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How do you break in your rimfire bolt action?

S

shaman

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Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 24, 2008
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Frankfort, Kentucky
Got my FV-SR a few weeks ago, and got the stock last week. Thinking about taking it to the range to get a few rounds through it. I have been working the action when I pulled it out for whatever reason, but still haven't shot it. What do you do to your new bolts? I don't have a torque wrench for the DIP bottom metal yet, but more worried about break in that shooting small groups for it right now.

I have Remington Subsonics, Winchester M-22, Federal Automatch, CCI SV, CCI Mini-mags, Federal American Eagle, Remington Golden Bullets, and Winchester 333s for ammo choices. Plan on keeping subsonics or "match" ammo through it.
 
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That was kinda what I was thinking. My plan was to shoot the match or subsonic stuff, and I was wondering if I would be doing anything aside from fouling by shooting cheaper stuff for the first few 100 rounds.
 
Rem subs shoot well in my BTV.

Just about any ammo will do for break in, expect it to show true potential after several hundred rounds. I only clean when accuracy falls off. Also, when I change ammo my Savage needs 20-30 rounds of the new stuff to settle in and show what it really groups like with that ammo.
 
AND...I agree with DFoo. Whatever you do, don't test ammo with dissimilar lubes. Your results will mean nothing. You can test all Lapua products without any problems,ie test Wolf, SK Jagd, and Lapua without cleaning. All the same eel snot lube. The exception would be Lapua Polar Biathlon, it has a dry or wax lube. RWS, Federal 922a, Ultramatch, all the same lube. All of that comes off the R-50 line.
 
all I've done in the past was scrub the bore very well, use some JB bore paste, clean well again...then shoot...I've had a couple that I've had to cut another crown, just depends on the gun. If I scope the bore and it's nice...I clean, then shoot...that's it.

As to the action...again, it depends on the gun. Some I've done zero too while others I've polished as necessary...none have I found it necessary to set the barrel back or lap lug(s). Some probably could have had some bolt face work but it wasn't worth the time/cost for what I was doing.

If all you're doing is field shooting/silhouette, probably just finding the ammo that it likes will be good enough.
 
DFOOSKING said:
NEVER FIRE MIXED ROUNDS IN YOUR BORE! IF THEY ARE SAME MAKE WITH SAME WAX, YOUR PROBABLY FINE. BUT NEVER GO COPPER PLATED THEN WAXED THEN OFF BRAND WAXED. WHITE GLOVE CLEAN BETWEEN BATCHES ONLY.
Click to expand...

I would bet that 75% of all rimfire owners go back and forth on ammo without ever cleaning. I have several friends that will shoot whatever they get their hands on without ever cleaning between ammo types (or lube types). Their guns function just fine. So why such the harsh warning to NEVER do this?
 
gjantzer said:
I would bet that 75% of all rimfire owners go back and forth on ammo without ever cleaning. I have several friends that will shoot whatever they get their hands on without ever cleaning between ammo types (or lube types). Their guns function just fine. So why such the harsh warning to NEVER do this?
Click to expand...



It's not a function thing.

It's an accuracy thing....for plinking it really doesn't matter.
 
Load it up and shoot it like I stole it. Clean it now and then. I do run a jag with CLP down it after each session and then a dry patch before I shoot it again.
Seriously, My take is, my .22 will be harmed far more by a scrub cleaning after every session than shooting it.
FWIW, I'm talking about a $400 CZ soooo, its not like I'm trying out for the olympic team.
 
gjantzer said:
I would bet that 75% of all rimfire owners go back and forth on ammo without ever cleaning. I have several friends that will shoot whatever they get their hands on without ever cleaning between ammo types (or lube types). Their guns function just fine. So why such the harsh warning to NEVER do this?
Click to expand...

Nah...you are wrong. I will bet you 90-95% of all rimfire owners go back and forth on ammo. I watch guys do it all the time in an "extreme accuracy needed" rimfire match every month. I quit trying to educate those guys a long time ago.

We don't do it because it is dangerous and you could put your eye out. Wait a minute, that isn't true either. We do it because we are asking or lowly 22lr, to go places and do things that most people never dreamed of with a 22lr. Many people think you are full of shit when you tell them.

