breaking in new rifle

[wv bow hunter]

about how many rounds do you guys think it takes to have your rifle fully broken in?

[NAVET]

I had a Winchester Model 70, Black Shadow, 30-06 and it took about 50. I tracked my groups and after about 50 rounds they got about as tight as they ever got. Out to 150 yards they could get from 1/2" to 1" depending on what factory ammo I grabbed. BUT after 150 yards it opened up like crazy. I shot about every factory round I could afford and nothing helped the opening up after 150. Never figured out why so I finally got rid of it. Not sure why either. It just bugged me I couldn't tighten it up after 150 yards.

[savagescout]

All rifles are different some take longer than others, some shoot awesome right from the getgo.I would not give up on a new rifle untill you have 150-200 rds though it.

[devil dog]

It really depends on how you are breaking it in!. The way I break one in is; after each shot for the first ten shots I run a brush then a swab through the barrel, then after every ten shots for five consecutive cycles. This generaly breaks in a barrel the proper way, after that then I start working on everything else, trigger, bedding, floating and etc. to gain tight groups.

[eldeguello]

ORIGINAL: savagescout

All rifles are different some take longer than others, some shoot awesome right from the getgo.I would not give up on a new rifle untill you have 150-200 rds though it.

Whether or not a rifle has to be "broken in", and if so, HOW, is a big question. A lot depends on the barrel, what you plan to use the rifle for, and what your accuracy standards are. For example, for most hunting rifles (deer & larger) I am satisfied with 5-shot groups of 1.25" or smaller. If I can get such performance from a rifl right out of the box with the ammo I am going to use in it (handloads,of course), I will clean it and that's that!

For a varmint rifle, I want 0.5 MOA with the correct ammo. If the rifle will not shoot that well, I will attempt to find out why, and fix it. This fix may or may not include some arcane ritual performed on the barrel. Shooting & cleaning, shooting & cleaning, etc., may work. So might urinating down the barrel at midnight on the full phase of a blue moon, to drive out the evil spirits! This works especially well with flintlocks-Jaegers,Long Rifles and Hawkens..........

Actually, when a rifle fails to group well, 99 times out of 100, the problem stems from poor bedding of the stock & barreled action somewhere............. NOT from how it was or was not "broken in"!

[Paul L Mohr]

I haven't broken in a rifle yet. And like eldequello said, the ones that didn't shoot well had worse problems than barrel break in.

Paul

[meat_eater]

I Havea nice Remington 22-250 That I did it the old way I was tought.
1 shot clean
2 shots then clean
3 shots then clean
4 shots then clean
5 shots then clean
6 shots then clean
7 shots then clean
8 shots then clean
9 shots then clean
10 shots then clean

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1.../22-250low.jpg


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/robster1776/items%20for%20sale/22-250thumbhole.jpg


I have never had any problems breaking a barrel in that way

[deerslayer223]

I've never broken in a rifle yet. Just clean em before i go shoot em and i'm good to go. I give them a good cleaning 2-3 times a year and I have no trouble with accuracy.

[skeeter 7MM]

Like others I don't really follow a "break in" routine. I simply clean the rifle really good before the first range session and shoot it butnever let it get to hot - 3 shot groups max when weather allows. Then completely clean the bore and a do it all over again...and so on!!

If upon intial or follow up cleaning I think hand lapping will be a benefit I break out the JB Bore Paste and elbow grease.

[glockman55]

ORIGINAL: savagescout

All rifles are different some take longer than others, some shoot awesome right from the getgo.I would not give up on a new rifle untill you have 150-200 rds though it.

I know people that haven't shot 200 rds. throughtheir hunting rifles in 20 yrs. let alone to break them in. I like to shoot, but I might only shoot two or three boxes of ammo a year through my Deer rifle, and that's alot compared to most.