View Full Version : Proper AR15 Break in
stanlyonjr
03-13-09, 20:02
What advice do you all have when breaking in a new rifle? Thanks!
Stan
spamsammich
03-13-09, 20:07
Clean it well, get some quality ammo, then shoot the shit out of it. *assuming it's a chrome lined barrel.
stanlyonjr
03-13-09, 20:16
Its a brand spanking new 6920 so I'm pretty sure it has a chrome lined barrel.
I've seen it said (but never did it) to shoot one round, run a brass brush thru and clean with solvent, oil and repeat for 20-30 rounds.
I oiled the inside of the barrel with Firepower 10, oiled the bolt parts and went and had fun. Clean like normal when your done and leave it comfortably oiled internally (bolt parts) and oil the outside and follow with a dry wipe. Before I go shoot again, I drop a couple oil drops in the 3 holes of the bolt carrier under the dust cover. I also drop a few drops in each hole after every 4 or 5 mags if I'm doing a lot of shooting. It could be said by some that I over oil, I also crack open the rear take down pin and lay a thin bead of oil down each side of the bolt so that it flows around the bolt and into the upper bolt cavity. I like to have the bolt sliding on a film of oil in the upper.
I'm no pro, but I like oil. My 3 AR's have never jammed or acted odd. I've had 600 round days before with no issues following my lubrication technique... so I won't change unless I see a problem.
What I dont over oil is the barrel. I dont want the bullet to hydro lock on excessive oil, so when I iol the barrel after solvent cleaning I always dry wipe it to make sure there is just a very fine film left behind. I'm not sure if you can hydro a barrel.. but I'm scared to test that thought process on my barrel!
Larry
stanlyonjr
03-13-09, 20:40
Thanks for the input Larry!
I've seen it said (but never did it) to shoot one round, run a brass brush thru and clean with solvent, oil and repeat for 20-30 rounds.
I'm not that patient. I just checked to make sure there was no grease, checked the bore for obstructions, and went out and shot it...
And I keep the bolt carrier group wet like Larry. That works well for the AR (The oldtimers here are going "No shit" of course). I just use what I have on hand, which usually happens to be CLP or 3 in 1 oil.
Have fun :D
I cleaned my new M&P twice in my anticipation for the carbine class I was taking in the up coming week :D:D Then during the class put 600+ rounds through it and 250 through my Kimber! Which was also brand new!! No problems I run my ar wet on the bolt and front of the carrier, any moving parts, and a very light coat inside the barrel when I clean
Jay Cunningham
03-14-09, 09:37
What advice do you all have when breaking in a new rifle? Thanks!
Stan
A modern tactical rifle such as an LE6920 does not require a special "break-in" procedure per se, but it does benefit (just as all mechanical devices do) from a break-in period.
As a general rule-of-thumb for an AR-15 I would say 500 rounds at 12 - 15 rpm, 1000 rounds total for 100% vetting.
So 500 rounds over a 40 minute time frame is a good initial vet of an AR-15. Well-lubed, of course.
RogerinTPA
03-14-09, 11:03
I've seen it said (but never did it) to shoot one round, run a brass brush thru and clean with solvent, oil and repeat for 20-30 rounds.
Not necessary for chrome lined barrels. It's a myth started by a precision barrel maker, to get you to wear out your barrel faster through over cleaning it, thus causing the precision shooter to replace the barrel more frequently and increasing his profit margin.
You are 'breaking in"/"Proofing" the entire weapon system and not just the barrel. You are looking for anything that can break or malfunction during the process (bolt, carrier key, extractor, FCG, proper cycling, any short stroking, etc...), to include your mags and ammo. Agreed, a thousand rounds in a weekend with good lube on the BCG, without any failures, should do it. Caution, don't take an unproven or new rifle to a carbine class!
stanlyonjr
03-14-09, 11:40
I was actually thinking of going to the thunder ranch carbine school but maybe I'll wait till the fall after I have a few thousand rounds through the rifle. Thanks for the input.
My procedure for any new auto pistol or rifle is.
1. Load one round and fire. Make sure that bolt locks to the rear.
2. Load two rounds and fire. Make sure that bolt locks to the rear.
3. Load five rounds and fire. Make sure that bolt locks to the rear.
4. Load ten rounds and fire. Make sure that bolt locks to the rear.
This way if there is a problem with the fire control parts you don’t have a thirty round mag in the weapon if it go’s full auto.
As far as the barrel is concerned. If it’s not a precision rifle the don’t worry about breaking it in.
Its a brand spanking new 6920 so I'm pretty sure it has a chrome lined barrel.
I didn't even bother cleaning my dad's new 6920, as it still had oil all over the BCG from Colt. I just shot the shit out of it, and it ran flawlessly. Maybe one of these days I'll clean it for him. ;)
for what its worth, noveske recommends no special breakin procedure. just shoot it.
