Objective research on the barrel break in fad

[rwa]

Well I do have a borescope and I get 2-3 new precision barrels per season. Most truly high quality barrels do clean up in perhaps 5-10 rounds. Others build up copper in spots, need cleaned to bare metal, then they wash with copper and are good to go. I clean when accuracy drops off, but I often times don't need to go down to bare metal. As far as having a rifle that shoots in the .1's and can go 400+ rounds without accuracy dropping off, I have never been so lucky.

BTW, where is the peer reviewed quality research you speak of? It's not on Sniper's Hide.

[BigT]

I asked two of the finest gunsmiths I know about this a few years back.

One looked at me over his glasses and asked "why the fuck would you do that"

The other gave me a look like you would give a dim child and then carried on with what he was doing.

[Chuck Haggard]

Even worse is applying the break-in and cleaning every single time you shoot idea to an AR. It's a chrome lined bore on a carbine for Odin's sake........

[Ptrlcop]

Even worse is applying the break-in and cleaning every single time you shoot idea to an AR. It's a chrome lined bore on a carbine for Odin's sake........

YA I don't clean ARs, just change the oil

[Rosco Benson]

http://yarchive.net/gun/barrel/break_in.html

Gale Mcmillan on barrel "break-in".

Rosco

[SecondsCount]

I think if you are a benchrest shooter then you probably be the only ones to see a difference when cleaning:
Advice from professional benchrest shooters and barrel makers

As you can see, there are varying opinions.

The gunsmith I use for building my precision rifles is a benchrest shooter and holds state records. He shoots strings of 25 and then goes through a specific cleaning regiment. He is trying for as much consistency as possible and claims that the buildup of powder residue in the throat is what is hard on a barrel.

I don't clean all that often, every 300-400 rounds on my precision rifles, which makes him cringe when I tell him. I have seen accuracy fall off on some of my rifles but typically it is only in the tenths of an inch and after hundreds of rounds. For an AR, shooting M193 or M855, this is not even measurable as the ammo won't group much better than an inch or two. For a precision rifle, shooting a 10" circle at 1000 yards, it could add a couple inches to your group and cause a miss but so could a change of a couple MPH of wind.

[SLG]

Well I do have a borescope and I get 2-3 new precision barrels per season. Most truly high quality barrels do clean up in perhaps 5-10 rounds. Others build up copper in spots, need cleaned to bare metal, then they wash with copper and are good to go. I clean when accuracy drops off, but I often times don't need to go down to bare metal. As far as having a rifle that shoots in the .1's and can go 400+ rounds without accuracy dropping off, I have never been so lucky.

BTW, where is the peer reviewed quality research you speak of? It's not on Sniper's Hide.

Just saw the rest of this thread. I was generalizing about the drop off in accuracy and rd count. That's why I didn't add the Sniper's Hide obligatory "all day long". My 300WM has shot more than a few 5 shot groups in the .1's. It is my most accurate rifle. I would not claim that it or I can do it all day long. After a few hundred rds, it may very well be incapable of .1 performance, but since it was built for the 1200-2000 yard problem, I wouldn't know since I don't shoot groups with it at 100, unless I'm load testing or zeroing.

[LittleLebowski]

Just saw the rest of this thread. I was generalizing about the drop off in accuracy and rd count. That's why I didn't add the Sniper's Hide obligatory "all day long". My 300WM has shot more than a few 5 shot groups in the .1's. It is my most accurate rifle. I would not claim that it or I can do it all day long. After a few hundred rds, it may very well be incapable of .1 performance, but since it was built for the 1200-2000 yard problem, I wouldn't know since I don't shoot groups with it at 100, unless I'm load testing or zeroing.

Patiently waiting for details on this 300 Win Mag

[SLG]

LL,

Jared at American Precision Arms built it for me a few years ago. It's basically his Paragon with a few minor preference changes. Broughton 24" Barrel, AI chassis, Jared's fantastic muzzle break, NF Beast on top. Fairly light barrel contour, but the chamber is cut for my Berger 230's. .743 G1 BC. Unreal ELR gun for people that don't want to get into .338's and such.

[SecondsCount]

...
.743 G1 BC. Unreal ELR gun for people that don't want to get into .338's and such.

Holy Shmoly, that is an awesome BC. Velocity?

How many reloads do you get on your brass?