How do you "run in" a new barrel?

[ovenpaa]

From Vince.

The critical bit we are looking at is more or less in the middle of the pic - the land which has been cut by the reamer to form a ramp - you can see the lines running across it - like the edge of a file. This rough ramp will strip copper off the bullet until it is eventually smoothed out - usually takes about 60 rounds.

[John MH]

Anybody use this: David Tubb Final Finish & TMS

[ovenpaa]

I have seen a couple of products like this and have never been sure of their effectiveness however if David Tubb puts his name to something then it should work as he is arguably one of the finest competition shooters in the world. It would be interesting to see some before and after bore scope images.

Vince touched on an important subject, hand lapping and I do wonder why the practice of lapping has not been adopted by more rifle builders. We have one rifle that has a lapped barrel, S&L cast a hot tin lap for every single chambered barrel and then lap them to a slight taper at the front from new. I am not aware of any other barrel manufacturers that have adopted the same process.

[Quarters]

Thanks very much for your helpful replies.

When you say 'clean' after every round or so do you mean clean with solvent or just patches?

Thanks again.

[Steve E]

Thanks very much for your helpful replies.

When you say 'clean' after every round or so do you mean clean with solvent or just patches?

Thanks again.

Clean with solvent and patches to remove all powder residue and fouling so that the final patch is clean when you push it through. You may need up to 10 patches at a time.
It is my preferred method to push a bristle brush soaked in solvent down the barrel before I use patches. I do not push the rod back and forth. Bullets only go one way down a barrel therefore my cleaning rod with brushes/jags and patches only go in one direction - from the chamber to muzzle and never pulled back.

[Gun Pimp]

Thanks very much for your helpful replies.

When you say 'clean' after every round or so do you mean clean with solvent or just patches?

Thanks again.

Clean with solvent and patches - and a bronze brush every so often. The main thing is to GET THE COPPER OUT! Otherwise it will build up to the extent where you will see it in the muzzle if you look carefully.

[Quarters]

Thanks again. Very helpful.

[SevenSixTwo]

Thanks.

Anyone here 'just shoot it'?

[DanTheMan]

Thanks.

Anyone here 'just shoot it'?

I'm definately in that category, I do use the occasional bore snake to get the mud and big lumps out.

[Gun Pimp]

Just pulled this off an American forum. Interesting take on break-in - not saying I agree but interesting.

BREAK-IN PROCEDURE FOR GUN BARRELS USING JACKETED BULLETS
For the first ten shots we recommend using jacketed bullets with a nitro powder load (Most Factory Ammo). Clean the oil out of the barrel before each shot using a simple window cleaner (like Windex®) which will soak the oil out of the pores. After firing each cartridge, use a good copper cleaner (one with ammonia) to remove the copper fouling from the barrel. We do not recommend anything with an abrasive in it since you are trying to seal the barrel, not keep it agitated.

After cleaning with bore cleaner, clean again with window cleaner after each shot. Use window cleaner because many bore cleaners use a petroleum base which you want to remove before firing the next shot. This will keep the carbon from building up in the barrel (oil left in the pores, when burned, turns to carbon).

To keep the temperature cool in the barrel, wait at least 5 minutes between break-in shots. The barrel must remain cool during the break-in procedure. If the barrel is allowed to heat up during the break-in, it will destroy the steel’s ability to develop a home registration point, or memory. It will have a tendency to make the barrel “walk” when it heats up in the future. We have all seen barrels that, as they heat up, start to shoot high and then “walk” to the right. This was caused by improperly breaking in the barrel (generally by sitting at a bench rest and shooting 20 rounds in 5 minutes or so). If you take a little time in the beginning and do it right, you will be much more pleased with the barrel in the future.

Look into the end of the barrel after firing a shot, and you will see a light copper-colored wash in the barrel. Remove this before firing the next shot. Somewhere during the procedure, around shot 6 or 7, it will be obvious that the copper color is no longer appearing in the barrel. Continue the window cleaner and bore cleaner applications through shot 10.

Following the initial ten shots, you then may shoot 2 rounds, cleaning between each pair of shots, for the next 10 shots. This is simply insuring that the burnishing process has been completed.

In theory, you are closing the pores of the barrel metal that have been opened and exposed through the cutting and hand lapping procedures.