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Barrel break in procedure.
Posted by snarglepuss on December 28, 2014 at 2:28 pmI,ve just got a new T3 Tactical in .223 with the 24 inch 1 in 8 twist barrel.
Being “cold hammer forged” is there anything to be gained by following
a break in procedure for this barrel such as…clean..1 shot….clean…3 shots…clean..etc..?
I plan on using hornady superformance 75 grain bthps before I begin hand loading.
I would like to use this rifle as a 800 meter paper puncher and gong clanger.JimT replied 2 years, 3 months ago 12 Members · 12 Replies -
12 Replies
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1 Bullseye
I'm not sure how it would effect performance, but what do you have to lose by following one? It's a new rifle, and the more you learn about how it functions the better you'll be able to feel when it's 'off' and needs some work.
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66 Bullseyes
The way I understand barrel break in is to smooth out the machining marks created when chambering the barrel. I'll second “what do you have to loose” thought.
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21 Bullseyes
what i did on my T3 Sporter was similar. I cleaned with Butches bore shine and have no way to tell if it helped. Sako does good barrels and I am inclined to be less anal in future. I am switching to moly coated bullets soon and plan to use Boretech extreem to deal with the moly.
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1 Bullseye
i just gave mine a really good clean first then just took it out and shot it and then gave it a really good clean when finished it shoots 3 shot clover leafs so dont think a beaking in proceedure would improve it much thats just my rifle tho
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1 Bullseye
I actually called Beretta and was told as it is mentioned on the websites. It is guaranteed to shoot 1″ groups at 100yrds right out of the box. I has been tested already so there should be no need for a “break in period”. Though they do say you might do a general cleaning of the outside and just run a clean patch through the barrel to make sure there is no residual oil. I just bought my first Tikka T3 Lite SST 243 and really look forward to taking some Deer with it. I'm no pro, that's just what they told me.
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296 Bullseyes
In opinion all factory barrels need breaking in , all custom rifles with a custom barrel don't , the breaking in is to reduce the tooling marks associated with mass manufacture
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1 Bullseye
I have a Tikka TT3 Tactical in 308 call and As stated by the factory I did not do the breaking procedure indicated by some shooters. I am shooting sub 1″ groups at 100 yards. I am not trying different hand loads to find out my vertical stringing for the harmonics.
I have shot 15 shot .6 groups with my hand loads
I have over 600 rods through her now.
Good luck, I got a beautiful shooting rifle from Tikka -
105 Bullseyes
i just gave mine a really good clean first then just took it out and shot it and then gave it a really good clean when finished it shoots 3 shot clover leafs so dont think a beaking in proceedure would improve it much thats just my rifle tho
Pretty much what I've done with 7 T3 rifles I own…clean before shooting a box of ammo…shoot 10rds, clean and shoot 10 more…1 final clean before I start working up handholds…Have not had an issue breaking any gun in this way whatsoever…but everyone has their own way.
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1 Bullseye
I don't know that the common break-in procedures do anything to improve accuracy or precision of a factory barrel, but in every case I've done it I believe I've ended up with barrels that resisted fouling much longer. and cleaned up quicker.
But who knows if randomly firing/ then cleaning using the same number of rounds would produce the same, or different results.
For any factory rifle used for competition purposes, I would follow a break-in protocol, if only to ensure a long day's shooting with minimum fouling.
It's obvious, during the cleaning part of the break-in procedure, that the barrel is changing; the patches run through with much less resistance, and fewer and fewer are needed for a clean barrel, as the procedure progresses.
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1 Bullseye
The more you research this subject, the more disagreement you will find with plenty of respected “experts” coming down on both sides.
I do not do the traditional shoot/scrub/repeat break in. I think its a waste of ammo and bore wear.
I do use JB Bore polish to start out clean and polished with a new barrel and I repeat it if showing much fouling or accuracy starts to decline. Otherwise just good bore cleaner/solvent. I have never experienced much fouling in any rifle beyond what would be expected with extremes.
FWIW, I was a competitive highpower shooter in the 1980's and also burned a lot of powder over South Dakota prairie dog towns. Doesn't make me an expert but I'm not a novice either. -
21 Bullseyes
If the barrel is lapped, I bet it does not need special treatmement
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3 Bullseyes
No one has ever provided any empirical evidence to support the “shoot once, clean once”, repeat over and over, “break-in. With modern hammer forged barrels, rifle “break-in” it only helps support the ammo manufacturers. Nothing in the owner manual about it either.
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