[BenLuby]

Okay. Now that I have everyone's attention, I have a legitimate question. As you know, I'm finishing up, and will soon be at the range with my new baby, who I have yet to name.
Now for my question on her maiden voyage.
Break in.
I've seen everything from 'she's chrome lined!! Clean it at the start, then go shoot the %E#) out of it and have a good time!!!' to the 'go fire one shot. Strip and clean the rifle. Allow it to cool. Repeat until you have fired ten rounds. Now, do it all again with two rounds. Do this until you have fired twenty. Now do it again until you have fired thirty per trip..." and you look at the idjit and understand WHY it's illegal for first cousins to marry.
So...what say the guys on here? We've got cleaning threads, build threads...every kind of thread you can imagine. But I haven't seen a virgin run thread.

[JTJ]

Use plenty of lube and no condom.

[JSDenson07]

1)Fire three rounds, examine target. 2)Put Away 24 hrs fire three rounds examine target. 3)Post these groups, I wanna see. Congrats your cold bore test is complete continue to step 4. 4)Run it until youre happy or broke. repeat step 4.

[Georgiahunter]

Originally Posted by JTJ

Use plenty of lube and no condom.

I thought it was the other way around!

[FCross7]

The so-called "Break-In", that many people talk about, is one of those things that tons of people do, but most can't tell you why.

The reasoning that most people do it, or are told to do it by someone who knows what they're talking about, is because when the rifling is cut, there are machining marks, or burrs, left over. These burrs will grab and hold onto the copper jacket, causing your barrel to copper foul very quickly. The break-in process supposedly helps remove these burrs.

Now, with that out of the way, a lot of people will tell you that they have seen more barrels harmed than helped by an over-zealous break-in. Unless your rifle is a hardcore serious uber target rifle, I say skip it. It's tedious, annoying and the results from said process are minuscule at best.

Also, as you said, the chrome-lining does help to kind of fill in around these burrs. If your barrel is CHF, there won't be any said burrs since the rifling isn't cut.

Take that for what it's worth, but I say break in is a no-go. From now on, any new ARs that I get will be cleaned, get a generous lubing with Frog-Lube, and a break in of about 500 rounds as fast as I can fire them without melting the skin off my hands.

-Fred

[Tackleberry1]

The drawn out process you describe above has been told in many variations. I've heard it too, and I'm no expert on the topic, but I do read most of my owners manuals and I've never seen this recommended by any manufacturer.

You'd think if was really important to accuracy or barrel life, the factory would do simply to ensure some impatient gun stirrer did not trash thier reputation by failing to follow instructions.

Honestly I think this is a combination of hold over knowledge that may have helped with older manufacturing methods and a bit of old school mall ninja advice, if there is such a thing.

I will defer to C3, he should be weighing in shortly and I'm fairly certain he was around during the Match Lock days so he will know more than I.

Tack

[mjkeat]

I prefer to use the time waisted on swabbing the bore after each shot for whatever the round count is on learning the newest trend in urban dancing.

YouTube

YouTube

[Chandler51]

Originally Posted by Tackleberry1

The drawn out process you describe above has been told in many variations. I've heard it too, and I'm no expert on the topic, but I do read most of my owners manuals and I've never seen this recommended by any manufacturer.

You'd think if was really important to accuracy or barrel life, the factory would do simply to ensure some impatient gun stirrer did not trash thier reputation by failing to follow instructions.

Honestly I think this is a combination of hold over knowledge that may have helped with older manufacturing methods and a bit of old school mall ninja advice, if there is such a thing.

I will defer to C3, he should be weighing in shortly and I'm fairly certain he was around during the Match Lock days so he will know more than I.

Tack

ArmaLite owners manual recommends and gives specific steps for break-in. It's the only rifle I've ever performed the procedure on. My LWRCI manual did not say to break in the bbl, so I didn't.

[purehavoc]

If u wanna wear a barrel out clean it often . Barrel manufacturers tell u to do this so they can sell u a new barrel sooner . I say when it starts losing accuracy then its time to clean it

[dickpalmer]

+1. You can wear the rifling by cleaning it too much. If you want to de-burr the rifling, you can buy ammo with compound built in. On a new barrel, I usually shoot a 30 round mag, then run an oily bore snake through it one time. Repeat for about 100-150 rounds. Just what I do with my personal rifles.