I had a kid come up to me at the match last Saturday and tell me his friend didn't believe I killed a coyote at 212 yards with my Anschutz MPR, luckily his friend was at the match. I still think the kid doesn't believe me. By the way, have you seen the pic of my coyote? :)
 
Typical rimfire accuracy is not what a lot of us believe it to be.

We shoot five/ten/whatever rounds at 50yd, cover the resulting hole with a quarter, and walk away very contented; blissfully unaware that covering with a quarter at 50yd is not the same as doing it at 100yd with a centerfire. At 50yd, we have just barely bested 2MOA. Doing that with a rimfire at 50 feet will earn you a Boy Scout Marksmanship Merit Badge. Doing better than that at 50yd can begin to get expensive. We're calling spades spades here.

.22 rimfires 'foul' differently, and are more like muzzle loaders in this respect. The bullet lube involves a process that 'seasons' the bore to produce a particular internal friction value, which bears directly on accuracy. Without getting overly technical, the lube varies from brand to brand, and mixing lubes in the bore piles on unneeded complexities to the accuracy issue. The only time I clean my .22's is when I change ammo types, and I may need to fire upwards of an entire box of ammo after cleaning before the seasoning levels off and accuracy becomes consistent.

Lead accumulation is an issue, but not the one most expect. In the bore, it's effects are mostly benign regarding accuracy. Where it counts is in the very front part of the chamber, where the rimfire bullet uniquely fills out to match the actual case neck diameter. This causes the very front little bit of the chamber area to accumulate lead. This buildup is the cause of every rimfire shooter's complaint that "It doesn't shoot like it did when it was new". Actually, they're all correct, it doesn't, and it won't whenever that accumulation is present.

Removing it is a treasured secret; and I'm about to spill that can of beans. You could chase it out with a chamber reamer, and that's what I used to do, but that's really overkill. Instead, soak the chamber with Shooter's Choice Lead Remover Solvent, that thick, yellow goopy stuff, overnight, and vigorously brush it out with a bronze brush, just the neck/throat area, next day. Problem solved.

How do I break in a rimfire? Same way I break in a pocket knife. I keep it lubed and use it all the time. All the important stuff happens as regular part of using it. Sharpening (I.e., removing that ring of lead)? Sure. Cleaning? Maybe, maybe not.

Greg
 
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What has been said about switching between lube types is the key here, folks. You CAN switch back and forth without it shooting wildly, but it will not shoot nearly as well as when you give it 40-ish (YMMV) shots minimum before expecting it to do it's best with either type of ammo.

I switch between plinking crap (Win 555's/CCI Blazer), hunting ammo (CCI Velocitor) and mid-grade target fodder (CCI SV and Wolf MT) frequently. I noticed early on that I could switch from CCI SV or Wolf MT back to Velocitors with small sacrifice in accuracy, but switching from plinking ammo to target ammo even the Wolf MT would triple in group sizes for the first 30-ish rounds after I switched.

Short answer: Shoot about 500 rounds of waxed stuff through the barrel to start with and then drive on. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Enjoy your new weapon.

Good luck.
 
I'm glad I read this thread. I've yet to get out with my brand new Savage MKII BV and wasn't too concerned about break in, but the valuable info on brand coating types from you guys who do it well is the good stuff I come here for.

And Greg, thanks for the tip on Shooter's Choice Lead Remover Solvent for the chamber area. I'll get some and try that on my old Marlin Model 80 I've had since the early '70s.
 
DFOOSKING said:
Here ya go.
Click to expand...

Um...I'm glad you got that off your chest...? lol.

Shooting a brick (I don't consider that a lot of ammo) of decent stuff through my barrel as its first rounds is what I would do, in retrospect. I'm not a precision shooter anyway. I just mess around and do some long range hunting and plinking with my cheapo savage, but I wouldn't clean my barrel unless accuracy declined significantly. I'm sure the OP is a big boy and will do what he wants anyway, and I'm not sure it's really possible to do any irreversible damage.

