I getting ready to take my first new rifle to the range to sight it in. I am looking for any do's and don'ts for breaking in a new rifle.

Thank You for your sugestions.

DO: Make sure your action and sight screws are tight. Ditto bases and rings if shooting a scoped rifle. Sight in at 25 yards first; easier to get on paper. If you're dead on at 25 yards, you should be on paper at 100. Generally speaking, I sight in 2 inches high at 100 yards, which will let you hold dead on out to 225 with most centerfire cartridges.

DON'T: Waste a lot of effort shooting and cleaning to "break in the barrel." Unless you are working with a custom barrel, it isn't worth the effort. If you must break in the barrel, clean it; shoot five and clean, repeat until round 20. You're good to go.

cogito, ergo armor

I've tried various barrel break in methods through the years but don't bother with them anymore. Some folks feel it increases accuracy and decreases fouling, but there are also some true experts that feel you are just wearing out your barrel. I once read a comment by Gail McMillan, of McMillan barrels, that break in procedures were just an attempt to compensate for poor barrel manufacturing. He felt that it just led to early wear on your barrel.

When I find a good barrel I try to do everything possible to decrease wear, not increase it.

Only time I have ever seen a difference with cleaning a barrel after every shot for the first 25 and then every 2nd until 50 was with a BAR in 7 mag. The Browning Rep told me to do that and it really helped with group size. It hasn't made 2cents difference on anything else I have. When I had a rifle rebarrelled with a custom barrel I only cleaned it everytime I shot it and that was max of 20 rounds.

Is it as myth that once you are sighted in for hunting that you should not clean the barrell because it affect the point of impact?

Also can you recomend some cleaners for the barrel?

Thanks for the help guys, and oh ya if it matters the rifle I am sighting in is a 300wsm Browning A-bolt. I was planning on sightin in at about 1-1/2" high at 100 yards that should keep just a little low at 300 but I will have to check that before I attempt it in the field.

I clean my rifle everytime i shoot it. It doesnt effedt accuracy enough to matter it may shoot a tad high but not more than an inch or so i use sweets bore cleaner to remove the copper it does a great job just follow the directions and youll be satisfied

Not a myth. You want to know where your first, cold bore shot will hit. Instructor at a long range rifle course I took really reamed me out for cleaning my barrel first evening. Said my cold zero would be worthless. Didn't clean the gun for the rest of the course(500 plus rounds). Instructor had a custom .308 on a Remington action, I think he said a Rock barrel (don't recall exactly) that hadn't had the barrel cleaned in over 3000 shots ... and the groups were getting better.

Practically speaking, though, for those of us who don't shoot hundreds of rounds a week, okay to clean your barrel and hunt with a clean bore. Just be aware that your first shot will not impact at the same point as your groups from a warm, dirty bore. The "cold zero" on my .308 is .75 inches left and .5 inches low from normal group center. As long as I know this, no problem. And how do you know? You need to record where your first round hits every time you shoot.

I'm not picky on bore cleaners. I use Hoppes and Gun Scrubber. Make sure you dry completely and oil lightly if using any of the copper removers that include ammonia.

cogito, ergo armor.

For what it's worth My Abolt SS in 300 wsm is not picky about whether the shot is the first or the 20th. It is very consistent but it took about 50 rounds or so for it to really really shoot its best.

Boy it sure is nice to see some common sense on this barrel break in nonsense. Take a brand new rifle and clean the bore thoroughly before shooting it the first time. Then go shoot it. Thoroughly clean it after each range session and you'll be fine.

I will never understand for the life of me why people wants to deviate from what a manufacture says to do. I just don't get it. I watch my men that work for me do it every day in various procedures. One of them has a better way or a different way at a job, but they are always inconsistent and I always win. Guess what? I read the stupid directions. And thats why I am the boss. Check out the following. Browning and Remington also about the same thing going on there website. That one article must by McMillian must have really went to the heart of some people. They are believing it like the word of god. It really depends on your barrel and the reaming job they did. As kreiger points out, you should know when the barrel is broken in. Some may be after three shots, others longer. Others longer if they are chomoly, and others if stainless. Common sense, follow the directions.

http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/break_..._cleaning.html