pdude

For a new RGSR do I need to do this so-called barrel break in (1,5,10 rounds, etc.)? Or is it a myth. I know this might open a can of worms, but curious if it's even needed these days especially with Ruger barrels.

Some are diehards that it smooths out the barrel for accuracy and for future cleaning, while others say it's not needed for today's barrels.

Anyone have results from not doing a break-in and still have tight groups? Or just send me somewhere to some links so I can decide for myself (besides everyone's opinion on all the different gun forums..lol) I might just do it for the heck of it as I figured it can't hurt anything as it's not a high end rifle, but then again it wasn't cheap either.

Nick0410

I never did with my Rem 700 .223 and that thing shoots very accurate, tight groups. The biggest thing with a break in is making sure you get the copper out. The new barrel will scrap off the jacketing and leave deposits. I even cleaned mine with just a bore snake for the first few hundred rounds until I got a rod long enough and some Sweets 7.62. I clean mine every 100 rounds. I did as much research as I could online and ti seems like a myth. Didnt see any negative effects on my gun and I'm still getting into rifle but my 700 is definitely a MOA shooter if not Sub. My shooting isnt consistent enough to tell yet, but its definitely accurate with my reloads.

mnh2obuff

I asked Ruger about break in procedures for my American and this is their response:

"Ruger does not have a recommended barrel break in procedure for any of its firearms other than the normal cleaning that would be done to any gun recently purchased."

Darkker

You can't hurt the barrel by NOT doing it, you can't hurt the barrel BY doing it.

Personally I have done everything, and come to the conclusion that MOST brands DO NOT need a break-in, or "wearing down" of tool marks. Those that DO need the wear-in, need a hellluva lot more than 10 shots, and some crappy solvent will do.

Just start shooting, it's what you bought the gun for.

TMan51

Try this, run a tight patch, with a bit of light oil on it down the bore, using a bore guide and coated rod to minimize rod flex. If you feel snags and tight spots, a break in might be a good idea. I have several Ruger rifles and handguns, only my SP101 came home with a really smooth bore.

To cure the rough spot thing, I use a few iterations of Trail Boss loads and whatever bullets I have handy. I shoot 20 -25 shots per range session, and clean the bore to the metal with a mildly aggressive jacket fouling remover. Shooters choice and Hoppe's bench rest work well. JB bore paste on a tight patch is the finishing step after each session. The reason for the TB loads is they don't heat the barrel so badly as full power stuff, I can shoot more rounds a lot faster.

Accuracy improves incrementally with this approach with each trip to the range, and when it stops improving, the barrel is ready for load development or tuning . 100 rounds is almost always enough. You will also feel the difference when you run a patch down the barrel. Fouling will be reduced by a lot.

MZ5

I agree.

The Annoyed Man

FWIW, I broke in my Remington 700 .308 barrel by spending an afternoon at the range with it and shot about 80 rounds of .308 match through it. I would shoot 4 rounds, then clean the barrel and let it cool. Then I'd shoot 4 more and clean it and let it cool. It took all afternoon to shoot all the ammo, but I had a great day at the range, so that's cool, and I ended up with a rifle that consistently shoots 4 rounds into 3/8", admittedly with a handload I cooked up. Can't gripe about that. This wasn't Remington's recommendation; it's just what made sense to me.

Ruger may not have any break-in recommendations, but it probably doesn't hurt to spend an afternoon methodically and alternately firing a short string and then swabbing out the bore before firing another string, while letting the barrel cool between strings. It can't hurt the barrel, and it might make an improvement. When I did my Remington's break-in, I did see groups tighten up a little bit.....but I dont' know how much that might have been due to just getting familiar with the rifle. Anyway, couldn't hurt, and you get to spend a day at the range. What's not to like about that?

Ruger Redhawk

I've never done any extra breaking in the barrel procedures. All I ever do is clean it first, shoot it and clean it when I get home.

The Annoyed Man

Yeah, but then you don't get to look all professional and stuff at the range, and have n00bs asking you what you're doing.

TMan51

I've purchased and swapped rifles on a regular basis for over 40 years. Many things have improved over that time, barrels, not so much. The need for hi-throughput production, and getting as much as possible from each piece of production equipment to keep costs/profits in line, well, leave some variations in quality.

If you have a barrel that feels rough and scratchy on a tight patch, with tight spots, don't expect that barrel to shoot great groups. It might, but it's not likely. I have a Ruger 77 MKII in .243 that started out as a 3" rifle. For three shots at 100yds. The bore was so rough a tight patch would literally hang up in the barrel. It took a lot of elbow grease, about 300rds of ammo, and a bottle of Remington 40X to get the bore smooth. It now shoots several loads under an inch for five. Not fantastic, but decent. My CZ27 was a tack driver from day one. Just fire away.

It depends. And watching people shoot at the range, most shooters couldn't tell.

LeMat

My bbl break in was a Hi Power match.

MiniGuy

Clean. Assess. Shot. Clean. Assess. Repeat.

Please post up what works for you.

farmerstuff

Clean it once when its new. Just go & shoot it. Barrel break in is a myth.

More damage is done to guns by overcleaning than undercleaning.

TMan51

Actually, it's not a myth, and quite a few of the serious bench rest shooters I've shot with over the years, use different techniques to solve specific barrel problems. The technique should fit the problem.

If you are like most gun owners these days, and use nothing but factory loads, it's quite likely you would never see any difference. The ranges I frequent are shoulder to shoulder with guys that feel a grapefruit size group at 100yds is spectacular. They also never actually clean their guns. A couple patches of Hoppe's doesn't do much. I like that approach, as I've taken several bargains home over the years that were minute of paint bucket until they were cleaned. If the owner knew what they were doing, they would not have dumped the gun.

youngda9

If you're damaging your barrel when cleaning then you're doing it wrong.