Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

[hula]

I bought an AIAW 338 recently and noticed there wasn't any information provided with it on "breaking in" or lapping the barrel like I have done in the past on all of my rifles. I emailed a few people that owned them and the consensus was it wasn't needed. So I emailed Accuracy International to get their take on it (reply below) and the current issue of American rifleman has an interesting article on it also which kind of reinforces that. I even talked to some that clean their weapons twice a year. Kind of hard to imagine after being beaten into submission with weapon maintenance in the service. So if someone needs info. in the future on this with an AI here it is.


The barrel should never be lapped as it is a high quality match barrel. If you wish to perform a break in procedure, we feel that shooting one shot and cleaning for the first 10 shots is acceptable. Your rifle has already been fired a minimum of 10 shots during proofing, and acceptance testing with cleaning between shots.


Customer Service

 

[Graham]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

What is this 'barrel break-in' of which you speak?

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

For the most part "break in" is worthless. Just wear it in with normal shooting. Clean only when the rifle needs it. If you want to do more, there are plenty of companies to sell you cleaning products and new barrels.

 

[jp_colt]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

I have a AIAW .308. I did the one shot and cleaning for the first 10 shots. maybe just in my head but I feel it helped. took less then 1 hour

 

[7mmRM]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For the most part "break in" is worthless. Just wear it in with normal shooting. Clean only when the rifle needs it. If you want to do more, there are plenty of companies to sell you cleaning products and new barrels.

</div></div>

Bingo....

 

[Graham]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jp_colt</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a AIAW .308. I did the one shot and cleaning for the first 10 shots. maybe just in my head but I feel it helped. took less then 1 hour </div></div>It IS in your head. But it's in mine, too. And I often do the same because it's fun (fun, that is, if you're anal and/or have control issues) and when done properly it can't hurt.

 

[hula]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

I'm trying to embrace the minimalist attitude toward cleaning. I wish I had the time and about 10 identical barrels to compare various cleaning regimens and accuracy/ease of cleaning. Maybe I can get a government grant for that. Yeah, yeah that's it, a grant to study accuracy and cleaning of match barrels! 500,000.00 should do it!

 

[desertHK]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jp_colt</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a AIAW .308. I did the one shot and cleaning for the first 10 shots. maybe just in my head but I feel it helped. took less then 1 hour </div></div>

There is nothing wrong with doing that. Again, it's a choice that you have to make. I didn't do that for my AIAW 308 and I sure as hell couldn't afford the ammo for my AIAWSm 338 LM. And the truth is both of my rifles are very capable of out shooting me. This is what I do, whether or not it's right or wrong. I used to clean every time after the range. Hell, I don't even do that now. I have at least 150-250 rounds through both barrels without cleaning in between. Guess what, I haven't seen any deterioration on the accuracy yet.

 

[Starvin]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

I decided to break the barrel in for my first precision rifle because I wanted to do it right (DPMS).

I havn't bothered with my subesquent rifles (AIs). They shoot like beasts anyway and I've come to terms with the idea barrels are expendable (hey that's what's so great about having a rifle that swaps out barrels so easily!)

 

[Supersubes]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hula</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm trying to embrace the minimalist attitude toward cleaning. [<span style="color: #CC0000">b]I wish I had the time and about 10 identical barrels to compare various cleaning regimens and accuracy/ease of cleaning[/b]</span>. Maybe I can get a government grant for that. Yeah, yeah that's it, a grant to study accuracy and cleaning of match barrels! 500,000.00 should do it! </div></div>


Get a calculator out and add up just the ammo cost of shooting out the barrel of a .338LM. You could buy two more AWSM's with S&B scopes for each for the ammo alone. Then you can add up your milk money and gas, range fees. That should help you forget about your $600 barrel.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

The mystery of barrel breakin. Any "match grade" barrel should already have a good interior finish and does not require any further attention. If it does then it's not a match grade barrel.

What does require some attention is the chamber, in particular the throat. The reamer shears,chisels away metal when it cuts the throat-lead angle. If you look at it with a bore scope it appears to have been done with a file. Depending on the condition of the reamer there will be anything from a fine wire edge trailing off the back side of the land to gobs of metal rolled over into the groove. Neither is good for accuracy or fouling as guilding metal is stripped from the bullet and is vaporized and layed down in the barrel. One takes less time to remove than the other. I have my own procedure that I use here in the shop but shoot and clean is the best way for the average shooter to handle this problem. How many shots? Good question. Depends mostly on the caliber of riflesmith you use. Good ones keep an eye on their reamers and won't hesitate to have one sharpened if needed.

BTW clean barrels are happy barrels. I've got a barrel here in the shop, large caliber fired 682 times without cleaning, that has .0016" constricion in the first three inches of the barrel from carbon and copper build up. What do you think that did to chamber pressures?

 

[Frank Green]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

Dave pretty much nailed it! This is the same thing I tell guys. The nicer the finish the reamer leaves (finish chamber reamer or throater) the faster this area will polish/smooth out and break in. The rougher the finish the more copper it can strip off the bullet and can cause fouling. I tell guys it acts like a file and the lay of the finish from the reamer is in the opposite direction of bullet travel.

I might shoot the first one or two rounds and clean the barrel and I look to see what the barrel is telling me. If I'm not getting any copper out of it, just sit down and shoot it.

The last 4-6 barrels I shot on my own guns I just shot them. No time to break in and had no issues. One gun was a 1903 Springfield that I restored as a Model 1941 USMC sniper rifle and put a Unertl scope on it. The gun avg. 3/8" to 1/2" at a 100 yards. Not bad for an action made in 1918 and the barrel isn't full floated. The .338 Lapua I have on a shop rifle for testing again no break in. Depending on ammo being shot it is about a 1/3 minute gun out to a 1000 if I do my part right. Same as my 6x47 Lapua. No break in. The gun will shoot in the .2's and also will hold sub 1/3 moa at a 1000. Guys even complimented me on it at the F-Class Champs last year and George from GAP even pulled some of my targets during practice.

I also tell guys this. If you do any type of lapping, polishing, fire lapping with bullets etc....it's yours. Don't call me and tell me you did one of the above etc...and the barrel has a fouling problem. We have no control over what someone is doing to the barrel once it leaves the shop.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
262.649-1574

 

[hula]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

Well, I ended up shooting 20 rounds and cleaning then ran some sweets down the barrel for curiosity and to my surprise no copper fouling! So,there you have it!

 

[Lowlight]

Re: Barrel "break in" and Accuracy Internationals.

If you can fight the urges in your head, don't waste your time breaking in barrels.

Its a farce.

It was designed to sell more product and to keep anal retentive customers from calling the builders up every two seconds to have their hands held.

There is no reason to do it... Shoot it, clean it when you get home "lightly" if you like and move on with your day.