Tikka T3 Scout barrel break in question

[polymorpheous]

I'd also like to add that when a highly reputable barrel maker such as Kreiger suggests to me a break in procedure via email, and some unknown on some Internet forum tells me basically that Kreiger is full of shit...

Well, you see the issue here?

[Ring]

I'd also like to add that when a highly reputable barrel maker such as Kreiger suggests to me a break in procedure via email, and some unknown on some Internet forum tells me basically that Kreiger is full of shit...

Well, you see the issue here?

no.. google is your friend...

http://www.6mmbr.com/gailmcmbreakin.html


http://forum.snipershide.com/sniper-...rocedures.html

[polymorpheous]

The McMillian article was posted already.
It raised more questions for me and it came across as bashing other barrel makers.
While not exactly apples to apples, but imagine if someone were to assert that the only reason guys like Grant advocates training is to wear your barrels out so you have to buy a new upper.
Ridiculous, I know.

Another notion brought up in the SH's thread, (good read BTW, thank you), was that the patch was the item that was polishing any burrs left near the throat.
The projectile and powder do a good job at that.
The patch is obviously to clean out the fouling.

A couple of questions though.
As one poster above had mentioned, accuracy peaks after X amount of rounds.
One of the Mods here mentioned shooting a BCM 410 barrel to this peak and then having it melonited.
What exactly is happening here?

Also, what is going on in the barrel during the break in SOME manufacturers recommend that the copper fouling disappears?
This would suggest to me that once the fouling goes away, the throat has been smoothed out.

[Ring]

basic logic...
no good barrel needs to be "broken in"... the "barrel" should be lapped... their for nothing to break in..

so that what are you "breaking in"?

the only part that would be "rough".. the throat that would have tooling marks and burs...

your 1st 50ish should remove those, at that point, your barrel should be at its "peak", but there would be zero benefit to cleaning that during the break in.


no if you dont have a match grade lapped bore, i would sugest you use this
http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSe...apping+bullets

[polymorpheous]

I didn't break in my BCM 410 barrel specifically because it is hand lapped.
Is the Tikka barrel?

Either way, I told my brother not to worry about break in.
I will be informing him about moly bullets though.
He seems to think he needs them.
If it will possibly damage the throat and void the warranty.

[Ring]

If u want the effect of moly with out the problems, use HBN...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[scoutchris]

Do not strip copper, just the carbon buildup. The copper fouling will re-appear eventually anyway after a varying number of shots, dependent on the barrel. As the copper fouling appears, your POI will start to shift, until that barrel has achieved a homeostasis of copper fouling. Each time you strip the copper, you start the process all over again. Copper doesn't ruin a barrel. Clean the carbon and powder, don't strip the copper, and shoot it.

[taliv]

readers digest version:

break in is not a big deal, but it does have an affect.

The post by Gale McMillan is a joke. He says nobody ever showed him what break-in was supposed to do. Krieger and numerous others explain it in detail. But McMillan has been deceased many years and cannot respond. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of internet denizens who never met a conspiracy theory they didn't like, who want to take the discussion back to the beginning, instead of moving it forward. So we will remain in this loop until these people manage to educate themselves or find a new hobby.

Nobody I know has a plausible theory for break-in improving accuracy (at least at short range). It does however affect how your bore copper fouls, which in turn can affect pressure and velocity over time. Anybody shooting groups at 100 and claiming "look what i did and I never broke my barrel in, so it must be a myth" is completely missing the point. If all they do is shoot groups, and especially at short range, then good for them if they save themselves an extra 10 minutes of cleaning once.

Break-in only takes a few rounds, not 100s (for most decent barrels).
It doesn't matter how well your bore was lapped. The barrel mfg cannot lap the throat.
The goal is to prevent copper buildup, since copper adheres to copper.
Copper isn't primarily deposited in the bore through friction. It comes off the bullet in the throat and is deposited in the bore as the gasses cool.
Barrels are unique. Don't stop thinking after a sample size of one.

If you plan to clean your barrel every 10-20 rounds or after every string, as some recommend, then break-in will have minimal effect as copper won't really build up.
If you plan to never clean your barrel, break-in is a little more important. Personally, I usually go at least 1000, usually 1500 rounds before cleaning and I find break in helps quite a bit. When I eventually clean, it is to remove copper and it is not because of the tool marks, but because erosion (that dry lakebed stuff) is similarly causing copper fouling. I wind up cleaning regularly near the end of a barrel's life.

If you want to test this yourself, you can do so simply by cleaning a new barrel with a copper solvent after each round and watching the color of the patches that come out. Ask yourself, "Why do barrels stop copper fouling after a few rounds?"

IMO, you can break in, and have a barrel that doesn't copper foul, or you can not break-in, in which case you will be trying to achieve the homeostasis mentioned above. You can work with homeostasis, but not having any copper fouling at all is obviously better. I much prefer consistent velocities.


If anyone has better info or can correct the above statements, please share.

[scoutchris]

While I am sure that there might be an initial difference in the amount of copper adhering to the barrel after whatever break in you perform, my personal experience has been that copper will still collect. The idea that after a break in from whatever manufacturer will lead to a barrel that doesn't strip copper from the jacket as it travels is a stretch at best. If you're doing bench rest or some other asinine course of fire, this would would warranted... Maybe... If you are attending a precision rifle course or any other tactical or real world class, you will almost unanimously be advised to not detail strip either the weapon or copper strip the barrel due to the poi shift that will occur on the following day. Break a barrel in, however you want, and fire 40 rounds without cleaning, and tell me what happened to your poi.

[scoutchris]

I would also recommend 5 round groups at maximum. At 10 rounds you are susceptible to shooter influenced inconsistencies.