QuickStrike
03-14-09, 18:23
So 500 rounds over a 40 minute time frame is a good initial vet of an AR-15. Well-lubed, of course.
Whoa, that's more intense than the firing schedule during the one class I've been to.
I shouldn't worry about throat erosion then?
I'm not that patient. I just checked to make sure there was no grease, checked the bore for obstructions, and went out and shot it...
And I keep the bolt carrier group wet like Larry. That works well for the AR (The oldtimers here are going "No shit" of course). I just use what I have on hand, which usually happens to be CLP or 3 in 1 oil.
Have fun :D
Same here... I don't baby my firearms anymore.
kaiservontexas
03-14-09, 22:17
All I have ever done is break down the rifle for the purposes of getting to know it and to clean and oil. I then just go out and shot it.
trunkmonkey
03-14-09, 23:58
Never did understand those guys that just took it right from the box to the range.
A rifle is a manufactured and machined bunch of parts. Only a fool would not at the very least take it apart and inspect it first before it's first rounds downrange.
I myself disassemble, inspect, clean, lube. Then head to the range for fun.
Recently the guy behind the gun counter instructed me to clean and lube before firing. After telling him that was kind
of a no brainer he informed me that they now have to say that after a customer took his bushmaster straight to the range and the bolt seized up on him after a few hundred rounds. Never heard of that happening before but a lesson nonetheless.
Chrome lined barrel = clean it, lube it, shoot it.
Never did understand those guys that just took it right from the box to the range.
A rifle is a manufactured and machined bunch of parts. Only a fool would not at the very least take it apart and inspect it first before it's first rounds downrange.
I myself disassemble, inspect, clean, lube. Then head to the range for fun.
Recently the guy behind the gun counter instructed me to clean and lube before firing. After telling him that was kind
of a no brainer he informed me that they now have to say that after a customer took his bushmaster straight to the range and the bolt seized up on him after a few hundred rounds. Never heard of that happening before but a lesson nonetheless.
I agree with this too, I myself disassemble, inspect, clean, lube, then run it like you stole it.
stanlyonjr
03-15-09, 08:52
All great advice guys. Which brings me to the next question along the same lines. What cleaning needs to be done before shooting the first time? How far down do I need to take it. Thanks.
I never tore down my new car before starting it, I wont tear down my new gun before shooting it. I trust that Ford knew how to properly assemble my SuperDuty and I trust Charles Daly or Stag knew how to assemble my AR. After shooting I do a standard tear down for cleaning, take a gander around.....and put her together for the next time.
On a new gun I'll run a solvent, oil, then dry wipe down the barrel, drop some oil into the bolt mechanism and shoot.
I know, some of ya take your new gun apart and inspect each part before shooting..... but I don't.
I didn't even bother cleaning my dad's new 6920, as it still had oil all over the BCG from Colt. I just shot the shit out of it, and it ran flawlessly. Maybe one of these days I'll clean it for him. ;)
I certainly hope you cleaned the Cosmoline out of your dad's 6920 before shooting it for the first time!!!! Colt encases all of their ARs in a healthy coating of Cosmoline before shipping and it must be removed entirely before you begin shooting. If you didn't....stay tuned. Expect seizing of the entire rifle in the future and a rather difficult time cleaning it out. I know people who didn't realize this fact and thought that it was just lube that their Colts arrived with...they found out the hard way.
You should always clean and lube a new gun, whether handgun or rifle, before heading off to the range for the first time.
Jay Cunningham
03-15-09, 10:51
Colt does not encase their AR's in Cosmoline. Where did you come up with this?
Colt does not encase their AR's in Cosmoline. Where did you come up with this?
Obviously I'm referring to the internals of the rifle. My Colt M4 and my friend's Colt AR15 were completely covered with Cosmoline when we received them from the factory. I phoned Colt for proper cleaning method to remove Cosmoline and they confirmed both its presence and the importance of removing it before shooting.
IF there is cosmoline I would highly recommend good ol' WD-40 for removing it, works like a champ!
Failure2Stop
03-15-09, 12:43
Before going to the range with a new weapon-
1- Disassemble and clean with whatever you happen to prefer, provided that you have a little common sense, to ensure that whatever the factory coated the gun/parts in is removed. I do not know of any manufacturer that uses a quality lubricant, instead they use a protectant to prevent the formation of rust while being shipped/sitting on the shelf. It is a good idea to get this crap off your gun.
2- Clean the chamber and barrel to ensure that any little hangers-on from the manufacturing process are removed. A simple chamber brush on the chamber first, then wipe out with a wet patch. Then a few repetitions of a bore-brush, followed by a few patches.
3- Adequately lubricate all moving parts during reassembly. For details, there are numerous threads on the subject, and there are sure to be many more.
4- Conduct function check, which also has a few threads for details.
