How to break in your rifle barrel for long range shooting, explained.
A proper break-in is commonly reported to reduce a barrel's propensity to foul (and hence the need to clean frequently) over the life of the barrel.
Benchrest Shooter's barrel break in procedure:
This 1st procedure is the most effective for rifles on aggressive cleaning regimes where they are cleaned thoroughly after each shot cycle or field usage. In an aggressive cleaning regime full copper equilibrium is rarely attained, so break in procedures help to flatten the coppering build curve which minimizes bore condition variation immediately after a full aggressive cleaning.
Procedure (only for NEW barrels) - IF you anticipate having to employ an aggressive reaning regime.
1. Before firing rifle for first time - clean bore and chamber thoroughly
2. Fire 1 shot
3. Clean with powder solvent (Shooter's Choice) 10 strokes
4. Dry bore with patches (usually 3)
5. Run a patch with Sweets 762 copper solvent (a few drops) 1 stroke
6. Wait 2 or 3 minutes
7. Run 1 patch wetted with WD-40 to chase Sweets out
8. Run 2 or 3 clean patches to dry bore
9. Wrap a patch around a jag smeared with JB Bore Cleaning Compound -- do 10 strokes -- DO NOT allow patch to exit the muzzle until last stroke where you push it our the end and remove the patch.
10. Run patch wetted with WD-40 all the way through the bore until ALL of the JB and metal grindings are out, may take 3 or 4 times
11. Run dry patches through bore until perfectly clean
Repeat steps 2-11 of this process for every shot for the first 30 rounds.
Then, shoot 5 - clean once - for the next 30 rounds.
...only use this procedure if you NEED to employ an aggressive cleaning regime due to particularly corrosive environments OR if if there are indications your particular bore needs it.
Procedure # 2
Cu Equilibrium Break In Procedure - Recomended for ELR Precision Shooters attempting to maintain Copper Equilibrium in their b
