September 3, 2021
Photo courtesy Sierra Bullets. The question of barrel breaking-in is controversial. Some advocate a long, complex cycle of brushing and shooting, repeated many times — one shot, clean, two shots, clean, and so forth. This is believed to help barrels shoot more accurately and reduce fouling. Others believe that a minimal amount of break-in is necessary, with only patching and brushing every 10-15 rounds. Others argue that break-in is a waste of time and ammo. Instead, load and shoot and clean as you would normally.
We doubt that shooters will ever reach an agreement on barrel break-in procedures. It is important to remember that the correct break-in procedure for factory barrels may be different from those for custom-lapped barrels. The Editor found that his best custom barrels shot great straight from the start. There was no special break in other than wet patches at 5, 10 and 15 rounds. However, I have seen factory barrels that were more suited to elaborate break-in procedures.
What is the best barrel breaking-in process? Our friend Eric Mayer from Varminter.com asked the experts. Eric interviewed three of the most prominent barrel manufacturers: Lothar-Walther and Shilen. He recorded their responses on video. The three experts appear in the video in the following order:
Wade Hull, Shilen Barrels | Mike Hinrichs, Krieger Barrels | Woody Woodall, Lothar Walther
Do I need to break-in a new rifle barrel?
Varminter.com’s Eric Mayer says, “That is a very simple question, but it does not necessarily have an easy answer.” Instead of repeating my beliefs and practices on how to break-in a new rifle barrel I decided to do something different. We met three of the most recognizable custom barrel makers in the country while at the SHOT Show 2016. We asked them what they would recommend to anyone looking to buy their barrels and why. We asked the question and the camera ran! You can see the video above to hear some of the answers. Some may surprise you.
Long-Term Barrel Care — More Experts Provide Opinions
Beyond the debate over barrel break-in, there is also the larger question of how to clean and maintain a barrel throughout its useful life. While some shooters prefer to use abrasive brushing, others prefer to use bore foam and wet patches. Different strokes for different people, they say. There may not be a single solution for every problem. Different fouling problems require different solutions. Solvents that work well with copper may not work well with hard carbon, and vice versa.
Click Here for Long-Term Barrel Care Article
Chip Lohman, a former Editor of Shooting Sports USA Magazine has written an excellent article about barrel maintenance and cleaning. Let the BARREL TELL YOU — Match Barrel Maintenance. Chip shares the knowledge and expertise of 12 experts, including Frank Green (Bartlein Barrels), John Krieger(Krieger Barrels), Dan Lilja (“Lilja Barrels”) and Tim North (Broughton Barrels).
“Why bother about a little barrel fouling when your throat is subjected at a brutal 5,600? F volcano at 55,000 PSI? We spoke to a dozen experts to answer these questions and many other questions about how to care for a match barrel. This is the first article in a series.
We listened to experts who build barrels and make cleaning solvents for their livelihoods. We concluded that each expert has his or her own recommendations for how to care for a match-barrel. They all agree on one thing: the gun will tell what it likes best. A match barrel’s life expectancy is between 1,500 and 2,500 rounds. Cleaning one should aim to preserve accuracy, slow erosion, and remove fouling, all while not damaging it. This article does not claim that any cleaning method is superior to another. We wanted to bring science into the discussion and share some lessons from experts in the field. Chip Lohman
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Tags: Barrel Break-in, Barrel Cleaning, Chip Lohman, Krieger Barrels, Shilen Barrels, Varminter.com
