyers" or bullets that might not be centered as well as they exit the muzzle. This INCREASES the percentages of your point of impact being tighter, pending you shoot it well. It's all internal ballistics, I'll leave it at that.
So, we are "breaking in" the barrel to achieve a copper projectile "lapping" of the barrel for smoothness and also to increase the copper IN the barrel so that we get increased muzzle velocity AND accuracy. There is a point where the copper fowling reaches an equilibrium which is where our most accurate shots and cold bore zeros will be coming from. The barrel can get too much copper (over time) and it will then start to adversely affect all of the things that it once helped, but since we are breaking in, that is a non-issue right now.
The process that we used on Saturday is called the "Copper Equilibrium" method, which differs from the "Bench Rest" method. Both technically try to achieve the same things, but the "Bench Rest" method stretches the copper build up over a MUCH longer period of time, and for what I am trying to achieve is not the better of the two methods for my application.
Essentially, the Cu Equilibrium method is exactly what came with my rifle as the manufacture's suggested break in procedure although they didn't call it the same thing. My rifle is a Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500 chambered in 7mm Rem Mag. Here's how it goes...
1. Before shooting ANY rifle that is new to you, you should always brush the barrel out with a mild powder solvent like Hoppes #9. Just dunk the brush in the solvent, run it into the barrel and give it 10 good strokes, 5 in, 5 out (being careful to not let the brush exit the end of the muzzle completely due to crown damage possibilities). Then you can run a dry bore snake or 3 or 4 patches through it to make sure you get any gunk or junk out of there. If all you have is a bore snake, that's fine if it has bristles on it. Run it through about 10 times, the first one getting a good dunking in the solvent in the puff or leading edge where the string meets the material. You'll only need one dunk for the entire 10 runs. (A chamber/bore guide is an excellent investment in your cleaning supplies). When you are done, make sure to wipe the chamber clean with a clean cotton rag/cloth before getting down to business.
2. Fire ONE shot, your first shot with the rifle.
3. Clean the bore with mild solvent like Hoppes #9 or your favorite. NO COPPER SOLVENTS! Remember, we LIKE copper early on. Bore brush/snake is fine. Give it the same, 5 in/out and then patches until clean or bore snake it 5 times. Wipe chamber out with rag/cloth and make sure it's dry.
4. Fire ONE shot.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Fire ONE shot.
7. Repeat step 3.
8. Fire ONE shot.
9. Repeat step 3.
10. Fire ONE shot.
11. Repeat step 3.
Ok, we now have 5 shots and 5 cleanings (6 if you count the initial cleaning before shot 1 that you should have done anyhow, haha).
Now we can take 5 shots between our cleaning regimes.
12. Fire 5 shots.
13. Repeat step 3.
14. Fire 5 shots.
15. Repeat step 3.
16. Fire 5 shots.
17. Repeat step 3.
18. Fire 5 shots.
19. Repeat step 3.
20. Fire 5 shots.
21. Repeat step 3.
22. Fire 5 shots.
22. Repeat step 3.
Ok, now that we have 35 shots down range with our cleaning regiment, we are off to a very good START. It sounds like a lot, and it is, in comparison to NOT cleaning your barrel between shots, etc. In comparison to the Bench Rest method (which has like 11 steps for EACH time you clean the barrel after EVERY shot) it is very minimalist.
Going forward, keep track of your shot count. I would repeat step 3 every 10th shot until about 80 shots and then open it up to every 15 shots until you have about 155 shots through the barrel. Once you are in the neighborhood of 160 shots, it's time to start thinking about tracking down the ammunition that your rifle prefers to shoot (or developing handloads for it). When you are in this neighborhood (around 150-170 shots) your groups should be getting nice and tight. They get tighter and more consistent, but this is the beginning of the "sweet spot" that you want to capitalize on.
Break-in Q&A with the Claymore
Q. Do I have to break in my new rifle barrel?
A. Nope, you sure don't. I wouldn't worry about it if it's a short range (less than 500 yards) or semi-automatic weapon. You COULD benefit from it, but there's no guarantee that you'll notice a difference.
Q. SHOULD I break in my new rifle barrel?
A. That depends on YOU. If you spent your hard earned money on it and you want it to perform at the best possible level that it can, you aren't going to hurt anything by doing it.
Q. I've never heard of such nonsense so why should I consider it when my uber expensive rifles are awesome?
A. You just answered your own question. Don't argue, just go away and play with your uber expensive rifle.
Q. What type of ammo should I use during the procedure?
A. I would consider going with the least expensive brass case, copper jacketed bullets that I could find. No need to spend big money on ammo yet.
Q. How aggressive should I be with my bore brush/snake?
A. Just a dunk in the solvent and 5 good strokes should do the trick. We are only trying to knock out any junk or particles that are stuck to the inside of the barrel, and then make sure it's dry. That's all. A tandem brush/snake works AWESOME. I personally like the method because you get your brush strokes in traditional fashion, but the snake gives it one more scrub and really gets things nice and clean/dry on the way out.