I haven't been home for a long time and won't be for several month so I don't really know what prices are like back there, but I'll take your word for it.
 
deadly_punk said:
Um...I'm glad you got that off your chest...? lol.

Shooting a brick (I don't consider that a lot of ammo) of decent stuff through my barrel as its first rounds is what I would do, in retrospect. I'm not a precision shooter anyway. I just mess around and do some long range hunting and plinking with my cheapo savage, but I wouldn't clean my barrel unless accuracy declined significantly. I'm sure the OP is a big boy and will do what he wants anyway, and I'm not sure it's really possible to do any irreversible damage.

I haven't been home for a long time and won't be for several month so I don't really know what prices are like back there, but I'll take your word for it.
Click to expand...

Considering what the OP stated he is using for equipment and his ammo choices, he is probably not going to see great accuracy anyway. But it is CERTAIN that if he does not clean before switching among that list of ammo, he will not likely find the best of what he has, because his results are likely to be skewed by mixing lubes. No one has told him it would ruin his barrel, no one even suggested it, at least no one that knows what the hell they are talking about.
If you shoot $30 a brick ammo, yeah, sure, no problem shooting up a brick. When you suggest "just" shooting a brick of ammo to some of us, that litterally means blowing $100-$200+ bucks(prices reflect pre-Newtown), when cleaning the barrel would suffice.
Decent ammo is a rather broad term, and I find it rather entertaining what claims come from the bargain bin. As you can tell from my previous posts I find the suggestion of barrel break in a bit entertaining as well. Yes I have broke barrels in in the past(centerfire). I have serious doubts about its actual usefulness in the past few years however. The barrels I didn't break in, seem to shoot just as good as the ones that I did. Some actually shoot better. No two barrels are alike, especially when you change manufacturers. Some are smoother than others, some are rough, and some are mater stakes. No amount of bricks will help a mater stake. I find it interesting that a lot of guys have rifles that "settle in" after 500-1000 rounds. Funny really, there is no proof that the barrel is what has improved. Think about that one for a minute and the light bulb will come on.
The lube anomaly is no bullshit, it exists and has been proven, by numerous people, numerous times.
 
armorpl8chikn said:
Considering what the OP stated he is using for equipment and his ammo choices, he is probably not going to see great accuracy anyway.
Click to expand...

I think we disagree on definition of accuracy, and that is fine. The gun was assembled (doesn't feel right using built) for hunting. EVO SS stock and FFP scope. If it is accurate enough to kill what I am aiming at it is accurate. I don't have a place, or the money to pay for a place to test 50 different kinds of ammo to see what is the absolute most accurate ammo, and I didn't buy a gun that would be the absolute most accurate when fed the absolute most accurate ammo. I am not accurate enough to use the gun up to it's potential, so buying 50 different boxes of ammo for testing would be akin throwing money in the trash, or even more expensive as I would have to pay someone to do it for me.


Remington, CCI, Fiochi, Wolf...the list goes on. Each have different waxes.
Click to expand...

I come from 17hm2 land where there are only two manufacturers for the 7 different brands of ammo, and none of them are lubed. And honestly, there is only one go-to brand, so the rest are leftovers you look at when you happen to have a gun that doesn't shoot Eley.
 
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Oh sweet lord...no one told you to buy 50 kinds of ammo! I simply am trying to give you pointers for maximizing the potential of the ammo that you have, and can afford. No one is running you down dude...chill.
The Foomaster is correct, you and I, DO completely agree on the definition of accuracy. Accuracy is subjective, to the application and range.
It is best to clean between ammo switch, unless you can determine that the lube IS EXACTLY the same. "Break in" is over rated, even in a centerfire.
If you post a question like this on this forum, you are gonna get some serious advice, from some damn serious people. Now that you have clarified what it is you NEED out of a rimfire I will say something that may hurt your feelings, but I really hope it doesn't, it isn't personal. This question has been raised and put to bed all over the internet so much I feel like singing a lullaby. You have been told what you really need to worry about in 22lr. If the light bulb has come on then fine, if not then others have benefited from the debate that ensued, so this thread has not been completely worthless. In the future, if you don't need extreme precision, then say so immediately.
 
armorpl8chikn said:
Oh sweet lord...no one told you to buy 50 kinds of ammo!
Click to expand...

