Is there any scientific basis behind it? Has anybody done empirical testing in this area? I.e. taking two identical rifles, breaking in one of their barrels, then testing for accuracy over time?
"Breaking in" a new barrel
Xavier Roberts
Thomas Ross
Umm benchrest guys do it.
Unless you strap your gun to a rest and aim to drill bullseyes it's a waste of time.
Proven that on unchromed barrels, makes cleaning easier
Mason Gray
So running an oiled patch through the bore after every round during a break-in actually "impregnates" the bore in some way? I find it pretty hard to believe that a break-in would make your barrel easier to clean over any extended period.
Logan Jenkins
The reason barrels "break in" is because of microscopic pits in the metal of the bore get filled in with gilding metal/copper from the bullet jacket, thus making it much more "smooth" and thus accurate. Fire a box or 3 of copper jacket bullets and bam, your gun is broken in, bullets will pass more smoothly and with less copper/lead fouling as the microscopic pits are now filled in. That's all you have to do.
Using powerful solvents to try and remove the (beneficial) copper is going to cause more problems that if you just left it alone.
Notice the entities selling "break-in" kits are the same ones promoting the idea. Save your money, spend it on ammo instead.
Anthony Bailey
I've never heard of running a single oiled patch thru the barrel as any kind of break-in procedure. Usually it involves full cleaning after every round for the first few rounds, followed by cleaning every few rounds for some more shots.
I bother to do it on my precision long-range guns. I don't bother on anything else.
If you buy a quality hand-lapped barrel I haven't noticed break-in make any difference whatsoever, but I think it can help your average factory barrel.
Parker Hernandez
Barrels are test-fired in the factory
>you know you are not the first
Stop worrying about dermtails and shoot more.
Luis Hall
I guess I'll do it if I ever get a precision rifle. As far as ARs go, I'll just keep on keeping on.
Mason Lopez
Shut up, faggot.
Tyler Lee
Yeah, I'd never bother for an AR. If you're building a $10k bolt-action for shooting at 1000 yards, that's a different story.
Dylan Price
I still don't get the rationale / science behind why cleaning the bore /w copper solvent after every few rounds makes the barrel more accurate.
Adam Jones
Just nut in your barrel and run ammo until you smoke that shit out brah. Don't get memed into snakeoil from the bench merchants.
Aiden Rogers
>there any scientific basis behind it?
Nope
Can’t hurt
Might help
But the theory was after reaming the barrel to correct head space, there would be circular striations in the throat.
Those striations would effect accuracy. Proper breaking would remove them and allow for a more accurate barrel.
But some barrel makers claim break in shooting is not needed.
Joshua Hughes
>why does copper solvent make it better
It doesn't. In fact it damages the bore. Any chemical strong enough to attack copper will attack the steel of your barrel. It's very true that most of the "break in" chemicals with harsh ammonia solvents are doing real harm to barrels.
Spend money on ammo. Break-in procedures are a scam.
Juan Edwards
The barrel looks smooth to the naked eye, but it has microscopic imperfections (roughness) inside it. The process supposedly helps smooth that out to some degree.
I've never used copper solvent when I have done it. I just used plain 'ol #9.
Lapping the barrel acheives the same purpose, however that must be done BEFORE the barrel blank is cut, chambered, and crowned. When you lap a barrel you inadvertently enlarge the bore a hair at both ends. That's a problem with a finished barrel. But if you do it to the barrel blank before you cut it to length, finish the chamber, etc, then that's no problem because you're cutting away and scrapping the ends.
Visit some of the websites for high-end barrels like Douglas, Lilja, Kreiger, etc, and read their FAQs and such to learn more.
Jaxon Wood
I haven't really researched the subject in-depth. Came here for knowledge from folks more experienced in the matter.
I'm kind of sitting in the "it probably doesn't do anything but it can't hurt if you just dropped 5k on a precision rifle" camp. I can't see why so many precision rifle manufacturers (ostensibly with extensive experience and interest in the matter) would recommend a generic break in process.
Isaiah Murphy
k
Jacob Gutierrez
I'd agree with that.
That said, I've also never heard of "breaking in with copper solvent". That sounds like bullshit to me.
Of course, everbody and their third cousin twice removed has their own secret gold-medal winning procedure for "break in" ranging from "just shoot a bunch" to elaborate silly shit requiring expensive proprietary products. IMHO, like most things, the truth lies somehere betwen the two extremes.
Dylan Cooper
>The process supposedly helps smooth that out to some degree.
I buy that, but I'd be more inclined to believe . What might really help is is cleaning the bolt and lugs so that the wear-in on locking surfaces isn't effected by any metal coming off newly-machined edges.
John Cook
Daily reminder there is no empirical evidence anywhere showing that barrels "broken in" with any product or process shoot any better than if they'd just been taken from the box and shot
>but I used GoyBreakInChemical.jpg and my gun shot great
Buddy, it's a modern barrel, it was going to shoot great anyway, we're pretty much at the limit of barrel manufacture with chf and cryo-treating etc.
Stop wasting money on stuff with no evidence, spend your money on ammo and get better skill
Samuel Nguyen
If they came out and said, "No need to break this rifle in, we have already performed proper break-in procedures at the factory" then you'll get a ton of people shitting on them for "not doing it right" and "ruining the accuracy of the rifle" no matter what process they followed or recommended.
Matthew Morales
Stop "buy ammo get skill" posting, faggot.
