Barrel Break-in, What Difference Does it Make?

[5.56Geo]

Since we do not live in a parallel world and each barrel is different from rifle to rifle who would/could ever know if the "barrel break-in" method worked or improved the barrel?

I have bought rifles and shot them with no barrel break-in and had good results from the get go. I understand that rifles are like cars after a few thousand miles the MPG improves, after a few shots the groups improve. Why spend all the time and ammo just to say that you did a barrel break-in, when it's possible that barrel would/could have shot good from the first shot and just improved with use?

...your thoughts?

[LCU1670]

I do not believe a break-in does anything BUT possibly wear out your barrel sooner.

[socal147]

For 99.99% of us shooters, barrel break in is silliness.

[Dutch Henry]

Barrel 'break in' is just another buzz word. It means nothing. Shoot it, enjoy it and don't worry about it.

[LynnJr]

If you don't know if its good or bad barrel break in is not for you and if your talking about factory barrels it doesn't matter.

On custom hand lapped barrels everything runs from the breech to the muzzle. If you borescope a custom barrel they look like a polished hot rod at a car show. When a gunsmith chambers that barrel his reamer has a floating pilot which fits the bore very closely but not perfectly. The floating pilot acts like a centering bushing good to 0.0002 or 2 ten thousandths of an inch clearance. This is so the reamer doesn't wallow.

When the reamer is through cutting your chamber the gunsmith will often times run some crocus cloth or 600 grit sandpaper into it wrapped on a wooden dowel to polish up any machining marks that would transfer onto your well prepped brass cases.

When a competitive shooter does a barrel break in procedure it is to help remove any copper or carbon deposit build up in the scratches left by the floating pilot that run perpendicular to the bore. This is the part of the barrel that firecracking occurs in first and ultimately it is the area that decides when the barrels useful accuracy life is over.

Some choose to break in there barrels some don't. Some replace when guilt edge accuracy tapers off and some replace at predetermined round counts or when funds allow it.

[1859sharps]

For 99.99% of us shooters, barrel break in is silliness.

more like the 99.99% of those that stay up to date.


To my knowledge, there has NEVER been any definitive work to prove one way or the other.

In my opinion... the reasoning for NOT doing barrel break in makes more sense than the reasoning for doing barrel break in.

The argument that proof is in the results on paper is a faulty argument because how can you definitively say that the path taken is truly the reason for the results seen on paper. be that doing barrel break in or not.

I do keep just enough of an open mind about barrel break in just in case the devil is in the details. meaning, there may be a specific process, set of tools etc that actually does create a benefit. But again, to my knowledge nothing definitive has been done to try and prove/quantify a benefit.

The only benefit I can think of that has any merit is the elimination of worry. IF you are someone who truly, truly thinks that barrel break in does improve your rifle's accuracy, by doing a careful break in procedure you remove a source of worry, doubt, stress etc in your own mind that then allows you to relax and focus on other aspects of shooting. In this context, I would say yes there is a benefit.

[Divernhunter]

This was posted on a now defunct website. It was posted by Gale McMillan of McMillan rifles/stocks and a precision rifle builder/shooter.
I Quote:
"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 every 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 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 every chance you get with a brass brush pushed through it at least 12 times with a good solvent and followed by 2 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."

I must agree with the above. The ONLY benefit of the break in is that it keeps you from getting the barrel too hot which will speed up wear. Too often I have seen people shoot 20+ rounds out of a new rifle with no stopping. The barrel gets very hot. If you do not let the barrel get too hot to hold(the number of rounds depends on barrel shape and cartridge size) you will do what the break in does without the extra shots/wear/time/expense.

He also had some good info on using JB paste. Bottom line is that he can tell if it has been used on the barrel. If it is used on one of his barrels the war is voided.

So if it makes you feel better then do it. It serves no other purpose. If you think it will help your shooting then it may. Much of accurate shooting is in the mind set anyway.

[Noonanda]

I was just"breaking in" a barrel this weekend. This consisted of 5 slow fire shots ( I was also sighting it in), a couple patches, a couple swipes with a oiled brass brush, and then a couple dry patches. The big thing I did was not heat the barrel up bad, took my time, fired another rifle to help . End of sight in I ran one wet patch and one dry patch.

[echoThreeOneSix]

Barrel 'break in' is just another buzz word. It means nothing. Shoot it, enjoy it and don't worry about it.

this

[2shotjoe]

Barrel break in is just a sales gimmick.

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[toby]

If you're really passionate about your firearms then go ahead and waste some ammo and elbow grease, it definitely won't hurt anything or you just skip it, keep your guns clean and have tons of fun.

[E92335i]

Just load and shoot

[smoothy8500]

Hmmm, most rifles for sale list in the ad somewhere that "proper break-in was performed" as if any buyer cared.

[dskit]

[smalltime]

I did a break-in on my Howa because the instructions told me to Like OP said, who knows what it actually did but the rifle does shoot very well.