Overstate - transitive verb used to make an object or number look or seem larger than it is. Used in this case to compare the relatively small amount of available types of ammo in the calibers I am familiar with, i.e. 5.45x39 and .17hm2, in comparison to the wide array and prices of .22 ammo currently available.

DFOOSKING
It seems I quoted the wrong person. The 5.45 thread and this one are what I was thinking of.
 
armorpl8chikn said:
AND...I agree with DFoo. Whatever you do, don't test ammo with dissimilar lubes. Your results will mean nothing. You can test all Lapua products without any problems,ie test Wolf, SK Jagd, and Lapua without cleaning. All the same eel snot lube. The exception would be Lapua Polar Biathlon, it has a dry or wax lube. RWS, Federal 922a, Ultramatch, all the same lube. All of that comes off the R-50 line.
Click to expand...

Something to be learned here for this old ignorant squirrel hunter. Never gave lube types any consideration at all. That's probably why closer was better when collecting stew meat.

Now I'll try the clean-between-ammo-types program and see what happens. Thanks for the education.

OfG
 
Shoot nothing but Center X and its secret OwlShit lube and never clean again.....

Well, Maybe a chamber cleaning if it develops a lead ring.......
 
armorpl8chikn said:
Oh sweet lord...no one told you to buy 50 kinds of ammo! I simply am trying to give you pointers for maximizing the potential of the ammo that you have, and can afford. No one is running you down dude...chill.
The Foomaster is correct, you and I, DO completely agree on the definition of accuracy. Accuracy is subjective, to the application and range.
It is best to clean between ammo switch, unless you can determine that the lube IS EXACTLY the same. "Break in" is over rated, even in a centerfire.
If you post a question like this on this forum, you are gonna get some serious advice, from some damn serious people. Now that you have clarified what it is you NEED out of a rimfire I will say something that may hurt your feelings, but I really hope it doesn't, it isn't personal. This question has been raised and put to bed all over the internet so much I feel like singing a lullaby. You have been told what you really need to worry about in 22lr. If the light bulb has come on then fine, if not then others have benefited from the debate that ensued, so this thread has not been completely worthless. In the future, if you don't need extreme precision, then say so immediately.
Click to expand...
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

chikn an dfoo,y'all my hero.
If you ask a question, here on the hide, you will get an answer, some right some wrong.(french models)
Aromrpl8chikn & Defoosking, are some of the few here, that knows what they are talking about,
you may not have to spend a ton of money, if you ask for advice, an get an answer from the right people (chikn,dfoo this time)then use it to your advantage.
subs an match ammo is what the OP said he wanted to run in it. nuff said .
keep us posted on out come
 
Thats_d25b1e_2490946.jpg

That's just how I roll...
 
I know this is an old post, but I have a question on the copper plated vs lead bullets in a 22 lr. If I have used copper plated bullets in the past, and start using match quality lead bullets - do I need to do a thorough barrel cleaning (i.e. get the copper out if there is any) to get the best accuracy with the match ammo?
 
jhegg said:
I know this is an old post, but I have a question on the copper plated vs lead bullets in a 22 lr. If I have used copper plated bullets in the past, and start using match quality lead bullets - do I need to do a thorough barrel cleaning (i.e. get the copper out if there is any) to get the best accuracy with the match ammo?
Click to expand...
I would say yes good cleaning, then 20 to 30 rds of new match ammo, down range before you start shooting for groups that just me
how ever read armorpl8chikn thread on brands, some use the same lube,
an dont need cleaning between brands
YO
 
How in the hell do you guys have the patience to dig this stuff up?

Yes definately clean your barrel after shooting copper washed...you may even want to run some copper eating juice down the tube as well for good measure. I reccomend KG-12 and Pro-Shot copper solvent.
Always use a good one piece coated rod and I persoanlly reccomend a 17cal rod with a 20 cal jag. You may need to run a double patch to keep it tight.
 
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