Break-in procedure-
1- Buy 500 rounds of quality ammo. I prefer M193 or M855 simply because I know it should work with 5.56 guns.
2- Ensure gun is properly lubricated. If in doubt, put a few drops into the oil holes in the BGC to ensure that your gas-rings are lubed, a drop or two onto the cam-pin, and a drop on the BCG rails. Don't be worried about excessive lubrication- just ensure that lube is not dripping into the chamber. Excess lube will be gone by about shot #5, and anything that blows out of the gun before then will be stopped by your eye-pro (you all do wear ballisitic lenses when shooting, right?;)).
3- Fire a few rapid shots in an aggressive stance to check for proper function.
4- Begin zeroing procedure. This will probably take about 50 rounds if you are going to confirm at distance. I like to use 5 round groups for adjusting zero with 10 rounds for confirmation. I only fill the mags with 5 rounds (10 for the conf string) which lets me ensure that the bolt locks to the rear on each mag during live-fire.
Note- if you find that when you change positions from prone or bench to kneeling or standing you hit low, you are probably jerking the trigger, anticipating recoil by either flinching or bucking, or both.
5- Once the zeroing is done, increase tempo to get the gun warm. I let the gun cool every 200 rounds or so just because it makes the gun a little easier to work with if I decide to move something.
This is my current procedure for personal guns based off a little experience with the platform. My primary concerns with the platform are proper functioning of the FCG and smooth interface of moving parts. Secondary concern is to achieve a hard zero. Tertiary is to confirm precision potential.
stanlyonjr
03-15-09, 14:03
WOW,
Some great information. Thanks all of you for taking the time to give some feedback. It is greatly appreciated.
The correct procedure is as follows:
1. Inspect and clean gun
2. Go to range
3. Load 30 round mag
4. Fire
5. Repeat step four until mag is empty
6. Reload
7. Repeat steps 4-6 until ammo is gone
Congrats, your rifle is broken in. Feel free to clean it at this point if neccesary.
... It's a myth started by a precision barrel maker, to get you to wear out your barrel faster through over cleaning it, thus causing the precision shooter to replace the barrel more frequently and increasing his profit margin.
what? that doesn't make any sense to me. why would a maker of high end barrels want his barrels to wear out faster? word of mouth and reputation pretty much makes or breaks a product in the small world of precision shooting. sorry, but I ain't buying...
So he can sale you a new one every couple years and keep the cash cow producing?
So he can sale you a new one every couple years and keep the cash cow producing?
nah. suffice it to say that barrels are going to be bought. a rep of having a barrel that doesn't last as long as your competitor is one good way to make sure that you reduce your percentage of those sold. this idea simply doesn't hold any water.
the discussion of whether a specific break-in procedure can improve accuracy has been, and will be, discussed till the cows come home, but I've never heard anyone seriously suggest that this is the way the concept got it's start...
Did you realize we both spoke of COWS in our responses? Odd. Cows and barrels. Who would have thought there would be a corrolation between the two!
adrenaline151
03-18-09, 11:24
This is what I do:
Now, some people do things differently, but this has worked in the past for me, and all fo my AR and AK rifles all shoot sub-moa out to and inclusing 1000 yards. Every time. You might want to write this down.
Go to the range. Take your gun. Load up 5 pmags, and yes, this will ONLY work using pmags. FDE is best, black a close second.
Load up 5 pmags. Put ONE of them into your gun. Take one shot.
Go home.
Repeat this process for 3 days, 4 if you have a Bushmaster, DPMS, RRA, or equivalent. If you built the rifle yourself, you might as well do this for 5 days, just to be safe. You're not a gunsmith. But if you are, you still need to be safe.
K. So on the sixth day(but not if it's a Sunday), you need your pmags. You should have 5 of them. Between 3 and 5 will onll have 29 rounds left. You will need to bumpfire those while a friend or loved one pours water over the barrel. You can't trust just anyone with this. And your barrel can't get too hot, it will degrade accuracy. I believe it should go without saying that you use COLD water for this.
Next. Clear your rifle. Take out your BCG and put it in a bowl of Coca Cola. Not too long, though, it may completely dissolve. You just want the carbon gone, not the whole BCG. You will need that for the next step.
Replace the BCG and fire one round. At this point you can start to use CP or GI mags, but at your own risk. I don't recommend aluminum mags, because your rifle is made of aluminum and when two metals that are the same come into contact, the gall. I read that on a forum and I have sworn by it ever since.
To clean the barrel, after your 151 rounds, you need WD-40 and a long fireplace-type match. Take off your upper and clamp it in a vise, hold in it place firmly somehow. I bungee mine to the handrail on the back doorstep. Spray the WD-40 into the barrel and all over your rifle. Light the match and slide it into the upper, into the chamber. All of the carbon and anodizing should cook off fairly quickly.