I'm a better shooter than you.
Post supporting evidence for your position.
Wyatt Sanders
meant
>Usually it involves full cleaning after every round for the first few rounds, followed by cleaning every few rounds for some more shots.
Josiah Richardson
I'm having a new barrel put on my Garand, I was considering breaking the barrel in. I have never bothered before on any other rifles. Maybe I'll just clean it good beforehand and shoot my normal copper jacket ammo and not worry about it.
Owen Cooper
I never claimed "break-in" procedures did anything so I don't have to provide evidence they do
If you believe in break-in chemicals or process that isn't just taking the gun from the box and firing, it's on you to provide evidence that it actually does anything
Landon Lewis
What part of
(OP) #
>there any scientific basis behind it?
Nope
Did you not understand?
Stop being an asshole
Nolan Gray
I agree with you that it's dumb to spend money on special breakin products.
That said, cleaning between shots certainly can't hurt anything, assuming you aren't using stupid agressive chemicals so there's no reason not to do it either, assuming we're talking precision applications.
Charles Rodriguez
Accuracy International says it's bullshit, and they've forgotten more about ballistics than you know.
Logan Cox
>cleaning between shots can't hurt
It'll hurt the amount of time you could be spending shooting and the cleaning product and patched you'll be wasting for literally nothing
SHOOT MORE
STOP WASTING MONEY ON MEMES AND HEARSAY
BREAK-IN PROCESS OR PRODUCT IS A MEME, CLEANING BETWERN SHOTS IS AT BEST USELESS AND AT WORSE A WASTE OF TIME, ENERGY AND CLEANING PRODUCT/PATCHES
IT'S NOT UP FOR DEBATE ANY MORE, WHILE THERE EXISTS A LACK OF EVIDENCE SHOWING OTHERWISE
/THREAD
William King
>It'll hurt the amount of time you could be spending shooting
You don't rapid fire benchrest guns user, the heat buildup affects accuracy and causes mirage on your scope. You wait between shots anyway.
You seem pretty buttmad about a subject you don't seem to understand.
Levi Collins
>much bench rest
Bench rest is not "breaking in" a gun, it's going for the most consistent loads and conditions, so you do clean the bore every shot - it has nothing to do with "break in" but consistency
The truth remains that break-in is bullshit while there is no evidence in its favor.
End of story. Done. Period. Full stop. No further discussion required.
John Brown
>bench rest shooters clean their gun after every shot for consistency
Imagine knowing nothing about guns. There are such thing as "fouling shots" for a reason.
Owen Peterson
Gale McMillian the guy who makes Precision rifles had the following to say.
m I going to break in & out shoot my barrel? No user, you probably aren't.
1st post.
> sniperforums.com
5th post
> sniperforums.com
Bentley Ward
>implying all shooters and barrels use or need fouling shots and that even that topic isn't a hot point of contention among bench shooters like break-in is
Jayden Nelson
Hey, you don't shoot bench rest, it's fine. We can tell. Yes, break ins are hotly debated. However, no one is holding up the match by cleaning between shots. It doesn't happen. You need to get out there and shoot.
Justin Cox
Are you gonna explain what benchrest shooting has to do with whether or not break-in works, or are we just pretending you never made that correlation?
Parker Gutierrez
I don't personally believe in break ins, I just wanted to reply to you here because you are snarky and lack experience.
William Gonzalez
>Bench rest is not "breaking in" a gun,
I never said it was, user. Your reading comprehension is as bad as your critical thinking ability.
Rather, precision applications such as benchrest is the only time break-in matters.
thank you.
Parker Young
>Are you gonna explain what benchrest shooting has to do with whether or not break-in works
see:
>there's no reason not to do it either, assuming we're talking precision applications.
Bentley Clark
Tyler Edwards
Stop shilling those faggots
Eli James
suck me
Parker Watson
I break in rifles that I expect accuracy from. If you can imagine, A fresh barrel will have imperfections from the drilling, storage, test fire, shipping, and shop display. If you shoot with this trash in the barrel, it could impact accuracy.
Run a patch with solvent down, let it soak for however long you please. The longer the better. Patch til the patch comes out clean. Shoot several more for a group, and repeat process. While you're shooting, your're basically curing the bore and polishing it with your bullets. With each pass, it polishes more but breaks more material off which needs to be cleaned.
Repeat process for about 25 rounds.
I tried flitz polish on a new patch once and it seemed to work very well. It removed all sorts of grey bullshit and made the bore shine brightly. Accuracy was excellent and seemed to mitigate the break in.
For anything with a chrome lined or nitrided barrel, fuck it. Just patch the garbage out and shoot the piss out of it.
Owen Long
This. A mag dump or two and the barrel is broken in. No need for autistic feel-good cleaning procedures.
Luis Davis
The average factory barrel is button rifled which requires no lapping.
Adrian Price
At the pressures,speed, and heat of the inside of a bore when you shoot, copper acts as a lubricant, never remove copper because your groups will open up until the copper gets deposited again.
Nathaniel Lee
the barrel is going to have imperfections after every time you shoot it.
Gabriel Richardson
Button rifling requires more lapping than some other methods.
Carson Ross
Do you have a source for that?
Carter Sanchez
The guy from Faxon who manufactures the barrels said so on an interview with Brownells as well as on an interview with InRange. He goes into the 4 main methods of creating barrels and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Both of these videos have been posted in this thread. Read the thread.