January 11, 2022
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 barrel break-in is a waste of time and ammo. They should be loaded and fired, and cleaned as usual. We doubt there will ever be a consensus among shooters on this issue. It is important to remember that the proper break-in process for a factory barrel might be different from one for a custom-lapped barrel. The Editor found that his best custom barrels shot well right from the beginning, with no special break in other than wet patches at 5, 10 and 15 rounds. However, I have seen factory barrels that seem to benefit from more complicated break-in procedures. 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. Mike Hinrichs, Krieger Barrels
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! We asked the question and let the camera run!
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 to read the Long Term Barrel Maintenance Article. Chip Lohman, an ex-Editor of Shooting Sports USA Magazine has written an excellent article about barrel care and cleaning. Chip shares the knowledge and experience of 12 experts, including John Krieger (Krieger Barrels), Dan Lilja (“Lilja Barrels”), Tim North (Broughton Barrels), and Frank Green (Bartlein Barrels). “Why worry about a little barrel clogging when the throat is exposed to a brutal 5,600? F volcano at 55,000 PSI? We spoke to a dozen experts to answer these questions and more about how to care for a match barrel. This is the first article in a series. We listened to experts who build barrels, shoot and make cleaning solvents for their livelihoods. We concluded that each expert has their 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 of the lessons learned by experts in the field. — Chip Lohman Similar Posts:Tags: Barrel Break-in, Barrel Cleaning, Chip Lohman, Krieger Barrels, Shilen Barrels, Varminter.com