Let cool. Once the rifle is clean you can spray it off with the hose and put it back together.
K guys obviously this is a joke(don't try this at home), I'm going nuts waiting for my DDM4 to show up. Just got confirmation it's been delivered! What a long week! Going to pick 'er up, will give a report in a few!
Did you realize we both spoke of COWS in our responses? Odd. Cows and barrels. Who would have thought there would be a correlation between the two!
woah! cows...that is weird...
:D
this thread is too long! proper break-in: clean, oil, shoot, repeat.
DavidFourteen
03-22-09, 10:24
Not necessary for chrome lined barrels. It's a myth started by a precision barrel maker, to get you to wear out your barrel faster through over cleaning it, thus causing the precision shooter to replace the barrel more frequently and increasing his profit margin. That was my impression of this procedure when I first heard of it.I'm glad to see someone else mention this.
How appropriate a subject. Please follow this link and see what a recent DPMS owner alleges happened to him. This is exactly why you should ALWAYS inspect your weapon and know what you are looking for.
http://usualsuspect.net/forums/showthread.php?t=402193
How appropriate a subject. Please follow this link and see what a recent DPMS owner alleges happened to him. This is exactly why you should ALWAYS inspect your weapon and know what you are looking for.
http://usualsuspect.net/forums/showthread.php?t=402193
.....
You are not logged on or do not have access to this page.
Sorry, Didn't know that you had to log in to read it. I'll post it here.
I just bought a DPMS ar15. I know the platform well having spent 4yrs in the Army Infantry. When I got it home and broke it down,the buffer spring came flying out! There is no buffer or buffer retainer. Its a new gun so it should be there. It is an entry level ar15 so is this a corner they cut to keep price down? My dealer is calling the supplier on monday, but I figured one of you heere would know. THNX in advance.
.....
Sorry, Didn't know that you had to log in to read it. I'll post it here.
I just bought a DPMS ar15. I know the platform well having spent 4yrs in the Army Infantry. When I got it home and broke it down,the buffer spring came flying out! There is no buffer or buffer retainer. Its a new gun so it should be there. It is an entry level ar15 so is this a corner they cut to keep price down? My dealer is calling the supplier on monday, but I figured one of you heere would know. THNX in advance.
sweet... it got past at least 4 people that should have caught it before finding its way into our infantryman's living room... assembler, QC guy, dealer, buyer
Beat Trash
03-22-09, 15:37
I recommend cleaning a new gun. While doing so, I try to ensure everything looks ok and there are no issues. Lube as normal and have at it.
I recommend cleaning a new gun. While doing so, I try to ensure everything looks ok and there are no issues. Lube as normal and have at it.
i recommend at LEAST a basic function check before leaving the FFL
c'mon.. Soldier's Common Tasks
nah. suffice it to say that barrels are going to be bought. a rep of having a barrel that doesn't last as long as your competitor is one good way to make sure that you reduce your percentage of those sold. this idea simply doesn't hold any water.
the discussion of whether a specific break-in procedure can improve accuracy has been, and will be, discussed till the cows come home, but I've never heard anyone seriously suggest that this is the way the concept got it's start...
From the late Gale McMillan (http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Barrel_BreakIn.asp):
The break in fad was started by a fellow I helped get started in the barrel business . He started putting a set of break in instructions in ever barrel he shipped. One came into the shop to be installed and I read it and the next time I saw him I asked him What was with this break in crap?. His answer was Mac, My share of the market is about 700 barrels a year. I cater to the target crowd and they shoot a barrel about 3000 rounds before they change it. If each one uses up 100 rounds of each barrel breaking it in you can figure out how many more barrels I will get to make each year.
kaiservontexas
03-23-09, 14:55
i recommend at LEAST a basic function check before leaving the FFL
c'mon.. Soldier's Common Tasks
Yep, I field strip a gun before buying it. I refuse to purchase if I am not allowed. I have yet to be refused to conduct a basic strip. My friend ended up teaching the guy at the counter how to strip an SKS when I brought him with me to find a good one, since my friend new those rifles really well and I did not as it was my first. Though if they do say no I will walk away. I want to know everything is as it should be before buying a firearm. At Collector's Firearms in Houston the clerk would not let me leave until he showed me how to strip the G17 and Walther P-22 I was buying. I knew how to do the G17. He did it because I said it was my first time buying that model. I guess he did not realize I had experience with other models. The P-22 was a first, but oh well . . . At least he is showing people stuff before they run home and it enables you to check the gun out first before buying it. They do charge more then most stores though . . .
Sorry I got carried away. :o
I own a new Colt 6450 9MM AR-15. I am shooting it today. As a result of this thread I cleaned the gun last night. The barrel was pristine. The bold carrier and trigger assembly were sticky is places. I cleaned it out and oiled it up real good.
I will clean them all from now on.
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