taking your first shot

[Mail Clerk]

Hello to all,

This coming weekend I can pick up my newly bought Savage model 10 rifle and although I have to save up more money for things like cheek rest, scope and rings, bi-pod and finally a carrying case I wanted to know in advance if any of you guys/gals go through the typical breaking process like I read and seen on You Tube?

My range doesn't like people cleanig there rifles at the range so I either shoot VERY slowly or go ahead and just have fun sighting in my scope.

My buddy tells me he broke in his Savage by cleaning the bore with solvent and patches at his range but never said where he goes.

The regiment he told me was something like:

1 cleaning after each bullet shot down the bore for 5 shots
1 cleaning after each bullet shot down the bore for 10 shots.

Does this sound right to you guys? I admit that's allot of solvent and patches.

Since Savage has button barrels I wonder if the method used to make rifling makes any difference?

Mail Clerk

[NPFreedom]

I would just shoot it like a normal range trip then do a good cleaning at home.

McMillan (highly respectedd stocks and barrel maker) claims those break in procedures are made up from barrel makers for more profit.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gailmcmbreakin.html

[Jeepergeo]

Clean before your range trip and then again afterward. You will be good to go.

[Walking Fire]

What good would it do to clean after one shot?
Wasn't it test fired at the factory and cleaned?
Shoot it, put some rounds through it and clean it later..

[Mail Clerk]

Thanks guys for your wisdom.

Mail Clerk

[ACfixer]

Yeah I've never bought into that stuff... shoot it and clean it when you get home.

[sonofeugene]

I cleaned mine before my trip to the range and then sprayed some tungsten disulfide powder down the inside of the barrel, followed with a few patches soaked with the same stuff. The idea was to leave just enough of the stuff to get it burnished good into the barrel with the first few shots. I also burnished my first 10 rounds with the stuff as well.

For those wondering, tungsten disulphide is like molybdenum disulphide only better. The only reason the moly version became more popular is because once upon a time, tungsten was much more expensive than molybdenum. Not so anymore.

[RandyD]

I would just shoot it like a normal range trip then do a good cleaning at home.

McMillan (highly respectedd stocks and barrel maker) claims those break in procedures are made up from barrel makers for more profit.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gailmcmbreakin.html

I have used the one shot and clean method, because that was a mainstream procedure in benchrest. however, the article that you linked, makes more sense that such a procedure is a waste of time.

[LynnJr]

With a factory barrel just clean it and shoot it then clean it again when you get home.
With a custom barrel break it in properly.
The same applies to car engines.
Factory engines you do nothing custom engines get run in on the dyno.

[JTROKS]

Some ranges don't want shooters cleaning rifles at the range because of the patches falling out and littering the firing line. If you show them that you're a responsible shooter and know how to clean your rifle without letting your patches littering the area. Some say the firing line is full of trash like brass and shotgun hulls anyway, wrong idea - instant stop command by RO. Inserting the muzzle end of your bolt rifle into an empty clear plastic bottle will prevent patches from getting away from you. Having spill proof container for your solvents and oils will prevent a mess on the bench.

[bazineta]

So here's the thing. The barrel is made of steel of outstanding quality, much better quality than, for example, a steel file.

Take a bullet. Take a steel file. Rub the bullet on the steel file. You'll note that the bullet erodes quite quickly, while the file isn't affected at all. Fact is, you can do this all day; the file will be none the worse for wear.

This business of waving a dead chicken over the barrel and turning around 3 times after every shot, while chanting 'Hoppes, Hoppes, Hoppes' 9 times, is, frankly, most likely a Customer Service prank that just got completely out of hand; some CS department grew tired of people asking for a break-in procedure, so they made something up of a Rube Goldberg nature.

Shoot it. Clean it when it's dirty. Keep it lubed when you store it. Repeat for the rest of your life. Easy stuff. Enjoy.

[1859sharps]

I don't buy into the barrel break in theory either.

I have read the theories, arguments.... no one has yet to my mind proven it is necessary or works. and in this case you can't claim holes in targets don't lie. why? because you need to be able to show what would happen if you hadn't "broken in" the barrel.

[highpower790]

After shooting Krieger barrels for almost 20years,I have never "broken in" a barrel.It will either work or it wont.

[ElDub1950]

I've seen this 'proper break in' dozens of time and no one ever states what it is supposed to accomplish or prevent.

I'll buy the customer-service-prank theory above.

[LynnJr]