Q. Who uses the "Bench Rest" method and what's the difference?
A. A lot of competitive distance shooters like the Palma gang, etc., will use the B.R. method. It is an extreme cleaning, de-coppering, lubricating process that has like 12 steps and takes a LONG time. Where the Copper Equilibrium method takes the rifle into the balanced "sweet spot" in somewhat quick fashion, the B.R. method PREVENTS any fast copper build up but instead creates a barrel environment where the copper build up is slow, the barrel is very slick, and the groupings tight. These shooters tend to be pretty anal about their barrel cleanliness even during matches.
Q. I just bought a rifle and put like 30 shots down range without cleaning it. Did I screw up?
A. Nah, no big deal. Give it a good scrubbing with a bore brush and some solvent, start at step 13.
Q. You mentioned brass cased ammo earlier. Why?
A. If you plan on hand loading, brass is the only way to go. Even if you don't plan on hand loading, you can still keep the brass and sell it to someone who DOES hand load as once fired brass.
Q. Why is the sweet spot so important?
A. The sweet spot of copper equilibrium gives you consistent muzzle velocities, consistent point of impact, and helps with the consistency of your barrel harmonics. It's the spot where your rifle is THE BEST that IT can be. When you are in this zone, and your sights/optics have a good confirmed cold bore zero, you are going to hit what you aim at when you properly deploy your weapon as long as you haven't done anything to manipulate or modify what you have achieved. (no cleaning, no trigger mods, no anything)
Q. Before Gene MacMillan passed away, he said there's no need for a barrel break-in.
A. Gene was an icon, without a doubt. But, he also lived in a different world than most of us do. He lived in a world surrounded by those that produce the absolute best barrels, the best ammo, and the he designed some of the best stocks around. He lived in the top 10% of the industry and he is right when dealing with that top 10%. You really don't need to worry about it, not unless you want to make your rifle the absolute best that it can be and if your rifle is already coming off the line in the top 10% of hand turned barrels....well there ya go.
Q. I just bought an old (insert Mosin, Lee Enfield, Springfield 1903, old Spanish 7mm Mauser here) and there's no telling how many shots have been put through it. Should I consider a break in?
A. That depends on you. Chances are that the ancient ammo that was run through it over the decades was some VARY nasty and corrosive stuff. No telling how well it was cleaned back then and what damage to the bore internals has happened over time. If you can get non-corrosive ammo for it these days, it might be worth hitting it with a copper solvent and scrubbing it down, then building it back up again. If you cannot get non-corrosive ammo, I wouldn't bother. Just have fun and clean it well every time you shoot.
Q. After the break-in and I've gotten my rifle cold zeroed, how often should I clean my barrel?
A. It depends on how much you use it, the environment you use it in, and a number of other factors. Once you have that thing in the sweet spot, you really don't want to do ANYTHING to it except shoot it and enjoy the results. You might have to run an oiled patch through it on occasion if you have been in moist/humid/wet conditions, but other than that, no solvents, no brushes until you start seeing your shots start to get off track. Just make sure to take care of the outside of the barrel and keep the interior of your receiver wiped out and clean.
Q. What about all of the residue in the bore? Won't that corrode it all up and hurt it?
A. Many years ago that answer would have astoundingly been YES. Technology is a wonderful thing. The powder propellant compounds burn so much cleaner and, better yet, NON CORROSIVELY, than the earlier ammunition did. You don't need to clean the new stuff out. It's non corrosive, meaning it doesn't hurt the barrel. There's a LOT of science involved, but ammo is pretty great these days. It's ok to leave the barrel untouched after you get done shooting those awesome groups. (I know, it just FEELS wrong, but it's OK unless you are shooting old ammo.)
Q. Do I have to take a day or a weekend to go through this break-in procedure?
A. Nope. There is NO TIME LIMIT. I will recommend that the first 5 shot/clean cycles to be done patiently in one day. It's not THAT time consuming, especially if it is nice outside. After that, just remember to clean after every 5th shot and keep good record of your shots/cleaning.
Q. Moly coated bullets?
A. Nope. They're Moly coated. We need copper, not some slick moly junk all stuck in the barrel.
(But moly coating doesn't stick? Really? Embedding that moly coating into sharp rifling edges, 3000 degrees, and all that psi and you don't think some sticks in there on a microscopic level? Science would be a good new hobby for you, just saying.)
Q. Steel cased ammo for break-in?
A. As long as the projectile is copper, that's fine. Probably can't do a whole lot with them when you're done, though. Sell the spent cartridges for scrap, maybe?
Q. Are we done yet?
A. That all depends on YOU.
Enjoy your trigger time, break in or not. It's only a thing, an opinion, a process. It's not for everyone, nor for every gun.
It's merely a suggestion for those that want or demand the MOST that they can get out of their equipment and themselves.
Some might be content with mediocre, or good results off the shelf. Others will squeeze out every bit of greatness whenever or wherever they can. I strive to make the best of what I have at hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment